[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10035-10036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-4705]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OECA-2003-0021; FRL-7630-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; NSPS for New Residential Wood 
Heaters (40 CFR Part 60, Subpart AAA) (Renewal), ICR Number 1176.07, 
OMB Number 2060-0161

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 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 February 29, 2004. 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 April 2, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OECA 
2003-0021, 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, Enforcement and Compliance Docket and 
Information Center, Mail Code 2201T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 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: John DuPree, Compliance Assessment and 
Media Programs Division, Office of Compliance, Mail Code 2223A, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-5960; fax number: 
(202) 564-0050; 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 May 19, 2003 (68 FR 27059), 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 
Number OECA-2003-0021, which is available for public viewing at the 
Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center in the EPA 
Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Avenue, 
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 Enforcement and Compliance Docket and 
Information Center is (202) 566-1752. An electronic version of the 
public docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to submit or to view public comments, 
to access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, and 
to access those documents in the public docket that are available 
electronically. When 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, 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.
    Title: NSPS for New Residential Wood Heaters (40 CFR part 60, 
subpart AAA) (Renewal).
    Abstract: The Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources, 
New Residential Wood Heaters, were proposed on February 18, 1987, and 
promulgated on February 26, 1988. These standards apply to each

[[Page 10036]]

wood heater manufactured on or after July 1, 1988, or sold at retail on 
or after July 1, 1990. Wood heaters manufactured on or after July 1, 
1990, or sold at retail on or after July 1, 1992, must meet more 
stringent emission standards. Approximately 54 manufacturers, 875 
retailers, and 5 certification laboratories are currently subject to 
the regulations. No increase is expected in those estimates over the 
next three years. Particulate matter is the pollutant regulated under 
the standards.
    Two features of this rulemaking are unique to the New Source 
Performance Standard (NSPS) program. First, these standards were 
negotiated by representatives of groups affected by the NSPS, including 
those groups which are burdened by the information collection 
activities. None of these activities were judged to be unreasonable by 
these representatives. Some of these provisions were recommended by the 
affected groups as a means of promoting an efficient and smooth-running 
certification and enforcement program. Second, these regulations 
established a certification program instead of the usual NSPS 
requirement that each affected facility demonstrates compliance through 
new source review and testing. Under this certification program, a 
single wood heater is tested to demonstrate compliance for an entire 
model line, which could consist of thousands of stoves. The 
certification approach significantly reduces the compliance burden, 
including information collection, for the manufacturers of wood 
heaters. Because of the potential risks to the environment from the 
intentional or accidental misuse of the certification approach, there 
were, however, several safeguards included, some of which entail 
reporting and recordkeeping.
    Under this regulation, wood heater manufacturers, testing 
laboratories, and retailers are required to submit reports to EPA and/
or to maintain records for demonstrating compliance with the NSPS.
    The information supplied by the manufacturer to the Agency is used: 
(1) To ensure that Best Demonstrated Technology is being applied to 
reduce emissions from wood heaters; (2) to ensure that the wood heater 
tested for certification purposes is in compliance with the applicable 
emission standards; (3) to provide assurance that untested production 
model heaters have emission performance characteristics similar to 
tested models; and (4) to provide an indicator of continued compliance.
    Information supplied to the Agency by testing laboratories is used 
to grant or to deny laboratory accreditation, and to assist in 
enforcement and compliance activities. Information requested by the 
Agency from manufacturers is used to determine compliance with 
requirements that are based upon volume of production.
    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 51 
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; to 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; to 
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable 
instructions and requirements; to train personnel to be able to respond 
to a collection of information; to search data sources; to complete and 
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Manufacturers and sellers of new 
residential wood stoves.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 934.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 9,728.
    Estimated Total Costs: $1,964,000 which includes $1,346,000 
annualized capital/startup costs, $3,000 annual O&M costs and $615,000 
annual labor costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: The labor hour increase of 2,075 hours is 
due to the increase in the number of accredited test laboratories and 
the number of wood stove manufacturers.

    Dated: February 24, 2004.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 04-4705 Filed 3-2-04; 8:45 am]
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