[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 236 (Thursday, December 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65532-65533]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29440]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0548; FRL-9091-3]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Exhaust Emissions of Light-duty Vehicles in
Metropolitan Detroit ; EPA ICR No. 2363.01, OMB Control No. 2060-NEW
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
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 for a new Information Collection Request (ICR) to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 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 February 8, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2009-0548, by one of the following methods:
http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected].
Fax: (734) 214-4939.
Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center
(EPA/DC), Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, Mail code
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.
Hand Delivery: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket
Center (EPA/DC), Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, Mail
code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. 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-OAR-
2009-0548. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at
http://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 http://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 http://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: Constance Hart, Assessment and
Standards Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality,
Environmental Protection Agency, AAAQMC, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann
Arbor, MI 48105; telephone number: (734) 214-4340; fax number: (734)
214-4939; 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-OAR-2009-0548, which is available for online viewing at
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person at the Air and Radiation
Docket in 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 Air and Radiation Docket is 202-
566-1742.
Use http://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.
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.
[[Page 65533]]
What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Apply to?
``Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0548.''
Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are
individual private owners of light-duty vehicles, including passenger
cars and light trucks.
Title: Exhaust Emissions of Light-duty Vehicles in Metropolitan
Detroit.
ICR Numbers: EPA ICR No. 2363.01, OMB Control No. 2060-NEW.
ICR Status: This ICR is for a new information collection activity.
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. In addition, they 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: In response to recommendations from the National Research
Council of the National Academy of Sciences, the EPA is initiating a
systematic data collection designed to improve the methods and tools
used by the Agency to estimate exhaust emissions as vehicles age. Data
to be collected include vehicle type, vehicle characteristics, and
measurement of exhaust emissions.
One of the main issues in the study of vehicle emissions is the
difficulty in acquiring representative results. Major challenges
include the diversity of technology, the highly variable nature of
emissions, the complexity and expense of measurement, difficulty in
acquiring and retaining engines or vehicles, and the array of external
variables that influence emissions, ranging from temperature to driver
behavior. In combination, these factors tend to limit the numbers of
vehicles that can be included in a given study. Limited sample sizes in
combination with high variability make emissions data challenging to
interpret.
The collection is a test program, to be conducted by the Office of
Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) in the Office of Air and
Radiation (OAR). This study will be designed to develop and test novel
screening, sampling and measurement procedures. These approaches
promise to substantially reduce the cost of exhaust emissions
measurement as well as to improve the accuracy of resulting estimates.
An innovative feature of this project will be the use of roadside
remote-sensing measurements to construct a pool of vehicles from which
vehicles can be sampled for purposes of recruitment and measurement
using portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS). The acquisition of
remote-sensing measurements for hydrocarbons, carbon-monoxide, and
oxides of nitrogen will provide an index of emissions for all vehicles
prior to sampling and recruitment for more intensive measurement. The
index is expected to facilitate recruitment of vehicles with an
emphasis on rare sub-populations such as high-emitting vehicles, and
provide a means to appropriately relate measured vehicles to the
overall fleet.
Research questions for the project include: (1) Can remote-sensing
be used as a reliable index of emissions across the range of emissions?
(2) Can PEMS measure accurate emissions time series for very clean
vehicles, such as Tier 2 (Bins 2 and 3) or LEV-II (ULEV, SULEV)? (3)
How can portable instruments be used to measure start emissions? and
(4) Can the emissions index used for recruitment also serve as a means
to estimate potential non-response bias?
We plan to collect remote-sensing measurements on approximately
30,000 vehicles, and from this pool, to recruit approximately 100
vehicles for measurement using PEMS. Participation in the program will
be voluntary. The target population for the project will include light-
duty cars and trucks certified to Tier 2 (Bins 5, 3 and 2) or
equivalent LEV-II standards (LEV, ULEV or SULEV), respectively.
The information collection will involve 250 respondents, requiring
360 hours to complete at a total cost to those respondents of $9,500.
For the Agency, the collection will require 3,200 hours to complete at
a total cost of $250,000.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.45
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.
The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate,
which is only briefly summarized here:
Estimated total number of potential respondents: 250.
Frequency of response: On Occasion.
Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent:
One.
Estimated total annual burden hours: 360.
Estimated total annual costs: $9,500.
This includes an estimated burden cost of $9,500 and an estimated
cost of $0 for capital investment or maintenance and operational costs.
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: September 18, 2009.
Chester J. France,
Director, Assessment and Standards Division.
[FR Doc. E9-29440 Filed 12-9-09; 8:45 am]
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