[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 38 (Monday, February 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9640-9642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3797]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OAR-2002-0073, FRL-7877-8]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Recordkeeping and Period Reporting of the Production, 
Import, Export, Recycling, Destruction, Transhipment and Feedstock Use 
of Ozone-Depleting Substances, EPA ICR Number 1432.22, OMB Control 
Number 2060-0170

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 EPA is planning to submit a 
continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request to renew an existing 
approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on May 31, 2005. 
Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is 
soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information 
collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 29, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number No. OAR-
2002-0073, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-
mail to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, (EPA/
DC), Environmental Protection Agency, EPA West, Room B102, 1301 
Constitution Ave, NW., Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jabeen Akhtar, Office of Atmospheric 
Programs, Stratospheric Protection Division, Mail Code 6205J, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 343-9313; fax number: 
202-343-2338; e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this 
ICR under Docket ID number OAR-2002-0073, which is available for public 
viewing at the EPA Air 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 EPA Air Docket 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 obtain a copy of the draft 
collection of information, 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 within 
60 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.

[[Page 9641]]

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action 
are:

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                   Category                        NAICS         Examples of  potentially regulated entities
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1. Industrial organic chemicals, NEC..........       325199  Producers, importers, or exporters of CBM.
2. Pharmaceutical preparations................       325412  Transformers of CBM.
3. Pesticides and agricultural chemicals, NEC.        32532  Transformers of CBM.
4. Chemicals and allied products, NEC.........        42269  Lab suppliers of CBM.
5. Testing laboratories, except veterinary            54138  Lab users of CBM.
 testing labs.
6. Medical and diagnostic laboratories........         6215  Lab users of CBM.
7. Research and development in the physical,          54171  Lab users of CBM.
 engineering and life sciences.
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    Title: Recordkeeping and Period Reporting of the Production, 
Import, Export, Recycling, Destruction, Transhipment and Feedstock Use 
of Ozone-Depleting Substances.
    Abstract: With this renewal Information Collection Request (ICR), 
EPA's Office of Air and Radiation is renewing the ICR for the final 
rule for the phaseout of chlorobromomethane (CBM) (68 FR 42884) which 
imposed recordkeeping and reporting requirements associated with the 
production, import, export, recycling, destruction, transhipment, and 
feedstock use of CBM.
    Producers, importers, and exporters are required to submit to EPA 
quarterly reports of the quantity of CBM in each of their transactions; 
they are also required to report the quantity of CBM transformed or 
destroyed. Producers, importers, and exporters are also required to 
maintain records such as Customs entry forms, bills of lading, sales 
records, and canceled checks to support their quarterly reports. The 
quarterly reports may be faxed or mailed to EPA, where they may be 
handled as confidential business information. EPA informs respondents 
that they may assert claims of business confidentiality for any of the 
information they submit. Information claimed confidential will be 
treated in accordance with the procedures for handling information 
claimed as confidential under 40 CFR part 2, subpart b, and will be 
disclosed only if EPA determines that the information is not entitled 
to confidential treatment. If no claim of confidentiality is asserted 
when the information is received by EPA, it may be made available to 
the public without further notice to the respondents (40 CFR 2.203). 
EPA will store the submitted information in a computerized database 
designed to track production, import, and export balances and transfer 
activities. All the information requested from respondents under this 
ICR is required by statute (CAA Section 603(b)) and to ensure that the 
U.S. maintains compliance with the Montreal Protocol reporting 
requirements under Article 7. 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.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
    (i) 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;
    (ii) 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;
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) 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.
    Burden Statement:
    For companies affected by the regulation for CBM, the reporting 
burden, which includes time for preparing and submitting reports, was 
estimated to be an average of 19.4 hours per respondent per year. This 
estimate was calculated by dividing the total number of hours spent 
annually on reporting requirements (2,580) by the total number of 
respondents (133) (i.e., 2580/133 = 19.4). The recordkeeping burden for 
these companies, which includes time for gathering information and 
developing and maintaining records, was estimated to average 13.38 
hours per respondent per year. This estimate was calculated by using 
figures from a previous ICR, entitled ``Recordkeeping and Periodic 
Reporting of the Production, Import, Export, Recycling, Destruction, 
Transhipment and Feedstock Use of Ozone-Depleting Substances'' (ICR 
1432.21). The labor costs portion of the industry reporting burden is 
estimated in Table I of ICR 1432.22. The estimate included the time 
needed to comply with EPA's reporting requirements. The total industry 
annual labor cost burden was estimated to be $198,350.
    It is expected that firms which are subject to the recordkeeping 
and reporting requirements for CBM are largely a subset of firms which 
already perform these recordkeeping and reporting requirements for 
already-regulated ozone-depleting substances. Therefore, any additional 
O&M costs were expected to be minimal. A value of $3,000 for total 
industry O&M costs was assumed.
    The following is a summary of the estimates taken from ICR 1432.22:

Total number of potential respondents: 133
Frequency of response: Quarterly, annually
Respondent annual burden hours: 2,580
Respondent annual labor costs: $198,350
Respondent capital/start-up costs: $0
Respondent O & M costs: $3,000
    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.


[[Page 9642]]


    Dated: February 8, 2005.
Drusilla Hufford,
Director, Stratospheric Protection Division.
[FR Doc. 05-3797 Filed 2-25-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P