[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 79 (Thursday, April 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20138-20140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10166]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OAR-2003-0033; FRL-7487-7]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of EPA ICR 
No. 2078.01 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: ENERGY STAR[reg] 
Product Labeling. 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 27, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Follow the detailed instructions in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel Schmeltz, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, Office of Air and Radiation, MC 6202J, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-9124; fax number: 202-
565-2077; email 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 July 17, 2002 (67 FR 46969), 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. OAR-2003-0033, which is available for public viewing at the Air and 
Radiation 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 Air 
and Radiation Docket is (202) 566-1742. 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 email to [email protected], or by mail to: 
EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 6102T, 
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

[[Page 20139]]

31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Title: ENERGY STAR Product Labeling (EPA ICR Number 2078.01). This 
is a request for a new collection.
    Abstract: ENERGY STAR[reg] is a voluntary program 
developed in collaboration with industry to create a self-sustaining 
market for energy efficient products. The center piece of the program 
is the ENERGY STAR label, a registered certification label that helps 
consumers identify products that save energy, save money, and help 
protect the environment without sacrificing quality or performance. In 
order to protect the integrity of the label and enhance its 
effectiveness in the marketplace, EPA must ensure that products 
carrying the label meet appropriate program requirements. Since ENERGY 
STAR is a self-certification program, it is important that program 
participants submit signed Partnership Agreements indicating that they 
will adhere to logo-use guidelines and that participating products meet 
specified energy performance criteria based on a standard test method.
    As part of our contribution to the overall success of the program, 
EPA has agreed to facilitate the sale of qualifying products by 
providing consumers with easy-to-use information about the products. To 
be effective, EPA must receive qualifying product information from 
participating manufacturers. Partners will be requested to submit 
updates to qualifying product information on an annual basis, so as to 
ensure that EPA information is recent and accurate. The information 
will be compiled into a complete qualifying products list per product 
category, posted on the ENERGY STAR Web site, and supplied to those 
purchasers who request it via phone, fax, or e-mail. In addition, 
because of the nature of these products, manufacturer of roof products 
and residential light fixtures will be requested to submit testing 
reports in order to verify qualification.
    In order to monitor progress and support the best allocation of 
resources, EPA will also ask manufacturers to submit annual shipment 
data for their ENERGY STAR qualifying products. EPA is flexible as to 
the methods by which manufacturers may submit unit shipment data. For 
example, if manufacturers already submit this type of information to a 
third party, such as a trade association, manufacturers are given the 
option of arranging for shipment data to be sent to EPA via this third 
party to avoid duplication of efforts and to ensure confidentiality. In 
using any shipment data received directly from a partner, EPA will mask 
the source of the data so as to protect confidentiality.
    Finally, Partners that wish to receive recognition for their 
efforts in ENERGY STAR may submit an application for the Partner of the 
Year Award.
    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 average annual public reporting and 
recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is about 173 
hours. EPA collects initial information in the Partnership Agreement 
(PA), which is completed and submitted by every Partner participating 
in ENERGY STAR. One overarching PA has been developed by EPA for ENERGY 
STAR product labeling. It is expected that 118 new Partners will join 
each year for the three years of this ICR. The reporting burden for 
information collection requirements associated with completing the PA 
for each respondent is estimated to be about 13 hours. This estimate 
includes times for reviewing the instructions on the PA, completing and 
reviewing the information requested by the PA, and submitting the PA.
    Every manufacturing Partner is required to submit information on 
each of their qualifying products. Annual updates, notifying EPA of any 
changes in qualifying product information, are required as well. 
Thirty-two different product categories are covered by EPA under ENERGY 
STAR. Each product category has specific qualifying product information 
that must be submitted by each Partner for at least one qualifying 
product. Qualifying product information is expected for 3,112 new 
qualifying products each year for the three years of this ICR. The 
qualifying product list for each product category is updated by the 
Agency once each month, for a total of 384 times annually (32 product 
categories times 12 months in a year). Approximately twice each month 
the Agency receives a request for qualifying product information that 
cannot be fulfilled by the ENERGY STAR Web site, for a total of 768 
requests. The reporting burden for information collection requirements 
associated with submitting the qualifying product information for each 
qualifying product submitted by a respondent is estimated to be about 
19 hours. This estimate includes time for compiling and reviewing the 
information requested, and submitting the information.
    ENERGY STAR Partners for residential light fixtures and roof 
products are required to submit testing reports for each product 
determined to by qualified with the ENERGY STAR criteria. It is 
anticipated that qualifying product information for 654 new roof and 
residential light fixture products will be received by EPA each year 
for the three years of this ICR. The reporting burden for information 
collection requirements associated with testing reports by roof product 
and residential light fixture Partners for each qualifying product 
submitted by a respondent is estimated to be about 70 hours. This 
estimate includes performing testing in house or by a Third Party, 
assembling the data into a report format, reviewing it and submitting 
it.
    EPA also requires that manufacturing Partners submit information on 
their unit shipments of ENERGY STAR labeled products annually. Each 
year, ENERGY STAR Partners are required to submit unit shipment data 
for their ENERGY STAR labeled products. There will be an average of 
1,143 total Partners each year for the three-years of this ICR. 
Therefore, 1,143 reports of unit shipment data are expected each year 
for the three years of this ICR. Unit shipment data will be aggregated 
for each of the 32 product categories covered by EPA under ENERGY STAR. 
The reporting burden for information collection requirements associated 
with unit shipment data for each respondent is estimated to be about 27 
hours. This estimate includes gathering unit shipment data compiling 
and reviewing unit shipment data by product category, and submitting 
unit shipment data.
    Partners interested in receiving recognition for their efforts on 
ENERGY STAR are required to submit a Partner of the Year Award 
application. One set of Partner of the Year award criteria are 
developed by the Agency each year and posted on the ENERGY STAR Web 
site. An average of 30 Partners of the Year Award applications are 
expected each year for the three years of this ICR. The reporting 
burden for information collection requirements associated with the 
Partner of the Year Application for each respondent is estimated to be 
about 44 hours. This estimate includes reviewing the eligibility 
requirements and instruction on the application, gathering data and 
information for submission, completing the application, reviewing the 
information and narrative description required, and submitting the 
application to EPA.
    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

[[Page 20140]]

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: Entities affected by this action are 
product manufacturers which are Partners in EPA's ENERGY STAR program.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,143.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 129,623.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $8,245,116 includes $346,667 
annualized capital and $153,570 O&M costs.

    Dated: April 11, 2003.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-10166 Filed 4-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P