[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 99 (Wednesday, May 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30300-30302]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12229]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0050, FRL-9816-7]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Implementation of Ambient Air Protocol Gas
Verification Participation Survey; EPA ICR No. 2375.02
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 the EPA is planning
to submit a request for a renewal Information Collection Request (ICR)
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Before submitting the ICR
to the OMB for review and approval, the EPA is soliciting comments on
specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described
below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 22, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2010-0050, by one of the following methods:
www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 202-566-9744
Mail: Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0050, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mail Code 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.,
Washington, DC 20460. Please include a total of two copies.
Hand Delivery: Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0050,
Environmental Protection Agency, 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-OAR-
2010-0050. The EPA's policy is that all comments received will be
included in the public docket without change and may be made available
on-line 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 the 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 the 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, the 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 the EPA cannot read your comment due to technical
difficulties
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and cannot contact you for clarification, the 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 the EPA's public docket,
visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact Mrs.
Laurie Trinca, Air Quality Assessment Division, Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code
C304-06, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone: 919-541-0520;
fax: 919-541-1903; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
How can I access the docket and/or submit comments?
The EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket
ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0050 which is available for on-line viewing at
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 8:30 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 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 the EPA particularly interested in?
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, the 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, the EPA is requesting comments
from small businesses (especially those that employ less than 25) on
examples of specific additional efforts that the 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 the EPA?
You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your
comments:
(i) Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific
examples.
(ii) Describe any assumptions that you used.
(iii) Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you
used that support your views.
(iv) If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
(v) Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
(vi) Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified
under DATES.
(vii) To ensure proper receipt by the 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
state, local, and tribal governments that are currently operating and
maintaining established ambient air quality networks.
Title: Implementation of Ambient Air Protocol Gas Verification
Participation Survey.
ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0050, OMB Control No.
2060-0648.
ICR status: This ICR is for a renewal 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 the
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: This ICR includes ambient air monitoring data reporting
and recordkeeping activities associated with the 40 CFR part 58
Appendix A, Ambient Air Quality Surveillance Quality Assurance
Regulations. These data and information are collected by state, local,
and tribal air quality management agencies and reported to the EPA.
The EPA Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Program's quality assurance
requirements in 40 CFR part 58, Appendix A, require: ``2.6 Gaseous and
Flow Rate Audit Standards. Gaseous pollutant concentration standards
(permeation devices or cylinders of compressed gas) used to obtain test
concentrations for CO, SO2, NO, and NO2 must be
traceable to either a National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) Traceable Reference Material (NTRM), NIST Standard Reference
Materials (SRM), and Netherlands Measurement Institute (NMI) Primary
Reference Materials (valid as covered by Joint Declaration of
Equivalence) or a NIST-certified Gas Manufacturer's Internal Standard
(GMIS), certified in accordance with one of the procedures given in
reference 4 of this appendix. Vendors advertising certification with
the procedures provided in reference 4 of this appendix and
distributing gases as ``EPA Protocol Gas'' must participate in the EPA
Protocol Gas Verification Program or not use ``EPA'' in any form of
advertising.''
These requirements give assurance to end users that all specialty
gas producers selling EPA Protocol Gases are participants in a program
that provides an independent assessment of the accuracy of their gases'
certified concentrations. In 2010, the EPA developed an Ambient Air
Protocol Gas Verification Program (AA-PGVP) that provides end users
with information about participating producers and verification
results.
Each year, the EPA will attempt to compare gas cylinders from every
specialty gas producer being used by ambient air monitoring
organizations. The EPA's Regions 2 and 7 have agreed to provide
analytical services for verification of 40 cylinders/lab or 80
cylinders total/year. Cylinders will be
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verified at a pre-determined time each quarter.
In order to make the appropriate selection, the EPA needs to know
what specialty gas producers are being used by the monitoring
organizations. Therefore, the EPA needs to survey each primary quality
assurance organization every year to collect information on specialty
gas producers being used and whether the monitoring organization would
like to participate in the verification for the upcoming calendar year.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20
minutes 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 annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this
collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per
response with a cost of $22.15 per year. The total number of
respondents is assumed to be 211.
The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the agency's estimate,
which is only briefly summarized here:
Estimated total number of potential respondents: 211.
Frequency of response: Annual.
Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 1.
Estimated total annual burden hours: 70.3.
Estimated total annual costs: $4674.00.
What is the next step in the process for this ICR?
The 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, the 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: May 16, 2013.
Mary E. Henigin,
Acting Director, Air Quality Assessment Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-12229 Filed 5-21-13; 8:45 am]
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