[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 22 (Tuesday, February 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5145-5146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-2154]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2003-0081, FRL-7617-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Survey Questionnaire To Determine the Effectiveness, 
Costs, and Impacts of Sewage and Graywater Treatment Devices for Large 
Cruise Ships Operating in Alaska, EPA ICR Number OW-2003-0014, OMB 
Control Number 20XX-XXXX

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 EPA is planning to submit a 
proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request for a new collection. 
Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is 
soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information 
collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 5, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2003-
0081, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to 
[email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental 
Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Water Docket, EPA West, 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, 
DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Kim, Oceans and Coastal 
Protection Division, Office of Water, 4504T, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: (202) 566-1270; fax number: (202) 566-1546; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this 
ICR under Docket ID number OW-2003-0081, 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 
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 obtain a copy of the draft 
collection of information, 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 within 
60 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, Confidential Business 
Information (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.
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
operators of cruise lines and individual cruise ships authorized to 
carry for hire 500 or more passengers that operate in and near waters 
of the State of Alaska.
    Title: Survey Questionnaire to Determine the Effectiveness, Costs, 
and Impacts of Sewage and Graywater Treatment Devices for Large Cruise 
Ships Operating in Alaska.
    Abstract: On December 12, 2000, Congress passed HR 4577 (Pub. L. 
106-554), ``Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and 
Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.'' This act included 
a section, entitled ``Title XIV: Certain Alaskan Cruise Ship 
Operations'' (33 U.S.C. 1902 Note). Title XIV set requirements for the 
discharge of sewage and graywater from cruise ships capable of carrying 
for hire 500 or more passengers while operating in the waters of the 
Alexander Archipelago and the navigable waters of the United States 
within the State of Alaska and within the Kachemak Bay National 
Estuarine Research Reserve. Title XIV also authorized that:

the Administrator [of the EPA] may promulgate effluent standards for 
treated sewage (human body waste and the wastes from toilets and 
other receptacles intended to receive or retain human body waste) 
and graywater (galley, dishwasher, bath, and laundry waste water) 
from cruise vessels operating in the waters of the Alexander 
Archipelago or the navigable waters of the United States within the 
State of Alaska or within the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine 
Research Reserve. Regulations implementing such standards shall take 
into account the best available scientific information on the 
environmental effects of the regulated discharges and the 
availability of new technologies for wastewater treatment.

    EPA has begun an effort to develop and promulgate regulations, as

[[Page 5146]]

necessary and appropriate, for controlling the discharge of sewage and 
graywater from cruise ships covered by Title XIV. Title XIV provides 
that the authority of sections 308(a) and 308(b) of the Clean Water 
Act, regarding records, reports, and inspections, shall be available to 
carry out the provisions of the Act (section 1413). EPA is in the 
process of preparing an ICR for OMB approval for gathering data in 
support of this rulemaking. The ICR would request approval to collect 
information from cruise lines and each cruise ship covered by Title 
XIV.
    The information to be gathered with a survey questionnaire would 
include: general information regarding the cruise line and each of the 
cruise vessels authorized to carry for hire 500 or more passengers in 
waters in and near Alaska (e.g., size, capacity, ports of call); 
description of sources of graywater; ship-board plumbing systems; data 
describing the effectiveness of sewage and graywater treatment systems 
and marine sanitation devices (MSDs) operating on these large vessels 
at removing pollutants of concern; costs of these systems; pollution 
prevention programs and management practices; information pertinent to 
environmental assessment; and financial information and data necessary 
for economic impact analysis. When possible, EPA would use available 
information to complete answers to some questions. In these cases, the 
respondent would be asked to verify the information and update it if 
necessary. The survey questionnaire would provide instructions on the 
procedures for making CBI claims, if necessary, and the respondents 
would be informed of the rules governing protection of CBI, obtained 
under the Clean Water Act, for information that warrants such claims.
    In a related effort that would not be covered by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act, EPA intends to sample and analyze wastewaters from three 
to five yet-to-be selected vessels operating in Alaska during the 
summer of 2004. The purpose of this sampling would be to characterize 
the on-board performance of various sewage and graywater treatment 
systems. EPA would like to solicit comments on this sampling effort. 
Subsequent to the publication of this notice, EPA intends to consult 
with cruise lines and other stakeholders to select technologies and 
vessels to be sampled, and will make specific information for this 
activity available for further public comment in the second Federal 
Register notice for the survey ICR.
    EPA also intends to continue to supplement these primary sources by 
gathering additional publicly available information and data from the 
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) and the U.S. 
Coast Guard (USCG), the cruise ship industry, and other stakeholders.
    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.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
    (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Burden Statement: EPA estimates that 12 cruise line operators would 
respond to the survey for each of the 32 vessels operating in Alaska. 
EPA estimates it would take an average of approximately 48 hours to 
complete and review responses to the survey questionnaire and 
associated data submissions for each cruise ship that is certified by 
the U.S. Coast Guard to discharge continuously in the waters in and 
near Alaska under 33 CFR 159.309. This estimate includes the burden for 
verifying and updating ``draft'' responses provided by EPA to a portion 
of the questions. EPA estimates that the total burden for cruise lines 
operating the 18 vessels certified to discharge continuously under 33 
CFR 159.309 would be approximately 864 hours, or $34,000 assuming an 
average labor rate for the likely range of personnel involved in 
responding.
    For the remaining 14 ships that do not have wastewater treatment 
systems authorized to discharge continuously, EPA estimates it would 
take an average of approximately 16 hours to complete and review 
responses to the survey questionnaire. EPA estimates that the total 
burden for these 14 vessels would be approximately 224 hours, or $9,000 
assuming an average labor rate for the likely range of personnel 
involved in responding.
    EPA estimates that the total burden to the 12 cruise lines 
operating 32 vessels for responding to the survey questionnaire would 
be approximately 1088 hours, or $43,000. EPA estimates that there would 
be no start up or capital cost associated with responding to the 
surveys described above.
    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.

    Dated: January 20, 2004.
Suzanne E. Schwartz,
Director, Oceans and Coastal Protection Division.
[FR Doc. 04-2154 Filed 2-2-04; 8:45 am]
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