[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 29, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64435-64436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-25577]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 122, 123, 127, 403, 501, and 503
[EPA-HQ-OECA-2009-0274; FRL-9902-11-OECA]
Extension of Comment Period for the NPDES Electronic Reporting
Rule
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is extending the
comment period for the NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule, published on
July 30, 2013. EPA is soliciting public comment on a new regulation
that would require electronic reporting for current paper-based NPDES
reports. This action will save time and resources for permittees,
states, tribes, territories, and EPA while improving compliance and
providing better protection of the Nation's waters. The proposed Clean
Water Act regulation would require permittees and regulators to use
existing, available information technology to electronically report
information and data related to the NPDES permit program in lieu of
filing written reports. In response to requests from stakeholders, this
action extends the comment period for 45 days.
DATES: Comments on the preliminary plan published on July 30, 2013 (78
FR 46006), will be accepted through December 12, 2013. Comments
provided electronically will be considered timely if they are submitted
by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 12, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OECA-2009-0274 by one of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov:
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
[[Page 64436]]
Email: [email protected], Attention Docket ID No. EPA-
HQ-OECA-2009-0274.
Mail: Send the original and three copies of your comments
to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center,
Enforcement and Compliance Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OECA-
2009-0274. In addition, if applicable, please mail a copy of your
comments on the information collection provisions to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), Attn: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th St. NW., Washington, DC
20503.
Hand Deliver: Deliver your comments to: EPA Docket Center,
EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington,
DC, 20004, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OECA-2009-0274. Such
deliveries are only accepted during the EPA Docket Center'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-OECA-
2009-0274. EPA's policy is that all comments received by the deadline
will be included in the public docket without charge, 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 for
which 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 within 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, if
applicable, 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 and any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional
information about EPA's public docket, please visit the EPA Docket
Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information
for which disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material,
such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard-
copy. Publicly available docket materials are available either
electronically in www.regulations.gov or in hard-copy at the
Enforcement and Compliance Docket in the EPA Docket Center, EPA West
Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC,
20004. The 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 Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number
for the Docket for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
(OECA) is (202) 566-1752. Docket visitors are required to show
photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign
the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray
machine and are subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA
visitor's badge that must be visible at all times in the building and
returned upon departure. The ``User Guide to the Docket for the NPDES
Electronic Reporting Rule [DCN 0010]'' is document that provides easy
to follow instructions on how to access documents through
www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please
contact John Dombrowski, Director, Enforcement Targeting and Data
Division, Office of Compliance (mail code 2222A), Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC, 20460;
telephone number: (202) 566-0742; email address:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 30, 2013 (78 FR 46006), EPA
published the proposed NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule. This proposed
rule describes EPA's approach to substitute electronic reporting for
paper-based reports, which will over the long term save time and
resources for permittees, states, tribes, territories, and EPA while
improving compliance and better protecting the Nation's waters. The
proposed rule would require permittees and regulators to use existing,
available information technology to electronically report information
and data related to the NPDES permit program in lieu of filing written
reports.
The original comment deadline was October 28, 2013. Numerous
stakeholders have requested an extension to the comment period in order
to adequately understand and comment on the preliminary plan. This
action extends the comment period for 45 days.
Dated: September 30, 2013.
Lisa Lund,
Director, Office of Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2013-25577 Filed 10-28-13; 8:45 am]
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