[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 96 (Monday, May 19, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27070-27071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12479]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2002-0059; FRL-7500-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of EPA ICR 
No. 1803.04 (OMB No. 2040-0185) to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: Drinking Water State 
Revolving Fund Program. This ICR describes the nature of the 
information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before June 18, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Follow the detailed instructions in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vinh Nguyen, DWPD, OGWDW, OW, Mail 
Code 4606M, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-4631; fax number: 
202-564-3757; 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 December 30, 2002 (67 FR 79604), EPA sought comments on 
this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comment.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. OW-2002-0059, 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 OMB and EPA 
within 30 days of this notice, and according to the following detailed 
instructions: (1) 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, and (2) 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.
    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

[[Page 27071]]

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 www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Title: Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program (OMB Control 
Number 2040-0185, EPA ICR Number 1803.04). This is a request to renew 
an existing approved collection that is scheduled to expire on June 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: The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996 
(Pub. L. 104-182) authorize the creation of Drinking Water State 
Revolving Fund (DWSRF) programs in each State and Puerto Rico to assist 
public water systems to finance the costs of infrastructure needed to 
achieve or maintain compliance with SDWA requirements and to protect 
public health. Section 1452 authorizes the Administrator of EPA to 
award capitalization grants to the States and Puerto Rico which, in 
turn, provide low-cost loans and other types of assistance to eligible 
drinking water systems (i.e., local respondents).
    The information collection activities will occur primarily at the 
program level through the Capitalization Grant Application and 
Agreement/State Intended Use Plan, Biennial Report, Annual Audit, and 
Assistance Application Review. Information from these sources may be 
used for input into the DWSRF National Information Management System.
    In order to receive a grant, the State must prepare a 
Capitalization Grant Application that includes an Intended Use Plan 
(IUP) outlining in detail how it will use funds in the program. The 
Capitalization Grant Agreement is the principal instrument by which the 
State commits to manage its revolving fund program in conformity with 
the requirements of the SDWA.
    The State must agree to complete and submit a Biennial Report on 
the uses of the capitalization grant. The Biennial Report indicates how 
the State has met its goals and objectives of the previous two fiscal 
years as stated in the grant agreement, and more specifically in the 
IUP. The report provides information on loan recipients, loan amounts, 
loan terms, project categories of eligible costs, and similar data on 
other forms of assistance.
    A State must comply with the provisions of the Single Audit Act 
Amendments of 1996. Best management practices suggest and EPA 
recommends that a State conduct an annual independent audit of its 
DWSRF program (including set-asides), which contains an opinion on the 
financial condition of the DWSRF program, a report on its internal 
controls, and a report on compliance with applicable laws and the SDWA.
    Because States provide assistance to local applicants, States 
assist local applicants in preparing DWSRF loan applications and verify 
that proposed projects will comply with applicable Federal and State 
requirements.
    EPA will use the Capitalization Grant Application/State Intended 
Use Plan, Biennial Report, Annual Audit, and DWSRF National Information 
Management System to help conduct its oversight responsibilities as 
mandated by the SDWA.
    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 1,652 
hours per State and 80 hours per local respondent (including Indian 
Tribes and Alaska Native Tribes) annually. 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 and local governments and 
local respondents.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,428.
    Frequency of Response: Annually and biennially.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 194,395.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $6,898,416, includes $0 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 1,445 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This increase is attributed to the increase in 
the estimated number of respondents participating in the DWSRF program. 
The increase in the number of respondents reflects the stabilizing of 
activities in the DWSRF program. The previous ICR included lower 
estimates for the earlier years to compensate for the program's early 
start-up phase.

    Dated: May 6, 2003.
Doreen Sterling,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-12479 Filed 5-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P