[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 84 (Monday, May 1, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25325-25327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10771]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6586-5]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; 2000 Meat Products Industry Survey

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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): 2000 Meat Products Industry Survey (EPA 
ICR No. 1961.01). This industry includes red meat and poultry 
slaughtering, processing and rendering. 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 June 30, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to Ms. Samantha Lewis, U.S. EPA 
(4303), Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, 
DC 20460. Comments may also be submitted electronically to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection request, including a draft of the survey instrument, contact 
Ms. Samantha Lewis at (202)-260-7149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action 
include red meat and poultry slaughtering, processing and rendering 
facilities. The survey is intended to identify and collect data from 
meat product facilities that generate and discharge process wastewater 
associated with industrial activities.
    Title: 2000 Meat Products Industry Survey (EPA ICR No. 1961.01).
    Abstract: The survey is intended to collect technical and economic 
information required by EPA to develop revised effluent limitations 
guidelines for the meat products industry point source category. The 
current meat product regulations at 40 CFR 432 do not contain effluent 
limitations guidelines or pretreatment standards for the poultry 
slaughtering or processing industry. EPA is required by section 304(m) 
of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1314(m)) to review effluent 
limitations guidelines and standards periodically. These reviews 
determine whether the current regulations remain appropriate in light 
of changes in the industrial category caused by advances in 
manufacturing technologies, in-process pollution prevention, or end-of-
pipe wastewater treatment. EPA is also required by the terms of a 
Consent Decree with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), to 
develop revised effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the 
Meat Products Industry (D.D.C. Civ. No. 89-2980, January 31, 1992, as 
modified). This survey is being conducted pursuant to those legislative 
and judicial requirements.
    This survey instrument will be issued under authority of section 
308 of the Clean Water Act of 1987 (Federal Water Pollution Control 
Act, 5 U.S.C. 1318); responses from data collection survey instrument 
recipients will be mandatory. The survey instrument will be mailed to 
respondents after OMB approves the ICR. The ICR submitted by EPA to OMB 
will include discussion of the comments received in response to today's 
announcement.
    The proposed survey instrument is a necessary part of the effluent 
limitations guidelines development process. The proposed survey 
instrument will provide EPA with the technical and economic data 
required to evaluate effective pollution control technologies and the 
economic achievability of any final rule that the Agency issues. Any 
burden reduction suggestions must consider the need to collect 
information on the pollutants being discharged by the industries, the 
processes that generate the pollutants, alternative controls, the 
economic achievability of the proposed regulations, and the benefits 
derived from reducing pollution in our oceans, lakes, rivers, and 
streams. EPA will consider both technical performance and economic 
achievability when making final decisions on 40 CFR part 432.
    Regulations governing the confidentiality of business information

[[Page 25326]]

are contained in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at Title 40 Part 
2, Subpart B. A business confidentiality claim may be submitted by the 
respondent covering part or all of the response to this survey, other 
than effluent data, as described in 40 CFR 2.203(b):

    (b) Method and time of asserting business confidentiality claim. 
A business which is submitting information to EPA may assert a 
business confidentiality claim covering the information by placing 
on (or attaching to) the information, at the time it is submitted to 
EPA, a cover sheet, stamped or typed legend, or other suitable form 
of notice complying language such as `trade secret,' `proprietary,' 
or `company confidential.' Allegedly confidential portions of 
otherwise nonconfidential documents should be clearly identified by 
the business, and may be submitted separately to facilitate 
identification and handling by EPA. If the business desires 
confidential treatment only until a certain date or until the 
occurrence of a certain event, the notice should so state.

If no business confidentiality claim accompanies the information when 
it is received by EPA, EPA may make the information available to the 
public without further notice.
    The proposed survey instrument was developed in such a manner as to 
reduce burden and improve clarity. EPA has conducted one outreach 
meeting with the major industry trade associations. Additionally, the 
survey instrument was distributed in advance of this notice to industry 
trade associations, including: American Meat Institute, National 
Chicken Council, and the National Renderers Association.
    Because of the complexity of the industry and the substantial 
changes in the meat products industry since 40 CFR Part 432 was 
promulgated over twenty years ago, EPA has decided to prepare a survey 
instrument to characterize accurately current conditions in the meat 
products industry as a basis for establishing equitable regulations.
    EPA sometimes develops and distributes a screener questionnaire in 
order to better define the target population for a regulation. The 
screener allows the agency to eliminate facilities from consideration 
which are not anticipated to fit under the scope of the regulation. 
However, for the meat products industry, a number of factors make this 
additional step unnecessary. These factors include the existence of 
well-organized trade associations, facility lists from a variety of 
data sources, and past agency experience. EPA believes that the 
facilities potentially affected by this regulation can be adequately 
characterized by sending the questionnaire to only a percentage of 
facilities in the industry (approximately 250 facilities). (This number 
may change before the survey is mailed as we refine our methodology for 
determining the percentage of facilities to receive the questionnaire.) 
Therefore, there will be no screener questionnaire. The Agency solicits 
comment on this decision.
    Finally, EPA will maintain a temporary, toll-free telephone number 
once the survey instrument has been mailed that survey recipients may 
call to obtain assistance in completing the survey instrument. EPA 
believes that the toll-free telephone number will greatly reduce burden 
by helping recipients to answer specific questions within the context 
of their individual operations.
    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 would like to solicit 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 through 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: 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.
    The EPA burden estimate on industrial facilities is based on an 
estimated 250 facilities completing the questionnaire with different 
configurations of meat product processes (large complex slaughterhouses 
to small stand alone facilities). EPA estimates that the total cost 
burden will be approximately $521,250 and the hour burden will be 7,500 
hours, as described in more detail in the tables below.

         Respondent Average Burden per Survey Response Activity
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Total burden
                   Respondent activity                     per activity
                                                              (hours)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read Instructions.......................................               3
Gather Information/Data.................................              12
Complete Survey Form....................................              12
Review Survey Responses.................................               3
                                                         ---------------
      All Activities....................................              30
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                  Collection of Meat Products Industry Data, Total Respondent Burden and Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Average
                  Average                    labor costs   Total labor   Average O&M    Total O&M
 Total number    burden per   Total burden       per       costs  (in     costs per     cost (in     Total costs
 of responses    respondent     (in hours)   respondent     dollars)     respondent     dollars)    (in dollars)
                 (in hours)                 (in dollars)                (in dollars)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         250             30         7,500        $2,076      $519,000         $9.00        $2,250      $521,250
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition, EPA also solicits comments and suggestions regarding 
the substance and form of the draft survey instrument. For example, are 
the directions and questions clear and concise; are the definitions 
consistent

[[Page 25327]]

with industry jargon and use of terms; are the right questions in the 
survey; if not, please suggest more appropriate ones; do the questions 
adequately cover all pertinent factors relevant to developing equitable 
guidelines; if not, what needs to be added? EPA is also soliciting 
comments on means of reducing the data collection burden.

    Dated: April 24, 2000.
James Hanlon,
Acting Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 00-10771 Filed 4-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P