[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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