[Federal Register: May 4, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 85)]
[Notices]               
[Page 23153-23154]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04my05-61]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OAR-2005-0115; FRL-7907-7]

 
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; General Conformity of Federal 
Actions to State Implementation Plans (Renewal), EPA ICR Number 
1637.06, OMB Control Number 2060-0279

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

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 an Information Collection 
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing 
approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on April 30, 2005. 
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor 
the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. 
This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its 
estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before June 3, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OAR-2005-
0115 to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail 
to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: Environmental Protection 
Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Air and Radiation Docket and 
Information Center, 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, 
DC 20460, and (2) OMB at: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annie Nikbakht, Ozone Policy and 
Strategies Group, Mail Drop C539-02, Environmental Protection Agency, 
109 T.W. Alexander Drive, RTP, North Carolina 27711; telephone number: 
(919) 541-5246; fax number: (919) 541-0824; e-mail address: 
nikbakht.annie@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 February 1, 2005 (70 FR 5178), 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 
No.OAR-2005-0115, which is available for public viewing at the Air and 
Radiation Docket and Information Center in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/
DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Avenue, 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 Air and Radiation Docket is (202) 566-1742. An 
electronic version of the public docket is available through EPA 
Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to 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 and OMB 
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, confidential business 
information (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

[[Page 23154]]

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: General Conformity of Federal Actions to State 
Implementation Plans (40 CFR part 51, subpart W; part 93, subpart B) 
(Renewal).
    Abstract: Before any agency, department, or instrumentality of the 
Federal government engages in, supports in any way, provides financial 
assistance for, licenses, permits, or approves any activity, that 
agency has the affirmative responsibility to ensure that such action 
conforms to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the attainment and 
maintenance of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS).
    The Federal government uses information collected to ensure that 
general Federal actions conform to applicable provisions of the SIP and 
that the Federal action does not impede the goal of attaining and 
maintaining the NAAQS throughout the country. The State and local air 
agencies use the results from conformity determinations to determine 
applicability of the general conformity requirements, to demonstrate 
that their actions satisfy both the emissions and air quality criteria 
stipulated in the regulation, and to demonstrate that their actions 
conform to applicable provisions of the SIP.
    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 and are identified on 
the form and/or instrument, if applicable.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 35 
hours per response. 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: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are those which take Federal Actions, or are subject to 
Federal Actions, and emit pollutants above deminimis levels.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 674.
    Frequency of Response: One time, or every five years.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 9,435 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $592,763, which includes $0 annualized 
capital/startup costs, $0 annual O&M costs, and $592,763 annual labor 
costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 811 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is applicable to the Non-Federal, 
State, and Local agencies which are the entities more affected. This 
number is calculated based on Non-Federal, State, and Local agencies 
only.

    Dated: April 26, 2005.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 05-8870 Filed 5-3-05; 8:45 am]

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