[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 113 (Wednesday, June 12, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40286-40287]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14762]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7229-8]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Water Quality Standards Regulation

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: Water Quality Standards 
Regulation, EPA ICR No. 0988.08; OMB Control No. 2040-0049; Expiration 
Date: July 31, 2002. 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 12, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Send comments, referencing EPA ICR No. 0988.08 and OMB 
Control No. 2040-0049, to the following addresses: Susan Auby, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Collection Strategies Division (mail 
code 2822T), 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: Contact Susan Auby at EPA by phone at 
(202) 566-1672, by e-mail at [email protected], or download 
off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR No. 
0988.08. For technical questions about the ICR, contact Robert Van 
Brunt, Office of Water, (202) 566-0379.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   
    Title: Information Collection Request for the Water Quality 
Standards Regulation, OMB Control No. 2040-0049; EPA ICR No. 0988.08; 
expiring on July 31, 2002. This is a request for extension of a 
currently approved collection.
    Abstract: Water Quality Standards (WQS) are provisions of State, 
Tribal, and Federal law which consist of designated uses for waters of 
the United States, numeric or narrative water quality criteria to 
protect the designated uses, and an antidegradation policy to protect 
existing uses and high quality waters. States are required by Federal 
law to establish water quality standards. Clean Water Act Section 
303(c) requires States and certain Indian Tribes (those Tribes that 
have received EPA authorization to administer the water quality 
standards program and have had their water quality standards approved 
by EPA) to review and, if appropriate, revise their water quality 
standards regulations once every three years and to submit to EPA the 
results of the review. EPA then reviews each State and Tribal 
submission for approval or disapproval.
    The WQS Regulation (40 CFR part 131) is the EPA regulation 
governing the implementation of the water quality standards program. 
The WQS Regulation describes requirements and procedures for the States 
and Tribes to develop, review, and revise their water quality 
standards, and EPA procedures for reviewing and approving the water 
quality standards. Additionally, the regulation specifies information 
that an Indian Tribe must submit to EPA in order to determine whether a 
Tribe is qualified to administer the WQS Program. Finally, the WQS 
Regulation describes a dispute resolution mechanism that will assist in 
resolving disputes that arise between States and Tribes over water 
quality standards on common waterbodies.
    The ICR now includes provisions of section 101 of the Great Lakes 
Critical Programs Act (CPA) that amends section 118 of the CWA and 
directs EPA to publish water quality guidance for the Great Lakes 
System, codified in 40 CFR part 132. These provisions were formerly EPA 
ICR No. 1639.04 with OMB control number 2040-0180. The Guidance 
establishes minimum water quality criteria, implementation procedures, 
and antidegradation provisions for the Great Lakes System. Information 
collection requirements that may be necessary to implement State, 
Tribal, EPA promulgated provisions consistent with the final Guidance 
include: (1) Bioassays to support the development of water quality 
criteria (2) antidegradation policy/demonstrations;

[[Page 40287]]

and, (3) regulatory relief options (e.g., variances from water quality 
criteria).
    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 number 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 5, 
2002 (67 FR 5281); no comments were received.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 801 
hours 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: State, Local, and Tribal governments 
and industries, as publically owned treatment works (POTWs).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 56 States and Territories, 20 
Tribes, 588 major industrial and POTW dischargers, and 3,207 minor 
dischargers.
    Frequency of Response: Once every three years for water quality 
standards submittal to EPA; once per Tribal application for the water 
quality standards program; once per dispute resolution request.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 238,776 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Capital, O&M 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 address listed above. Please 
refer to EPA ICR No. 0988.08 and OMB Control No. 2040-0049 in any 
correspondence.

    Dated: June 3, 2002.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 02-14762 Filed 6-11-02; 8:45 am]
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