[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 172 (Friday, September 5, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52762-52763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-22640]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2003-0009; FRL-7553-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; National Pretreatment Program, 
EPA ICR Number 0002.11, OMB Control Number 2040-0009

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 an Information Collection 
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing 
approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on September 30, 
2003. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or 
sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending 
at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and 
its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before October 6, 
2003.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2003-
0009, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail 
to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Office of Water, Mail code: 4101T, 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: Tracy Hudak, Office of Water, Mail 
code: 4203M, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-0651; 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 April 3, 2003 (68 FR 16282), EPA sought comments on this 
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA has addressed the comments 
received.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. OW-2003-0009, 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. 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 www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Title: National Pretreatment Program.
    Abstract: This Information Collection Request (ICR) calculates the 
burden and costs associated with managing the National Pretreatment 
Program, mandated by sections 402(a) and (b) and 307(b) of the Clean 
Water Act.
    EPA's Office of Wastewater Management (OWM) in the Office of Water 
(OW) is responsible for the management of the pretreatment program. The 
Clean Water Act requires EPA to develop national pretreatment standards 
to control discharges from Industrial Users (IUs) into Publicly Owned 
Treatment Works (POTWs). These standards limit the level of certain 
pollutants allowed in non-domestic wastewater that is discharged to a 
POTW. EPA administers the pretreatment program through the National 
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. Under 
the NPDES permit program, EPA may approve State or individual POTW 
implementation of the pretreatment standards at their respective 
levels. Data collected from IUs during implementation of the 
pretreatment program include the mass, frequency, and content of IU 
discharges and IU schedules for installing pretreatment equipment. Data 
also include actual or anticipated IU discharges of wastes that violate 
pretreatment standards, have the potential to cause problems at the 
POTW, or are considered hazardous under the Resource Conservation and 
Recovery Act (RCRA). OWM uses the data collected under the pretreatment 
program to monitor and enforce compliance with the pretreatment 
regulations, as well as to authorize program administration at the 
State or local (POTW) level. States and POTWs applying for approval of 
their pretreatment programs submit data concerning their legal, 
procedural, and administrative bases for establishing such programs. 
This information may include surveys of IUs, local limits for pollutant 
concentrations, and schedules for completion of major project 
requirements. IUs and POTWs submit written reports to the approved 
state or EPA. These data may then be entered into the NPDES databases 
by the approved state or by EPA.
    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 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 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 
approximately 10

[[Page 52763]]

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: Various industrial categories, 
local, State and Federal governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 28,285.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, semi-annually, annually, and as 
needed.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 2,161,679.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $85,949,203, includes $0 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 685,488 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
approved ICR burdens. This decrease is due mainly to an adjustment in 
the estimate of the number of Industrial Users and a change in the 
number of effluent guidelines for which the pretreatment program 
assumes reporting and recordkeeping burden.

    Dated: August 25, 2003.
Doreen Sterling,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-22640 Filed 9-4-03; 8:45 am]
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