[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6924-6925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-3448]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5965-6]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review, Comment Request; Underground Storage Tanks: Technical and 
Financial Requirements, and State Program Approval Procedures

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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

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: ``Underground Storage Tanks: 
Technical and Financial Requirements, and State Program Approval 
Procedures,'' OMB Control Number 2050-0068, expiring on March 31, 1998. 
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 March 13, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY: Contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone 
at (202) 260-2740, by email at farmer.sandy @ epamail.epa.gov., or 
download off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA 
ICR No. 1360.05.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Underground Storage Tanks: Technical and Financial 
Requirements, and State Program Approval Procedures, OMB Control No. 
2050-0068; EPA ICR No. 1360.05, expiring 03/31/98. This is a request 
for extension of a currently approved collection.

[[Page 6925]]

    Abstract: Subtitle I of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
(RCRA), as amended, requires that the EPA develop standards for USTs as 
may be necessary to protect human health and the environment, and 
procedures for approving state programs to operate in lieu of the 
federal program. EPA promulgated technical and financial requirements 
for owners and operators of USTs at 40 CFR Part 280 and state program 
approval procedures at 40 CFR Part 281. This ICR is a comprehensive 
presentation of all information collection requirements contained at 40 
CFR Parts 280 and 281. All 40 CFR Part 280 requirements are presented 
in this ICR under the heading ``Technical and Financial Requirements''; 
this section applies to owners and operators of USTs. 40 CFR Part 281 
requirements are presented in this ICR under the heading ``State 
Program Approval Procedures''; this section applies to states operating 
a delegated UST program. 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 8/27/97 (62 FR 45410); no comments were received.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting burden for UST 
facilities is estimated to be 1.8 hours per respondent and the 
recordkeeping burden is estimated to be 4.8 hours per respondent. For 
states applying for program approval, the annual reporting burden is 
estimated to be 329.2 hours per respondent and the recordkeeping burden 
is estimated to be 31 hours per respondent. 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: Facilities that own and operate 
Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) and states that implement the UST 
program.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 317,094.
    Frequency of Response: Varies depending on the individual reporting 
and recordkeeping requirements.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 2,103,305 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $1.37 billion (includes 
Capital, O&M, and Labor costs).
    EPA has revised its respondent universe and burden estimates based 
on updated data from the Office of Underground Storage Tanks, and State 
and industry sources. The burden estimates reflect a reduction in the 
universe of tanks and a revised analysis of burden that resulted from 
better identification of (1) capital and (2) operational and 
maintenance (O&M) costs. Most of the burden changes in this proposed 
ICR are due to a recognition that many financial costs should be 
attributed to capital and operating and maintenance cost categories 
rather than to labor hours. This accounting change reduced the 
``hours'' burden and increased the ``financial'' burden. It should be 
noted that most of these costs were included in the Regulatory Impact 
Analyses for these requirements but had not been explicitly accounted 
for in previous ICRs.
    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. 1360.05 and OMB Control No. 2050-0068 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: February 5, 1998.
Joseph Retzer,
Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 98-3448 Filed 2-10-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P