[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 72 (Wednesday, April 15, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18402-18403]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-10008]



[[Page 18402]]

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

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5996-8]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Facility Ground-Water Monitoring Requirements

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: Facility Ground-Water 
Monitoring Requirements, EPA ICR #959.10; OMB Control Number 2050-0033; 
expiring 5/31/98. 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 May 15, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY: 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/icr and refer to EPA 
ICR No. 959.10.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Facility Ground-Water Monitoring Requirements, OMB Control 
Number 2050-0033; EPA ICR #959.10; expiring 5/31/98. This is a request 
for an extension of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
of 1976 (RCRA) creates a comprehensive program for the safe management 
of hazardous waste. Section 3004 of RCRA requires owners and operators 
of facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste to 
comply with standards established by EPA that are ``necessary to 
protect human health and the environment.'' Section 3005 provides for 
implementation of these standards under permits issued to owners and 
operators by EPA or authorized States. Section 3005 also allows owners 
and operators of facilities in existence when the regulations came into 
effect to comply with applicable notice requirements to operate until a 
permit is issued or denied. This statutory authorization to operate 
prior to permit determination is commonly known as ``interim status.'' 
Owners and operators of interim status facilities also must comply with 
standards set under Section 3004.
    EPA promulgated ground-water monitoring standards for interim 
status facilities in 1980 (45 FR 33154 May 19, 1980), codified in 40 
CFR Part 265, Subpart F, and for permitted facilities in 1982 (47 FR 
32274 July 26, 1982), codified in 40 CFR Part 264, Subpart F. Both sets 
of standards establish programs for protecting ground water from 
releases of hazardous wastes from land disposal facilities with 
regulated units (these include surface impoundments, waste piles, land 
treatment units, and landfills).
    The ground-water monitoring requirements for regulated units follow 
a tiered approach whereby releases of hazardous contaminants are first 
detected, then confirmed, and, if necessary, are required to be cleaned 
up. Each of these tiers requires collection and analysis of groundwater 
samples. Owners or operators that conduct groundwater monitoring are 
required to report information to the oversight agencies on releases of 
contaminants and to maintain records of ground-water monitoring data at 
their facilities. The goal of the ground-water monitoring program is to 
prevent and quickly detect releases of hazardous contaminants to 
groundwater, and to establish a program whereby any contamination is 
expeditiously cleaned up. 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 1/26/98 (63FR 3737); two comments were received.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting burden for this 
collection of information is estimated to average 11.1 hours per year, 
and the annual record keeping burden is estimated at 23.6 hours per 
year; these estimates represent the overall reporting and record 
keeping burdens placed on permitted facilities, regardless of whether 
they are performing detection monitoring, compliance monitoring or 
corrective action. The specific burden estimates for these activities 
include: (1) For facilities performing detection monitoring, average 
reporting burden of 5.2 hours per year and an average record keeping 
burden of 25.5 hours per year; (2) for facilities performing compliance 
monitoring, average reporting burden of 9.0 hours per year and an 
average record keeping burden of 24.5 hours per year; (3) for 
facilities performing corrective action, average reporting burden of 
20.0 hours per year and an average record keeping burden of 20.5 hours 
per year. 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.
    Reasons for change in burden: The burden estimates reflect a 
revised analysis of burden that resulted from better identification of 
(1) capital and (2) operational and maintenance (O&M) costs. The 
overall annual burden hour estimate has decreased from 181,179 hours to 
64,181 hours, a decrease of 116,998 hours per year. This burden hour 
decrease is better attributed to burden costs for the purchases of O&M 
services in the amount of $80,106,000.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Owners or operators of RCRA 
hazardous waste facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous 
waste in regulated units (these include surface impoundments, waste 
piles, land treatment units, and landfills).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,647.
    Frequency of Response: Varies.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 64,181 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $80,106,000.
    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. 959.10 and OMB Control No. 2050-0033 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


[[Page 18403]]


Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW, 
Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: April 9, 1998.
Joseph Retzer,
Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 98-10008 Filed 4-14-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U