[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 110 (Friday, June 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34375-34376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13600]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0548; FRL-9821-8]
Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Exhaust
Emissions of Light-Duty Vehicles in Metropolitan Detroit; EPA ICR No.
2363.02
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 34376]]
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an
information collection request (ICR), ``Exhaust Emissions of Light-duty
Vehicles in Metropolitan Detroit'' (EPA ICR No. 2363.02, OMB Control
No. 2060-0645) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review
and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on
specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described
below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently
approved through October 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.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 6, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2009-0548, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or
by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the
public docket without change including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Warila, Assessment and Standards
Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, (AADTC),
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 734-214-4951; fax number: 734-
214-4821; email address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, EPA West,
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting
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. 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. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to
submit additional comments to OMB.
Abstract: The EPA is initiating a systematic data collection
designed to improve the methods and tools used by the Agency to
estimate exhaust emissions as vehicles age. Data to be collected
include vehicle type, vehicle characteristics, and measurement of
exhaust emissions.
One of the main issues in the study of vehicle emissions is the
difficulty in acquiring representative results. Major challenges
include the diversity of technology, the highly variable nature of
emissions, the complexity and expense of measurement, difficulty in
acquiring and retaining engines or vehicles, and the array of external
variables that influence emissions, ranging from temperature to driver
behavior. In combination, these factors tend to limit the numbers of
vehicles that can be included in a given study. Limited sample sizes in
combination with high variability make emissions data challenging to
interpret.
The collection is a research program, to be conducted by the Office
of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) in the Office of Air and
Radiation (OAR). This study will be designed to develop and test novel
screening, sampling and measurement procedures. These approaches
promise to substantially reduce the cost of exhaust emissions
measurement as well as to improve the accuracy of resulting estimates.
An innovative feature of this project is the use of roadside
remote-sensing measurements to construct a pool of vehicles from which
vehicles can be sampled for purposes of recruitment and measurement
using portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS). The acquisition of
remote-sensing measurements for hydrocarbons, carbon-monoxide, and
oxides of nitrogen will provide an index of emissions for all vehicles
prior to sampling and recruitment for more intensive measurement. The
index is expected to facilitate recruitment of vehicles with an
emphasis on rare sub-populations such as high-emitting vehicles, and
provide a means to appropriately relate measured vehicles to the
overall fleet.
Research questions for the project include: (1) Can remote-sensing
be used as a reliable index of exhaust emissions across the range of
emissions? (2) can portable instruments measure accurate emissions time
series for very clean vehicles, such as Tier 2 (Bins 2, 3 or 5) or LEV-
II (ULEV, SULEV)? (3) how can portable instruments be used to measure
start emissions?, and (4) can the emissions index used for recruitment
also serve as a means to estimate potential non-response bias?
We have collected remote-sensing measurements on approximately
35,000 vehicles, and from this pool, plan to recruit vehicles for
measurement using PEMS. Participation in the program will be voluntary.
The target population for the project will include light-duty cars and
trucks certified to Tier 2 (Bins 5, 3 or 2) or an equivalent LEV-II
standards (LEV, ULEV or SULEV), respectively.
Form Numbers: 2363.02.
Respondents/affected entities: private owners of light-duty cars
and trucks.
Respondent's obligation to respond: voluntary.
Estimated number of respondents: 850 (total).
Frequency of response: one-time event.
Total estimated burden: 1,213 hours (per year). Burden is defined
at 5 CFR 1320.3(b).
Total estimated cost: $33,247 (per year), includes $0.00 annualized
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
Changes in Estimates: The total estimated respondent burden is
expected to stay substantially the same compared with the ICR currently
approved by OMB.
William Charmley,
Acting Director, Assessment and Standards Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-13600 Filed 6-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P