[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 70 (Friday, April 11, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 17809]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-9383]



[[Page 17809]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5810-2]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Standards for Reformulated Gasoline

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 following Information 
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Standards for Reformulated 
Gasoline; OMB No. 2060-0277; expires 05/31/97. The ICR describes the 
nature of the information collection and its expected burden and cost; 
and where appropriate, it includes the actual data collection 
instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 12, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY CALL: Sandy Farmer at EPA, (202) 260-
2740, and refer to EPA ICR No. 1591.07.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Title: Standards for Reformulated Gasoline, (OMB Control No. 2060-
0277; EPA ICR No. 1591.07, expiring 5/31/97. This is a request for an 
extension (with revisions to burden estimates) of a currently approved 
collection.
    Abstract: Section 211(k) of the Clean Air Act requires EPA to 
regulate reformulated gasoline (RFG) and conventional gasoline. The Act 
requires schemes for monitoring and enforcing compliance and for 
tracking and trading credits and allows for averaging certain gasoline 
parameters for compliance. In order to enforce the requirements of the 
Act, EPA regulations (in effect since January 1, 1995) require 
recordkeeping, reporting and testing. In the negotiated regulation 
process, EPA agreed to further averaging of compliance in addition to 
what the Act requires. EPA also allowed refiners and importers further 
flexibility in how they can comply. All responses are mandatory except 
for certain voluntary quality assurance testing by refiners, importers, 
and distributors. EPA has authority to require this information under 
section 211 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 7545, section 114 of the Act, 42 
U.S.C. Sec. 7414 and section 208 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 7542.
    The only parties with reporting requirements are refiners, 
importers and oxygenate blenders (and their independent labs); 
Distributors are subject to minimal recordkeeping requirements and 
voluntary (affirmative defense) quality assurance testing provisions. 
Retailers and wholesale purchaser-consumers in RFG areas only are 
required to accept and maintain transfer documents. Confidentiality of 
information reported or obtained from parties is protected under 40 
C.F.R. Part 2.
    The recordkeeping and reporting enables EPA to enforce the RFG and 
conventional gasoline requirements. The requirements also are necessary 
to enable each party receiving product to know what the product is and 
to ensure that party's ability to comply.
    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 and 48 CFR Chapter 15. The 
Federal Register Notice required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting 
comments on this collection of information was published on 12/20/96 
(61 FR 67328); 5 comments were received and the ICR supporting 
statement summarizes the comments and EPA's actions taken in response 
to those comments.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 434 
hours per year for refiners/importers of RFG; 65 hours per year for 
refiners/importers of conventional gasoline; 21 hours per year for RFG 
terminals and oxygenate blenders; and 1 hour per year for RFG truck 
distributors. 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; 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.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Refiners, importers, distributors, 
retailers and wholesale purchaser-consumers of reformulated gasoline; 
refiners, importers and distributors of conventional gasoline.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 75,000 RFG retailers and wholesale 
purchaser-consumers (with no measurable burden); 250 refiners and 
importers of gasoline, 150 of which are affected by the RFG rule and 
230 of which are affected by the anti-dump portion of the rule; 8,000 
distributors and 1,200 terminals.
    Frequency of Response: RFG refiners: 4 quarterly and 1 annual; 
Conventional gasoline refiners: 2 annual; RFG Oxygenate blenders: 2 
annual. Recordkeeping is ``on occasion.''
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 87,767 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $17,971,950.
    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. Please 
refer to EPA ICR No. 1591.07 and OMB Control No. 2060-0277 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: April 7, 1997.
Richard T. Westland,
Acting Director, Regulatory Information Division
[FR Doc. 97-9383 Filed 4-10-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P