[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 26, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4066-4067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1467]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-R03-CPB-2009-0500; FRL-9106-9]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Chesapeake Registry; EPA ICR No.
2365.02, OMB Control No. 2003-0001
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 February 25,
2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-R03-
CBP-2009-0500, to both EPA and OMB. For EPA use one of the following
three methods:
http://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method). Follow
the on-line instructions for submitting.
Mail: EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Environmental Protection
Agency, Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center, mail
code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.
E-mail: [email protected].
For OMB 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: Marguerite Duffy, USEPA Region III--
Chesapeake Bay Program, Annapolis City Marina, 410 Severn Avenue Suite
109 (3CB10), Annapolis, MD 21403; telephone number: (410) 267-5764; fax
number: (410) 267-5777; e-mail address: [email protected]; or
Doreen Vetter, telephone number (410) 267-5780; e-mail address:
[email protected].
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 October 23, 2009 (74 FR 54801), EPA sought comments on this
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d) and received no comments. Any
additional comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB
within 30 days of this notice.
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. EPA-R03-CBP-2009-0500, which is available for online viewing at
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at EPA Docket Center
(EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 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 Enforcement and Compliance Docket is
(202) 566-1752.
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,'' key in the docket ID number
identified above, and hit the ``Submit'' icon. 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, confidential business
information (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: Chesapeake Registry.
ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2365.02, OMB Control No. 2003-0001.
ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on February 28, 2010.
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor
the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB.
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: In 2008, EPA's Region III Chesapeake Bay Program Office
(CBPO) and its partners developed the Chesapeake Action Plan (CAP) to
strengthen and expand partnerships in the watershed, enhance
coordination of restoration activities, and increase the collective
accountability for protecting the Chesapeake Bay. One component
described in the CAP is a Web-enabled reporting system known as the
Activity Integration Plan now titled Chesapeake Registry. Through this
reporting system, participating organizations provide data about the
activities in which they are currently engaged, or plan to be engaged
in, to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. The
ability to capture and account for Bay-wide implementation activities
was developed in response to recommendations by the Government
Accountability Office and directives of the Explanatory Statement of
the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 110-
161). CBPO conducted its first activity data call in 2008 that included
10 Federal agencies, 7 States, and 2 local organizations.
The EPA, on behalf of the partnership, intends to expand the data
call to more than 10 non-federal agencies and organizations to
strengthen the information base on which to support implementation
decisions and more recently, to support Executive Order (EO) 13508,
signed by President Barack Obama on May 12, 2009. Section 203(d) of the
EO directs EPA to identify the ``mechanisms that will assure that
governmental and other activities, including data collection and
distribution, are coordinated and effective, relying on existing
mechanisms where appropriate.''
Section 204 further directs that ``Federal actions to protect and
restore the Chesapeake Bay are closely coordinated with actions by
State and local agencies in the watershed and that the resources,
authorities, and expertise of Federal, State, and local agencies are
used as efficiently as possible.'' The Chesapeake Registry and
associated data calls provide a mechanism for coordinated data
collections among federal and nonfederal entities protecting and
restoring the Bay and its watershed, and the information
[[Page 4067]]
necessary to adaptively manage the program in support of these
mandates.
The Chesapeake Registry includes detailed information about the
activities and funding conducted and planned by partner and stakeholder
organizations. The organizations provide project information on the
nature of the activity, responsible organization, organizational point
of contact, resource levels, geographic location, and major milestones
on progress towards Chesapeake Bay protection and restoration efforts.
Funds reported in the Chesapeake Registry are linked to an
organization's own resource base so that data associated with a set of
funds is entered only by the originator of the funding. The information
is organized by programmatic goal and desired result, which aligns
activities to the goals of the program and helps to provide an accurate
depiction of restoration activities, progress, and results. The
information collection, as envisioned, will be conducted annually.
Summary level information from the Chesapeake Registry is available at
http://cap.chesapeakebay.net.
Each reporting organization is assigned a user ID and password.
Security measures have been established to protect data that have been
entered, including maintaining the data on a secure server on a secure
network, and confirming the data with each reporting organization.
Participants in the information collection are able to search the
reporting system database application and view standard reports.
Partners will use the enhanced and expanded data to update performance
management dashboards that summarize and synthesize information so the
program partners and stakeholders can understand, at a glance, the
progress being made in key program areas. The dashboards include
measures of progress, information about resources and strategic
analyses of what needs to be done to improve implementation. In
addition, EPA anticipates that some of the partners and stakeholders
will use the reporting system as a tool for their own management and
planning efforts.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 64.8
hours per response for state and local government agencies and 11.5
hours per response for non-government organizations. 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 and non-
government organizations within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 50 (30 State and local
governments, 20 non-government organizations) initially but will likely
increase over time.
Frequency of Response: Annual.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,001.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $56,738.
Changes in the Estimates: EPA anticipates an annual, gradual change
in the total estimated respondent burden compared with that identified
in the ICR currently approved by OMB.
Dated: January 20, 2010.
John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-1467 Filed 1-25-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P