[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 50 (Friday, March 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12346-12348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6193]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket ID No. OW-2003-0013; FRL-7464-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Title IV of the Public 
Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002: 
Drinking Water Security and Safety (Act); Comment Request

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 the following Information 
Collection Request (ICR) will be forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Information Collection 
Request for Title IV of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism 
Preparedness and Response Act of 2002: Drinking Water Security and 
Safety (Act). Today's notice invites comment on EPA's proposed ICR. EPA 
also solicits comment on its intention to seek an emergency clearance 
from OMB to begin collecting data from community water systems (CWS) 
that are required to comply with the Act.

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DATES: The Agency requests comments on today's notice. Comments must be 
received or postmarked by midnight March 24, 2003. If EPA does not 
receive adverse comments on or before this date regarding EPA's request 
for emergency clearance, EPA intends to seek a 180-day emergency 
clearance from OMB to begin collecting information from CWSs.

ADDRESSES: Follow the detailed instructions in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information, or to obtain a 
copy of the draft Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness 
and Response Act ICR without charge, please contact Roy Rathbun, U.S. 
EPA, Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water (4601M), 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave, NW; Washington DC 20460. Phone: (202) 564-9932; fax 
(202) 564-3753; E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

    A. Who Is Affected by This Action?
    Entities affected by this action are community water systems (CWSs) 
that serve a population greater than 3,300 persons. A CWS means a 
public water system which serves at least 15 service connections used 
by year-round residents or regularly serves at least 25 year-round 
residents.
    B. How Can I Get Copies of This Document and Other Related 
Information?
    1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this 
action under Docket ID No. OW-2003-0013. The official public docket is 
the collection of materials that 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 
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 Public 
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Water 
Docket is (202) 566-2426. For access to docket material, please call 
(202) 566-2426 to schedule an appointment.
    2. Electronic Access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register'' 
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public 
comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official 
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 appropriate docket identification number.
    Certain types of information will not be placed in the EPA Dockets. 
Information claimed as CBI and other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute, which is not included in the official public 
docket, will not be available for public viewing in EPA's electronic 
public docket. EPA's policy is that copyrighted material will not be 
placed in EPA's electronic public docket but will be available only in 
printed, paper form in the official public docket. Although not all 
docket materials may be available electronically, you may still access 
any of the publicly available docket materials through the docket 
facility identified in section I.B.1.
    For public commenters, it is important to note that EPA's policy is 
that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, 
will be made available for public viewing in EPA's electronic public 
docket as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment 
contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose 
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 EPA's 
electronic public docket. The entire printed comment, including the 
copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket.
    Public comments submitted on computer disks that are mailed or 
delivered to the docket will be transferred to EPA's electronic public 
docket. Public comments that are mailed or delivered to the Docket will 
be scanned and placed in EPA's electronic public docket. Where 
practical, physical objects will be photographed, and the photograph 
will be placed in EPA's electronic public docket along with a brief 
description written by the docket staff.
    C. How and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?
    You may submit comments electronically, by mail, or through hand 
delivery/courier. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, identify the 
appropriate docket identification number in the subject line on the 
first page of your comment. Please ensure that your comments are 
submitted within the specified comment period. Comments received after 
the close of the comment period will be marked ``late.'' EPA is not 
required to consider these late comments.
    1. Electronically. If you submit an electronic comment as 
prescribed below, EPA recommends that you include your name, mailing 
address, and an e-mail address or other contact information in the body 
of your comment. Also include this contact information on the outside 
of any disk or CD ROM you submit, and in any cover letter accompanying 
the disk or CD ROM. This ensures that you can be identified as the 
submitter of the comment and allows EPA to contact you in case EPA 
cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties or needs further 
information on the substance of your comment. EPA's policy is that EPA 
will not edit your comment, and any identifying or contact information 
provided in the body of a comment will be included as part of the 
comment that is placed in the official public docket, and made 
available in EPA's electronic public docket. If EPA cannot read your 
comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for 
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment.
    i. EPA Dockets. Your use of EPA's electronic public docket to 
submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for 
receiving comments. Go directly to EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/, and follow the online instructions for submitting comments. 
Once in the system, select ``search,'' and then key in Docket ID No. 
OW-2003-0013. The system is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means 
EPA will not know your identity, e-mail address, or other contact 
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment.
    ii. E-mail. Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to [email protected], Attention Docket ID No. OW-2003-0013. In contrast to 
EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not an 
``anonymous access'' system. If you send an e-mail comment directly to 
the Docket without going through EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's 
e-mail system automatically captures your e-mail address. E-mail 
addresses that are automatically captured by EPA's e-mail system are 
included as part of the comment that is placed in the official public 
docket, and made available in EPA's electronic public docket.
    iii. Disk or CD ROM. You may submit comments on a disk or CD ROM 
that you mail to the mailing address identified in section I.C.2. These 
electronic submissions will be accepted

[[Page 12348]]

in WordPerfect or ASCII file format. Avoid the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption.
    2. By Mail. Send an original and three copies of your comments and 
any enclosures to: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 
Code 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 20460, 
Attention Docket No. OW-2003-0013.
    3. By Hand Delivery or Courier. Deliver your comments to: Water 
Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA West, Room B102, 1301 
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington DC, Attention Docket ID No. OW-2003-
0013. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal 
hours of operation as identified in section I.B.1
    D. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?
    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide any technical information and/or data you used that 
support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at your estimate.
    5. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns.
    6. Offer alternatives.
    7. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period deadline 
identified.
    8. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, identify the appropriate docket 
identification number in the subject line on the first page of your 
response. It would also be helpful if you provided the name, date, and 
Federal Register citation related to your comments.
    E. Title: Title IV of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism 
Preparedness and Response Act of 2002: Drinking Water Security and 
Safety EPA ICR Number 2103.01. This is a request for a new information 
collection, and a notification that EPA will seek an emergency 
clearance from OMB to begin collecting information.
    F. Abstract: Title IV of the Public Health Security and 
Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-188) 
(Act) amends the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The Act requires each 
community water system (CWS) serving a population of more than 3,300 
people to conduct a vulnerability assessment of its water system and to 
prepare or revise an emergency response plan that incorporates the 
results of the vulnerability assessment. EPA will use the information 
collected under this ICR to determine whether CWSs have conducted 
vulnerability assessments and prepared or revised emergency response 
plans in compliance with the Act.
    Primary users of the information collected under this ICR include 
the EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, EPA Regional 
Administrators, and CWSs. EPA will comply with the Bioterrorism Act, 
which strictly limits the use of some of this information.
    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.
    G. Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 117.9 
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: Community water systems serving 
populations greater than 3,300 persons.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 8,487 systems.
    Frequency of Response: Varies based on statutory schedule and 
system size.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 2,652,392 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $156,540,365; includes $82,211 O&M 
costs and $0 capital and startup costs.

    Dated: March 6, 2003.
Peter E. Shanaghan,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 03-6193 Filed 3-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P