[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 79 (Thursday, April 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20140-20141]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10167]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2002-0065; FRL-7487-8]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of EPA ICR 
No. 0226.17 (OMB No. 2040-0086) 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: Applications for NPDES 
Discharge Permits and the Sewage Sludge Management Permits. 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: 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-2003-0065, 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: Applications for NPDES Discharge Permits and the Sewage 
Sludge Management Permit (OMB Control Number 2040-0086, EPA ICR Number 
0226.17). 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: This ICR calculates the burden and costs associated with 
permit applications for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System 
(NPDES) discharges and sewage sludge management activities. EPA and 
States use the data contained in applications and supplemental 
information requests to set appropriate permit conditions, issue 
permits, and assess permit compliance. EPA maintains national 
applications information in databases, which assist permit writers in 
determining permit conditions. Depending on the application form they 
are using, applicants may be required to supply information about their 
facilities, discharges, treatment systems, sewage sludge use and 
disposal practices, pollutant sampling data, or other relevant 
information. In its burden and cost calculations, this ICR includes 
requests for information supplemental to permit applications. 
Application information is necessary to obtain an NPDES or sewage 
sludge permit. This ICR also includes the development of a storm water 
pollution prevent plan as part of the requirements for the multi-sector 
general permit, for industrial activities.
    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

[[Page 20141]]

control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's regulations are 
listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR chapter 15.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 4.8 
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: Publicly owned treatment works 
(POTWs), privately owned treatment works, new and existing industrial 
manufacturing and commercial discharger, storm water dischargers, 
treatment works treating domestic sewage (TWTDS), and States and 
territories.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 291,898.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,398,737 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $53,546,024, includes $0 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 639,957 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 to a reduction in the burden 
associated with existing storm water permittees updating rather than 
developing Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans.

    Dated: April 10, 2003.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-10167 Filed 4-23-03; 8:45 am]
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