[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 44 (Thursday, March 6, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10720-10721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-5323]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2002-0069; FRL-7459-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; (OMB Control No. 2040-0164, EPA ICR No. 1654.04)

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: Reporting Requirements Under 
EPA's Water Alliances for Voluntary Efficiency (WAVE) Program . The ICR 
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated 
burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before April 7, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Follow the detailed instructions in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Martin, Municipal Support 
Division, Office of Wastewater Management, Mailcode 4204M, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-0623; fax number: 
(202) 501-2396; e-mail address: [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 September 26, 2002 (67 FR 60679), EPA sought comments on 
this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments.
    EPA has established a docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. OW-
2002-0069, 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: 4101T, 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

[[Page 10721]]

viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the 
comment contains copyrighted material, 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: Reporting Requirements Under EPA's Water Alliances for 
Voluntary Efficiency (WAVE) Program (OMB Control No. 2040-0164, EPA ICR 
No. 1654.04). This is a request to renew an existing approved 
collection that is scheduled to expire on March 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: EPA initially collects facility information and 
thereafter annually collects water, energy, and cost savings 
information from participants in the WAVE program. WAVE Partners are 
commercial businesses or institutions that voluntarily agree to 
implement cost-effective water efficiency measures in their facilities. 
Initially the WAVE Program targeted the lodging industry, but now 
includes office buildings, educational institutions and medical 
facilities. Another type of participant, ``Supporters,'' works with EPA 
to promote water efficiency. Supporters are equipment manufacturers, 
water management companies, utilities, state and local governments, and 
the like.
    The purpose of the WAVE Program is pollution prevention. EPA and 
the Pollution Prevention Act define pollution prevention as ``source 
reduction,'' and other practices that reduce or eliminate the creation 
of pollutants through increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, 
energy, water, or other resources, or through protection of natural 
resources by conservation. By promoting water efficiency, WAVE prevents 
pollution in two basic ways. First, wastewater flows are reduced which 
can increase treatment efficiency at wastewater treatment plants 
resulting in reduced pollutant loads. Second, less water used means 
that less energy will be used to treat, transport, and heat drinking 
water and to transport and treat wastewater. To the extent that the 
reduced energy use so achieved is electrical energy, power plant 
emissions are reduced. Water efficiency also causes less water to be 
withdrawn and helps preserve streamflow to maintain a healthy aquatic 
environment; in addition, less pumping of groundwater lowers the chance 
that pollutants that may be in the groundwater will be drained into a 
water supply well.
    EPA uses the information to maintain a profile of program 
membership and to monitor the success of the program, demonstrate that 
pollution prevention can be accomplished with a non-regulatory 
approach, and to promote the program to potential partners. 
Participation in the WAVE Program is voluntary; however, a participant 
joins the program by signing and submitting a Membership Agreement and 
an annual Results Report to EPA to receive and retain program benefits, 
such as software and publicity. No participant is required to submit 
confidential business information. EPA maintains and distributes a list 
of program participants, and presents aggregated data only in its 
program progress reports.
    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 
3 hours per Membership Agreement response, a one-time submission, and 6 
hours per Results Report response, an annual submission. 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: Commercial businesses or 
institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 136.
    Frequency of Response: Annual.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 389 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $28,974, includes $0 of capital 
startup and O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 2,167 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is due to simplification of the 
reporting process and more accurate projections of new participants.

    Dated: February 26, 2003.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-5323 Filed 3-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P