[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]
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