[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 7, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40899-40901]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-15345]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[SFUND-2000-0009; FRL-7782-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Notification of Episodic Releases 
of Oil and Hazardous Substances (Renewal), EPA ICR Number 1049.10, OMB 
Control Number 2050-0046

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 the following 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 July 
31, 2004. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or 
sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending 
at OMB. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and 
estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments must be submitted on or before August 6, 
2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number SFUND-
2000-0009, 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,

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Superfund Docket, Mail Code 5305T, 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: Lynn M. Beasley, Office of Emergency 
Preparedness, Prevention and Response, Mail Code 5204G, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (703) 603-9086; fax number: (703) 603-9104; 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 12, 2003 (68 FR 69397), 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 
No. SFUND-2000-0009, which is available for public viewing at the 
Superfund 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 Office 
of Solid Waste and Emergency Response Docket is (202) 566-0276. 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 http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Title: Notification of Episodic Releases of Oil and Hazardous 
Substances (Renewal)
    Abstract: Section 103(a) of CERCLA, as amended, requires the person 
in charge of a facility or vessel to immediately notify the National 
Response Center (NRC) of a hazardous substance release into the 
environment if the amount of the release equals or exceeds the 
substance's reportable quantity (RQ) limit. The RQ of every hazardous 
substance can be found in Table 302.4 of 40 CFR 302.4.
    Section 311 of the CWA, as amended, requires the person in charge 
of a vessel to immediately notify the NRC of an oil spill into U.S. 
navigable waters if the spill causes a sheen, violates applicable water 
quality standards, or causes a sludge or emulsion to be deposited 
beneath the surface of the water or upon adjoining shorelines.
    The reporting of a hazardous substance release that is above the 
substance's RQ allows the Federal government to determine whether a 
Federal response action is required to control or mitigate any 
potential adverse effects to public health or welfare or the 
environment. Likewise, the reporting of oil spills allows the Federal 
government to determine whether cleaning up the oil spill is necessary 
to mitigate or prevent damage to public health or welfare or the 
environment.
    The hazardous substance and oil release information collected under 
CERCLA section 103(a) and CWA section 311 also is available to EPA 
program offices and other Federal agencies who use the information to 
evaluate the potential need for additional regulations, new permitting 
requirements for specific substances or sources, or improved emergency 
response planning. Release notification information, which is stored in 
the national Emergency Response Notification System (ERNS) data base, 
is available to State and local government authorities as well as the 
general public. State and local government authorities and the 
regulated community use release information for purposes of local 
emergency response planning. Members of the general public, who have 
access to release information through the Freedom of Information Act, 
may request release information for purposes of maintaining an 
awareness of what types of releases are occurring in different 
localities and what actions, if any, are being taken to protect public 
health and welfare and the environment. ERNS fact sheets, which provide 
summary and statistical information about hazardous substance and oil 
release notifications, also are available to the public.
    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 4 
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: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are facilities or vessels that manufacture, process, 
transport, or otherwise use certain specified hazardous substances and 
oil.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 24,082.
    Frequency of Response: When a reportable release occurs.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 98,736.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $7,230,537, includes $0 annual 
capital/startup costs, $0 annual O&M costs and $7,230,537 annual labor 
costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 1,459 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This increase is the result of adjustments to the 
estimates. Annual

[[Page 40901]]

respondent burden hours are equal to the number of releases reported to 
the NRC in a year multiplied by the unit burden hours associated with 
reporting a release.

    Dated: June 24, 2004.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 04-15345 Filed 7-6-04; 8:45 am]
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