[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 56 (Tuesday, March 23, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13524-13525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-6430]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7639-1; EDocket ID No. OAR-2004-0016]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Part 70 Operating Permit Regulations, EPA ICR Number 
1713.06, OMB Control Number 2060-0243

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 
continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request to renew an existing 
approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on October 31, 
2004. 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 May 24, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OAR-2004-
0015, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to 
``[email protected],'' or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Air and Radiation Docket and 
Information Center, Mail Code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Grecia Castro, Office of Air Quality 
Planning and Standards, Mail Code C304-04, Environmental Protection 
Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: (919) 541-
1351; fax number: (919) 541-5509; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EPA has established a public docket for 
this ICR under Docket ID number OAR-2004-0015, which is available for 
public viewing at the Air Docket 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 Air and Radiation Docket is (202) 566-1742. 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. The 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 
those which must apply for and obtain an operating permit under title V 
of the Clean Air Act (Act). These, in general, include sources which 
are defined as ``major'' under any title of the Act.
    Title: Part 70 Operating Permits Regulations.
    Abstract: Title V of the Act requires States to develop and 
implement a program for issuing operating permits to all sources that 
fall under any Act definition of major and certain other non-major 
sources that are subject to Federal air quality regulations. The Act 
further requires EPA to develop regulations that establish the minimum 
requirements for those State operating permits programs and to oversee 
implementation of the programs. The EPA regulations setting forth 
requirements for the operating permits programs are at part 70, title 
40, chapter I of the Code of Federal Regulations.
    In implementing title V of the Act and EPA's part 70 operating 
permits regulations, State and local permitting agencies must develop 
programs and submit them to EPA for approval (section 502(d)) and 
sources subject to the program must develop operating permit 
applications and submit them to the permitting authority within 1 year 
after program approval (section 503). Permitting authorities will then 
issue permits (section 503(c)) and thereafter enforce, revise, and 
renew those permits at no more than 5-year intervals (section 502(d)). 
Permit applications and proposed permits will be provided to, and are 
subject to review by, EPA (section 505(a)). All information submitted 
by a source and the issued permit shall also be available for public 
review except for confidential information which will be protected from 
disclosure (section 503(e)). Sources will semi-annually submit 
compliance monitoring reports to the permitting authorities (section 
504(a)). The EPA has the responsibility to oversee implementation of 
the program and to administer a Federal operating permits program in 
the event a program is not approved for a State (section 502(d)(3)) or 
if EPA determines the permitting authority is not adequately 
administering its approved program (section 502(i)(4)). The activities 
to carry out these tasks are considered mandatory and necessary for 
implementation of title V and the proper operation of the operating 
permits program. This notice provides updated burden estimates from a 
previously approved ICR. An agency may not

[[Page 13525]]

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: The projected cost for implementing the part 70 
program from October 31, 2004, until October 31, 2007, are 
approximately 5.1 million annual burden hours at an annual cost of 
approximately 171 million dollars. 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; 
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.
    The burden hours breakout will be around 1.1 million hours for 112 
permitting authorities and about 4 million hours for 17,626 sources. 
The costs break out to be 40.7 million dollars per year for 112 
permitting authorities and 130 million dollars per year for 17,626 
sources. During the period of this ICR, permitting authorities (in 
addition to general administration of the program) primarily will be 
issuing the remaining permits required by the program (around 1,300), 
processing revisions for permits that have already been issued, 
renewing permits whose 5-year terms will expire, and reviewing 
semiannual, or more frequent, monitoring reports and annual compliance 
certifications for issued permits. Sources in the part 70 program 
primarily will be interacting with the permitting authority on permit 
issuance, be it an initial permit, renewal permit or permit revision; 
preparing applications for permit renewal or for revisions, as needed; 
preparing semiannual, or more frequent, monitoring and deviation 
reports, and annual compliance certification reports; and carrying out 
periodic monitoring that was created as a result of the program.

    Dated: March 10, 2004.
Richard A. Wayland,
Acting Director, Information Transfer and Program Implementation 
Division.
[FR Doc. 04-6430 Filed 3-22-04; 8:45 am]
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