[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 176 (Monday, September 13, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55157-55159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-20604]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OAR-2004-0015; FRL-7811-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; State Operating Permits 
Regulations (40 CFR Part 70) (Renewal), EPA ICR Number 1587.06, OMB 
Control Number 2060-0243

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

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 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 October 31, 
2004. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or 
sponsor the collection of

[[Page 55158]]

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 October 13, 
2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OAR-2004-
0015, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail 
to [email protected], or by mail to: Environmental Protection 
Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Air and Radiation Docket and 
Information Center, EPA West, Mail Code 6102T, 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: Grecia A. Castro, Office of Air 
Quality Planning and Standards, 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: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB 
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 
1320.12. On March 23, 2004 (69 FR 13524), 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. OAR-2004-0015, which is available for public viewing at the Air and 
Radiation 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 Air 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 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, 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: State Operating Permits Regulations (40 CFR part 70) 
(Renewal).
    Abstract: In implementing sections 501 thru 507 of title V of the 
Clean Air Act and EPA's part 70 operating permits regulations, State 
and local permitting agencies must develop programs and submit them to 
EPA for approval and sources subject to the program must develop 
operating permit applications and submit them to the permitting 
authority within one year after program approval. Permitting 
authorities will then issue permits and thereafter enforce, revise, and 
renew those permits at no more than 5-year intervals. Permit 
applications and proposed permits will be provided to, and are subject 
to review by, EPA. 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. The 
public shall be given public notice of, and an opportunity for comment 
on, permitting actions. Sources will submit monitoring reports semi-
annually and compliance certifications annually to the permitting 
authorities. The EPA has the responsibility to oversee implementation 
of the program.
    The activities in this ICR involve recordkeeping and information 
transmittal in the form of reports (deviations, monitoring or 
compliance certification), applications for permits or revisions and 
issued permits. Draft permits are made available for public review and 
comment. The activities to carry out these tasks are considered 
mandatory and necessary for implementation of title V and the proper 
performance of the operating permits program. The information will also 
be available for public inspection at any time in the offices of the 
permitting authorities. This notice provides updated burden estimates 
from a previously approved ICR.
    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 288 
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: Air pollution sources, state and 
local permitting authorities.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 17,738 sources, 112 permitting 
authorities.
    Frequency of Response: Semi-annually, annually, on occasion, one 
time.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 5,109,548.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $170,343,958, which includes $0 
annualized capital costs, $0 O&M costs, and $170,343,958 annual labor 
costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 329,928 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This increase is an adjustment related to the 
nature of the activities associated with implementing the part 70 
program. State and local permitting authorities first developed their 
programs and submitted them to EPA for approval, over a period of 
several years, during which approved programs

[[Page 55159]]

were beginning to be implemented by first having sources submit permit 
applications. As the later program submissions were being approved, 
some agencies were in the early stages of issuing permits. As of the 
beginning of this ICR, all programs are approved and the majority of 
sources initially subject to the program have been issued permits. All 
sources with permits will be performing collection activities. Some of 
the initial permits are expiring and sources are applying for renewal 
permits, other sources are making changes and applying for permit 
revisions.

    Dated: September 2, 2004.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 04-20604 Filed 9-10-04; 8:45 am]
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