[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 117 (Wednesday, June 18, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33075-33076]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-15986]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5843-5]


Toxic Chemicals; Chemical-Specific Rules; Submission of ICR No. 
1198 to OMB; Agency Information Collection Activities

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of submission to OMB.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request 
(ICR) entitled: TSCA Section 8(a) Chemical-Specific Rules [EPA ICR No. 
1198.05; OMB Control No. 2070-0067] has been forwarded to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval pursuant to the OMB 
procedures in 5 CFR 1320.12. The ICR, which is abstracted below, 
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated 
cost and burden.
    The Agency is requesting that OMB renew for 3 years the existing 
approval for this ICR, which is scheduled to expire on August 31, 1997. 
A Federal Register notice announcing the Agency's intent to seek the 
renewal of this ICR and the 60-day public comment opportunity, 
requesting comments on the request and the contents of the ICR, was 
issued on February 26, 1997 (62 FR 8725). EPA did not receive any 
comments on this ICR during the comment period.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before July 18, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY CONTACT: Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone 
on (202) 260-2740 or by e-mail: ``[email protected],'' and 
refer to EPA ICR No. 1198.05 and OMB Control No. 2070-0067.

ADDRESSES: Send comments, referencing EPA ICR No. 1198.05 and OMB 
Control No. 2070-0067, to the following addresses:

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Regulatory 
Information Division (Mailcode: 2137), 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, 
DC 20460

And to:

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, N.W., 
Washington, DC 20503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Review Requested: This is a request to renew a currently approved 
information collection pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12.
    ICR Numbers: EPA ICR No. 1198.05; OMB Control No. 2070-0067.
    Current Expiration Date: Current OMB approval expires on August 31, 
1997.
    Title: TSCA Section 8(a) Chemical-Specific Rules.
    Abstract: Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) 
authorizes the Administrator of EPA to promulgate rules that require 
persons who manufacture, import or process chemical substances and 
mixtures, or who propose to manufacture, import, or process chemical 
substances and mixtures, to maintain such records and submit such 
reports to EPA as may be reasonably required. Any chemical covered by 
TSCA for which EPA or another Federal agency has a reasonable need for 
information and which cannot be satisfied via other sources is a proper 
potential subject for a chemical-specific TSCA section 8(a) rulemaking. 
Information that may be collected under TSCA section 8(a) includes, but 
is not limited to, chemical names, categories of use, production 
volume, byproducts of chemical production, existing data on deaths and 
environmental effects, exposure data, and disposal information. 
Generally, EPA uses chemical-specific information under TSCA section 
8(a) to evaluate the potential for adverse human health and 
environmental effects caused by the manufacture, importation, 
processing, use or disposal of identified chemical substances and 
mixtures. Additionally, EPA may use TSCA section 8(a) information to 
assess the need or set priorities for testing and/or further regulatory 
action. To the extent that reported information is not considered 
confidential, environmental groups, environmental justice advocates, 
state

[[Page 33076]]

and local government entities and other members of the public will also 
have access to this information for their own use.
    Responses to the collection of information are mandatory (see 40 
CFR part 704). Respondents may claim all or part of a notice 
confidential. EPA will disclose information that is covered by a claim 
of confidentiality only to the extent permitted by, and in accordance 
with, the procedures in TSCA section 14 and 40 CFR part 2.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting burden for this 
collection of information is estimated to range between approximately 
67 and 275 hours per response for an estimated four respondents making 
one or more submissions of information annually. These estimates 
include 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. 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 these regulations are displayed in 40 CFR 
Part 9.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are those persons who manufacture, import or process 
chemical substances and mixtures, or who propose to manufacture, 
import, or process chemical substances and mixtures, in the United 
States.
    Estimated No. of Respondents: 4.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 275 hours.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Changes in Burden Estimates: There is a decrease of 1,665 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden as compared with that identified 
in the information collection request most recently approved by OMB, 
from 1,940 hours currently to an estimated 275 hours. At the time of 
the last clearance of this ICR in May 1994, EPA estimated the burden 
for respondents to be 276 hours annually, a decrease of 1,940 hours 
from the burden total in the OMB inventory at the time. However, OMB's 
action notice approving this ICR, dated August 8, 1994, appears to 
transpose these two numbers: the action notice indicates a new status 
of 1,940 burden hours and a difference of -275 hours. EPA believes that 
this was a simple inversion mistake made at the time the approval was 
processed.
    The current request for renewal estimates a total burden to 
respondents of 275 hours, a difference of one hour from that estimated 
in EPA's 1994 request for renewal. However, the current burden estimate 
of 275 hours represents a decrease of 1,665 hours from the (incorrect) 
burden total in the current OMB inventory. Note that the reason for the 
reduction in burden at the time of the 1994 clearance of this ICR was 
that the estimate for the number of TSCA section 8(a) chemical-specific 
rules to be promulgated annually was reduced from an anticipated ten 
rules per year to one rule per year.
    According to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12, EPA has 
submitted this ICR to OMB for review and approval. Any comments related 
to the renewal of this ICR should be submitted within 30 days of this 
notice, as described above.

    Dated: June 12, 1997.
Joseph Retzer,
Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 97-15986 Filed 6-17-97; 8:45 am]
BILLNG CODE 6560-50-P