[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 212 (Wednesday, November 1, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65306-65307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-28011]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6894-2]


Agency Information Collection Activities; EPA ICR No. 1250.06; 
Submission to OMB; Additional Opportunity To Comment

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 Information Collection 
Request (ICR) entitled: Request for Contractor Access to TSCA 
Confidential Business Information (EPA ICR No. 1250.06; OMB Control No. 
2070-0075), has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval pursuant to the OMB procedures in 5 CFR 
1320.12. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of 
the information collection and its estimated cost and burden. The 
Federal Register notice required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), announcing the 
Agency's intent to seek the renewal of this ICR and providing a 60-day 
opportunity for public comment on the ICR and its renewal, was issued 
on July 19, 2000 (65 FR 44779). EPA did not receive any comments on the 
ICR or its renewal during the comment period.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before December 1, 
2000.

ADDRESSES: Send comments, referencing EPA ICR No. 1250.06 and OMB 
Control No. 2070-0075, to the following addresses: (1) Sandy Farmer, 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Collection Strategies Division 
(Mail Code: 2822), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
and to: (2) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th 
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandy Farmer at EPA phone on 202-260-
2740, by e-mail at: ``[email protected],'' or by regular mail at the 
address indicated below. You may also access the ICR at http://www.epa.gov/icr/icr.htm. Please refer to EPA ICR No. 1250.06.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    ICR Title: Request for Contractor Access to TSCA Confidential 
Business Information (EPA ICR No.: 1250.60; OMB Control No.: 2070-
0075).
    Review Requested: This is a request under 5 CFR 1320.12 to renew an 
existing ICR currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 2000. Under 
5 CFR 1320.10(e)(2), the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the 
collection of information while the submission is pending review at 
OMB.
    Abstract: Certain employees of companies working under contract to 
EPA require access to confidential business information (CBI) collected 
under the authority of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in order 
to perform their official duties. The Office of Pollution Prevention 
and Toxics (OPPT), which is responsible for maintaining the security of 
TSCA CBI, requires that all individuals desiring access to TSCA CBI 
obtain and annually renew official clearance to TSCA CBI. As part of 
the process for obtaining TSCA CBI clearance, OPPT requires certain 
information about the contracting company and about each contractor 
employee requesting TSCA CBI clearance, primarily the name, Social 
Security Number and identification badge number of the employee, the 
type of TSCA CBI clearance requested, the justification for such 
clearance, and the signature of the employee to an agreement with 
respect to access to and use of TSCA CBI.
    Responses to the collection of information are voluntary, but 
failure to provide the requested information will prevent a contractor 
employee from obtaining clearance to TSCA CBI. EPA will observe strict 
confidentiality precautions with respect to the information collected 
on individual employees, based on the Privacy Act of 1974, as outlined 
in the ICR and in the collection instrument.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting burden for this 
collection of information is estimated to average 1.56 hours per 
response for an estimated 432 respondents making one or more 
submissions of information annually. According to the PRA, ``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. For this collection it 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.
    An Agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information that is subject to approval 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless it displays a currently valid 
OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's information 
collections appear as part of the collection instruments (i.e., form or 
instructions), in the Federal Register notices for related rulemaking 
and ICR notices, and, if the collection is contained in a regulation, 
in a table of OMB approval numbers in 40 CFR part 9.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the burden and cost 
estimates for this ICR, which are only briefly summarized here:
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are companies working under contract to the Federal 
government whose employees need access to TSCA CBI, and employees of 
such companies.
    Estimated No. of Potential Respondents: 432.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: One, per occasion.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 675 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Non-labor Costs: $0.
    Changes in the ICR Since the Last Approval: There is a decrease of 
139 hours (from 814 hours to 675 hours) in the total estimated 
respondent burden from that currently in the OMB inventory. This 
decrease reflects a lower estimate of the number of employees at 
contracting firms that need to obtain clearance to access TSCA CBI.
    According to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12, EPA has 
submitted this ICR to OMB for review and approval. Any comments related 
to

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the renewal of this ICR should be submitted within 30 days of this 
notice, as described above.

    Dated: October 23, 2000.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 00-28011 Filed 10-31-00; 8:45 am]
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