[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 160 (Thursday, August 19, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51461-51462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-19048]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OA-2004-0005, FRL-7803-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Pilot Test of the Pollution and Abatement Costs and 
Expenditures (PACE) Survey, EPA ICR Number 2158.01

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 October 18, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OA-2004-
0005, to 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 Environmental Information Docket, Mail 
Code 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Kelly Maguire, Office of Policy, 
Economics, and Innovation, National Center for Environmental Economics, 
MC 1809T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-2273; fax number: 
(202) 566-2339; e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this 
ICR under Docket ID number OA-2004-0005, which is available for public 
viewing at the Office of Environmental Information 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 Environmental Information 
Docket 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 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, 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

[[Page 51462]]

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 
manufacturing, mining, and electric utility operations.
    Title: Pilot Test of the Pollution and Abatement Costs and 
Expenditures (PACE) Survey.
    Abstract: The Pollution Abatement Costs and Expenditures (PACE) 
Survey was conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census annually between 
1973 and 1994 (excluding 1987) and again in 1999. This pilot test is to 
evaluate a revised PACE survey instrument which will be reinstituted in 
2006.
    The data from the PACE Survey are mainly used by the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to better satisfy legislative and 
executive requirements to track the costs of regulatory programs and to 
provide aggregate national statistics on costs and expenditures for 
pollution abatement activities. Other users of these aggregate data 
include trade associations, manufacturers, marketing and research 
companies, universities, financial and environmental institutions, 
other federal agencies, state and local governments, and environmental 
reporters.
    This information collection request is to conduct a pilot of the 
redesigned survey instrument being considered for use in reinstating 
the annual PACE Survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census. The 
survey collects information on facility-specific costs and expenditures 
for pollution abatement activities among manufacturing, mining, and 
electric utility facilities. Pollution abatement includes treatment, 
recycling, waste disposal, pollution prevention, and other pollution 
management activities such as monitoring and testing and record-keeping 
and reporting.
    Participation in the pilot test of the PACE survey will be 
voluntary. The findings from the pilot test will be used to develop the 
final version of the survey that will be required by law (Title 13, 
U.S. Code). The survey responses from the pilot test will only be used 
to validate the redesigned survey instrument.
    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: The public reporting burden for this collection 
of information is estimated to average 4.5 hours per response.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1000.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 4500 hours.
    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: August 5, 2004.
Al McGartland,
Director, National Center for Environmental Economics, Office of 
Policy, Economics, and Innovation.
[FR Doc. 04-19048 Filed 8-18-04; 8:45 am]
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