[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 31, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51785-51787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17369]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2003-0030; FRL-7964-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance, EPA ICR Number 
1639.05, OMB Control Number 2040-0180

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

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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 August 31, 2005. 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 September 30, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2003-
0030, 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, Mail Code 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: Lynn Stabenfeldt, Office of Wastewater 
Management. 4201M, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-0602; fax 
number: (202) 501-2399; 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 May 31, 2005 (70 FR 30944-30955), 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. OW-2003-0030, 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: National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Great Lakes 
Water Quality Guidance.
    Abstract: The primary objective of the Clean Water Act (CWA) is 
``to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological 
integrity of the nation's waters'' (Section 101(a)). CWA Section 402 
establishes the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 
permit program to regulate the discharge of any pollutant or 
combination of pollutants from point sources into the waters of the 
United States. CWA Section 402(a), as amended, authorizes the EPA 
Administrator to issue permits for the discharge of pollutants if those 
discharges meet the following requirements:
     All applicable requirements of CWA Sections 301, 302, 306, 
307, 308, and 403; and
     Any conditions the Administrator determines are necessary 
to carry out the provisions and objectives of the CWA.
    Section 101 of the Great Lakes Critical Programs Act (CPA) amends 
section 118 of the CWA and directs EPA to publish water quality 
guidance for the Great Lakes System. Provisions of the Guidance are 
codified in 40 CFR part 132. The Guidance establishes minimum water 
quality criteria, implementation procedures, and antidegradation 
provisions for the Great Lakes System.
    Permitting authorities currently require dischargers to provide 
information such as the name, location, and description of facilities 
to identify the facilities that require permits. EPA and authorized 
NPDES States store much of this basic information in the Permit 
Compliance System (PCS) database. PCS provides EPA with a nationwide 
inventory of NPDES permit holders. EPA Headquarters uses the 
information contained in the PCS to develop reports on permit issuance, 
backlogs, and compliance rates. The Agency also uses the information to 
respond to public and Congressional inquiries, develop and guide its 
policies, formulate its budgets, assist States in acquiring authority 
for permitting programs, and manage its programs to ensure national 
consistency in permitting.
    NPDES permit applications and requests for supplemental information 
currently require information about wastewater treatment systems, 
pollutants, discharge rates and volumes, whole effluent toxicity 
testing and other data. Additional information collection requirements 
that may be necessary to implement State, Tribal, or EPA promulgated 
provisions consistent with the final Guidance include: (1) Monitoring 
(pollutant-specific and whole effluent toxicity or WET); (2) pollutant 
minimization programs; (3) antidegradation policy/demonstrations; and, 
(4) regulatory relief options (e.g., variances from water quality 
criteria).
    This information may be used to ensure compliance with provisions 
consistent with the Guidance and re-evaluate existing permit conditions 
and monitoring requirements. Data on discharges is entered into STORET 
and PCS, EPA's databases for ambient water quality data and NPDES 
permits, respectively. Results of water quality criteria testing will 
be entered into an EPA Information Clearinghouse database.
    Permit applications may contain confidential business information. 
If this is the case, the respondent may request that such information 
be treated as confidential. All confidential data will be handled in 
accordance with 40 CFR 122.7, 40 CFR part 2, and EPA's Security Manual 
part III, chapter 9, dated August 9, 1976. However, CWA Section 308(b) 
specifically states that effluent data may not be treated as 
confidential. No questions of a sensitive nature are associated with 
this information collection.

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    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 
26,781 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: (1) Industries discharging toxic 
pollutants to waters in the Great Lakes System as defined in 40 CFR 
132.2 and (2) publicly-owned treatment works discharging toxic 
pollutants to waters of the Great Lakes System as defined in 40 CFR 
132.2.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,710
    Frequency of Response: Varies depending on discharger's effluent 
characteristics.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 28,797
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $3,070,186, includes $0 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 94,066 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is due to a transfer of burden 
hours to the Water Quality Standards ICR (OMB Control Number 2040-0049) 
and a decrease in the number of potentially affected entities.

    Dated: August 23, 2005.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 05-17369 Filed 8-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P