[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 149 (Thursday, August 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46089-46091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-18873]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0407; FRL-9709-2]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and
Industrial Sectors; EPA ICR No. 1772.06
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 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 January
31, 2013. 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 October 1, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2006-0407, by one of the following methods:
www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
Email: a-and-r-docket@epa.gov.
Fax: (202) 566-9744.
Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket
Center, Air and Radiation Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery: Air and Radiation Docket in the EPA Docket
Center (EPA/DC), EPA West Building, 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-OAR-
2006-0407. 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 email. 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 email comment
directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov your email
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: Alexandra Sullivan, Climate Protection
Partnerships Division, Mail Code: 6202J, Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone
number: 202-343-9040; fax number: 202-343-2204; email address:
sullivan.alexandra@epa.gov.
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-2006-0407, which is available for online viewing at
[[Page 46090]]
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing 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 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 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.
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
participants in EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and
Industrial Sectors.
Title: Information Collection Activities Associated with EPA's
ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors.
ICR Numbers: EPA ICR No. 1772, OMB Control No. 2060-0347.
ICR Status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on January
31, 2013. 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: EPA created ENERGY STAR as a voluntary program to help
businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior
energy efficiency. The program focuses on reducing utility-generated
emissions by reducing the demand for energy. In 1991, EPA launched the
Green Lights Program to encourage corporations, State and local
governments, colleges and universities, and other organizations to
adopt energy-efficient lighting as a profitable means of preventing
pollution and improving lighting quality. Since then, EPA has rolled
Green Lights into ENERGY STAR and expanded ENERGY STAR to encompass
organization-wide energy performance improvement, such as building
technology upgrades, product purchasing initiatives, and employee
training. At the same time, EPA has streamlined the reporting
requirements of ENERGY STAR and focused on providing incentives for
improvements (e.g., ENERGY STAR Awards Program). EPA also makes tools
and other resources available on the Web to help the public overcome
the barriers to evaluating their energy performance and investing in
profitable improvements.
To join ENERGY STAR, organizations are asked to complete a
Partnership Letter or Agreement that establishes their commitment to
energy efficiency. Partners agree to undertake efforts such as
measuring, tracking, and benchmarking their organization's energy
performance by using tools such as those offered by ENERGY STAR;
developing and implementing a plan to improve energy performance in
their facilities and operations by adopting a strategy provided by
ENERGY STAR; and educating staff and the public about their Partnership
with ENERGY STAR, and highlighting achievements with the ENERGY STAR,
where available.
Partners also may be asked to periodically submit information to
EPA as needed to assist in program implementation.
Partnership in ENERGY STAR is voluntary and can be terminated by
Partners or EPA at any time. EPA does not expect organizations to join
the program unless they expect participation to be cost-effective and
otherwise beneficial for them.
In addition, Partners and any other interested party can seek
recognition and help EPA promote energy-efficient technologies by
evaluating the efficiency of their buildings using EPA's on-line tools
(e.g., Portfolio Manager) and applying for recognition. EPA does not
expect to deem any information collected under ENERGY STAR to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI).
Burden Statement: The burden for joining the ENERGY STAR Program
and related activities is expected to vary depending on the type of
Partner. The burden is estimated to be 30 minutes for a Commercial and
Industrial Sector Partner to prepare/submit a Partnership Letter, 1
hour for a Service and Product Provider (SPP) to prepare/submit a
Partnership Agreement and related documents, and 2.5 hours for an
Energy Efficiency Program Sponsor (EEPS) to prepare/submit a
Partnership Agreement and a brief plan outlining the key activities it
intends to undertake to promote ENERGY STAR. These organizations also
may undertake other activities related to their partnership during the
year. The burden is estimated to be about 1 hour for a SPP Partner to
update its contact information and
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communicate efforts and successes each year and about 3 hours for an
EEPS Partner to update its brief plan and contact information and
promote ENERGY STAR each year.
The burden for benchmarking in Portfolio Manager is estimated to
vary depending on the type of benchmarking method used. The burden is
estimated to be about 2.75 hours per building for manual benchmarks, 1
hour per building for benchmarks using the Excel import spreadsheet,
and 30 minutes per building for benchmarks using the Automated
Benchmarking System. In addition, the burden for using the ENERGY STAR
Energy Performance Indicator is estimated to range from 10 to 15
minutes per plant. The burden for tracking a plant's energy performance
under the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry (e.g., using the ENERGY
STAR Energy Tracking Tool) is estimated to be 2.5 hours per plant.
These burden estimates include the time for conducting initial set-up,
gathering facility and energy data, and entering the data to track
energy performance during the year.
The burden for applying to EPA for recognition is estimated to vary
depending on the type of recognition. The burden is estimated to range
up to 5 hours to apply for the ENERGY STAR. This includes the time for
gathering information and completing/submitting the application
materials. The burden is estimated to be about 3 hours to apply for the
``Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR.'' This includes the time for
gathering and entering data into Target Finder and completing/
submitting the application materials. The burden is estimated to range
up to 17 hours for an organization to apply for an ENERGY STAR Award.
This includes the time for preparing and submitting the application
materials.
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: 18,000.
Frequency of response: One-time, on occasion, monthly, annually,
and/or periodically, depending on the type of respondent and
collection.
Estimated total annual burden hours: 125,023.
Estimated total annual costs: $14,659,784, including $8,694,520 in
labor costs and $5,965,264 in O&M costs. There are no capital/start-up
costs to respondents.
Are there changes in the estimates from the last approval?
The burden estimates presented in this notice are from the last
approval. EPA is currently evaluating and updating these estimates as
part of the ICR renewal process. EPA will discuss its updated
estimates, as well as changes from the last approval, in the next
Federal Register notice to be issued for this renewal.
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: July 25, 2012.
Elizabeth Craig,
Director, Climate Protection Partnerships Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-18873 Filed 8-1-12; 8:45 am]
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