[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 22 (Monday, February 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5288-5290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-2429]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2002-0041; FRL-7446-8]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; (OMB Control No. 2040-0095, EPA ICR No. 0909.07)

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

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that the following Information Collection Request (ICR) has been 
forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval: Construction Grants Delegation to States. The ICR, which 
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated 
burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before March 5, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Follow the detailed instructions in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gajindar Singh, Office of Wastewater 
Management, Mail Code 4204M, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 
564-0634 , fax number: (202) 501-2396, e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB 
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 
1320.12. On July 5, 2002, EPA sought comments on this ICR (67 FR 44829) 
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. OW-2002-0041, which is available for public viewing at the Water 
Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public 
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading 
Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Water Docket 
is (202) 566-2426. An electronic version of the public docket is 
available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. 
Use EDOCKET to submit or view public comments, access the index listing 
of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in 
the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the 
system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number identified 
above.
    Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB 
within 30 days of this notice, and according to the following detailed 
instructions: (1) Submit your comments to EPA online using EDOCKET (our 
preferred method), by e-mail to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA 
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 4204M, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) Mail your 
comments to OMB at: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.
    EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted 
electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing 
in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment 
contains copyrighted material, Confidential Business Information (CBI), 
or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. 
When EPA identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will 
provide a reference to that material in the version of the comment that 
is placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the 
copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although 
identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as 
CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not 
included in the official public docket, and will not be available for 
public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic 
docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic 
docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Title: Construction Grants Delegation to States (OMB Control No. 
2040-0095, EPA ICR Number 0909.07). This is a request to renew an 
existing approved collection that is scheduled to expire on 03/31/2003. 
Under the OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or 
sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending 
at OMB.
    Abstract: The purpose of this ICR is to revise and extend the 
current clearance for the collection of information under the 
Construction Grants Program Delegation to States, 40 CFR part 35, 
subpart J, and Title II of the Clean Water Act (CWA). While the 
Construction Grants Program is being phased out and replaced by the 
State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) program, collection activities for the 
Construction Grants Program must continue until program completion in 
all the States and territories. The program includes reporting, 
monitoring and program requirements for municipalities and delegated 
States.
    The information collection activities described in this ICR are 
authorized under section 205(g) of the Clean Water Act as amended, 33 
U.S.C. 1251 et seq., and under 40 CFR part 35, subpart J. The requested 
information provides the minimum data necessary for the Federal 
government to maintain appropriate fiscal accountability for use of 
section 205(g) construction grant funds. The information is also needed 
to assure an adequate management overview of those State project review 
activities that are most important to fiscal and project integrity, 
design performance, Federal budget control, and attainment of national 
goals.
    Managers at the State and Federal levels both rely on the 
information described in this ICR. State managers rely on the 
information for their own program and project administration. Federal 
managers rely on this information to assess, control, and predict the 
impacts of the construction grants program on the Federal Treasury and 
future budget requirements. Federal managers also use this information 
to respond to OMB and Congressional requests and to maintain fiscal 
accountability. In addition, builders of wastewater treatment plants 
use the information discussed in this ICR.
    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, and are 
identified on the form and/or instrument, if applicable.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average about 
55 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: States and municipalities.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 15.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion and annually.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 2,071 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $69,399, includes $0 in annual startup 
and O&M costs.

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    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 3,945 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is a result of EPA phasing out the 
Title II Construction Grants Program, and State Delegation of this 
program, due to the establishment of a State Revolving Loan Fund 
program.

    Dated: January 23, 2003.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-2429 Filed 1-31-03; 8:45 am]
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