[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 164 (Wednesday, August 25, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46375-46376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-22045]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6428-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities--Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; RCRA Section 3007 Questionnaire of the Paint 
Manufacturing Industry

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice is soliciting comment on the Information 
Collection Request (ICR) entitled ``RCRA section 3007 Questionnaire of 
the Paint Manufacturing Industry.'' EPA is currently in the process of 
making a determination whether certain waste streams generated from the 
manufacture of paint in the United States should be regulated as listed 
hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
(RCRA). This document describes the proposed information collection 
efforts and their expected burden and cost.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 25, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Commenters must send an original and two copies of their 
comments referencing docket number F-1999-PMIP-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, 
VA, 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-PMIP-
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 electronically any confidential 
business information (CBI). An original and two copies of CBI must be 
submitted under separate cover to: RCRA CBI Document Control Officer, 
Office of Solid Waste (5305W), 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 a.m. to 4 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 cost $0.15/page. The index and some supporting 
materials are available electronically.
    The ICR is available on the Internet. Follow these instructions to 
access the information electronically:

WWW: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/paint/index.htm
FTP: ftp.epa.gov
Login: anonymous
Password: your Internet address
Files are located in /pub/epaoswer

    The official record for this action will be kept in paper form. 
Accordingly, EPA will transfer all comments received electronically 
into paper form and place them in the official record, which will also 
include all comments submitted directly in writing.
    EPA responses to comments, whether the comments are written or 
electronic, will be in a notice in the ``Federal Register''. EPA will 
not immediately reply to commenters electronically other than to seek 
clarification of electronic comments that may be garbled in 
transmission or during conversion to paper form.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, contact the 
RCRA Hotline at (800) 424-9346 or TDD 800 553-7672 (hearing impaired). 
In the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, call (703) 412-9810 or TDD 
(703) 412-3323. For more detailed information on specific aspects of 
this effort, contact David J. Carver, Office of Solid Waste, Mailcode 
5304W, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, S.W. 
(5304W), Washington, D.C., 20460, (703) 308-8603, by fax (703) 308-
0514, by EMAIL at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Paint Manufacturing Waste Industry Survey (EPA ICR No. 
1925.01).
    Abstract: The paint manufacturing waste streams (or residuals) on 
which

[[Page 46376]]

the Agency is obligated to make a hazardous waste listing determination 
is specified in the December 4, 1994, consent decree, as amended (EDF 
v. Browner, Civ. No. 89-0598) and includes the following waste streams 
from the manufacture of paint: (1) Solvent cleaning wastes, (2) water/
caustic cleaning wastes, (3) wastewater treatment sludge, (4) emission 
control dust or sludge, and (5) off-specification production wastes.
    This Information Collection Request (ICR) describes the types of 
information collection necessary for EPA to analyze how solid and 
hazardous waste is currently managed in the United States Paint 
Manufacturing Industry. It proposes the following information 
collection efforts.
     A section 3007 questionnaire pursuant to sections 3001 and 
3004 of RCRA.
     Process flow diagram requests for no more than 100 
facilities.
     Clarifications and updates to the section 3007 
questionnaire and process flow diagram requests.
     Facility site visits which will include sampling and 
analysis.
    If EPA concludes that certain waste streams should be regulated as 
listed hazardous waste, then the information collected may also be 
applied to (1) A Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) and Capacity 
Analysis, (2) a source reduction and/or recycling analysis, (3) a 
supporting risk assessment, and (4) an economic analysis.
    EPA intends to send a RCRA section 3007 Questionnaire to all U.S. 
paint facilities that manufacture paint. The section 3007 Questionnaire 
proposes to collect the following information.
     Corporate/facility data--name, location, EPA hazardous 
waste generator identification number (if applicable), and facility 
contact information.
     Residual generation information and residual management 
practices; and
     Residual characterization information--residual 
constituents and concentrations;

This information is necessary since the Agency will use waste types, 
concentrations, and current management practices to support its final 
listing decision.
    If approved by OMB, facilities will be required to respond to the 
Agency within 30 days of receipt of this questionnaire. A facility is 
only required to respond to a questionnaire that displays a currently 
valid OMB control number and expiration date. The OMB control numbers 
for EPA's regulations are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR Chapter 
15.
    In addition to the RCRA section 3007 questionnaire, this ICR 
proposes to allow EPA to (1) Clarify and update, when and where 
appropriate, information received from facilities, (2) request paint 
manufacturing process descriptions or schematics from no more than 100 
facilities, and (3) conduct site visits to no more than 25 facilities 
which could include sampling and analysis of residual streams under 
study. EPA will only clarify and update information received from 
either the RCRA section 3007 Questionnaire or from the Process 
descriptions. The Agency will always request additional information if 
the Agency requires more information to understand residual generation, 
residual characterization, and/or residual management practices.
    EPA will send paint manufacturing process description requests to 
no more than 100 facilities via a RCRA section 3007 letter. These 
letters will request information such as process flow diagrams. The 
Agency requires this information to better understand (1) The paint 
manufacturing processes and (2) the exact points of generation for each 
identified residual meeting the scope of this listing determination. 
Finally, EPA proposes to visit no more than 25 paint manufacturing 
facilities to evaluate paint manufacturing residual generation and 
management processes. These site visits may include sampling and 
analysis should the Agency consider it necessary.
    Burden Statement: This ICR seeks approval for the Agency to require 
the following from paint manufacturers: (1) Respond to a section 3007 
Questionnaire, (2) provide manufacturing process information in 
response to section 3007 letters, (3) provide clarifications and 
updates to the section 3007 questionnaires and letters, and (4) support 
EPA site visits. For purposes of this analysis, burden means the total 
time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, 
maintain, retain, disclose, or provide information to or for a Federal 
Agency. This burden estimate includes the time required to:
     Review instructions.
     Develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology 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 to train personnel to be able 
to respond to a collection of information.
     Search available data sources.
     Complete and review the collected information.
     Transmit or otherwise disclose the information to the 
Agency.

    The total burden of this ICR on the entire paint manufacturing 
industry is estimated at 34,450 hours. This estimated total burden is 
derived from the following: 33,600 burden hours for the 3007 
questionnaire, 600 burden hours for the process description requests, 
and 250 burden hours for the site visits. The total burden is 
calculated using an estimated industry size of 1200 respondents. The 
methods and assumptions used to estimate the total burden estimate are 
located in the supporting statement to this ICR. The supporting 
statement is located in the RCRA docket for this ICR. Specifically, the 
average annual burden imposed by the RCRA section 3007 questionnaire is 
approximately 28 hours per respondent. The facility site trip burden is 
approximately 10 hours per respondent. EPA estimates that the Agency 
will be visiting 25 facilities. Also, EPA estimates that the total 
burden per respondent for responding to an EPA request for process flow 
diagrams is estimated to be 6 hours/respondent.
    Comments: EPA is requesting comments on all aspects of this 
Information Collection Request. Specifically, EPA requests comments on 
(1) The RCRA section 3007 Questionnaire (2) the appropriateness of this 
ICR, (3) the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and (4) any 
suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including the use 
of automated collection techniques.

    Dated: August 16, 1999,
Elizabeth A. Cotsworth,
Acting Director, Office of Solid Waste.
[FR Doc. 99-22045 Filed 8-24-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P