[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 59 (Thursday, March 27, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14973-14974]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-7369]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2003-0001; FRL-7473-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of EPA ICR 
No. 1500.05 (OMB No. 2040-0138) to OMB for Review and Approval; 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 document announces that the following Information 
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: National Estuary 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 28, 
2003.

ADDRESSES: Follow the detailed instructions in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Colianni, Oceans and Coastal 
Protection Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, 
mailcode 4504T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW.,Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-1249; fax 
number: (202) 566-1336; 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 October 29, 2002, (67 FR 65978), EPA sought comments on 
this ICR 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-2003-0001, 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

[[Page 14974]]

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 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 http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Title: National Estuary Program, (OMB Control Number 2040-0138, EPA 
ICR Number 1500.05). This is a request to renew an existing approved 
collection that is scheduled to expire on April 30, 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: Annual Workplans: The NEP involves collecting information 
from the State or local agency or nongovernmental organizations that 
receive funds under section 320 of the Clean Water Act. The regulation 
requiring this information is found at 40 CFR part 35. Prospective 
grant recipients seek funding to develop or oversee and coordinate 
implementation of CCMPs for estuaries of national significance. In 
order to receive funds, grantees must submit an annual workplan to EPA. 
The workplan consists of two parts: (a) Progress on projects funded 
previously; and (b) new projects proposed with dollar amounts and 
completion dates. The workplan is reviewed by EPA and also serves as 
the scope of work for the grant agreement. EPA also uses these 
workplans to track performance of each of the 28 estuary programs 
currently in the NEP.

Implementation Reviews

    EPA provides funding to NEPs to support long-term implementation of 
CCMPs if such programs pass an implementation review process. 
Implementation reviews are used to determine progress each NEP is 
making in implementing its CCMP and achieving environmental results. In 
addition to evaluating progress, the results are used to identify areas 
of weakness each NEP should address for long-term success in protecting 
and restoring their estuaries. EPA will also compile successful tools 
and approaches as well as lessons learned from all implementation 
reviews to transfer to the NEPs and other watershed programs. For this 
ICR cycle, implementation reviews will be required for 9 programs in 
FY2004 and 19 programs in FY2005. No implementation reviews will be 
required in FY2003.

Government Performance Results Act (GPRA)

    EPA requests that each of the 28 NEP receiving section 320 funds 
reports information that can be used in the GPRA reporting process. 
This reporting is done on an annual basis and is used to show 
environmental results that are being achieved within the overall NEP 
Program. This information is ultimately submitted to Congress along 
with GPRA information from other EPA programs.
    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 100 
hours per response for annual workplans, 250 hours per response for 
implementation reviews, and 35 hours per response for GPRA reporting. 
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 or local governments or 
nongovernmental organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 28.
    Frequency of Response: annual workplans, triennial implementation 
reviews, annual GPRA reports.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 6,113 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $366,800, includes $0 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: An action notice from OMB increased the 
original burden request for the previous ICR by 40,800 hours.
    This cycle will reduce the estimated burden by 40,654 to 6,113 
annual respondent hours. These estimated hours are based on the 
experience of the NEP participants to date.

    Dated: March 17, 2003.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-7369 Filed 3-26-03; 8:45 am]
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