[Federal Register: July 28, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 144)]
[Notices]
[Page 43688-43689]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28jy05-26]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OW-2003-0019, FRL-7945-5]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (Renewal), EPA ICR
Number 0318.10, OMB Control Number 2040-0050
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a
continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request to renew an existing
approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2005.
Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is
soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information
collection as described below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 29, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2003-
0019, to EPA online using
[[Page 43689]]
EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to ow-docket@epa.gov or by
mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of
Water, Mail Code 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC
20460.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Plastino, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Mail Code 4204M,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-0682; fax number: 202-
501-2399; e-mail address: plastino.michael@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR
1320.12. On March 14, 2005 (70 FR 12474), EPA sought comments on this
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments.
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
number OW-2003-0019, which is available for public viewing at the
Office of Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West,
Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket
Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Office
of Water Docket is (202) 566-2426. An electronic version of the public
docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
Use EDOCKET to obtain a copy of the draft
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the
index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those
documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once
in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number
identified above.
Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA within
30 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether
submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public
viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the
comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose
public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a
comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference
to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in
EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted
material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified
as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose
disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the
official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in
EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's
Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102
(May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov./edocket.
Title: Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (Renewal).
Abstract: The Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS) is required by
sections 205(a) and 516(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act (http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/cwns/index.htm
). It is a periodic inventory of
existing and proposed publicly owned wastewater treatment works (POTWs)
and other water pollution control facilities in the United States, as
well as an estimate of how many POTWs need to be built. The CWNS is a
voluntary, joint effort of EPA and the States. The Survey records cost
and technical data associated with POTWs and other water pollution
control facilities, existing and proposed, in the United States. The
State respondents who provide this information to EPA are State
agencies responsible for environmental pollution control. No
confidential information is used, nor is sensitive information
protected from release under the Public Information Act. EPA achieves
national consistency in the final results through the application of
uniform guidelines and validation techniques.
During the period of this ICR, EPA will not be requiring or asking
States to update CWNS information. EPA is planning to keep the CWNS
database open for States that voluntarily choose to submit updated
information, for their own purposes, between the 2004 and 2008 CWNS
data entry periods. EPA will not be requiring or asking States to
submit updated data until the 2008 CWNS data entry period, which will
be covered under a subsequent ICR.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's
regulations in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9.
Burden Statement: Should States choose to update CWNS facilities
during this period, the average burden per respondent per facility
updated is 1.55 hours. In previous between-survey periods, five to ten
States have elected to update CWNS facility information. Assuming ten
states choose to update facilities in this between survey period, with
an average of 600 facilities per state and an average of 50% of
facilities needing updates every 4 years, the total overall voluntary
burden to ten States would be approximate 4,650 hours. Burden means the
total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to
generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or
for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review
instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and
systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and
providing information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any
previously applicable instructions and requirements; train personnel to
be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources;
complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or
otherwise disclose the information.
Respondents/Affected Entities: State government agencies
responsible for water pollution control and sewage treatment.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 10.
Frequency of Response: Every 4 years (States' options to update
data between cycles).
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,550 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $53,816, which includes $0 Capital
Expense, $0 Operation and Maintenance, and $53,816 Respondent Labor
Costs.
Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 6,122 hours in the
total annual estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory
of Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is due to a change in program
requirements, as data updates during periods between the 4-year
collection cycles are completely at states' discretion.
Dated: July 19, 2005.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 05-14933 Filed 7-27-05; 8:45 am]
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