[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 22 (Thursday, February 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5642-5643]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2064]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2003-0017; FRL-7867-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Underground Injection Control 
Program (Renewal); EPA ICR Number 0370.19; OMB Control Number 2040-0042

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 (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 January 31, 
2005. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or 
sponsor the collection of information while this submission is

[[Page 5643]]

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 March 7, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2003-
0017, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail 
to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Water Docket, MC 4104T, 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: Robert E. Smith, Office of Ground 
Water and Drinking Water, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 
564-3895; fax number: (202) 564-3756; 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 October 25, 2004 (69 FR 62267), EPA sought comments on this 
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA has addressed the comments 
received.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. OW-2003-0017, 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: Underground Injection Control Program (Renewal).
    Abstract: The Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program under the 
Safe Drinking Water Act established a Federal and State regulatory 
system to protect underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) from 
contamination by injected fluids. Owners/operators of underground 
injection wells must obtain permits, conduct environmental monitoring, 
maintain records, and report results to EPA or the State UIC primacy 
agency. States must report to EPA on permittee compliance and related 
information. The mandatory information is reported using standardized 
forms, and the regulations are codified at 40 CFR parts 144 through 
148. The data are used to ensure the protection of USDWs from UIC 
authorities.
    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 3 
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: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are owners and operators of underground injection wells, 
state UIC primacy agencies, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Trust Territories, 
Indian Tribes, Alaska's Native Villages and, in some instances, U.S. 
EPA Regional offices.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 41,141.
    Frequency of Response: Varies.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,334,054.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $135,355,000, includes $89,415,000 
annualized capital or O&M costs and $45,941,000 annual labor costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 242,109 hours in 
the total estimated annual burden currently identified in the OMB 
Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. This increase is related to an 
expected increase in activities under the 1999 Class V Rule associated 
with regulatory deadlines for closure of large-capacity cesspools and 
closure/permitting of motor vehicle waste disposal wells that will 
occur during the clearance period. Also, this ICR burden reflects 
several adjustments in assumptions, including inventories of all well 
classes and changes to the number of responses or unit burdens for 
certain activities, based on recent consultations.

    Dated: January 25, 2005.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 05-2064 Filed 2-2-05; 8:45 am]
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