[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 6 (Monday, January 10, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1697-1699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-419]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2003-0081; FRL-7859-7]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Survey Questionnaire To Determine 
the Effectiveness, Costs, and Impacts of Sewage and Graywater Treatment 
Devices for Large Cruise Ships Operating in Alaska, EPA ICR Number 
2133.01, OMB Control Number 2040-NEW

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 an Information Collection 
Request

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(ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review and approval. This is a request for a new collection. This 
ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its 
estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before February 9, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2003-
0081, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by email 
to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Water Docket, EPA West, 4101T, 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: Elizabeth Kim, Oceans and Coastal 
Protection Division, Office of Water, Mail Code 4504T, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 566-1270; fax number: (202) 566-1546; email 
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 February 3, 2004 (69 FR 5145), EPA sought comments on this 
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA has addressed the comments 
received in the supporting statement of this ICR. Please note that the 
first Federal Register notice submitted included an incorrect ICR 
number (OW-2003-0014). The correct EPA ICR Number is 2133.01.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. OW-2003-0081, which is available for public viewing at the Water 
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 Water Docket 
is (202) 566-2426. 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: Survey Questionnaire to Determine the Effectiveness, Costs, 
and Impacts of Sewage and Graywater Treatment Devices for Large Cruise 
Ships Operating in Alaska.
    Abstract: On December 12, 2000, Congress passed HR 4577 (Public Law 
106-554), ``Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and 
Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.'' This act included 
a section entitled ``Title XIV: Certain Alaskan Cruise Ship 
Operations'' (33 U.S.C. 1901 Note). Title XIV set requirements for the 
discharge of sewage and graywater from cruise ships authorized to carry 
for hire 500 or more passengers while operating in the waters of the 
Alexander Archipelago and the navigable waters of the United States 
within the State of Alaska and within the Kachemak Bay National 
Estuarine Research Reserve (hereafter referred to as waters in and near 
Alaska). Title XIV also authorized that:

the Administrator [of EPA] may promulgate effluent standards for 
treated sewage (human body waste and the wastes from toilets and 
other receptacles intended to receive or retain human body waste) 
and graywater (galley, dishwasher, bath, and laundry waste water) 
from cruise vessels operating in the waters of the Alexander 
Archipelago or the navigable waters of the United States within the 
State of Alaska or within the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine 
Research Reserve. Regulations implementing such standards shall take 
into account the best available scientific information on the 
environmental effects of the regulated discharges and the 
availability of new technologies for wastewater treatment.

    EPA has begun an effort to develop and promulgate regulations, as 
necessary and appropriate, for controlling the discharge of sewage and 
graywater from cruise ships covered by Title XIV. Title XIV provides 
that the authority of sections 308(a) and 308(b) of the Clean Water 
Act, regarding records, reports, and inspections, shall be available to 
carry out the provisions of the Act (section 1413). EPA has prepared an 
ICR for OMB approval for gathering data in support of this rulemaking. 
The ICR requests approval to collect information from cruise lines and 
cruise ships covered by Title XIV.
    The information to be gathered with a survey questionnaire would 
include: general information regarding the cruise line and each of the 
cruise vessels authorized to carry for hire 500 or more passengers in 
waters in and near Alaska (e.g., size, capacity, ports of call); 
description of sources of graywater; ship-board plumbing systems; data 
describing the effectiveness of sewage and graywater treatment systems 
and marine sanitation devices (MSDs) operating on these large vessels 
at removing pollutants of concern; costs of these systems; pollution 
prevention programs and management practices; information pertinent to 
environmental assessment; and financial information and data necessary 
for economic impact analysis. When possible, EPA will use available 
information to complete answers to some questions. In these cases, the 
respondent will be asked to verify the information and update it if 
necessary. The survey questionnaire will provide instructions on the 
procedures for making CBI claims, if necessary, and the respondents 
will be informed of the rules governing protection of CBI, for 
information that warrants such claims.
    EPA also intends to continue to supplement this information 
collection by gathering additional publicly available information and 
data from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) 
and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the cruise ship industry, and other 
stakeholders.
    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.

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    Burden Statement: EPA estimates that 12 cruise line operators would 
respond to the survey for a total of 30 vessels operating in Alaska. 
The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this 
collection of information is estimated to average across all vessels 
42.3 hours per response. That is 54 hours per response to complete and 
review responses to the survey questionnaire and associated data 
submissions for each of the 16 cruise ships that are certified by the 
U.S. Coast Guard to discharge continuously in the waters in and near 
Alaska under 33 CFR 159.309. This estimate includes the burden for 
verifying and updating ``draft'' responses provided by EPA to a portion 
of the questions. For the remaining 14 ships that do not have 
wastewater treatment systems authorized to discharge continuously, EPA 
estimates it would take an average of approximately 29 hours per 
response to complete and review responses to the survey questionnaire.
    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: Operators of cruise lines and 
individual cruise ships authorized to carry for hire 500 or more 
passengers, operating in waters in and near Alaska.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 12 cruise line operators.
    Frequency of Response: One time response.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,270 hours for all ships.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $50,981, includes $0 annualized 
capital expenditure, $890 Respondent O&M costs, and $50,091 Respondent 
Labor costs.

    Dated: December 20, 2004.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 05-419 Filed 1-7-05; 8:45 am]
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