[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 245 (Monday, December 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66862-66863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33326]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5938-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Hazardous Waste Generator Standards

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 document announces that the following Information 
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Hazardous Waste Generator 
Standards, OMB Control Number 2050-0035, expiring on 2/28/98. The ICR 
describes the nature of the information collection and its expected 
burden and cost; where appropriate, it includes the actual data 
collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 21, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For a copy of the ICR, call Sandy 
Farmer at EPA, (202) 260-2740, or download off the Internet at http://
www.epa.gov/icr/icr.htm and refer to EPA ICR No. 0820.07.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Title: Hazardous Waste Generator Standards (OMB Control Number 
2050-0035; EPA ICR No. 0820.07.) expiring 2/28/98. This is a request 
for extension of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: In the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as 
amended, Congress directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) to implement a comprehensive program for the safe management of 
hazardous waste. The core of the national waste management program is 
the regulation of hazardous waste from generation to transport to 
treatment and eventual disposal, or from ``cradle to grave.'' Section 
3001(d) of RCRA requires EPA to develop standards for small quantity 
generators. Section 3002 of RCRA among other things states that EPA 
shall establish requirements for hazardous waste generators regarding 
recordkeeping practices. Section 3002 also requires EPA to establish 
standards on appropriate use of containers by generators.
    Finally, section 3017 of RCRA specifies requirements for 
individuals exporting hazardous waste from the United States, including 
a notification of the intent to export, and an annual report 
summarizing the types, quantities, frequency, and ultimate destination 
of all exported hazardous waste (additional reporting requirements for 
exporters and importers of recyclable materials are covered under ICR 
Number 1647.01).
    This ICR targets four categories of informational requirements in 
part 262: pre-transport requirements for both large (LQG) and small 
(SQG) quantity generators (including the generator pre-transport 
requirements referenced in 40 CFR part 265), air emission standards 
requirements for LQGs (referenced in 40 CFR part 265, subparts I and 
J), recordkeeping and reporting requirements for LQGs and SQGs, and 
export requirements for LQGs and SQGs (i.e., notification of intent to 
export and annual reporting).
    This collection of information is necessary to help generators and 
EPA (1) identify and understand the waste streams being generated and 
the hazards

[[Page 66863]]

associated with them, (2) determine whether employees have acquired the 
necessary expertise to perform their jobs, and (3) determine whether 
LQGs have developed adequate procedures to respond to unplanned sudden 
or non-sudden releases of hazardous waste or hazardous constituents to 
air, soil, or surface water. This information is also needed to help 
EPA determine whether tank systems are operated in a manner that is 
fully protective of human health and the environment and to ensure that 
releases to the environment are managed quickly and efficiently.
    Additionally, this information contributes to EPA's goal of 
preventing contamination of the environment from hazardous waste 
accumulation practices, including contamination from equipment leaks 
and process vents. Export information is needed to ensure that (1) 
foreign governments consent to U.S. exported wastes, (2) exported waste 
is actually managed at facilities listed in the original notifications, 
and (3) documents are available for compliance audits and enforcement 
actions. In general, these requirements contribute to EPA's goal of 
preventing contamination of the environment. 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 document required under 5 
CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on this collection of information 
was published on 9/3/97 (62 FR 46491); no comments were received.
    Burden Statement: The average annual public reporting burden per 
response for LQGs under this collection of information is estimated to 
range from 21 minutes to 32 hours, and the average annual public 
reporting burden per response for SQGs is estimated to range from 21 
minutes to 7 hours. The average annual recordkeeping burden per 
response for LQGs under this collection of information is estimated to 
range from 27 minutes to 1 hour, and the average annual recordkeeping 
burden per response for SQGs is estimated to range from 18 minutes to 
45 minutes. 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: Hazardous Waste Generators, 
Hazardous Waste Transporters who commingle waste with different 
Department of Transportation descriptions; and Importers or Exporters 
of Hazardous Waste.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 244,932.
    Frequency of Response: On Occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 282,696 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $1,867,304.
    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. 0820.07 and OMB Control No. 2050-0035--in any 
correspondence:

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory 
Information Division (2137), 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. 
(or E-Mail Farmer.S[email protected]) 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: December 16, 1997.
Joseph Retzer,
Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 97-33326 Filed 12-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P