[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 64 (Monday, April 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17498-17499]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8154]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6565-8]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Training Requirements 
for Authorization of Compliance Monitoring Inspectors

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 notice announces that EPA is planning to submit the 
following proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB): Training Requirements for Authorization 
of Compliance Monitoring Inspectors, EPA ICR number 1960.01. 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 July 3, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Jonathan S. Binder (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 Jonathan S. Binder at (202) 564-2516.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonathan S. Binder, (202) 564-2516. 
Facsimile number: (202) 564-0009.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Affected entities: Entities potentially 
affected by this action are federally-recognized Indian tribes 
(tribes), states, and territories, as well as inter-tribal consortia 
who maintain a cooperative agreement with the EPA, whose environment 
inspectors are nominated for authorization or are currently authorized 
to conduct federal inspections on behalf of EPA. The request for 
information from these affected entities is voluntary and based upon 
the desire of tribes, states, territories, or inter-tribal consortia to 
enable their employees to receive federal inspector credentials.
    Title: Training Requirements for Authorization of Compliance 
Monitoring Inspectors.
    Abstract: This will be a collection of information on the training 
background of employees of tribes, states, territories, and inter-
tribal consortia who are nominated for authorization or are currently 
authorized to conduct federal inspections on behalf of EPA.
    Various federal environmental laws authorize the Administrator of 
EPA or her designee to monitor the regulated communities' compliance 
with statutory and regulatory requirements. Through the development of 
standard procedures, EPA is planning to ``authorize'' or ``duly 
designate'' inspectors employed by tribes, states, territories, and 
inter-tribal consortia to conduct environmental compliance inspections 
(inspections) with federal credentials on behalf of EPA. The standard 
procedures will be designed to facilitate a partnership between EPA and 
tribes, states, territories, and inter-tribal consortia to protect 
human health and the environment.
    With this initiative, EPA strives to build the capacity of 
regulating agencies and/or departments for more effective compliance 
monitoring of the regulated community. Under the draft national 
procedures, EPA retains sole responsibility for authorizing inspectors 
and issuing, replacing, renewing, and revoking federal credentials. EPA 
also retains decision-making authority for all federal enforcement and 
compliance assistance activities related to inspections conducted by 
authorized inspectors using federal credentials. As such, neither 
tribes, states, nor territories, nor authorized inspectors could take a 
federal enforcement action with information gathered during an 
inspection conducted with a federal credential unless otherwise 
authorized to do so by EPA.
    The draft national standards seek to ensure the quality of 
inspectors who receive or retain authorization to conduct inspections 
on behalf of EPA. EPA needs to collect certain information that is 
currently not collected and which does not exist in our current 
databases. To meet this need, EPA designed a training requirements form 
that will make it easy for EPA, tribes, states, territories, and their 
employees to assess the qualifications of inspectors who receive or 
retain authorization to conduct inspections on EPA's behalf. There are 
three components to the collection of information on training taken by 
individual inspectors. First, the `` title of the training'' is 
required. Second, the ``completion date'' of the training is required. 
Third and finally, the ``training sponsor'' is required. To ensure that 
the courses meet the requirements of the draft Inspector Credentials 
Authorization Procedures, EPA may also request the outline or other 
information on training courses sponsored by non-EPA entities; tribes, 
states, territories, and inter-tribal consortium are encouraged to 
attach this information when sending this form to EPA.
    The training requirements form can be completed electronically and 
E-mailed to the appropriate Agency contact or sent in hardcopy via the 
postal service or express mail. Moreover, the training requirements 
form will be available via the Internet.
    A Department or 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;

[[Page 17499]]

    (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 80 regulating 
agencies and/or departments and inter-tribal consortia may voluntarily 
agree to nominate employees to receive federal inspector credentials 
and submit information on the training experiences of each inspector. 
EPA estimates that participating regulating agencies and/or departments 
and/or inter-tribal consortia may need to spend 45 minutes to complete 
the form (30 minutes of staff time and 15 minutes of a supervisor's 
time) for each affected employee. EPA is estimating that each agency, 
on average, may nominate 2 inspectors for authorization to receive 
federal credentials. Therefore, a total of 120 person hours within the 
regulating agencies and/or departments and/or inter-tribal consortia 
may be expended to provide EPA with the training experiences. This 
burden hour estimate translates to a cost of $32.66 per each of the 80 
regulating agency and/or department and/or inter-tribal consortia that 
voluntarily completes the background information form for two 
inspectors and a total cost of $2,612.80. The costs to the regulating 
agencies and/or departments and/or inter-tribal consortia were 
calculated based on labor rates of $17.48 per hour, plus $30.34 
supervisory time from the United States 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; collect, validate, and verify 
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: March 17, 2000.
Michael Stahl,
Acting Director Office of Compliance.
[FR Doc. 00-8154 Filed 3-31-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U