[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13243-13244]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-6978]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPTS-00236; FRL-5777-4]


Toxic Substances; Correction of Misreported Chemical Substances 
on the TSCA Inventory; Agency Information Collection Activities; 
Proposed Renewal and Request for Comment

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 continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the procedures described in 
5 CFR 1320.12. Before submitting the following ICR to OMB for review 
and reapproval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the 
information collection, which is briefly described below. The ICR is a 
continuing ICR entitled ``Correction of Misreported Chemical Substances 
on the TSCA Inventory,'' EPA ICR No. 1741.02, OMB No. 2070-0145. This 
ICR covers the reporting of corrected information to the Toxic 
Substances Control Act (TSCA) section 8(b) Inventory of Chemical 
Substances, which relates to reporting requirements that appear at 40 
CFR part 710. 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.

Dates: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 18, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Each comment must bear the docket control number ``OPPTS- 
00236'' and administrative record number 191. All comments should be 
sent in triplicate to: OPPT Document Control Officer (7407), Office of 
Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M 
St., SW., Rm. G-099, East Tower, Washington, DC 20460. Comments and 
data may also be submitted electronically to: 
[email protected]. Follow the instructions under Unit III. of 
this document. No TSCA Confidential Business Information (CBI) should 
be submitted through e-mail.
    All comments which contain information claimed as CBI must be 
clearly marked as such. Three sanitized copies of any comments 
containing information claimed as CBI must also be submitted and will 
be placed in the public record for this document. Persons submitting 
information any portion of which they believe is entitled to treatment 
as CBI by EPA must assert a business confidentiality claim in 
accordance with 40 CFR 2.203(b) for each such portion. This claim must 
be made at the time that the information is submitted to EPA. If a 
submitter does not assert a confidentiality claim at the time of 
submission, EPA will consider this as a waiver of any confidentiality 
claim and the information may be made available to the public by EPA 
without further notice to the submitter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact: Susan 
B. Hazen, Director, Environmental Assistance Division (7408), Office of 
Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M 
St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, Telephone: 202-554-1404, TDD: 202-554-
0551, e-mail: TSCA-H[email protected]. For technical information 
contact: Scott Sherlock, Information Management Division (7407), Office 
of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 
401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, Telephone: 202-260-1536; Fax: 
202-260-1657; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Availability:
Internet
    Electronic copies of the ICR are available from the EPA Home Page 
at the Federal Register - Environmental Documents entry for this 
document under ``Laws and Regulations'' (http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/).
Fax-on-Demand
    Using a faxphone call 202-401-0527 and select item 4058 for a copy 
of the ICR.

I. Background

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
persons who manufacture, process, or import chemical substances in the 
United States.

[[Page 13244]]

    For the collection of information addressed in this notice, EPA 
would like to solicit comments to:
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected.
    4. 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.

II. Information Collection

    EPA is seeking comments on the following ICR, as well as the 
Agency's intention to renew the corresponding OMB approval, which is 
currently scheduled to expire on May 31, 1998.
    Title: Correction of Misreported Chemical Substances on the TSCA 
Inventory.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1741.02, OMB No. 2070-0145.
    Abstract: Section 8(b) of the TSCA requires EPA to compile and keep 
current an Inventory of Chemical Substances in Commerce, which is a 
listing of chemical substances manufactured, imported, and processed 
for commercial purposes in the United States. The purpose of the 
Inventory is to define, for the purpose of TSCA, what chemical 
substances exist in U.S. commerce. Since the Inventory thereby performs 
a regulatory function by distinguishing between existing chemicals and 
new chemicals, which TSCA regulates in different ways, it is imperative 
that the Inventory be accurate.
    However, from time to time, EPA or respondents discover that 
substances have been incorrectly described by reporting companies. 
Reported substances have been unintentionally misidentified as a result 
of simple typographical errors, the misidentification of substances, or 
the lack of sufficient technical or analytical capabilities to 
characterize fully the exact chemical substances. EPA has developed 
guidelines (45 FR 50544, July 29, 1980) under which incorrectly 
described substances listed in the Inventory can be corrected.
    This information collection request pertains to the use of the TSCA 
Chemical Substance Inventory Reporting Form C (EPA Form 7710-3C), which 
is used by the chemical industry in submitting requests to EPA to 
correct misreported chemical identities of substances listed on the 
Inventory. The correction mechanism ensures the accuracy of the 
Inventory without imposing an unreasonable burden on the chemical 
industry. Without the Inventory correction mechanism, a company that 
submitted incorrect information would have to file a premanufacture 
notification (PMN) under TSCA section 5 to place the correct chemical 
substance on the Inventory whenever the previously reported substance 
is found to be misidentified. This would impose a much greater burden 
on both EPA and the submitter than the existing correction mechanism.
    Responses to this collection of information are voluntary.
    Burden statement: The burden to respondents for complying with this 
ICR is estimated to total 200 hours per year with an annual cost of 
$8,100. These totals are based on an average burden of 1 hour per 
response for an estimated 200 respondents making one response annually. 
These estimates include the time needed to determine applicability; 
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.

III. Public Record and Electronic Submissions

    The official record for this document as well as the public 
version, has been established for this document under docket control 
number ``OPPTS-00236'' (including comments and data submitted 
electronically as described below). A public version of this record, 
including printed, paper versions of electronic comments, which does 
not include any information claimed as CBI, is available for inspection 
from 12 noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The official rulemaking record is located in the TSCA 
Nonconfidential Information Center, Rm. NE-B607, 401 M St., SW., 
Washington, DC.
    Electronic comments can be sent directly to EPA at: 
[email protected]
    Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the 
use of special characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data 
will also be accepted on disks in WordPerfect 5.1/6.1 or ASCII file 
format. All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by 
the docket control number ``OPPTS-00236'' and administrative record 
number 191. Electronic comments on this document may be filed online at 
many Federal Depository Libraries.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Information collection requests, 
Reporting and recordkeeping.

    Dated: March 9, 1998.
Susan H. Wayland,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic 
Substances.

[FR Doc. 98-6978 Filed 3-17-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F