[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 83 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23784-23785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11511]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6006-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Beryllium National Emission Standards for 
Hazardous Air Pollutants

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 document announces that the following Information 
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: National Emission Standards 
for Hazardous Air Pollutants, Subpart C--Beryllium (OMB #2060-0092, 
expiration 6/30/98). 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 June 1, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For a copy of the ICR, call Sandy 
Farmer at EPA, by phone at (202) 260-2740, by E-Mail at 
Farmer.S[email protected] or download off the Internet at http://
www.epa.gov/icr/icr.htm, and refer to EPA ICR No. 0193.06 .

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants 
(NESHAP) Subpart C--Beryllim (OMB Control No. 2060-0092; EPA ICR No. 
0193.06) expiring 6/30/98. This is a request for extension of a 
currently approved collection.
    Abstract: Beryllium and many of its compounds are considered to be 
among the most toxic and hazardous of the nonradioactive substances in 
industrial use. Consequently, EPA promulgated standards to control 
airborne releases from affected facilities such that ambient air 
concentrations would not exceed 0.01 micrograms per cubic meter. 
Alteration of a beryllium product by burning, grinding, cutting, or 
other physical means can, if uncontrolled, produce a significant hazard 
in the form of dust, fumes, or mist.
    The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants 
(NESHAP) for Beryllium were proposed on December 7, 1971 (36 FR 23939) 
and promulgated on April 6, 1973 (38 FR 8826). This standard applies to 
all extraction plants, ceramic plants, foundries, incinerators, and 
propellant plants which process beryllium ore, beryllium, beryllium 
oxide, beryllium alloys, or beryllium-containing waste. The standard 
also applies to machine shops which process beryllium, beryllium 
oxides, or any alloy when such alloy contains more than five percent 
beryllium by weight. All sources known to have caused, or to have the 
potential to cause, dangerous levels of beryllium in the ambient air 
are covered by the Beryllium NESHAP. This information is being 
collected to assure compliance with 40 CFR part 61, subpart C.
    Owners or operators of the affected facilities described must make 
one-time-only notifications including: notification of any physical or 
operational change to an existing facility which may increase the 
regulated pollutant emission rate, notification of the initial 
performance test, including information necessary to determine the 
conditions of the performance test, and performance test measurements 
and results. All reports are sent to the delegated State or local 
authority. In the event that there is no such delegated authority, the 
reports are sent directly to the EPA Regional Office. Owners or 
operators are also required to maintain records of the occurrence and 
duration of any startup, shutdown, or malfunction in the operation of 
an affected facility, or any period during which the monitoring system 
is inoperative. Most facilities subject to NESHAP subpart C will meet 
the standard by means of a one-time-only initial stack test. However, 
approximately 10 existing facilities have elected to comply with an 
alternative ambient air quality limit by operating a continuous monitor 
in the vicinity of the affected facility. The monitoring requirements 
for these facilities provide information on ambient air quality and 
ensure that locally, the airborne beryllium concentration does not 
exceed 0.01 micrograms/m\3\. For those complying by ambient monitoring, 
a monthly report of all measured concentrations shall be submitted to 
the Administrator. Any owner or operator subject to the provisions of 
this part shall maintain a file of these measurements, and retain the 
file for at least two years following the date of such measurements and 
records. 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 document required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting 
comments on this collection of information was published on December 2, 
1997 (62 FR 63709). No comments were received.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and record keeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 .6 
hours per response. 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. The ten facilities electing to meet the monthly average 
ambient standard are required to keep daily records and report monthly. 
In addition, 23 facilities (roughly 10 percent of the 226 facilities 
that comply with the emission standard) must file a report annually due 
to operational changes that could alter emission rates. Each year, 
approximately 203 existing sources have no reporting or record keeping 
requirements under NESHAP subpart C.

[[Page 23785]]

    Respondents/Affected Entities: Plants, foundries, incinerators 
which process beryllium and their derivatives.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 33.
    Frequency of Response: daily records/ monthly reports for 10 
facilities; annual reports for 23.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 2,232 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $35,000.
    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. 0193.06 and OMB Control No. 2060-0092 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: April 24, 1998.
Joseph Retzer,
Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 98-11511 Filed 4-29-98; 8:45 am]
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