[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 6, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 35922]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-14180]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6709-8]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; EPA Indoor Environmental Quality Questionnaire

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:
    Title: EPA Indoor Environmental Quality Questionnaire, OMB Control 
Number 2060-0244, expiration date 5/31/2000. 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 July 6, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone at (202) 
260-2740, by e-mail at [email protected] or download off the 
Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR No. 1619.03.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: EPA Indoor Environmental Quality Questionnaire, OMB Control 
Number 2060-0244 EPA ICR Number 1619.03, expiration date 5/31/00. This 
is a request for extension of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: The Indoor Environmental Quality Questionnaire is a 
component of the EPA indoor air quality (IAQ) research program, used in 
the Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) and related 
intervention studies. In this program, EPA is studying up to 200 large 
commercial and public buildings. The purpose of this program is to 
develop a national baseline assessment of the indoor air in such 
buildings and to test the effectiveness of current EPA guidance for 
improving IAQ. The activities EPA will conduct under this program 
include an Indoor Environmental Quality Questionnaire, building 
inspections, interviews with building maintenance workers, 
environmental measurements (e.g., ventilation rates, concentrations of 
indoor air pollutants), and other quantitative and qualitative 
assessments. By conducting this research, EPA will begin to be able to 
assess the key building parameters that affect IAQ, the incidence of 
certain IAQ-related health and comfort problems, and effectiveness of 
strategies to improve IAQ and avoid IAQ problems. The Indoor 
Environmental Quality Questionnaire is a voluntary and anonymous 
questionnaire asking for information pertaining to work station 
characteristics, working conditions, exposure to pollutants, health and 
well-being, and stress. Data from the Indoor Environmental Quality 
Questionnaire will be used to compare the measured building parameters 
and health effects.
    Under the existing ICR authority, EPA has used this Questionnaire 
in 113 buildings to date.
    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 February 
12, 1999 (64 FR 7188); 1 comment was received.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 14 
minutes 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; complete and review 
the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the 
information.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Occupants of commercial and public 
facilities in wide variety of fields and SIC codes.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 500.
    Frequency of Response: One-time response for 60% of respondents; 
40% of respondents will complete questionnaire twice with a one-year 
interval between responses.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 127.
    Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $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. 1619.03 and OMB Control No. 2060-0244 in any 
correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of 
Environmental Information, Collection Strategies Division, Mail Code 
2822, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 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: May 30, 2000.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 00-14180 Filed 6-5-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P