[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 153 (Tuesday, August 10, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43380-43382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20549]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6416-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Measuring Success of 
EPA Compliance Assistance

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 proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB): Measuring Success of EPA Compliance 
Assistance, EPA ICR number 1921.01. 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 October 12, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Tracy Back (2224A), U.S. EPA, 401 M St., S.W., Washington 
D.C. 20460. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the ICR without 
charge by calling Tracy Back at (202) 564-7076.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tracy Back, (202) 564-7076. Facsimile 
number: (202) 564-0009.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
businesses and other members of the regulated community, technical 
assistance providers that receive or access EPA compliance assistance 
tools, regulating agencies and state/local committees that are 
recipients of required compliance reports. Technical assistance 
providers are comprised of such groups as: state pollution prevention 
programs, state small business assistance programs, small business 
development centers, manufacturing extension partnership programs, and 
trade associations. The request for information from these affected 
entities will be voluntary.
    Title: Measuring Success of EPA Compliance Assistance.
    Abstract: This will be a voluntary collection of information to 
gather

[[Page 43381]]

customer satisfaction and behavioral change feedback on EPA compliance 
assistance, as well as data on the resulting impact on compliance.
    This effort complies with the mandate of the ``Government 
Performance and Results Act of 1997'' (GPRA), the goal of which is to 
``improve Federal program effectiveness and public accountability by 
promoting a new focus on results, service quality, and customer 
satisfaction.'' EPA provides compliance assistance to help the 
regulated community understand and comply with federal environmental 
requirements. Through the development of compliance assistance tools 
and initiatives, EPA strives to build the capacity for more effective 
compliance within the regulated community. To accomplish this goal, EPA 
must target resources to the development of compliance assistance tools 
and initiatives that meet the needs of the regulated community and are 
effective in helping the regulated community achieve compliance.
    In order to comply with GPRA, the Office of Compliance needs to 
collect certain information that is currently not collected and which 
does not exist in our current databases. In accordance with the GPRA, 
which asks that Federal Agencies determine the outcome of their 
activities, EPA would like to determine if the compliance assistance it 
provides is achieving the goal of helping members of the regulated 
community understand and comply with federal regulatory requirements, 
as well as improving technical assistance providers' understanding of 
the industries they serve. In order to target EPA resources to 
implement the most effective compliance assistance activities, it is 
necessary to request voluntary feedback from members of the regulated 
community, compliance assistance providers, and state co-regulators. 
There are four components to this voluntary collection of information.
    First, EPA proposes to include a brief customer satisfaction survey 
with compliance assistance material developed by the Office of 
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance to enable recipients of the 
material to readily provide the Agency with feedback on the material's 
usefulness. Moreover, survey respondents will be asked what actions 
they took or intend to take to improve their compliance status and 
environmental performance, in whole or in part, as a result of the 
compliance assistance provided by EPA. The survey will likely take the 
form of a post-card which can be readily returned to the Agency. 
Compliance assistance material received through the Internet will also 
include this survey tool that can be completed electronically and E-
mailed to the appropriate Agency contact. Secondly, EPA proposes to 
seek feedback on compliance assistance seminars and workshops delivered 
to the regulated community. A seminar evaluation form will be developed 
to voluntarily obtain this feedback from seminar participants. The 
feedback will focus on the compliance assistance seminar's usefulness 
and whether it will impact actions which the seminar participants 
intend to take to improve their compliance. Thirdly, EPA proposes to 
seek information from state/local regulating agencies and committees 
regarding the impact of EPA's compliance assistance activities on the 
state of compliance. The regulating agencies and state/local committees 
will be asked whether EPA's compliance assistance initiatives resulted 
in improved compliance. The fourth component involves questions which 
will be asked of technical assistance providers and state/local 
agencies to obtain feedback on how well EPA is performing its role as a 
wholesaler of compliance assistance.
    The survey instruments will provide options for responses to 
facilitate quick completion of the survey. The survey responses will be 
taken into account in revising compliance assistance materials, 
seminars, and in developing new tools or initiatives which better 
address customer needs.
    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 is soliciting comments to:
    (i) 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;
    (ii) 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;
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including 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: It is estimated that approximately 4,780 members 
of the regulated community and 100 regulating agencies and/or 
committees may voluntarily complete and return EPA's customer 
satisfaction survey on an annual basis. EPA estimates that 
participating members of the regulated community may need to spend 
three minutes to complete either the complete compliance assistance or 
seminar/workshop customer satisfaction survey. Therefore, a total of 
239 person hours within the regulated community may be expended to 
provide EPA with data to evaluate the effectiveness of its compliance 
assistance activities. This burden hour estimate translates to a cost 
of $1.05 per facility who voluntarily completes the survey and a total 
cost to industry of $5,019. The facility costs were calculated based on 
$21.00 per hour, plus 110 percent overhead.
    EPA estimates that participating regulating agencies and or 
committees may need to spend 45 minutes to complete the survey (30 
minutes of staff time and 15 minutes of a supervisor's time). 
Therefore, a total of 4500 person hours within the regulating agencies 
and/or committees may be expended to provide EPA with data to evaluate 
the effectiveness of its compliance assistance activities. This burden 
hour estimate translates to a cost of $16.53 per regulating agency and/
or committees that voluntarily completes the survey and a total cost of 
$1653. for the regulating agencies. The costs to the regulating 
agencies were calculated based on labor rates of $17.48 per hour, plus 
$30.34 supervisory time from the United States Department of Commerce, 
Bureau of Labor Statistics, March 1998, Table 4: Employment Costs of 
State and Local Government. 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.


[[Page 43382]]


    Dated: July 27, 1999.
Elaine Stanley,
Director, Office of Compliance.
[FR Doc. 99-20549 Filed 8-9-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P