[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 38 (Thursday, February 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9791-9792]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4939]



[[Page 9791]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5971-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; State Small Business Stationary Source Technical and 
Environmental Compliance Assistance Program (SBTCP) Under the Clean Air 
Act as Amended in 1990

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 is planning to submit the 
following proposed and continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB):
    State Small Business Stationary Source Technical and Environmental 
Compliance Assistance Program (SBTCP), EPA ICR number 1748.02, OMB 
Control Number 2060-0337, expiration 7/31/98. Before submitting the ICR 
to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific 
aspects of the proposed information collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 27, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Office of the Small Business Ombudsman, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW (2131), Waterside Mall Room 3423, 
Washington, DC 20460, 202-260-1390. Interested persons may receive a 
copy of the ICR without charge by writing or calling the above Office. 
The ICR also is posted on the Small Business Environmental Assistance 
homepage at http://www.smallbiz-enviroweb.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen V. Brown, Small Business 
Ombudsman, telephone 202-260-1390, fascimilie 202-401-2302, and e-mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
those which are in one of the following state or territory offices, 
including the District of Columbia: environmental agency, commerce or 
economic development department, governor's office, or ombudsman's 
office.
    Title: State Small Business Stationary Source Technical and 
Environmental Compliance Assistance Program (SBTCP), EPA ICR number 
1748.02, OMB Control Number 2060-0337, expiration 7/31/98.
    Abstract: As part of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the U.S. 
Congress included, as part of section 507, the requirement that each 
state establish a Small Business Stationary Source Technical and 
Environmental Compliance Assistance Program (SBTCP) to assist small 
businesses comply with the Act. EPA must provide the Congress with 
periodic reports from the EPA Small Business Ombudsman (SBO) on these 
programs, including their effectiveness, difficulties encountered, and 
other relevant information. Each state assistance program will submit 
requested information to EPA for compilation and summarization.
    This collection of information in mandatory pursuant to section 507 
(a), (d), and (e) of the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990, Pub. L. 101-
549, November 15, 1990. This Act directs EPA to monitor the SBTCPs and 
to provide a report to Congress. This responsibility has been delegated 
to the EPA SBO.
    Response to the collection is not required to obtain or retain a 
benefit.
    Information in the Annual Report to Congress is aggregated and is 
not of a confidential nature. None of the information collected by this 
action results in or requests sensitive information of any nature from 
the states.
    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:
    (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.
     The EPA SBO shall report the results of the collection to 
Congress, including an objective summary of conclusions and 
recommendations relative to funding or other environmental legislative 
considerations. This information also will be provided to Congressional 
staffs and committees interested in environmental matters and small 
business assistance activities at the state and local levels. In 
addition, this information will be provided to small business trade 
associations for their further use in promoting the utility and 
viability of assistance programs to EPA Headquarters and regional 
offices, to other federal agencies such as the Small Business 
Administration, to all state small business ombudsmen and small 
business assistance program directors, state environmental 
commissioners, state Governors, and other interested state 
environmental officials.
    Both state and federal officials have used the information not only 
to evaluate how well the programs are functioning, but also in planning 
how to render more effective, less costly and more timely assistance. 
The constantly evolving nature of these programs means that information 
of this nature should be made available to decision-makers, whether 
they be at federal, state, or local levels.
    (ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate for the 
proposed information collection, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used.
     The Reporting Form was discussed with the state ombudsmen 
or small business assistance program directors from 6 of the 53 section 
507 reporting programs (i.e., the 50 states, the District of Columbia, 
and the territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands). A general 
consensus was taken to establish how long it would take to complete the 
Reporting Form and who would likely be responsible from each state to 
complete the task.
    From the pretest, the information requested was confirmed to be, 
for the most part, the normal program activity information the SBTCPs 
collect on an on-going basis. Where a few state environmental agencies 
have delegated or contracted management of their technical assistance 
program, this information is part of the project management 
responsibilities. The requested reporting information typically would 
be compiled by either an entry-level technical person or maintained by 
experienced clerical staff.
    On an average, the requested information can be compiled readily 
and maintained by the state within 80 hours (assuming the state 
organization continuously maintains their records in a reasonably 
efficient manner) using a mix of management, entry-level technical 
people, and experienced clerical staff. The 80-hour forecast includes 4 
hours for record keeping and 76 hours for reporting the required 
information.
    The respondent information will be compiled electronically and 
summarized by an outside contractor using a mix of management, 
technical, and clerical staff. EPA will provide oversight of all 
contractor activities. An estimated 274 EPA hours and 1,564.5

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contractor hours will be required to complete the Report to Congress.
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected.
     Recent revisions to the Reporting Form were conducted by 
representatives from the SBTCPs, who have been reporting on the 
activities of their programs since 1995 and are familiar with these 
reporting requirements. They provided extensive review of the proposed 
Reporting Form and suggested modifications, which then were 
incorporated into the Reporting Form.
    Pretesting of the original collection instrument was accomplished 
by consolidating all comments received following the states' review of 
a draft of the Reporting Form and an extensive discussion of the Form 
at the 1995 National Small Business Ombudsman and Small Business 
Assistance Program Conference.
    (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).
     Each year, every state will be provided with the Reporting 
Form on disk and in hard copy along with instructions for gathering the 
data and completing the Form. States may complete their Report by 
typing the information on the disk and submitting the disk to the EPA 
SBO.
    As more states gain Internet access, the Reporting Form also may be 
made available online, downloaded for completion, and returned via 
Internet to the EPA SBO.
    Burden Statement: This annual information collection involves 
responses from all 50 states, 2 territories (Puerto Rico and the Virgin 
Islands), and the District of Columbia, for a total of 53 respondents.
    The requested information, for the most part, is collected as 
normal program activity information for the SBTCPs. On an average, the 
information can be compiled and maintained by the state within 80 hours 
annually (assuming the state organization continuously maintains their 
records in a reasonably efficient manner). The 80 hour per state 
estimate includes 4 hours for record keeping and 76 hours for 
reporting.
    For each respondent, the annual cost burden is estimated to be 
$2,102.76. Total capital and start-up cost component annualized over 
its expected useful life is $0. Total operations and maintenance is 
estimated at $0, and the cost for purchase of services is estimated at 
$0.
    Total annual burden for the 53 respondents is estimated at 4,240 
hours at a cost of $111,446.28.
    Federal burden is estimated to be 274 hours at an annual labor cost 
of $14,085.32. Total capital and start-up costs are $0. Total 
operations and maintenance costs are estimated to be $11,506. The cost 
to purchase services is $75,000.
    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.

    Dated: February 19, 1998.
Thomas E. Kelly,
Director, Office of Regulatory Management and Information, Office of 
Policy, Planning, and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 98-4939 Filed 2-25-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P