[Federal Register: October 17, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 199)]
[Notices]
[Page 60335-60336]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17oc05-87]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[SFUND-2005-0003, FRL-7984-4]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Brownfields Program Revitalization Grantee Reporting,
EPA ICR Number 2104.01, OMB Control Number 2050-0192
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 August 31,
2006. 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 December 16, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number SFUND-
2005-0003, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-
mail to superfund.docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center,
Environmental Protection Agency, OSWER Docket, 5202T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacy Swartwood, Office of Solid Waste
and Emergency Response (OSWER), Office of Brownfields Cleanup and
Redevelopment (OBCR) 5105T, U.S. EPA Headquarters, Ariel Rios Building,
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number:
(202) 566-1391; fax number: (202) 566-2757; e-mail address:
swartwood.stacy@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this
ICR under Docket ID number SFUND-2005-0003, which is available for
public viewing at the OSWER 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 OSWER Docket is (202) 566-0276. 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
60 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.
Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are
states, tribes, local governments, and certain non-governmental
organizations that apply for and receive grants from EPA to support the
assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties.
Title: Brownfields Program--Grant Reporting Information Collection
Request.
Abstract: The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act (Pub. L. 107-118) (``the Brownfields Amendments'')
was signed into law on January 11, 2002. The Act amends the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA), as amended, and authorizes EPA to award grants to States,
tribes, local governments, and other eligible entities to assess and
clean up brownfields sites. Under the Brownfields Amendments, a
brownfields site means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or
reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence
of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. For grant funding
purposes, EPA uses the term ``brownfields property(ies)'' synonymously
with the term ``brownfields sites.'' The Brownfields Amendments
authorize EPA to award several types of grants to eligible entities on
a competitive basis.
Under subtitle A of the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act, States, tribes, local governments, and
other eligible entities can receive assessment grants to inventory,
characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement
related to brownfields properties; cleanup grants to carry out cleanup
activities at brownfields properties; grants to capitalize revolving
loan funds and provide subgrants for cleanup activities; and job
training grants to support the creation and implementation of
environmental job training and placement programs. Under subtitle C of
the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act,
State and tribes can receive grants to establish and enhance their
response programs. The grants support activities necessary to establish
or enhance four elements of state and tribal response programs and to
meet the public record requirements under the statute. The four
elements include: (a) Timely survey and inventory of brownfield sites
in the State or in the tribal land; (b) oversight and enforcement
authorities or other mechanisms and resources; (c) mechanisms and
resources to provide meaningful opportunities for public participation;
and (d) mechanisms for approval of a cleanup plan and verification and
certification that cleanup is complete. States and tribes that receive
funding under subtitle C must establish a public record system during
the grant funding period unless an adequate public record system is
already established.
Grant recipients have general reporting and record keeping
requirements as a condition of their grant that result in burden. A
portion of this reporting and record keeping burden is authorized under
40 CFR parts 30 and 31 and identified in the EPA's general grants ICR
(OMB Control Number 2030-0020). EPA requires Brownfields program grant
recipients to
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maintain and report additional information to EPA on the uses and
accomplishments associated with the funded brownfields activities. EPA
uses several forms to assist grantees in reporting the information and
to ensure consistency of the information collected. EPA uses this
information to meet Federal stewardship responsibilities to manage and
track how program funds are being spent, to evaluate the performance of
the Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment Program, to meet the Agency's
reporting requirements under the Government Performance Results Act,
and to report to Congress and other program stakeholders on the status
and accomplishments of the grants program.
This ICR addresses the burden imposed on grant recipients that are
associated with those reporting and recordkeeping requirements that are
specific to grants awarded under the Small Business Liability Relief
and Brownfields Revitalization Act. This ICR renewal modifies the
annual reporting and recordkeeping burden under the previous ICR. The
modified burden reflects an increase in the number of respondents
subject to the reporting and recordkeeping requirements, and
improvements to the reporting forms based on EPA's experience
implementing the grant program. Specifically, subtitle C grant
recipients are now subject to the reporting and recordkeeping
requirements previously established for subtitle A grant recipients. By
using the same form to report information on grant activities, EPA is
adopting a streamlined approach that avoids potential confusion among
grant recipients and allows the Agency to collect and report program
information consistently across all brownfields grants. EPA is also
modifying the reporting form to simplify and clarify the reporting
requirements, which will improve the accuracy of information reported
and minimize the burden to grant recipients.
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 are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR chapter 15.
The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
(i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
(ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected; and
(iv) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses.
Burden Statement: The annual reporting and record keeping burden
for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 hours per
response for job training grant recipients. The annual reporting and
record keeping burden for this collection of information is estimated
to average 1.25 hours per response for subtitle A assessment, cleanup,
and revolving loan fund grant recipients and subtitle C grant
recipients.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 294.
Frequency of Response: Bi-annual for subtitle C grant recipients;
quarterly for subtitle A grant recipients.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 8,683.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $260,648
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.
Dated: September 13, 2005.
Linda Garczynski,
Director, Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment, Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
[FR Doc. 05-20707 Filed 10-14-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P