[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 105 (Thursday, June 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31177-31179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8468]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2002-0094; FRL-8177-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Reporting Requirements Under EPA's Climate Leaders 
Partnership--EPA ICR No. 2100.02; OMB Control No. 2060-0532

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 
request to renew an existing approved Information Collection Request 
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is 
scheduled to expire on September 30, 2006. 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.

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DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 31, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number EPA-HQ- 
OAR- 2002- 0094 to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (preferred 
method), by E-mail to [email protected], or by mail to: 
EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Air and Radiation 
Docket and Information Center, MC 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2002-0094. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site 
is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through http://www.regulations.gov your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses. For additional information about EPA's public 
docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Sullivan, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, 6202J, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 343-9241; fax number: 
(202) 565-2134; e-mail address [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a docket for this action 
under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2002-0094, which is available for online 
viewing at http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air 
and Radiation Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West 
Building, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The 
EPA/DC Public Reading Room is open from 8 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 
Docket Center is 202-566-1742.
    Use http://www.regulations.gov to obtain a copy of the draft 
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the 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 in this document.

What Information Is EPA Particularly Interested in?

    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of Paperwork Reduction Act, EPA 
specifically solicits comments and information to enable it 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. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from 
very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of 
specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork 
burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.

What Should I Consider When I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific 
examples.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used 
that support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
    6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified 
under DATES.
    7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket 
ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first page 
of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal 
Register citation.

What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Apply to?

    Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
corporations that voluntarily agree to work with EPA to measure and 
record their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
    Title: Reporting Requirements Under EPA's Climate Leaders 
Partnership--EPA ICR No. 2100.02.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2100.02, OMB Control No. 2060-0532.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on September 
30, 2006. 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 title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal 
Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, and included on 
the related collection instrument or form, if applicable.
    Abstract: In an effort to aid implementation of U.S. commitments in 
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 
President announced a Climate Change Strategy on February 14, 2002, 
wherein he set a national U.S. GHG intensity goal of 18 percent by 
2012. Part of that strategy challenges companies to set GHG reduction 
goals by working with EPA through the voluntary Climate Leaders 
program. EPA has developed this renewal ICR to ensure that the program 
remains credible by obtaining continued authorization to collect 
information from Climate Leaders Partners to ensure the Partners are 
meeting their GHG goals over time. Companies that join Climate Leaders 
voluntarily agree to the following: Completing and submitting a 
Partnership Agreement; negotiating a

[[Page 31179]]

corporate GHG reduction goal; submitting a GHG inventory management 
plan; participating in an onsite review of the inventory management 
plan, and reporting to EPA, on an annual basis, the company's GHG 
emissions inventory, and progress toward their GHG reduction goal via 
Climate Leaders Annual GHG Inventory Summary and Goal Tracking Form. 
The information contained in the inventories of the companies that join 
Climate Leaders may be considered confidential business information and 
is maintained as such. EPA uses the data obtained from the companies to 
assess the success of the program in achieving its GHG reduction goals. 
Responses to the information collection are voluntary.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this (3) three year collection of information is estimated 
to equal 11,955 hours and to average 94.13 hours per year per 
respondent. The average number of annual burden hours on first year 
partners for each type of one-time response is: 9.67 hours to complete 
and submit a Partnership Agreement, 46.75 hours for documenting and 
submitting an Inventory Management Plan, 22.25 hours participating in 
an on-site verification of the Inventory Management Plan, 41 hours for 
negotiating and setting a GHG reduction goal, 117.5 hours for 
establishing a base year inventory, and 3.5 hours to submit a company 
profile that is posted on the Web. For all other partners who have been 
part of the program for longer than one year, the average number of 
annual burden hours is 67 hours for verifying and updating the Annual 
GHG Inventory Summary and Goal Tracking Form one time per year.
    Partners may also submit voluntary updates of company profiles or 
contact information, via the Climate Leaders Web site or e-mail. These 
updates would take 3 hours per response. All of these activities are 
included in the annual burden estimate.
    The estimated number of annual respondents averaged over three (3) 
years is 127, which includes an average of 20 first-time respondents 
and 107 repeat respondents.
    There are no capital or start-up costs associated with this 
information collection. The average annual operation and maintenance 
cost resulting from this (3) three year collection of information is $3 
per respondent. The average annual labor cost is $6,914 per respondent. 
The resulting total annual cost averaged over the three year period is 
$878,176.
    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.

Are There Changes in the Estimates from the Last Approval?

    There is an increase of 6,841 hours in the total estimated 
respondent burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase reflects an evolution of the Climate 
Leader Partnership which has modified the reporting and tracking 
procedures in order to continue to assess the program's effectiveness. 
EPA has collaborated with partners to develop these revised reporting 
requirements, which are better suited for establishing and tracking 
progress of corporate GHG reduction goals. This change is the result of 
a more interactive program approach between EPA and Climate Leaders 
partners and a larger number of partners in the program since the 
currently approved ICR.

What is the Next Step in the Process for this ICR?

    EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as 
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for 
review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. At that time, EPA will 
issue another Federal Register notice pursuant to 5 CFR 
1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the 
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB. If you have any 
questions about this ICR or the approval process, please contact the 
technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Dated: May 24, 2006.
James T. Sullivan,
EPA Office of Air & Radiation.
[FR Doc. E6-8468 Filed 5-31-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P