[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 32 (Thursday, February 17, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8113-8115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3076]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Submission for OMB Review: Comment Request

February 11, 2005.
    The Department of Labor (DOL) has submitted the following public 
information collection requests (ICRs) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35). A copy of 
each ICR, with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by 
contacting Darrin King on 202-693-4129 (this is not a toll-free number) 
or e-mail: [email protected].
    Comments should be sent to Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the Mine Safety and Health 
Administration (MSHA), Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, 
Washington, DC 20503, 202-395-7316 (this is not a toll-free number), 
within 30 days from the date of this publication in the Federal 
Register.

[[Page 8114]]

    The OMB is particularly interested in comments which:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.
    Agency: Mine Safety and Health Administration.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved collection.
    Title: Refuse Piles and Impounding Structures, Recordkeeping and 
Reporting Requirements.
    OMB Number: 1219-0015.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Response: Recordkeeping and reporting.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 770.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                          Average time
                Cite/reference                     Number of                  Frequency                    Annual         per response    Annual burden
                                                  respondents                                             responses         (hours)           hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
77.215 New Refuse Piles.......................                1  On occasion........................              1                  16               16
Abandonment Plans.............................               25  On occasion........................             25                   8              200
77.216 New Impoundments.......................                4  On occasion........................              4               1,300            5,200
Revisions.....................................                6  On occasion........................              6                  40              240
Fire Extinguisher Plans.......................                1  On occasion........................               .25               20                5
Annual Certifications (existing)..............               39  Annual.............................             39                   2               78
Inspections w/monitoring Instruments..........              296  17x/yr.............................          5,032                   3           15,096
w/o monitoring Instruments....................              444  17x/yr.............................          7,548                   2           15,096
                                                                                                     ------------------                 ----------------
    Total.....................................  ...............  ...................................         12,655     ...............           35,931
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Total Annualized Capital/Startup Costs: $0.
    Total Annual Costs (Operating/Maintaining Systems or Purchasing 
Services): $7,372,120.
    Description: Title 30 CFR part 77, subpart C, sets forth 
regulations for surface installations. More specifically, 30 CFR 30.215 
addresses refuse piles and 30 CFR 77.216 addresses impoundments. 
Impoundments are structures that are used to impound water, sediment, 
or slurry or any combination of materials; and refuse piles are 
deposits of coal mine waste that are removed during mining operations 
or separated from mined coal and deposited on the surface. The failure 
of these structures can have a devastating affect on a community. To 
avoid or minimize such disasters, standards exist for the construction 
and maintenance of these structures, for annual certifications, for 
certification for hazardous refuse piles, for the frequency of 
inspections, and the methods of abandonment for impoundments and 
impounding structures.
    Agency:Mine Safety and Health Administration.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved collection.
    Title: Examinations & Testing of Electrical Equipment Including 
Exam, Testing, and Maintenance of High Voltage Longwalls.
    OMB Number: 1219-0116.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Response: Recordkeeping and reporting.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 1,600.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                 Response time    Annual burden
          Cite/reference                    Frequency         Total responses       (hours)           hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.53(h)..........................  On Occasion.............                3              1.1                 3
75.820(b) and (e).................  Daily...................           17,500              0.83            1,453
78.821(d).........................  Weekly..................            2,500              1.5             3,750
75.512 and 75.703 3(d)(11)........  Weekly..................          760,100              0.5           380,050
77.502............................  Monthly.................          271,272              1.25          339,090
75.800-3&4 and 77.800-1&2.........  Monthly.................           31,188              0.75           23,391
75.900-3&4........................  Monthly.................           65,760              1.5            98,640
77.900-1&2........................  Monthly.................           18,084              0.75           13,563
75.1001-1(b)&(c)..................  6 Months................            1,836              1.5             2,754
75.351............................  Monthly.................            7,128              1.25            8,910
                                                             -----------------                  ----------------
    Total.........................  ........................        1,175,371  ................          871,604
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Total Annualized Capital/Startup Costs: $0.
    Total Annual Costs (Operating/Maintaining Systems or Purchasing 
Services): $0.
    Description: The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Act) 
and 30 CFR parts 75 and 77, Mandatory standards for coal mines make the 
collection of information necessary.
    It has long been known that inadequate maintenance of electric 
equipment is a major cause of serious electrical accidents in the coal 
mining industry. It is imperative that mine operators adopt and follow 
an effective maintenance program to ensure that electric equipment is 
maintained in a safe operating condition if electrocutions, mine fires, 
and mine explosions are to be prevented. The

[[Page 8115]]

subject regulations require the mine operator to establish an 
electrical maintenance program by specifying minimum requirements for 
the examination, testing, and maintenance of electric equipment.
    The respondents for the paperwork provisions of the subject 
regulations are coal mine operators. The records of tests and 
examinations are reviewed by coal miners, coal mine officials, and MSHA 
and State inspectors. The records are intended to indicate whether 
examinations and tests were conducted and give insight into the 
hazardous conditions that have been encountered and those that may be 
encountered. These records greatly assist those who use them in making 
decisions that will ultimately affect the safety and health of miners.
    Miners examine the records to determine if electric equipment is 
safe to operate and to determine if reported safety defects have been 
corrected. Mine officials examine the records to evaluate the 
effectiveness of their electrical maintenance programs, to determine 
that the required tests and examinations have been conducted, and to 
determine if reported safety defects have been corrected. MSHA and 
State inspectors review the records to determine if the required tests 
and examinations have been conducted and to identify units of electric 
equipment that may pose a potential safety hazard, and to evaluate the 
effectiveness of the coal mine operator's electrical maintenance 
programs. By comparing the records with the actual condition of 
electric equipment, MSHA inspectors may, in some cases, be able to 
identify weaknesses in the coal mine operator's electrical maintenance 
programs and require that these weaknesses be corrected.

Darrin A. King,
Acting Departmental Clearance Officer
[FR Doc. 05-3076 Filed 2-16-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P