[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 64 (Friday, April 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16500-16501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8788]



[[Page 16500]]

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

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5991-2]


Agency Announcement of Information Collection Activities: 
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Collection of 1997 Iron and 
Steel Industry Data (EPA ICR 1830.01)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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

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) is being forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: ``Collection of 1997 Iron and 
Steel Industry Data'' (EPA ICR No. 1830.01). The ICR describes the 
nature of the information collection and the anticipated burden the 
data collection will create on recipient facilities, and the collection 
methodology EPA will use to distribute the data collection instruments. 
The ICR also includes representative copies of the specific data 
collection instruments that will be distributed to the public.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 4, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone 
at (202) 260-2740, by email at [email protected], or 
download off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ost/ironsteel.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Information Collection Request for the Collection of 1997 
Iron and Steel Industry Data (EPA ICR No.1830.01). This is a new 
collection.
    Abstract: The Collection of 1997 Iron and Steel Industry Data is 
intended to collect, from industry, the type of technical and economic 
information required by EPA to develop effluent limitations guidelines 
for Iron and Steel industry activities. The Iron and Steel industry 
activities include cokemaking, sintering, briquetting, ironmaking, 
steelmaking, ladle metallurgy, vacuum degassing, casting, hot forming, 
salt bath descaling, acid pickling, cold forming, alkaline cleaning, 
hot coating, electroplating, and utility operations.
    EPA is promulgating effluent limitations guidelines and standards 
for the Iron and Steel industry in accordance with the consent decree 
entered in the case of Natural Resources Defense Council, et al. v. 
Reilly, Civ. No. 89-2980 (D.C. Cir., as amended). EPA will issue this 
survey under authority of section 308 of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 
1318, which authorizes EPA to require the owner or operator of a point 
source to submit certain information at EPA's request. The data 
collected will provide EPA with the technical and economic information 
required to effectively evaluate pollution control technologies and the 
economic achievability of the final rule. EPA will consider both 
technical performance and economic achievability (including cost 
effectiveness analyses of alternative pollution control technologies) 
when developing the final regulations. An Agency may not conduct or 
sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an information 
collection 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 announcing the 
impending submission of the ICR to OMB, as required under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act's regulations at 5 CFR 1320.8(d), was published on 
October 20, 1997. Six sets of comments from the public regarding the 
October 20, 1997 announcement (62 FR 54453) were received by the 
Agency. These comments, and EPA's responses, are presented in 
Attachment 5 of the ICR.
    Burden Statement: The data collection consists of 5 elements: the 
Detailed Survey, the Short Survey, the Capital Cost Survey, the 
Production follow-up question, and the Analytical data follow-up 
question. The total nationwide public reporting and record keeping 
burden for this information collection is estimated to be 107,116 hours 
or $3,654,832. The nationwide burden will be distributed among the 901 
industry sites. 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; to 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; to 
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable 
instructions and requirements; to train personnel to be able to respond 
to a collection of information; to search data sources; to complete and 
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information.
    EPA will send the Detailed Survey to the 244 sites which comprise 
the following types of mills: Integrated with cokemaking, Integrated 
without cokemaking, Non-integrated with finishing, Non-integrated 
without finishing, Stand-alone cokemaking, Stand-alone DRI or 
sintering, Stand-alone finishing, and Stand-alone hot forming. These 
244 sites will have an average estimated burden of 258 hours or $8,703 
per site. EPA will send the Short Survey to the 657 sites which 
comprise the following types of mills: Stand-alone pipe/tube, Stand-
alone hot dip coating, Stand-alone cold forming, and Stand-alone wire. 
Each of these 657 sites will have an average estimated burden of 62 
hours or $2,140 per site.
    EPA will distribute the Cost Survey to no more than 100 iron and 
steel sites, to be chosen based on responses to the Detailed and Short 
Surveys. Each of these 100 sites will have an estimated burden of 12 
hours or $513 per site. EPA will distribute the Production follow-up 
question to no more than 100 iron and steel sites, to be chosen based 
on responses to the Detailed and Short Surveys. Each of these 100 sites 
will have an estimated burden of 10 hours or $409 per site. EPA will 
distribute the Analytical data follow-up question to no more than 100 
iron and steel sites, to be chosen based on responses to the Detailed 
and Short Surveys. Each of these 100 sites will have an estimated 
burden of 10 hours or $332 per site.
    EPA made every effort possible to reduce the national reporting 
burden associated with this data collection. The following are examples 
of how EPA reduced the burden associated with the current data 
collection:
    1. EPA reduced the number of questions in the Detailed Survey, 
based on comments from the public and an internal reevaluation of what 
information was considered to be essential to the guideline 
development.
    2. EPA developed a Short Survey instrument to be sent to the 
majority of the sites. EPA anticipates that many of these sites will be 
small businesses, representing a relatively small portion of the 
industry wastewater flow rates and pollutant loadings.
    3. EPA has conducted outreach with the following trade 
associations, which represent the vast majority of the facilities that 
will be affected by this guideline: American Iron and Steel Institute, 
Steel Manufacturers Association, Specialty Steel Industry of North 
America, the Cold Finished Steel Bar Institute, The Wire Association 
International, Incorporated, the Steel Tube Institute of North America, 
the American Galvanizers Association, Incorporated, and the American 
Coke and Coal Chemicals Association. Outreach has involved distributing 
advance copies of the survey and meeting with representatives of the

[[Page 16501]]

trade associations to discuss the guidelines development process and 
the survey. Many of the comments received during these meetings have 
been incorporated.
    4. EPA plans to operate a telephone help-line and develop an 
internet address to answer questions regarding the survey.
    5. EPA plans to conduct a series of survey workshops.
    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. 1830.01 in any inquiry.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory 
Information Division (2137), 401 M Street S.W., Washington, DC 20460
      and
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for the EPA, 725 17th Street N.W., 
Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: March 30, 1998.
Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director,
Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 98-8788 Filed 4-2-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P