[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 77 (Tuesday, April 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19810-19811]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9912]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2002-0063; FRL-7486-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of EPA ICR 
No. 0168.08 (OMB No. 2040-0057) 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: NPDES and Sewage Sludge 
Management State Programs. This ICR describes the nature of the 
information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before May 22, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Follow the detailed instructions in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jack Faulk, Water Permits Division, 
Office of Wastewater Management, Mail Code 4203M, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: 202-564-0768; fax number: (202) 564-6431; 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 January 10, 2003, (68 FR 1454), 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-2002-0063, 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, Water Docket, Mail 
Code: 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 to http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Title: NPDES and Sewage Sludge Management State Programs (OMB 
Control Number 2040-0057, EPA ICR Number 0168.08). This is a request to 
renew an existing approved collection that is scheduled to expire on 
April 30, 2003. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to 
conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission 
is pending at OMB.
    Abstract: Under the NPDES program, States, Federally Recognized 
Indian Tribes, and U.S. Territories, hereafter referred to as States, 
may acquire the authority to issue permits. These governments have the 
option of acquiring authority to issue general

[[Page 19811]]

permits (permits that cover a category or categories of similar 
discharges). States with existing NPDES programs must submit requests 
for program modifications to add Federal facilities, or general permit 
authority. In addition, as federal statutes and regulations are 
modified, States must submit program modifications to ensure that their 
program continues to meet Federal requirements.
    States have the option of obtaining a sludge management program. 
This program may be a component of a State NPDES Program, or it may be 
administered as a separate program. To obtain a NPDES or sludge 
program, a State must submit an application that includes a program 
description, an Attorney General's Statement, draft Memorandum of 
Agreement (MOA) with the EPA Region, and copies of the State's statutes 
and regulations.
    Once a State obtains authority for an NPDES or sludge program, it 
becomes responsible for implementing the program in that jurisdiction.
    The State must retain records on the permittees and perform 
inspections. In addition, when a State obtains NPDES or sludge 
authority, EPA must oversee the program. Thus, States must submit 
permit information and compliance reports to the EPA.
    When EPA issues a permit in an unauthorized State, that State must 
certify that the permit requirements comply with State water laws. 
According to the Clean Water Act (CWA) (section 510), States may adopt 
discharge requirements that are equal to or more stringent than 
requirements in the CWA or Federal regulations.
    There are three categories of reporting requirements that are 
covered by this ICR. The first category, ``State Program Requests,'' 
includes the activities States must complete to request a new NPDES or 
sludge program, or to modify an existing program. The second category, 
``State Program Implementation,'' includes the activities that approved 
States must complete to implement an existing program, such as 
certification of EPA-issued permits by non-NPDES States. The third 
category, ``State Program Oversight,'' includes activities required of 
NPDES States so that EPA may satisfy its statutory requirements for 
state program oversight.
    The information collected by EPA is used to evaluate the adequacy 
of a State's NPDES or sludge program and to provide EPA with the 
information necessary to fulfill its statutory oversight functions over 
State program performance and individual permit actions. EPA will use 
this information to evaluate State requests for full or partial program 
approval and program modifications. In order to evaluate the adequacy 
of a State's proposed program, appropriate information must be provided 
to ensure that proper procedures, regulations, and statutes are in 
place and consistent with the CWA requirements.
    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 50.3 
hours per response for each state activity. 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, Territories, and American 
Indian Tribal Entities.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 613.
    Frequency of Response: Semi-annually, quarterly, on occasion, every 
5 years, on-going.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 966,966 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $30,169,349, includes $0 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 173,828 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease in the applicant respondent and 
NPDES-authorized state burden is due primarily to a significant cleanup 
of the database used to track NPDES permittees.

    Dated: April 10, 2003.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-9912 Filed 4-21-03; 8:45 am]
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