[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51829-51831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24339]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0885: FRL-9970-59-OAR]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Implementation of the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air
Quality Standards for Ozone; State Implementation Plan Requirements,
EPA ICR No. 2347.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0695
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice; reopening of comment period.
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SUMMARY: On October 2, 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced that EPA is planning to
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submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection
Request (ICR) 2347.02, ``Implementation of the 2008 National Ambient
Air Quality Standards for Ozone,'' to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB). This existing ICR is scheduled to expire on January 31,
2018. Before submitting the ICR renewal request to OMB for review and
approval, the EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the
proposed information collection as described below. The EPA is
reopening the comment period on the proposed ICR that closed on
November 1, 2017.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 8, 2017.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2010-0885, at https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments cannot
be edited or removed from http://www.regulations.gov. The EPA may
publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted
by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the
official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish
to make. For additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment
policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general
guidance on making effective comments, please visit https://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Butch Stackhouse, Air Quality
Policy Division, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Mail
Code C539-01, Environmental Protection Agency, T.W. Alexander Drive,
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: (919) 541-5208; fax
number: (919) 541-0824; email address: [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-2010-0885, which is available for online viewing at
https://www.regulations.gov, or for in-person viewing at the Air 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 Docket is (202) 566-1742.
Use https://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 Paperwork Reduction Act
(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., allowing for electronic
submission of responses (in this case, revisions to State
Implementation Plans (SIPs) to meet planning requirements for
nonattainment areas for the 2008 ozone NAAQS).
What should I consider when I prepare my comments for the 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 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 affected by this action are state and
local air agencies subject to attainment planning requirements for
areas designated nonattainment for the 2008 ozone NAAQS. Such planning
requirements may include attainment demonstrations, Reasonable Further
Progress (RFP) plans, and Reasonably Available Control Technology
(RACT) and Reasonably Available Control Measure (RACM) SIP submissions.
Local, state, and federal agencies are part of the North American
Industrial Classification System Code number 924110. There are other
entities that may be indirectly affected, due to the fact that they may
comment on the draft submissions before air agencies submit them to
EPA. These include potentially regulated entities, representatives of
stakeholder groups, and members of the general public.
Title: Implementation of the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality
Standards for Ozone: State Implementation Plan Requirements;
Information Collection Request Renewal.
ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2347.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0695.
ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on January
31, 2018. 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 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR),
after appearing in the Federal Register when approved, are listed in 40
CFR part 9. They 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: The PRA requires the information found in this ICR (No.
2347.03) to assess the burden (in hours and dollars) of meeting the
requirements of the Implementation of the 2008 National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ozone: State Implementation Plan
Requirements;
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Final Rule. The rule was proposed on June 6, 2013 (78 FR 34178), and
promulgated on March 15, 2015 (80 FR 12264). The rule includes
requirements that involve collecting information from states with areas
designated nonattainment for the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS. These
information collection milestones include but are not limited to state
submissions of attainment demonstrations, RFP plans, and RACT
determinations. The burden estimate in the original ICR assumed 26
state air agency respondents (state and local air agencies), including
the District of Columbia, responsible for meeting attainment planning
obligations for 46 designated nonattainment areas for the 2008 ozone
NAAQS. The revised burden estimate in this proposed ICR renewal
incorporates changes to the original estimate that affect 17
respondents with jurisdiction over 30 nonattainment areas that are in
various stages of planning for attainment or maintenance of the 2008
ozone NAAQS. The time period covered by this ICR is February 1, 2018,
through January 31, 2021.
Burden Statement: The estimated public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for the original ICR was 120,000 labor hours for the 3-year
period, for an estimated average burden of 4,615 hours per respondent
(the number of respondents was assumed to be 26). The incremental
public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this proposed collection
of information is estimated to total 62,000 hours, for an average of
3,647 hours per affected respondent (the number of respondents is
assumed to be 17) over the 3-year period covered by this ICR renewal.
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; to 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; to adjust the existing ways to
comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements
which have subsequently changed; to train personnel to be able to
respond to a collection of information; to search data sources; to
complete and review the collection of information; and, to transmit or
otherwise disclose the information.
The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the agency's estimate,
which is only briefly summarized here:
Respondents/Affected Entities: State and local governments.
Estimated total number of affected respondents: 17.
Frequency of response: Annual.
Estimated total additional annual burden hours: 20,667 hours.
Estimated total additional annual cost: $1,404,757. This includes
an estimated burden cost of $0 for capital investment or maintenance
and operational costs.
Are there changes in the estimates from the last approval?
The total estimated respondent burden during the 3-year period of
this ICR renewal is 62,000 hours, compared with a total estimated
respondent burden of 120,000 hours identified for the 3-year period
covered by the original ICR approved by OMB.
What is the next step in the process for this ICR?
The EPA will consider the comments received on this proposal and
will 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: November 1, 2017.
Mary Henigin,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2017-24339 Filed 11-7-17; 8:45 am]
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