[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 170 (Friday, August 31, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45982-45984]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-22019]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7047-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Assessment of EPA Compliance Assistance 
Projects

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 (MB) for renewal: Assessment of EPA Compliance 
Assistance Projects 1860.01. The ICR describes the nature of the 
information collection, the expected burden and cost to collect the 
information, and the actual collection instruments. 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 October 1, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send comments, referencing EPA ICR No. 1860.01 to the 
following

[[Page 45983]]

addresses: Lynn Vendinello, EPA MC 2222A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; and to 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: For a copy of the ICR or technical 
questions contact Ms. Lynn Vendinello at EPA by phone at (202) 564-
7066, by facsimile (202) 564-0031, or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
businesses and other members of the regulated community, technical 
assistance providers that receive or access EPA compliance assistance 
tools, regulating agencies, and state/local committees that are 
recipients of required compliance reports. Technical assistance 
providers are comprised of such groups as: state pollution prevention 
programs, state small business assistance programs, small business 
development centers. The request for information from these affected 
entities will be voluntary.
    Title: Information Collection Request for Assessment of EPA 
Compliance Assistance Projects, EPA ICR Number 1860.01.
    Abstract: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking 
reapproval for a three year generic clearance from Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) to determine how well EPA compliance assistance tools 
and services meet customers needs and to determine the relevant 
outcomes. This will be a voluntary collection of information to gauge 
customer satisfaction with the compliance assistance projects, and 
measure any resulting changes in awareness and understanding, and in 
limited cases behavioral change and environmental and human health 
impacts. EPA proposes to use assessment surveys to provide the Agency 
with feedback on the compliance assistance documents, onsite visits, 
telephone assistance, Web sites, and compliance assistance seminars and 
workshops delivered by Headquarters and Regional compliance assistance 
programs to the regulated community This feedback will provide EPA with 
the necessary information for improving the quality and delivery of 
compliance assistance tools and services.
    This ICR will only provide anecdotal data for the purpose of 
informing EPA of the outcomes of compliance assistance tools, and 
customer satisfaction with those tools. All assessments undertaken 
under this ICR will adhere to certain conditions to ensure that data is 
collected and used appropriately. The information collection is 
voluntary, and will be limited to non-sensitive data concerning the 
quality of compliance assistance activities. The data resulting from 
this ICR's assessment activities will not be treated as statistical and 
will not be used to make broad generalizations to the overall 
population. The Office of Compliance (OC) attempts to perform such 
evaluations will be undertaken under a separate ICR so that the public 
is allowed adequate public comment period on our proposed methodology. 
This process does not involve fact-finding for the purposes of 
regulatory development or enforcement.
    By seeking a generic clearance of assistance assessments, EPA will 
have the flexibility it requires to expeditiously gather the views of 
EPA customers to determine how well the bulk of EPA compliance 
assistance tools and services meet customers needs and how to improve 
them. In FY 2000 alone, EPA conducted over 1300 workshops and 
trainings, over 2700 on-site visits and developed 140 compliance 
assistance tools. The generic clearance will facilitate the coordinated 
review and approval of surveys that solicit opinions from EPA customers 
on a voluntary basis. Every effort will be made to improve response 
rates to assessment surveys, and maximize the efficiency of data 
collection.
    To ensure the proper use of the data from the surveys, OC will 
place the following conditions on the way the ICR is used:
     After compliance assistance is delivered, EPA will follow 
up on the quality of the assistance and the associated outcomes. During 
the compliance assistance activity, EPA should communicate how it 
intends to follow-up (e.g., phone, letter, email) and when.
     True behavioral changes will only be considered when they 
can be directly measured through on-site revisits, self-certifications 
or other direct observations. Behavioral changes expressed through 
surveys, training evaluations, and Internet questionnaires will be 
considered as indications of behavioral change.
     No use of comment cards as they often have low response 
rates.
     To ensure high response rates, all follow-up mail/email 
surveys must use the Dillman Tailored Design Method. Staff using phone 
surveys can also send out a postcard letting attendees know that EPA 
will be calling.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Allowed survey
    Compliance assistance      method (in order of         Measure
          activity                 preference)
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Phone Calls/Hotlines........  As part of            Awareness,
                               assistance call.      Understanding,
                                                     Customer
                                                     satisfaction.
                              Follow-up call......  Awareness and
                                                     understanding.
                              Mail/email follow-up  Customer
                               survey.               satisfaction.
Workshops/Trainings.........  Pre/post test.......  Awareness,
                                                     Understanding.
                              On-Site Post          Awareness,
                               Workshop/Training     Understanding,
                               Evaluation.           Customer
                                                     satisfaction.
                              Phone survey (if
                               fewer than 50
                               participants).
                              Mail/email follow up
                               (if more than 50
                               participants).
Web Sites...................  Online survey (with   Awareness,
                               promotion of the      Understanding,
                               survey via email).    Customer
                                                     satisfaction.
Tools (e.g., manuals).......  Mail/email survey...  Awareness
                                                     Understanding,
                                                     Customer
                                                     satisfaction.
Onsite visits...............  Onsite revisits.....  Awareness,
                                                     Understanding,
                                                     Behavioral change,
                                                     Environmental and
                                                     human health
                                                     improvements,
                                                     Customer
                                                     satisfaction.
                              Phone survey........
                              Mail/email survey...
------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 45984]]

    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, 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.
    It is estimated that approximately 24,823 entities may voluntarily 
complete and return a compliance assistance activity or tool assessment 
survey on an annual basis. EPA estimates that participating entities 
may need to spend between five to twenty minutes to complete either the 
compliance assistance product, seminar/workshop; onsite visit; 
telephone assistance/hotline; or Internet web site assessment survey. 
EPA estimates 3,564 hours annually or 8.64 minutes per respondent may 
be spent to provide EPA with the data. This burden hour estimate 
translates to a cost of $9.89 per facility that voluntarily completes 
the survey and a total cost to the regulated community of $733,861 over 
the three years covered by the ICR. The costs were calculated based on 
$32.68 per hour employment expense rate, plus a $110 overhead for a 
total labor cost of $68.63 (based on labor rates obtained form the 
United States of Commerce, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2001, 
Employer Costs for Employment Compensation, Table 10: White Collar, 
Professional and Technical).
    Respondents/Affected Entities: 74,470.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 74,470.
    Frequency of Response: one time.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 3,564 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Capital, O&M Cost Burden: $244,620.
    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 addresses listed above. Please 
refer to EPA ICR No. 1860.01 in any correspondence.

    Dated: August 23, 2001.
Michael M. Stahl,
Director, Office of Compliance.
[FR Doc. 01-22019 Filed 8-30-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-M