[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 234 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70682-70683]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-26818]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[SFUND-2004-0005; FRL-7843-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Superfund Site Evaluation and 
Hazard Ranking System (Renewal), EPA ICR Number 1488.06, OMB Control 
Number 2050-0095.

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 November 30, 
2004. 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 January 6, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number SFUND-
2004-0005, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by 
email to, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection 
Agency, Superfund Docket, Mail Code 5202T, 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: Angelo Carasea, OSRTI, Office of Solid 
Waste and Emergency Response, Mail Code 5204G, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: (703) 603-8828; fax number: (202) 603-9104; email address: 
[email protected].

[[Page 70683]]


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 June 21, 2004 (69 FR 34346), 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-2004-0005, 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 
Superfund 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 www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Title: Superfund Site Evaluation and Hazard Ranking System 
(Renewal).
    Abstract: Section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, 1980 and 1986) amends the 
National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) 
to include criteria prioritizing releases throughout the U.S. before 
undertaking remedial action at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. The 
Hazard Ranking System (HRS) is a model that is used to evaluate the 
relative threats to human health and the environment posed by actual or 
potential releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, and 
contaminants. The HRS criteria take into account the population at 
risk, the hazard potential of the substances, as well as the potential 
for contamination of drinking water supplies, direct human contact, 
destruction of sensitive ecosystems, damage to natural resources 
affecting the human food chain, contamination of surface water used for 
recreation or potable water consumption, and contamination of ambient 
air.
    Under this ICR, the States or Tribal authorities will apply the HRS 
by identifying and classifying those releases that warrant further 
investigation. The information collected under this ICR is required to 
help determine whether an individual site is eligible to be included on 
the National Priorities List (NPL). Only sites on the NPL are eligible 
for Superfund-financed remedial actions.
    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 166.1 
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: States, Indian Tribes, and U.S. 
territories performing Superfund site evaluation activities.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 607.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 150,285.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $13,580,375, includes $0 annualized 
capital expenditure, $0 O&M costs, and $13,580,375 Respondent Labor 
Costs, though costs are fully reimbursed by the Agency.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 80,248 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is due to adjustments to the 
estimates because fewer site assessment activities are conducted 
nationally.

    Dated: November 29, 2004.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 04-26818 Filed 12-6-04; 8:45 am]
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