[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 226 (Wednesday, November 24, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68347-68349]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-26078]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OAR-2004-0228; FRL-7841-6]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Reporting and Recordkeeping 
Requirements Under the Perfluorocompound (PFC) Reduction/Climate 
Partnership for the Semiconductor Industry (Renewal), EPA ICR Number 
1823.03, OMB Control Number 2060-0382

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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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 11/30/04. 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 December 27, 
2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OAR-2004-
0228, 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, MC 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: Scott Bartos, Office of Atmospheric 
Programs, 6207J, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Aveue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 343-9167; fax 
number: (202) 343-2202; 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 August 23, 2004 (69 FR 51831), 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-2004-0228, 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 and Radiation Docket and Information 
Center 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: Reporting and Record Keeping Requirements Under the 
Perfluorocompound (PFC) Reduction/Climate Partnership for the 
Semiconductor Industry (Renewal).
    Abstract: The U.S. EPA's Office of Atmospheric Programs launched 
the PFC Reduction/Climate Partnership for the Semiconductor Industry in 
1996. Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are the most potent greenhouse 
gases known with atmospheric lifetimes of up to 50,000 years. These 
unique chemical compounds are required during two critical 
semiconductor manufacturing steps, plasma etching and CVD chamber 
cleaning. This important voluntary program contributes to the country's 
overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The program uses a 
pollution prevention approach to reduce emissions and tracks progress 
by annually collecting PFC emissions estimates from partners.
    In 2003, EPA's semiconductor industry partners were recognized for 
their commitment and ongoing efforts to protect the climate as 
participants in the White House's Climate VISION initiative. All 
semiconductor manufacturers operating in the U.S. are invited to join 
this voluntary partnership. Participation in the program begins by 
completing a Memorandum of Understanding that defines a voluntary 
agreement between the company and EPA. By joining the partnership, a 
company agrees to track and report an estimate of its PFC emissions to 
EPA annually. A designated third party assembles the reported data and 
protects any confidential or sensitive information prior to EPA review. 
The partner companies' annual reports will provide an estimate of total 
PFC emissions and a description of the estimating method. The 
partnership will track progress as a group using the aggregate annual 
PFC emissions estimate.
    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 533 
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: Semiconductor manufacturers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 24.
    Frequency of Response: Once annually.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 13,050.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $1,253,982, which includes $0 
annualized capital/startup costs,

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$132,936 annual O&M costs, and $1,121,046 annual labor costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 1,900 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is because the partnership has 
stabilized at 24 partner companies representing 80 percent of the U.S. 
industry and no new partners are expected to join over the next three 
years. Therefore, activities related to reviewing and signing a 
memorandum of understanding were removed from the burden estimate.

    Dated: November 17, 2004.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 04-26078 Filed 11-23-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P