[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 29, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44875-44877]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-21411]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5287-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities Up for Renewal

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 the Information Collection Request 
(ICR) listed below is coming up for renewal. Before submitting the 
renewal package to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), EPA is 
soliciting comments on specific aspects of the collection as described 
below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 30, 1995.

ADDRESSES: MVAC Recycling Coordinator, 401 M Street, SW., (6205J), 
Washington, DC 20460. Materials relevant to this proposed rulemaking 
are contained in Public Docket No. A-95-34, Category VIII-D. This 
docket is located in Room M-1500, Waterside Mall (Ground Floor), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20460. Dockets may be inspected from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday 
through Friday. A reasonable fee may be charged for copying docket 
materials.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Dibble, (202) 233-9147. 
Facsimile number: (202) 233-9577. Electronic address: 
[email protected]. Note that questions but not comments 
will be accepted electronically.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Affected Entities

    Entities affected by this action are new and used motor vehicle 
dealers, gasoline service stations, truck rental and leasing facilities 
without drivers, passenger car rental facilities, top, body, upholstery 
repair and paint shops, general automotive repair shops, and automotive 
repair shops not elsewhere classified. Clean Air Act Section 609 
automotive air-conditioning technician certification programs, and 
approved independent standards testing organizations, will also be 
affected.

Title

    ``Servicing of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners.'' OMB Control 
Number: 2060-0247. EPA Control Number: 1617.06. Expiration Date: 
January 31, 1996.

Abstract

    In 1992, EPA developed regulations under Section 609 of the Clean 
Air Act Amendments of 1990 (Act) for the recycling of CFCs in motor 
vehicle air conditioners. These regulations were published in 57 FR 
31240, and are codified at 40 CFR Subpart B (Sec. 82.30 et seq.). The 
reasons the information is being collected, the way the information is 
to be used, and whether the requirements are mandatory, voluntary, or 
required to obtain a benefit, are described below. The ICR renewal 
would not include any burden for third-party or public disclosures not 
previously reviewed and approved by OMB.

Technician Training and Certification

    According to Section 609(b)(4) of the Act, automotive technicians 
are required to be certified in the proper use of recycling equipment 
for servicing motor vehicle air conditioners. Certification programs 
must meet EPA standards. The Stratospheric Protection Division requires 
that certification 

[[Page 44876]]
programs send their training and testing materials to EPA for approval. 
The information requested is used by the Stratospheric Protection 
Division to guarantee a degree of uniformity in the testing programs 
for motor vehicle service technicians.

Approved Independent Standards Testing Organizations

    In addition, Section 609(b)(2)(A) of the Act requires independent 
laboratory testing of recycling equipment to be certified by EPA. The 
Stratospheric Protection Division requires independent laboratories to 
submit an application that proves their general capacity to certify 
equipment to meet the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J standards 
for recycled refrigerant. The information requested is used by the 
Stratospheric Protection Division to approve independent laboratories 
that can assure an industry accepted standard of quality in recycling 
and recovery equipment.

Substantially Identical Equipment

    Section 609(b)(2)(B) of the Act allows equipment that was purchased 
before the proposal of the regulations to be approved by EPA if it is 
substantially identical to equipment that has been certified by an EPA 
approved independent laboratory. This measure is designed to 
incorporate or ``grandfather'' older equipment that has not been 
submitted to an independent laboratory for testing. The equipment 
manufacturer or owners may submit the following to the Stratospheric 
Protection Division: an application and supporting documents that 
includes process flow sheets, a list of equipment components and any 
other information which would indicate that the equipment is capable of 
recovering and/or cleaning the refrigerant to standards set forth in 
the appropriate appendix to the regulations. The information provided 
allows EPA to determine if the equipment is substantially identical to 
certified equipment.

Certification, Reporting and Recordkeeping

    To facilitate enforcement under Section 609, EPA has developed 
several recordkeeping requirements. The information is used by the 
Stratospheric Protection Division to verify compliance with Section 609 
of the Act. First, establishments that own recover-only equipment must 
maintain records of the name and address of the facility that is 
reclaiming their refrigerant. Second, any person who owns approved 
refrigerant recovery or recycling equipment must retain records 
demonstrating that all persons authorized to operate the equipment are 
currently certified technicians. Last, any person who sells or 
distributes refrigerant that is in a container of less than 20 pounds 
must verify that the purchaser is a certified technician, unless the 
purchase of small containers is for resale only. In that case, the 
seller must obtain a written statement from the purchaser that the 
containers are for resale only, and must indicate the purchaser's name 
and business address.
    In addition, section 609(d)(3)-(4) of the Act requires that by 
January 1, 1992, all entities that service motor vehicle air 
conditioners for consideration must have acquired approved refrigerant 
recycling equipment. The establishment must have submitted to the 
Administrator on a one-time basis a certificate that provides the 
following information: the name of the equipment owner, the address of 
the service establishment where the equipment will be used, and the 
make, model, year, and serial number of the equipment. Note that this 
reporting requirement is contained in the statute itself and was not 
developed by EPA.
    The 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;
    (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 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of responses.

Burden Statement

    The annual burden is reported in this Notice first, by annual 
respondent burden, and second, by industry reporting burden. The burden 
hours shown represent the hours in both the existing information 
collection request and the ICR renewal, since the renewal of the 
request does not change any of the burden hours.
(i)(A) Equipment Certification

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Burden  
                   Collection activities                      hours (per
                                                                year)   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual respondent burden:                                               
1. Compiling information and submitting it to EPA                       
 Headquarters..............................................           .5
    Total..................................................           .5
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual burden hour total--(.5) x No. of respondents (190,000)=95,000 
hrs.
(i)(B) Equipment Certification for Service Stations that will Change 
Ownership or New Firms Entering the Market

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Burden  
                   Collection activities                      hours (per
                                                                year)   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual respondent burden:                                               
1. Compiling information and submitting it to EPA                       
 Headquarters..............................................           .5
    Total..................................................           .5
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual burden hour total--(.5) x No. of respondents (4,000)=2,000 hrs.
(ii) Technician Certification Programs

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Burden  
                   Collection activities                      hours (per
                                                                year)   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual respondent burden:                                               
1. Compile information from training program and submit to              
 EPA.......................................................            1
2. Every two years submit a summary of program review to                
 EPA.......................................................            2
    Total..................................................            3
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual burden hour total--(3) x No. of certification programs (13)=39 
hours.
(iii) Independent Laboratory Equipment Testing Programs

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Burden  
                   Collection activities                      hours (per
                                                                year)   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual respondent burden:                                               
1. Compile information on testing program and send to EPA..            8
    Total..................................................            8
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual burden hour total--(8) x No. of respondents (2)=16 hours.

[[Page 44877]]

(iv) Substantially Identical Equipment Submission

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Burden  
                   Collection activities                      hours (per
                                                                year)   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual respondent burden:                                               
1. Compiling information and submitting it to EPA                       
 Headquarters..............................................            1
    Total..................................................            1
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual burden hour total--(1) x No. of respondents (12)=12 hrs.
(v) Small Container Purchased for Resale Only Recordkeeping

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Burden  
                   Collection activities                      hours (per
                                                                year)   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual respondent burden:                                               
1. Compiling information and maintaining files.............           .5
    Total..................................................           .5
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual burden hour total--(.5) x No. of respondents (2000) = 1000 hrs.
(vi) Recordkeeping for off site Reclamation or Recycling

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Burden  
                   Collection activities                      hours (per
                                                                year)   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual respondent burden:                                               
1. Recording the name and address..........................          .08
    Total..................................................          .08
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual burden hour total--(.08) x No. of respondents (90,000)=7200 hrs.

    The industry reporting burden for this collection is estimated in 
the following tables. It includes the time needed to comply with EPA's 
certification requires and Agency reviews.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Service  
                   Respondent activities                     entity hrs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Equipment certification burden per occurrence:                          
Complete certification and submit it to EPA................           .5
------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Training 
                                                               program  
                   Respondent activities                      companies 
                                                                 hrs.   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technician certification program:                                       
Submit to EPA a copy of the technician training program....            1
2 year review of training program, with a summary being                 
 submit to EPA.............................................            2
------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Independent
                   Respondent activities                      laboratory
                                                                 hrs.   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Independent lab testing:                                                
Compile information on testing program and submit to EPA...            8
------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Applicant 
                    Response activities                          hrs.   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Substantially identical equipment:                                      
Compile information on equipment and submit to EPA.........            1
------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Sellers of
                                                                small   
                    Response activities                       containers
                                                                 hrs.   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small containers purchased for resale only recordkeeping                
 requirements:                                                          
Compile and file information...............................           .5
------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Service   
                   Response activities                     establishment
                                                                hrs.    
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recordkeeping for off site reclamation or recycling:                    
Recording the name and address of the off site facility..           .08 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    No person is 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 displayed in 40 CFR Part 9.
    Send comments regarding these matters, or any other aspects of the 
information collection, including suggestions for reducing the burden, 
to the address listed above under ADDRESSES near the top of this 
Notice.


    Dated: August 16, 1995.

Paul M. Stolpman,
Director, Office of Atmospheric Programs.

[FR Doc. 95-21411 Filed 8-28-95; 8:45 am]

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