[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 116 (Thursday, June 17, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32491-32493]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15433]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6362-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Continuing Collection; 
Comment Request; General Hazardous Waste Facility Standards

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 EPA is planning to submit the 
following continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB): General Hazardous Waste Facility 
Standards, EPA ICR #1571, OMB Control Number 2050-0120, expires 
November 30, 1999. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and 
approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the 
proposed information collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 16, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Commenters must send an original and two copies of their 
comments referencing docket number F-1999-FSIP-FFFFF to: RCRA Docket 
Information Center, Office of Solid Waste (5305G), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency Headquarters (EPA, HQ), 401 M Street, SW, Washington, 
DC 20460. Hand deliveries of comments should be made to the Arlington, 
Virginia address below. Comments may also be submitted electronically 
through the Internet to: [email protected]. Comments in 
electronic format should also be identified by the docket number F-
1999-FSIP-FFFFF. All electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII 
file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption.
    Commenters should not submit any confidential business information 
(CBI) electronically. An original and two copies of CBI must be 
submitted under separate cover to: RCRA, CBI Document Control Officer, 
Office of Solid Waste (5303W), U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington 
DC 20460.
    Public comments and supporting materials are available for viewing 
in the RCRA Information Center (RIC), located at Crystal Gateway I, 
First Floor, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA. The RIC is 
open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding 
federal holidays. To review docket materials, it is recommended that 
the public make an appointment by calling (703) 603-9230. The public 
may copy a maximum of 100 pages from any regulatory docket at no 
charge. Additional copies are $0.15/page. This notice and the 
supporting documents that detail the General Hazardous Waste Facility 
Standards ICR are also available electronically. See the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section for information on accessing them.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Eberly by phone at (703) 308-
8645, by facsimile at (703) 308-8638, by mail at the Office of Solid 
Waste (5303W), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20460, or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Internet Availability

    Today's document and the supporting documents that detail the 
General Hazardous Waste Facility Standards ICR are available on the 
Internet. Follow these instructions to access this information 
electronically:

WWWURL: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/tsds/standards/index.htm
FTP: ftp.epa.gov
Login: anonymous
Password: your Internet e-mail address
Path:/pub/epaoswer

    Note: The official record for this action will be kept in paper 
form and maintained at the address in the ADDRESSES section above.

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and 
disposal facilities.
    Title: General Hazardous Waste Facility Standards, EPA ICR #1571, 
OMB Control Number 2050-0120, expires on November 30, 1999.
    Abstract: Section 3004 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery 
Act (RCRA), as amended, requires that the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) develop standards for hazardous waste treatment, storage, 
and disposal facilities (TSDFs) as may be necessary to protect human 
health and the environment. Subsections

[[Page 32492]]

3004(a)(1), (3), (4), (5), and (6) specify that these standards 
include, but not be limited to, the following requirements:
     Maintaining records of all hazardous wastes identified or 
listed under subtitle C that are treated, stored, or disposed of, and 
the manner in which such wastes were treated, stored, or disposed of;
     Operating methods, techniques, and practices for 
treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste;
     Location, design, and construction of such hazardous waste 
treatment, disposal, or storage facilities;
     Contingency plans for effective action to minimize 
unanticipated damage from any treatment, storage, or disposal of any 
such hazardous waste; and
     Maintaining or operating such facilities and requiring 
such additional qualifications as to ownership, continuity of 
operation, training for personnel, and financial responsibility as may 
be necessary or desirable.
    The regulations implementing these requirements are codified in the 
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40, parts 264 and 265. The 
collection of this information enables EPA to properly determine 
whether owners/operators or hazardous waste treatment, storage, and 
disposal facilities meet the requirements of section 3004(a) of RCRA. 
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 EPA would like to solicit comments to:
     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;
     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;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     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.
    Burden Statement: This proposed ICR is an estimate of the total 
respondent burden for all activities related to general facility 
operating requirements, record keeping requirements, contingency plan 
and emergency reporting requirements, releases from solid waste 
management units, closure/post-closure requirements, financial 
requirements, corrective action management unit requirements, and 
conditions applicable to all permits.
    The total burden to respondents as estimated in the proposed ICR 
for ``General Facility Standards (#1571)'' is 506,787 hours per year, 
at a cost of $26,703,873 per year. This estimate was based on owners 
and operators of hazardous waste management facilities complying with 
the information collection requirements set forth in 40 CFR parts 264 
and 265, subparts B-H and by using an average hourly respondent labor 
cost (including overhead) of $90.00 for legal staff, $69.30 for 
managerial staff, $54.33 for technical staff, and $24.29 for clerical 
staff. EPA estimates the total number of respondents per year to be 
2,607, which includes both permitted and interim status facilities. The 
estimate further differentiates facilities that are operating, that 
have closed, and that are in post-closure. The number of respondents 
varies depending upon the category of each facility and the required 
activity.
    The respondent universe numbers in this proposed ICR are 
significantly lower than those estimated for the previously approved 
1996 ICR. Some of this decrease is due to the ongoing consolidation and 
contraction of the hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal 
industry. In addition, EPA removed all federally owned or operated 
facilities from the respondent universe. Information collections 
addressed to federal government employees are not subject to the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. OMB's 
subsequent implementing regulations reiterate that information 
collections subject to the PRA do not include those addressed to 
federal government employees when acting within the scope of their 
employment. Therefore, this ICR should not account for the burden 
undertaken by federally owned or operated TSDFs in complying with the 
general facility standard record keeping and reporting requirements 
that apply to them. In the previously approved 1996 ICR, however, 
federal facilities were included in the universe of facilities counted 
as respondents to the general facility standard information collection 
requirements.
    Most of the decrease, however, is due to more accurate RCRIS data. 
EPA spent considerable time and effort in order to review and validate 
the existing RCRIS data. In doing so, facilities that are no longer 
operating or that completed post-closure have been removed. The 
universe numbers used in this ICR are based on the current (as of March 
31, 1999) GPRA workload universe in the Permitting and Post-Closure 
Program Accomplishment Reports and the FY 1999 Beginning of Year Plan 
(BYP).
    Because of these revisions, the total bottom-line burden to 
respondents has decreased considerably over the previously approved 
1996 ICR. Whereas the previous ICR estimated a total annual respondent 
burden of 1,927,553 hours, this ICR estimates a total annual bottom-
line respondent burden of 506,787 hours. EPA believes that this burden 
reflects a more accurate portrait of the existing burden on the 
regulated community.
    The annual public reporting burden and record keepingburden for 
this collection of information is estimated to average 308 hours per 
respondent.
    For general facility operating standards, there is no associated 
reporting. The recordkeeping burden for general facility operating 
standards is estimated to average 92 hours per respondent per year. 
This estimate includes time for reading the regulations, preparing and 
submitting notices, collecting and documenting waste analysis data, and 
developing a waste analysis plan, inspection schedule, personnel 
training schedule, and construction quality assurance plan.
    For operating record requirements, the record keeping burden is 
estimated to average 137 hours per year. This burden includes time to 
collect and file information in the operating record. There is no 
associated reporting burden for these requirements.
    For contingency plan and emergency procedure requirements, there is 
no associated reporting burden. The recordkeeping burden is estimated 
to average one hour per respondent per year.
    For requirements covering releases from solid waste management 
units, the public reporting burden is estimated to average 3 hours per 
respondent per year. This estimate includes time to read the 
regulations and prepare and submit demonstrations. There is no 
associated recordkeeping burden for these requirements.
    For closure and post-closure requirements, the public reporting 
burden is estimated to average 45 hours per respondent per year. This 
estimate includes time to read the regulations; prepare and submit 
plans, notices, demonstrations, certifications, and records; and make 
modifications to plans. The recordkeeping burden is

[[Page 32493]]

estimated to average one hour per respondent per year.
    For financial requirements, the public reporting burden is 
estimated to average 17 hours per respondent per year. This estimate 
includes time to read the regulations and prepare and submit financial 
and liability assurance documentation. There is no associated 
recordkeeping burden for these requirements.
    For permit condition requirements, the public reporting burden is 
estimated to average 13 hours per respondent per year. This estimate 
includes time to read the regulations, and prepare and submit 
information requested by EPA, required by the permit, or required as a 
result of an incident that occurs at the facility. There is no 
associated recordkeeping burden for these requirements.
    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.

    Dated: June 9, 1999.
Elizabeth A. Cotsworth,
Acting Director, Office of Solid Waste.
[FR Doc. 99-15433 Filed 6-16-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P