[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 26, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63158-63159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-31141]



[[Page 63158]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5928-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Emergency Clearance Request; Comment Request; Four Private Party 
Anecdotal Surveys Regarding Prospective Purchaser Agreements and 
Comfort/Status Letters

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 has submitted an emergency 
clearance request for the following proposed Information Collection 
Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Four 
Private Party Anecdotal Surveys Regarding Prospective Purchaser 
Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters, EPA ICR Number 1837.01. The 
emergency clearance request has been submitted for emergency processing 
within 14 days after publication in the Federal Register. During this 
time period, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the 
proposed information collection.

DATES: Please submit comments on or before December 10, 1997.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Site 
Remediation Enforcement, 401 M Street, SW (MC 2273A), Washington, DC 
20460. Interested persons may contact Elisabeth Freed at (202) 564-5117 
for a copy of the ICR or see the EPA ICR website at http://www.epa.gov/
icr. Refer to ICR Number 1837.01.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elisabeth Freed, Office of Site 
Remediation Enforcement, Policy and Program Evaluation Division, (202) 
564-5117, (202) 564-0093 (fax), [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
those which are non-government parties at sites where Prospective 
Purchaser Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters have been issued, or at 
sites where they have been sought, but not obtained. These parties may 
include, but are not limited to, lending officials, developers, and 
attorney representatives of parties to the site.
    Title: Four Private Party Anecdotal Surveys Regarding Prospective 
Purchaser Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters, EPA ICR Number 
1837.01, [Proposed Information Collection]
    Abstract: In 1995, EPA issued guidance and policies concerning the 
use of Prospective Purchaser Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters. 
(See Guidance on Settlements with Prospec-tive Purchasers of 
Contaminated Property, published in May of 1995 and Policy on the 
Issuance of Comfort/Status Letters, published in November of 1996). 
Since that date, EPA has entered into 66 Prospective Purchaser 
Agreements and issued more than 200 Comfort/Status Letters. OSRE will 
use four anecdotal surveys to collect information from private parties 
(non-govern-ment personnel) at sites where Prospective Purchaser 
Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters have been issued, or where they 
have been sought but not obtained. OSRE will use the information 
collected to evaluate the effectiveness of the guidance on Prospective 
Purchaser Agreements and the Comfort/Status Letter policy. Responses to 
this information collection are strictly voluntary, and the information 
collection is a one-time effort. OSRE will ensure the confidenti-ality 
of the responses to the information collection by employing contractor 
support to collect the information and by limiting access to individual 
responses to EPA personnel overseeing the information collection. Using 
contractors to collect the information through telephone surveys is 
expected to increase the candor of the responses. Contractors will 
transcribe responses onto survey forms and will assist in compiling and 
analyzing the information. Only EPA personnel overseeing this 
information collection will have access to individual responses. All 
other personnel, as well as other interested parties, will be limited 
to examining only compiled summaries of data. This process will 
safeguard the confidentiality of the information. All contractors 
involved in the information collection have signed non-disclosure 
statements and Conflict of Interest assessments. These documents ensure 
that the contractors have examined the information collection 
assignment for possible conflicts of interest and have found none. They 
also ensure that contractors will not reveal any information they 
collect while conducting the surveys. 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.
    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; 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: This information collection is estimated to cost 
$28,882 and take 1048 hours. Note that although four survey instruments 
will be used in this information collection, each respondent will be 
asked to respond to only one survey instrument. Which instrument they 
will receive will be determined by their site type (site type is 
defined as participant or non-participant) and whether a Prospective 
Purchaser Agreement or a Comfort/Status Letter was involved at the 
site. There will be approximately 600 respondents, with an average 
response time of 36 minutes. This is a one-time information collection, 
and participation is strictly voluntary. Of the anticipated 1048 hours 
required for the information collection, 650 are estimated as EPA 
burden, and 398 are estimated as respondent burden. 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.


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    Dated: November 20, 1997.
Leslie A. Jones,
Acting Branch Chief of Site Remediation Enforcement, Policy Guidance 
Branch.
[FR Doc. 97-31141 Filed 11-25-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P