[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 189 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50575-50577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-24286]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPPTS-00178; FRL-4982-2]
Request for Comments; Agency Information Collection Activities
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this notice announces that EPA is planning to submit a new
Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB). This proposed ICR is for the one-time information
collection activity entitled ``Voluntary Dioxin Information and Data
Call-In'' (EPA ICR No. 1762.01). Before submitting this ICR to OMB for
review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of
the proposed information collection as described below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 28, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Submit three copies identified by administrative record
number ``AR-138'' and EPA ICR number ``1762.01'' by mail to: TSCA
Document Receipts (7407), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics,
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.
Comments and data may also be submitted electronically by sending
electronic mail (e-mail) to:
[[Page 50576]]
[email protected]. Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII
file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption.
Comments and data will also be accepted on disks in WordPerfect in 5.1
file format or ASCII file format. All comments and data in electronic
form must be identified by the administrative record number ``AR-138''
and ICR number ``1762.01''. No CBI should be submitted through e-mail.
Electronic comments on this document may be filed online at many
Federal Depository Libraries. Additional information on electronic
submissions can be found in Unit III. of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan B. Hazen, Director,
Environmental Assistance Division (7408), Environmental Protection
Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, Telephone: 202-554-1404,
TDD: (202) 554-0551, e-mail: TSCA-H[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Availability: An electronic copy of the ICR is available
from the EPA Public Access Gopher (gopher.epa.gov) at the Environmental
Sub-Set entry for this document under ``Rules and Regulations.''
I. Background
Through a general notice in the Federal Register and a general
press advisory, the Agency is asking industry, public interest groups,
Federal, State and local governments, the medical community, academia,
and the general public to submit dioxin measurement data to the Agency.
No individual surveys will be sent to any specific party. The Agency
has, however, developed an outreach plan which will target specific
parties thought to have information as well as those who may or may not
have information. These parties will receive a general notice informing
them of the data call-in. These parties include: Various State and
local governments; associations (medical, industrial) which will get
the message out to their members; special interest groups such as
environmental organizations; and academic organizations.
EPA would like to solicit comments 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.
(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.
II. Information Collection Request
EPA is seeking comments on the following new Information Collection
Request (ICR).
Title: Voluntary Dioxin Information and Data Call-In (EPA ICR No.
1762.01).
Abstract: This new collection is in support of the Agency's efforts
to reassess the toxicity of and exposure to dioxin. On September 13,
1994, EPA released a 2,400 page draft reassessment of the toxicity of
and exposure to dioxin. One of the central issues to the reassessment
regarded the levels of dioxin in the environment. EPA is interested in
knowing whether the draft reassessment appropriately estimates releases
and exposures from known sources. EPA believes that the first step in
answering this question is to find out whether there are existing data
which the Agency has somehow missed in the draft reassessment.
EPA has compared the estimated range of dioxin TEQ (toxic
equivalent quotient) annually released from known combustion sources to
an estimated range of dioxin TEQ that may be depositing from the
atmosphere. EPA currently estimates that a range of emissions (3,300 to
26,000 g TEQ/yr) are released into the air annually. Although limited
in number, deposition measurements taken in the U.S. suggest that more
dioxin is depositing from the that atmosphere than is going into the
atmosphere from combustion sources. (The total amount of dioxin
depositing by wet and dry processes is in the range of 20,000 to 50,000
g TEQ/yr.).
While several possible explanations may account for this
discrepancy, two potential explanations may be further clarified by
using this call-in: (1) Inaccuracies in existing emission data may be
resolved; and (2) emissions from unknown sources may be identified.
In order to determine if the Agency is properly measuring dioxin
emissions, the Agency is seeking sources of release of dioxin to the
environment, the levels of dioxin which are being released and the
pathways of release, the levels of dioxin occurring in food and feed,
the levels of dioxin measured in human tissue, mechanisms for
minimizing or eliminating the further generation and/or release of
dioxin to the environment, and QA/QC information associated with the
data.
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 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 are listed in 40 CFR part
9.
Burden Statement: The burden for this collection of information is
estimated to be 25 hours per response, which includes the time needed
to review the Federal Register notice requesting the information,
gather the data needed, review the information prior to submission, and
to transmit the information to the Agency.
The Agency expects the burden time per submission to be similar to
an 8(e) submission with an additional 5 hours to access QA/QC
information for each submission. The Agency's burden estimate for 8(e)
is approximately 20 hours per submission. Since QA/QC questions are not
part of the 8(e) submission, the Agency estimates the total burden time
to be 25 hours per submission.
The Agency estimates approximately 125 submissions will be
submitted. At 25 hours per submission the total burden time is 3,125
burden hours. The Agency estimates that approximately 25 percent of the
submissions should have been submitted under TSCA section 8(e) and will
now be sent (given an enforcement discretion period allowed under this
call-in). Therefore, the total burden of this call-in is 2,345 hours.
III. Public Record
A record has been established for this action under docket number
``OPPTS-00178'' (including comments and data submitted electronically
as described below). A public version of this record, including
printed, paper versions of electronic comments, which does not include
any information claimed as CBI, is available for inspection from noon
to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The public
record is located in the TSCA Nonconfidential Information Center, Rm.
NE-B607, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.
Electronic comments can be sent directly to EPA at:
[email protected].
Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the
use of special characters and any form of encryption.
[[Page 50577]]
The official record for this action, as well as the public version,
as described above will be kept in paper form. Accordingly, EPA will
transfer all comments received electronically into printed, paper form
as they are received and will place the paper copies in the official
record which will also include all comments submitted directly in
writing. The official record is the paper record maintained at the
address in ADDRESSES at the beginning of this document.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection and Information collection requests.
Dated: September 25, 1995.
Susan H. Wayland,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic
Substances.
[FR Doc. 95-24286 Filed 9-28-95; 8:45 am]
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