[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 239 (Wednesday, December 12, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73999-74000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-29949]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OEI-2012-0547, FRL-9525-4]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Regulations.gov Information
Collection
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 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 January 11,
2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OEI-
2012-0547 to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred
method), by email crowe.bryant@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental
Information Docket, mail code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.,
Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB by 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: Bryant Crowe, OEI/OIC/CStD at the
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., (MC 2822-
T), Washington, DC 20460; telephone number (202) 566-0295; fax number
(202) 566-1611: email address: crowe.bryant@epa.gov.
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 July 18, 2012 (77 FR 42305), EPA sought comments on this
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA 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-HQ-OEI-2012-0547, which is available for online viewing at
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Office of
Environmental Information 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 Environmental
Information Docket is 202-566-1752.
Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at
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,'' then key in the docket ID number
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made
available for public viewing at 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 www.regulations.gov.
Title: Regulations.gov Information Collection.
ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2357.04, OMB Control No. 2025-0008 .
ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2012.
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 response to the Presidential memorandum, the
eRulemaking Program launched the Regulations.gov `feedback exchange'
Web site in May 2009. This interactive Web site showcases new
technologies being considered for the Regulations.gov `feedback
exchange' and Regulations.gov, as well as other agency-specific
initiatives and rulemaking activities. The `feedback exchange' serves
as a learning laboratory for open government, enabling the public to
provide input on the Regulations.gov interface, build a community of
practice on the Federal regulatory development process, and ensure that
the eRulemaking Program can efficiently manage federal resources by
testing new tools before they are launched.
New technologies considered for Regulations.gov and the
Regulations.gov `feedback exchange' include: User Profiles; Comment
Threads and Wikis; Ratings, Polls, and Tagging; an interactive
Educational Tool; and Information Export and Sharing capabilities, such
as application programming interfaces (or APIs). These technologies
have been deployed iteratively, with components deployed upon the
site's release in May 2009, and others deployed during updates
throughout the last three years. Other components are still being
considered and will be released during subsequent upgrades to the
Regulations.gov `feedback exchange' and Regulations.gov. User profiles
enable the public to register on the site and pre-load submitter
information for later use as well as save their own personalized
searches, RSS feeds, and email alerts without the use of persistent
cookies. Comment Threads allow the public to enter into virtual
conversations with one another about a topic. Wikis enable the public
to collaboratively develop and modify narrative descriptions about a
topic. Ratings and Polls allow the public to indicate a preference for
a topic or issue via the selection of stars or thumbs up/thumbs down
icons which graphically provide an at-a-glance indication of public
sentiment and can simplify navigation. Tagging provides the public with
the ability to tag or label information they or someone else has posted
to the site to ease navigation and to promote the formation of common
interest categories. The Educational Tool will inform the public about
the Federal rulemaking process through interactive text and images. The
Data Export capability enables the public to download and review the
contents of a rulemaking docket as well
[[Page 74000]]
as mix and match such information with other information in a new way
(also known as a ``mash-up''). The Regulations.gov `feedback exchange'
will rely on voluntary feedback from Government, Industry, Academia and
Citizenry to improve Regulations.gov as time goes on.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 451
hours per year. 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: Anyone who chooses to visit
Regulations.gov.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 13,000.
Estimated Number of Potential Responses: 91,000.
Frequency of Response: Occasionally.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 451 hours.
Estimated Capital or Operations & Maintenance Annual Costs: $0.
Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 4 burden hours
from 455 to 451 in the total estimated burden currently identified in
the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens due to a minor mathematical
adjustment.
John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-29949 Filed 12-11-12; 8:45 am]
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