[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25500-25501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-12010]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6341-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; National Roster of Environmental Dispute 
Resolution and Consensus Building Professionals

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: The National Roster of 
Environmental Dispute Resolution and Consensus Building Professionals, 
EPA ICR No. 1888.01, new collection. 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 11, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone at (202) 
260-2740, by email at [email protected], or download a copy of the 
ICR off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR No. 
1888.01.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: National Roster of Environmental Dispute Resolution and 
Consensus Building Professionals ( EPA ICR No. 1888.01. ). This is a 
new collection.
    Abstract: This ICR pertains to the application form for listing 
facilitators, mediators and other similar professionals on a National 
Roster for Environmental Dispute Resolution and Consensus-Building 
Professionals (``roster''). This information will be collected by the 
U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution of the Morris K. 
Udall Foundation (``Institute''). The EPA is funding the initial 
development of the roster which will be managed by the Institute. 
Submittal of an application form is voluntary and not required for 
ultimate selection by the government as a neutral in any specific case.
    The application form will collect information about the experience 
and education of professionals engaged in assisting disputants in 
reaching consensus, agreements or settlements of environmental and 
natural resource conflicts. The information needed to complete the 
roster application is generally what would be found on a resume or 
curriculum vita or provided in reply to a request for proposal. The 
form does not collect any confidential information.
    The roster will be used by Federal agencies to identify qualified 
individuals with whom to contract for neutral consensus building and 
dispute resolution services. Other parties such as state government 
agencies, private companies and public interest organizations may use 
the Roster to identify appropriate qualified individuals for cases.
    Collecting the information on a form will standardize the responses 
received from numerous applicants into a computer database which may 
then be searched on a number of fields important to potential clients 
of dispute resolution services. Such searchable fields would include, 
among other things, geographic location, specialized past experience 
and skill in languages. We expect that a computerized database of 
experienced neutrals will reduce the time necessary for Federal 
agencies to identify and contract with dispute resolution service 
providers.
    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 11/23/98 
(63 FR 64699); 6 comments were received.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.9 
hours per

[[Page 25501]]

respondent. 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.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Facilitators, Mediators, including 
attorney-mediators; Arbitrators; Retired judges; Other consensus 
building professionals.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 500.
    Frequency of Response: Once, with voluntary updates.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 458 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Cost (non-labor costs) Burden: $ 0.
    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. 1888.01 in any correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of 
Policy, Regulatory Information Division (2137), 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20460;

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: May 6, 1999.
Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 99-12010 Filed 5-11-99; 8:45 am]
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