[Federal Register: November 2, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 212)]
[Notices]
[Page 64520-64521]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02no06-37]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OW-2002-0059; FRL-8238-4]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Fund
Program; EPA ICR No. 1803.05, OMB Control No. 2040-0185
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (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. The ICR, which is abstracted below,
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated
burden and cost.
DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before December 4,
2006.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2002-0059, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by e-mail to OW-Docket@epa.gov or by mail to: EPA
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Water Docket,
Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB by mail to: 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: Howard Rubin, Mail Code 4606M,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-2051; e-mail address:
rubin.howarde@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 June 5, 2006 (70 FR 32342), EPA sought comments on this ICR
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments during the
comment period.
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-OW-2002-0059, which is available for online viewing at
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Water Docket in
the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC).
Note: The EPA Docket Center suffered damage due to flooding
during the last week of June 2006. The Docket Center is continuing
to operate. However, during the cleanup, there will be temporary
changes to Docket Center telephone numbers, addresses, and hours of
operation for people who wish to visit the Public Reading Room to
view documents. Consult EPA's Federal Register notice at 71 FR 54815
(September 19, 2006) or the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm
for current information on docket status,
locations and telephone numbers.
Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov
, to submit or view public comments, access the
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made
available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA
receives them and without change, unless the comment contains
copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure
is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Title: Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Fund Program.
ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1803.05, OMB Control No. 2040-0185.
ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on November 30, 2006.
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor
the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB.
The OMB control numbers for EPA's regulations in title 40 of the CFR,
after
[[Page 64521]]
appearing in the Federal Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR
part 9, are displayed either by publication in the Federal Register or
by other appropriate means, such as on the related collection
instrument or form, if applicable. The display of OMB control numbers
in certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
Abstract: The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996
(Pub. L. 104-182) authorized the creation of the Drinking Water State
Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program in each State and Puerto Rico to assist
public water systems in financing the costs of infrastructure needed to
achieve or maintain compliance with SDWA requirements and to protect
public health. Section 1452 authorizes the Administrator of EPA to
award capitalization grants to the States and Puerto Rico which, in
turn, provide low-cost loans and other types of assistance to eligible
drinking water systems. States can also reserve a portion of their
grants to conduct various set-aside activities. The information
collection activities will occur primarily at the program level through
the (1) Capitalization Grant Application and Agreement/State Intended
Use Plan; (2) Biennial Report; (3) Annual Audit; and (4) Assistance
Application Review. Information collected is needed for input into the
DWSRF National Information Management System.
(1) Capitalization Grant Application and Agreement/State Intended
Use Plan: The State must prepare a Capitalization Grant Application
that includes an Intended Use Plan (IUP), outlining in detail how it
will use all the funds covered by the capitalization grant. The State
may, as an alternative, develop the IUP in a two part process with one
part identifying the distribution and uses of the funds among the
various set-asides in the DWSRF program and the other part dealing with
project assistance from the Fund.
(2) Biennial Report: The State must agree to complete and submit a
Biennial Report on the uses of the capitalization grant. The scope of
the report must cover assistance provided by the DWSRF Fund and all
other set-aside activities included under the Capital Grant Agreement.
States, which jointly administer DWSRF and Clean Water State Revolving
Fund (CWSRF) programs, in accordance with section 1452(g)(1), may
submit reports (according to the schedule specified for each program)
that cover both programs.
(3) Annual Audit: A State must comply with the provisions of the
Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996. Best management practices suggest
and EPA recommends that a State conduct an annual independent audit of
its DWSRF program. The scope of the report must cover the DWSRF Fund
and all other set-aside activities included in the Capitalization Grant
Agreement. States which jointly administer DWSRF and CWSRF programs, in
accordance with section 1452(g)(1), may submit audits that cover both
programs but which report financial information for each program
separately.
(4) Assistance Application Review: Local applicants seeking
financial assistance must prepare and submit DWSRF loan applications.
States then review completed loan applications and verify that proposed
projects will comply with applicable Federal and State requirements.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 131
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 which have subsequently changed; 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 and local governments,
businesses, and non-profit institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 1505 respondents per year.
Frequency of Response: Annual for State Grant Applications and
Audit reports, Biennial for State Annual Reports, once per loan
applications for loan applicants.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 196,870 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $6,862,452, which includes $0 capital
and O&M.
Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 1,935 hours in
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of
Approved ICR Burdens. This increase reflects EPA's calculation of
burden for Biennial Reports.
Dated: October 26, 2006.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. E6-18495 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am]
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