[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 62 (Thursday, March 30, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16915-16916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7886]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6568-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Assess Compliance With EPCRA Section 312 
Reporting Requirements

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: Assess Compliance with EPCRA 
Section 312 Reporting Requirements, EPA ICR Number 1909.01. 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 May 1, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For a copy of the ICR 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. 1909.01. For technical 
questions about the ICR contact John Mason at (202) 564-7037, fax: 
(202) 564-0009, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Assess Compliance with EPCRA Section 312 Reporting 
Requirements, EPA ICR No. 1909.01. This is a new collection.
    Abstract: The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act 
(EPCRA) section 312 requires facilities which are required to prepare 
or have available Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) as required by 
OSHA to submit an annual emergency and hazardous chemical inventory 
form containing the amount and location of hazardous chemicals stored 
at the facility. Although EPCRA section 312 is a federal requirement, 
State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) and Local Emergency 
Planning Committees (LEPCs) are the main recipients and benefactors of 
this information. The inventory reports allow ``first responders'' 
(e.g., local fire departments) to be informed about the presence of 
hazardous chemicals in the community and help facilitate development of 
the local emergency response plan. They also enhance community 
awareness of chemical hazards in the local area.
    EPA has initiated compliance projects among a number of industrial, 
service and/or government sectors including: the iron and steel 
industry, the primary nonferrous metals industry, metal services 
(electroplating and coating), the chemical preparation industry, pulp 
and paper mills, the telecommunications industry, coal-fired power 
plants, the automobile servicing industry, mining, the petroleum 
refineries, organic chemical manufacturers, and municipalities. These 
projects include, in some cases, efforts to enhance compliance with 
EPCRA section 312.
    EPA will be working with states and facilities to assure and 
confirm compliance with EPCRA requirements. In particular, EPA will ask 
the states whether the facilities submitted their Tier I or II forms 
and when during the reporting year the forms were submitted. The 
information sought with this ICR is who among selected sectors that 
produce, use, or store hazardous chemicals (as defined by the 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) submitted Tier II forms to 
the SERC and/or the LEPC, and when did they submit them. This 
information is being sought to assess compliance with the requirements 
of EPCRA section 312.
    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 08/27/99 
(64 FR 46905); three comments were received.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting burden for this 
collection of information is estimated to average 2.95 hours per 
response. 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;

[[Page 16916]]

complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or 
otherwise disclose the information.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: States asked to review the Tier I or 
II submissions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 53.
    Frequency of Response: One time.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 2308 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden (non-labor costs): $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. 1909.01 in any correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of 
Environmental Information, Collection Strategies Division (2822), 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW, 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: March 20, 2000.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 00-7886 Filed 3-29-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P