[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34110-34111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-14516]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OECA-2010-0413; FRL-9163-1; EPA ICR No. 0234.10; OMB Control
No. 2080-0021]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Performance Evaluation Studies on Wastewater
Laboratories (Renewal)
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 December 31, 2010. 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 August 16, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OECA-2010-0413, by one of the following methods:
http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected].
Fax: (202) 566-9744.
Mail: Enforcement and Compliance Docket, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, 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-OECA-
2010-0413. 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 http://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/dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Yellin, Office of Compliance,
Agriculture Division, 2225A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-
564-2970; fax number: 202-564-0085; 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-OECA-2010-0413, which is available for online viewing at
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Enforcement and
Compliance 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 Enforcement and
Compliance Docket is 202-566-1752.
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
[[Page 34111]]
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.
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
NPDES permitted facilities.
Title: Performance Evaluation Studies on Wastewater Laboratories
(Renewal)
ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 0234.10, OMB Control No. 2080-0021.
ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on December
31, 2010. 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: Discharge Monitoring Report-Quality Assurance (DMR-QA)
participation is mandatory for major and selected minor permit holders
under the Clean Water Act's National Pollution Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES), Section 308. The DMR-QA study is designed to evaluate
the analytic ability of the laboratories that perform chemical,
microbiological and whole effluent toxicity (WET) analyses required in
the NPDES permits for reporting results in the Discharge Monitoring
Reports (DMR). Under DMR-QA, the permit holder is responsible: For
having their in-house and/or contract laboratories perform proficiency
test samples and submit results for grading by proficiency testing (PT)
providers. Graded results are transmitted by either the permittee or PT
provider to the appropriate Federal or State NPDES regulatory
authority. Permit holders are responsible for submitting corrective
action reports to the appropriate regulatory authority.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 6.3
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: 6,589.
Frequency of response: Annual.
Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 1.
Estimated total annual burden hours: 41,511 hours.
Estimated total annual costs: $2,461,426. This includes an
estimated burden cost of $1,209,516 and an estimated cost of $1,251,910
for capital investment or maintenance and operational costs. The number
of affected facilities is 6,589.
Are there changes in the estimates from the last approval?
There is a decrease of 5,840 hours in the total estimated
respondent burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently
approved by OMB. This decrease reflects EPA's granting a waiver for
four States to use their laboratory certification program as a
substitute for the DMR-QA program. This resulted in a reduction in the
average number of participants from 7,516 to 6,589. The maintenance and
operational cost has increased by $11,770 due to increased costs for
obtaining proficiency testing samples. Labor costs have also been
adjusted for inflation.
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
Patrick Yellin.
Dated: June 2, 2010.
Al Havinga,
Acting Director, Agriculture Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-14516 Filed 6-15-10; 8:45 am]
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