[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 24 (Friday, February 6, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6286-6288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2558]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-SFUND-2009-0078; FRL-8771-9]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Brownfields Program--Revitalization Grantee Reporting
(Renewal); EPA ICR No. 2104.03, OMB Control No. 2050-0192
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 EPA is planning to
submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection
Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is
scheduled to expire on July 31, 2009. 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 April 7, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
SFUND-2009-0078, by one of the following methods:
www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected].
Fax: 202-566-0276.
Mail: EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Environmental Protection
Agency, Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC
20460.
Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection
Agency, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. Such
deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of
operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of
boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-SFUND-
2009-0078. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov or e-mail.
The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system,
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov
your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available
on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends
that you include your name and other contact information in the body of
your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read
your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel Lentz, Environmental Protection
Agency, Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, (5105-T),
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-2745; fax number: 202-
566-1476; e-mail address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
How Can I Access the Docket and/or Submit Comments?
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-SFUND-2009-0078, which is available for online viewing at
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the EPA Docket Center
(EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington,
DC. The EPA/DC 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
Superfund Docket is 202-566-9744.
Use www.regulations.gov to obtain a copy of the draft collection of
information, submit or view public comments, access the index listing
of the contents of the 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 in this
document.
What Information Is EPA Particularly Interested in?
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA specifically
solicits comments and information to enable it 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. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from
very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of
specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork
burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.
[[Page 6287]]
What Should I Consider When I Prepare My Comments for EPA?
You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your
comments:
1. Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific
examples.
2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used
that support your views.
4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
5. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified
under DATES.
7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket
ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first page
of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal
Register citation.
What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Apply to?
Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action
are: General purpose units of local government; land clearance
authorities or other quasi-governmental entities that operate under the
supervision and control of, or as an agent of, a general purpose unit
of local government; government entities created by State legislature;
regional councils or groups of general purpose units of local
government; redevelopment agencies that are chartered or otherwise
sanctioned by the State; States; Indian Tribes other than in Alaska;
Alaska Native Regional Corporations, Alaska Native Village
Corporations, and Metlakatla Indian Communities; and non-profit
organizations.
Title: Brownfields Program--Revitalization Grantee Reporting
(Renewal).
ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2104.03, OMB Control No. 2050-0192.
ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on July 31,
2009. 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 title 40 of the CFR, after 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 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,
States 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 eligible for grant funding 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 recordkeeping 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 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.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.25
hours per
[[Page 6288]]
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.
The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate,
which is only briefly summarized here:
Estimated total number of potential respondents: 294.
Frequency of response: Bi-annual for subtitle C grant recipients;
quarterly for subtitle A grant recipients.
Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent:
20.
Estimated total annual burden hours: 8,683.
Estimated total annual costs: $547,345. This includes an estimated
burden cost of $547,345 and an estimated cost of $0 for capital
investment or maintenance and operational costs.
Are There Changes in the Estimates From the Last Approval?
There is no change in hours in the total estimated respondent
burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently approved by
OMB.
What Is the Next Step in the Process for This ICR?
EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for
review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. At that time, EPA will
issue another Federal Register notice pursuant to 5 CFR
1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB. If you have any
questions about this ICR or the approval process, please contact the
technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Dated: January 29, 2009.
David R. Lloyd,
Director, Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization.
[FR Doc. E9-2558 Filed 2-5-09; 8:45 am]
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