[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 202 (Monday, October 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54453-54454]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-27729]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5910-6]


Agency Announcement of Information Collection Activities: 1997 
Iron and Steel Industry Survey (EPA ICR No. 1830.01)

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 United States Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit the following proposed 
Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB): 1997 Iron and Steel Industry Survey (EPA ICR No. 
1830.01). This industry includes cokemaking, sintering, ironmaking, 
steelmaking, ladle metallurgy, vacuum degassing, casting, hot forming, 
salt bath descaling, acid pickling, cold forming, alkaline cleaning, 
hot coating, and electroplating. Before submitting an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval, EPA is 
soliciting comments from the public on specific aspects of the proposed 
information collection survey instrument as described below.

DATES: Comments must be received by EPA no later than December 19, 
1997.

ADDRESSES: The public may contact Mr. George Jett at the EPA for a 
paper copy of the draft survey instrument or may download the draft 
survey instrument from the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/ost/Events/
index.html#ann. Mr. Jett may be reached by mail at the U.S. EPA, 
Engineering and Analysis Division (Mail Code 4303), 401 M Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20460; or by telephone at (202) 260-7151 or FAX at 202-
260-7185. The draft survey instrument includes all pertinent 
instructions, information request questions, and definitions.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Affected Entities: Entities affected by the proposed survey include 
facilities that manufacture iron and steel included in the following 
manufacturing operations: cokemaking, sintering, ironmaking, 
steelmaking, ladle metallurgy, vacuum degassing, casting, hot forming, 
salt bath descaling, acid pickling, cold forming, alkaline cleaning, 
hot coating, and electroplating. The survey is intended to identify and 
collect data from iron and steel industrial sites that generate and 
discharge process wastewater from all manufacturing processes 
associated with potential water-using industrial activities.
    Title: 1997 Iron and Steel Industry Survey (EPA ICR No. 1830.01).
    Abstract: The survey is intended to collect technical (Part A) and 
economic (Part B) information required by EPA in order to develop 
revised effluent limitations guidelines for the iron and steel 
manufacturing point source category as described above. EPA is required 
by section 304 (m) of the Clean Water Act of 1987 (33 U.S.C. 1314 [m]) 
to review effluent limitations guidelines and standards periodically to 
determine whether the current regulations remain appropriate in light 
of changes in the industrial category caused by advances in 
manufacturing technologies, in-process pollution prevention, or end-of-
pipe wastewater treatment. EPA is also required by the terms of a 
Consent Decree with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC), 
to develop revised effluent limitations guidelines and standards for 
the Iron & Steel industry (D.D.C. Civ. No. 89-2980, January 31, 1992, 
as modified). This survey is being conducted pursuant to those 
legislative and judicial requirements.
    This survey instrument will be issued under authority of section 
308 of the Clean Water Act of 1987 (Federal Water Pollution Control 
Act, 5 U.S.C. 1318), and responses from data collection survey 
instrument recipients are mandatory. The survey instruments will be 
mailed to respondents after OMB approves the ICR. The ICR that will be 
submitted by EPA to OMB will include discussion of the comments 
received in response to today's announcement. The proposed survey 
instrument is a necessary part of the data collection portion of the 
effluent limitations guidelines development process. The proposed 
survey instrument will provide EPA with the technical and economic data 
required to evaluate effective pollution control technologies and the 
economic achievability of any final rule that the Agency issues. EPA 
will consider both technical performance and economic achievability 
when making final decisions on 40 CFR part 420.
    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 EPA would like to solicit comments to:

[[Page 54454]]

    (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; and
    (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.
    Burden Statement: 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.
    The proposed survey instrument was developed in such a manner as to 
reduce burden and improve clarity. EPA has conducted several outreach 
meetings through project status briefings with the major industry trade 
associations. Additionally, the survey instrument was distributed in 
advance of this notice to the following industry trade associations: 
American Iron and Steel Institute, Steel Manufacturers Association, 
Specialty Steel Industry of North America, the Cold Finished Steel Bar 
Institute, The Wire Association International, Incorporated, the Steel 
Tube Institute of North America, and the American Galvanizers 
Association, Incorporated.
    Because of the complexity of the industry and the substantial 
changes in the iron and steel industry since part 420 was promulgated 
(47 FR 23284, May 27, 1982), EPA has decided to prepare a detailed 
survey instrument to characterize accurately current conditions in the 
iron and steel industry as a basis for establishing equitable 
regulations. The September 1995 ``Preliminary Study of the Iron and 
Steel Category, 40 CFR part 420 Effluent Limitations Guidelines and 
Standards'' (EPA 821-R-95-037), provides the basis for reassessing the 
existing regulations. This document is available through the National 
Technical Information Services under document number PB 96-126-156.
    EPA typically develops and distributes a screener questionnaire in 
order to better define the target population for a regulation. The 
screener allows the agency to eliminate facilities from consideration 
which are not anticipated to fit under the scope of the regulation. 
However, for the iron and steel industry, a number of factors make this 
additional step unnecessary. These factors include the existence of 
well organized trade associations, facility lists from a variety of 
data sources, and past agency experience. EPA believes that the target 
population for this regulation (approximately 577 facilities) is small 
enough that the survey instrument can be distributed to all facilities. 
(This number may change before the survey is mailed as we refine our 
methodology for determining the target population). Therefore there 
will be no screener questionnaire, and the survey instrument will be 
considered as a complete census and not merely a partial survey of the 
industry. This will allow the Agency to characterize more accurately 
the industry, and thereby develop a regulation more pertinent to the 
entire industry than if a partial survey were used. The Agency solicits 
comment on this decision.
    The EPA burden estimate on industrial facilities is deemed to be 
primarily proportional to the types and number of manufacturing 
processes. The EPA burden estimate is presented in Table 1. The EPA 
burden estimate is based on an estimated population of 577 facilities 
with different configurations of manufacturing processes (from large 
integrated mills to medium sized mills (mini-mills) to small stand 
alone facilities). EPA estimates that the total burden will be 98,895 
hours.

    Table 1.--Burden Estimate for 1997 Iron and Steel Industry Survey   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Large      Medium     Small  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Facilities...................         22        130        425
Technical Hours/Facility...............        515        195        105
Economic Hours/Facility................         45         40         30
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Finally, EPA will maintain a temporary, toll-free telephone number 
once the survey instrument has been mailed that survey recipients may 
call to obtain assistance in completing the survey instrument. EPA 
believes that the toll-free telephone number will greatly reduce burden 
by helping recipients to answer specific questions within the context 
of their individual operations.
    Request for Comments: Since EPA must develop a sound technical and 
economic basis for equitable national standards, EPA is soliciting 
comments and suggestions regarding the substance and form of the draft 
survey instrument. For example, are the directions and questions clear 
and concise; are the definitions consistent with industry jargon and 
use of terms; are the right questions in the survey; if not, please 
suggest more appropriate ones; do the questions adequately cover all 
pertinent factors relevant to developing equitable guidelines; if not, 
what needs to be added? EPA is also soliciting comments on means of 
reducing the data collection burden. EPA requests that all suggestions 
be supported in order to properly evaluate the suggestion. Any burden 
reduction suggestions must consider the need to collect information on 
the pollutants being discharged by the industries, the processes that 
generate the pollutants, alternative controls, the economic 
achievability of the proposed regulations, and the benefits derived 
from reducing pollution in our oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. 
Please send any suggestions to Mr. George Jett at the address listed 
above.
Tudor T. Davies,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 97-27729 Filed 10-17-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P