[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 83 (Wednesday, April 30, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23124-23126]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10653]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPT-2002-0036; FRL-7490-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of New EPA 
ICR No. 2088.01 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 new Information 
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Reporting and Recordkeeping 
Requirements under EPA's Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) 
Program (EPA ICR No. 2088.01). The ICR, which is abstracted below, 
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated 
burden and cost. On August 19, 2002 (67 FR 53789), EPA sought comments 
on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA has addressed the comments 
received.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before May 30, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket ID number OPPT-
2002-0036, to both (1) EPA online at http://www.epa.gov/edocket (our 
preferred method) or by mail to: EPA

[[Page 23125]]

Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 7407T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Cunningham, Acting Director, 
Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution Prevention and 
Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 7408, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-
554-1404; e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following new ICR to 
OMB for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 
CFR 1320.10.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. OPPT-2002-0036, which is available for public viewing at 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 Pollution Prevention and Toxics Docket 
is (202) 566-0280. An electronic version of the public docket is 
available through 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. 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: Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements under EPA's 
Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) Program (EPA ICR No. 
2088.01). This is a request for a new collection activity submitted 
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.10.
    Abstract: The Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program is 
a voluntary partnership program jointly administered by EPA and the 
American Hospital Association (AHA) that helps hospitals enhance work 
place safety, reduce waste and waste disposal costs, and become better 
environmental stewards and neighbors. The program is based on a 1998 
Memorandum of Understanding signed by AHA and EPA to provide health 
care professionals with the tools and information necessary to reduce 
mercury waste, reduce the overall volume of waste, and identify 
pollution prevention opportunities.
    The H2E program has two elements, the Partners for Change Program 
and the Champions for Change Program. The Partners for Change Program 
recognizes health care facilities that pledge support to the H2E 
mission and develop goals for reducing waste and mercury in their own 
facilities. The Champions for Change Program recognizes organizations 
that encourage and aid health care facilities to participate as H2E 
Partners, provide on-going promotional or technical assistance 
information, or make changes that support the goals of the H2E Program 
in their own institutions. An organization's decision to participate in 
the H2E Program is completely voluntary. This information collection 
addresses reporting and recordkeeping activities that support the 
administration of the H2E program.
    Participation begins with the completion of and submittal to EPA of 
either a Partner Registration and Pledge Form or a Champion for Change 
Application form that provides EPA with general organizational 
information. Once an organization joins the Partners for Change 
Program, EPA expects new Partners to spend time up-front in 
establishing a solid foundation for H2E initiatives by documenting 
their environmental baseline when they first join H2E and by setting 
their own facility performance goals, and allots six months for 
Partners to establish their goals. During the first year and in all 
subsequent years, a Partner will submit the Annual Facility Assessment 
Summary and Goals Form. This form is designed to help a facility 
establish its own environmental baseline, continue to track its own 
environmental progress, provide basic contact and facility information, 
waste and mercury assessment summaries, environmental policy 
information, and a description of its pollution prevention (P2)/waste 
reduction goals and activities. EPA expects organizations to implement 
their H2E programs and report on their progress by January 31 of each 
subsequent year after joining, unless less than nine months have passed 
since the initial submission. The Annual Facility Assessment Summary 
and Goals Form is the main way Partners for Change report their 
environmental progress to EPA.
    Partners and Champions may also apply for various H2E awards by 
submitting an Awards Application Form, the burden for which is also 
addressed in this ICR.
    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 in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal 
Register, are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and included on the related 
collection instrument or form, if applicable.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to range between 
0.5 and 20 hours per response, depending upon the type of information 
the respondent provides. 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: Establishments or organizations 
engaged

[[Page 23126]]

in furnishing medical, surgical or other health services to 
individuals.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 550.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 10,110 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $343,765. There are no annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: None. This is a new information 
collection.

    Dated: April 22, 2003.
Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-10653 Filed 4-29-03; 8:45 am]
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