[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 97 (Friday, May 17, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24931-24933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-12483]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

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) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature 
of the information collection and its expected cost and burden; where 
appropriate, it includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 17, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY CALL: Sandy Farmer at EPA, 202-260-
2740, and refer to EPA ICR No. 1626.03.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: ``National Recycling and Emissions Reduction Program'' (OMB 
Control Number 2060-0256; EPA Control Number 1626.05). This is a 
request for an extension of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: In 1993, EPA promulgated regulations under Section 608 of 
the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (Act) for the recycling of CFCs 
and HCFCs in air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment. These 
regulations were published in 58 FR 28660, and are codified at 40 CFR 
Part 82, subpart F (Sec. 82.150 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 does not include any 
burden for third-party or public disclosures not previously reviewed 
and approved by OMB. 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. The Federal Register 
Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this 
collection of information was published on February 13, 1996.

Equipment Testing Organizations

    Equipment testing organizations must apply to EPA to become 
approved. Approved equipment testing organizations must maintain 
records of the tests performed and their results, and must submit a 
list of all certified equipment to EPA annually. Testing organizations 
must notify EPA whenever a new model of equipment is certified or 
whenever an existing certified model fails a recertification test. 
Information collected from equipment certifiers is required to ensure 
that recycling and recovery equipment meets the performance standards 
of the regulation and that all approved testing laboratories have the 
equipment and expertise to test equipment to these standards.

Servicing and Disposal Establishments

    Persons maintaining, servicing, repairing, or disposing of 
appliances must certify to EPA that they have acquired certified 
recycling or recovery equipment and are complying with the requirements 
of the rule. This certification must be renewed in the event of a 
change of ownership of the service or disposal establishment. In 
addition, service establishments are required to maintain adequate 
documentation of technician certification. These requirements help the 
Agency to target its enforcement efforts.

Reclaimers

    Refrigerant reclaimers must maintain records of the names and 
addresses of persons sending them material for reclamation as well as 
the quantity of the material (the combined mass of refrigerant and 
contaminants) sent. In addition, reclaimers must maintain records of 
the mass of refrigerant reclaimed and the mass of waste products. 
Reclaimers must report this information (total quantities) to the 
Agency annually. This information helps the Agency track refrigerant 
use to ensure that no refrigerant is vented at service or disposal.

Refrigerant Wholesalers

    Wholesalers must maintain records indicating the names of 
purchasers, dates of sales, and quantities of refrigerant purchased. 
This information helps the Agency to track refrigerant use and identify 
points of noncompliance. The Agency believes that wholesalers already 
maintain such records. In addition to normal business records, 
wholesalers have to maintain records verifying that purchasers of 
refrigerant are properly certified. These records will be used by EPA 
inspectors to ensure that refrigerants are only sold to certified 
technicians. This is to guarantee that individuals who purchase 
refrigerant are aware of the legal restrictions on its use.

Disposers

    Persons disposing of small appliances, room air conditioners, and 
MVACs must maintain copies of signed statements attesting that the 
refrigerant has been removed prior to final disposal of each appliance. 
This information helps EPA to verify that refrigerant is recovered at 
some point during the disposal process even if the final disposer does 
not have recovery equipment.

[[Page 24932]]

Technicians

    In order for technicians to use recycling and recovery equipment, 
they have to pass a certification test. Technicians have to maintain a 
wallet-sized certification card. The test is necessary to ensure that 
technicians understand refrigerant recovery procedures and regulations. 
The card is necessary to ensure that only certified technicians perform 
work on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment or purchase 
refrigerants.

Technician Certification Programs

    Organizations operating technician certification programs have to 
apply to EPA to have their program approved. Approved technician 
certification programs have to maintain records including the names of 
certified technicians and the unique numbers assigned to each 
technician certified through their programs. Approved technician 
certification programs also have to submit a report to EPA every six 
months including the pass/fail rate and testing schedules.
    The application process ensures that the technician certification 
programs meet minimum standards for generating, tracking, and grading 
tests, and keeping records. Record maintenance allows both the Agency 
and the certification program to verify certification claims and 
monitor the certification process. The semiannual reports give the 
Agency the ability to evaluate certification programs and modify the 
certification test if necessary.

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Equipment Owners

    Owners of refrigeration or air conditioning equipment that contain 
more than 50 pounds of refrigerant must maintain records of the 
quantity of refrigerant used during each service procedure performed 
for the equipment. This ensures that owners can determine when they are 
subject to leak repair requirements. In addition, equipment owners who 
decided not to repair leaks must develop and maintain a record of a 
plan that states that the equipment will be either retired, replaced or 
retrofitted. The development of such a plan ensures that equipment 
owners intend to take action to reduce emissions.

Owners of Industrial Process Refrigeration

    Under an amendment to the section 608 rule that was promulgated on 
August 8, 1995 (60 FR 40420), owners of industrial process 
refrigeration equipment who wish to receive an extension or exclusion 
under the leak repair amendment are subject to the following reporting 
and recordkeeping requirements. (The Office of Management and Budget 
approved the amendment to the ICR reflecting this amendment on 
September 28, 1995.)
    (1) Those persons wishing to extend leak repair compliance beyond 
the required 30 days must maintain and submit to EPA information 
identifying the facility, the leak rate, the method used to determine 
the leak rate and full charge, the date a leak rate greater than 
allowable was discovered, the location of the leaks, any repair work 
completed thus far and date completed, a plan to fix other outstanding 
leaks to achieve allowable leak rate, reasons why greater than 30 days 
is needed, and an estimate of when repair work will be completed. Any 
dates and results of static and dynamic tests must also be maintained 
and submitted to EPA.
    (2) Those persons wishing to extend retrofit compliance beyond the 
required one year must maintain and submit to EPA information 
identifying the facility, the leak rate, the method used to determine 
the leak rate and full charge, the date a leak rate of greater than the 
allowable rate was discovered, the location of leaks, any repair work 
that has been completed thus far and date completed, a plan to complete 
the retrofit or replacement of the system, the reasons why more than 
one year is necessary, the date of notification to EPA, an estimate of 
when retrofit or replacement work will be completed, if time changes 
for original estimates occur, documentation of the reason why, and the 
date of notification to EPA regarding a change in the estimate of when 
the work will be completed.
    (3) Those persons wishing to exclude purged refrigerants that are 
destroyed from the annual leak rate calculations must maintain records 
on-site to support the amount of refrigerant claimed sent for 
destruction. These records must include flow rate, quantity or 
concentration of the refrigerant in the vent stream, and periods of 
purge flow.
    (4) Those persons wishing to calculate the full charge of an 
affected appliance by establishing a range based on the best available 
data, regarding the normal operating characteristics and conditions for 
the appliance, must maintain records on-site to support the methodology 
used in selecting or modifying the particular range.
    The sum of these changes represents an increase in reporting 
requirements only for those persons wishing to receive an extension or 
exclusion under the leak repair amendment.
    These reporting and recordkeeping requirements allow determinations 
to be made regarding requested extensions and exclusions under the 
amendments to the leak repair provisions, which were written in 
response to industry concerns and with the concurrence of industry. 
Specifically, the amendments allow for persons to extend their 
compliance deadlines, to exclude destroyed purged refrigerants from 
leak rate calculations, or to use a range rather than calculate the 
full charge, when certain circumstances exist. EPA would be unable to 
make determinations as to the viability of a claim regarding the need 
for an extension without the information under the recordkeeping and 
reporting requirements. In negotiating the settlement agreement with 
members of CMA, those members agreed with the proposed recordkeeping 
and reporting requirements.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average .18 
hours per response. This estimate includes the time needed to review 
instructions; 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; adjust the existing ways to comply with any 
previously applicable instructions and requirements; train personnel to 
be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; 
complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or 
otherwise disclose the information.
    Affected Entities: Entities affected by this action are 
refrigeration and air conditioning service and repair shops, plumbing, 
heating, and air conditioning contractors, refrigerated transport 
service dealers, scrap metal recyclers, and automobile dismantlers and 
recyclers. Additional entities affected include Clean Air Act Section 
608 technician certifications programs, equipment certification 
programs, refrigerant wholesalers and reclaimers, and other 
establishments that perform refrigerant removal at service and 
disposal.
    Estimated No. of Respondents: 2,276,142.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 419,546 hours.
    Frequency of Collection: Occasional, annual, and semiannual.
    Send comments on the Agency's need for this information, the 
accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods 
for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques, to the following addresses.

[[Page 24933]]

Please refer to EPA ICR No. 1626.05 and OMB No. 2060-0256 in any 
correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory 
Information Division (2137), 401 M Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460
    and
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: May 14, 1996.
Joseph Retzer,
Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 96-12483 Filed 5-16-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-M