[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 122 (Monday, June 25, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33679-33680]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-15878]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6997-2]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Facility Ground-water Monitoring 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 EPA is planning to submit the 
following continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB): ``Reporting and Recordkeeping 
Requirements for Facility Ground-water Monitoring Requirements, `` EPA 
ICR Number 959.11, OMB Control Number 2050-0033, Expiration Date 11/30/
2001. 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 August 24, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Commenters must send an original and two copies of their 
comments referencing Docket Number F-2001-FGMP-FFFFF to RCRA Docket 
Information Center, Office of Solid Waste (5305W) United States 
Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC, 20460. Hand deliveries of comments should 
be made to the Arlington, VA address listed below. Comments may also be 
submitted electronically by sending electronic mail through the 
Internet to: [email protected]. Comments in electronic format 
should also be identified by the Docket Number F-2001-FGMP-FFFFF. All 
electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use 
of special characters and any form of encryption.
    The official record for this action will be kept in paper form. 
Accordingly, EPA will transfer all comments received electronically 
into paper form and place them in the official record, which will also 
include all comments submitted directly in writing. The official record 
is the paper record maintained in the RCRA Information Center (the RIC 
address is listed above in this section).
    Commenters should not submit any confidential business information 
(CBI) electronically. An original and two copies of CBI must be 
submitted under separate cover to: RCRA CBI Document Control Officer, 
Office of Solid Waste (5303W), United States Environmental Protection 
Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Mailcode 
5303W, Washington, DC, 20460.
    Public comments and supporting materials are available for viewing 
in the RCRA Information Center (RIC), located at Crystal Gateway, First 
Floor, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA. The RIC is open 
from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding federal 
holidays. To review docket materials, it is recommended that the public 
make an appointment by calling (703) 603-9230. The public may copy a 
maximum of 100 pages from any regulatory docket at no charge. 
Additional copies are $0.15/page.
    This notice and the supporting documents that detail the Reporting 
and Record keeping Requirements for Facility Ground-water Monitoring 
Requirements ICR are also available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, contact the 
RCRA Hotline at 800 424-9346 or TDD 800 553-7672 (hearing impaired). In 
the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, call 703 412-9810 or TDD 703 
412-3323.
    For more detailed information on specific aspects of this 
rulemaking contact Sara Rasmussen by phone at (703) 308-8399, by 
facsimile at (703) 308-8638, by mail at the Office of Solid Waste 
(5303W), United States Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios 
Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Mailcode 5303W, Washington, 
DC, 20460 or e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
those which own or operate surface impoundments, waste piles, land 
treatment units, and landfills which manage hazardous waste regulated 
under the Resource Conversation and Recovery Act.
    Title: Facility Ground-Water Monitoring Requirements, EPA ICR 
#959.11; OMB Control Number 2050-0033; expiration date: 11/30/01.
    Abstract: Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
of 1976 (RCRA) creates a comprehensive program for the safe management 
of hazardous waste. Section 3004 of RCRA requires owners and operators 
of facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste to 
comply with standards established by EPA that are ``necessary to 
protect human health and the environment.'' Section 3005 provides for 
implementation of these standards under permits issued to owners and 
operators by EPA or authorized States. Section 3005 also allows owners 
and operators of facilities in existence when the regulations came into 
effect to comply with applicable notice requirements to operate until a 
permit is issued or denied. This statutory authorization to operate 
prior to permit determination is commonly known as ``interim status.'' 
Owners and operators of interim status facilities also must comply with 
standards set under section 3004.
    EPA promulgated ground-water monitoring standards for interim 
status facilities in 1980 (45 FR 33154, May 19, 1980), codified in 40 
CFR part 265, subpart F, and for permitted facilities in 1982 (47 FR 
32274, July 26, 1982), codified in 40 CFR part 264, subpart F. Both 
sets of standards establish programs for protecting ground water from 
releases of hazardous wastes from land disposal facilities with 
regulated units (these include surface impoundments, waste piles, land 
treatment units, and landfills).
    The ground-water monitoring requirements for regulated units follow 
a tiered approach whereby releases of hazardous contaminants are first 
detected (detection monitoring), then confirmed (compliance 
monitoring), and, if necessary, are required to be cleaned up 
(corrective action). Each of these tiers requires collection and 
analysis of ground-water samples. Owners or operators that conduct 
ground-water monitoring are required to report information to the 
oversight agencies on releases of contaminants and to maintain records 
of ground-water monitoring data at their facilities. The goal of the 
ground-water monitoring program is to prevent and quickly detect 
releases of hazardous contaminants to groundwater, and to establish a 
program whereby any contamination is expeditiously cleaned up as 
necessary to protect human health and environment.
    The 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,

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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: For both permitted and interim status land 
disposal facilities, the estimated total annual hour burden for this 
information collection is 380,938 hours. The estimated total annual 
cost burden for this information collection is $51,402,078, which 
includes labor, capital, operations and maintenance, and purchased 
service costs. For 393 permitted land disposal facilities, the annual 
reporting hour burden is estimated to average 130 hours per response, 
and the annual recordkeeping hour burden is estimated to average 400 
hours per year response, which includes time for reading the 
regulations, implementing a ground-water monitoring system, performing 
and keeping records of ground-water monitoring and maintaining records. 
These estimates represent the overall reporting and recordkeeping 
burdens placed on permitted facilities, regardless of whether they are 
performing detection monitoring, compliance monitoring, or corrective 
action. For 431 interim status land disposal facilities, the annual 
reporting hour burden is estimated to average 45 hours per year, which 
includes time for developing and submitting notifications, reports, and 
demonstrations, and the annual record keeping hour burden is estimated 
to average 355 hours per year, which includes time for reading the 
regulations, implementing a ground-water monitoring system, performing 
and keeping records of ground-water monitoring and maintaining records. 
The burden hour estimates are dramatically higher than presented in the 
1998 ICR. This is due to a change in methodology: Hours that were 
attributed to contractors and counted as ``costs'' in 1998 have been 
converted to respondent hours.
    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.

Matthew Hale,
Acting Director, Office of Solid Waste.
[FR Doc. 01-15878 Filed 6-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P