[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 115 (Thursday, June 15, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34604-34606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9316]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0482; FRL-8183-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; EPA-ICR No. 1774.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0350

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (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.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 14, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
2006-0482 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-566-1741
     Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center 
(EPA/DC), Mailcode 6102T, Attention Docket ID No. OAR, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460
     Hand Delivery: Public Reading Room, Room B102, EPA West 
Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.
    Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours 
of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of 
boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2006-0482. 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 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 FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Thundiyil, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Stratospheric Protection Division, Office of 
Atmospheric Programs, MC 6205J, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 343.9464; fax number: 
(202) 343.2363; e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

How Can I Access the Docket and/or Submit Comments?

    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-2006-0482, 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, 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 Air and Radiation Docket 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 the PRA, 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.

[[Page 34605]]

    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?

[Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0482]

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
new and used car dealers, gas service stations, top and body repair 
shops, general automotive repair shops, automotive repair shops not 
elsewhere classified, including air conditioning and radiator specialty 
shops.
    Title: Information Collection Activities Associated with EPA's 
Mobile Air Conditioner Retrofitting Program.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1774.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0350.
    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, are displayed 
either by publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate 
means, such as on the related collection instrument or form, if 
applicable. The display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA 
regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
    Abstract: EPA's Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program 
implements section 612 of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments which 
authorized the Agency to establish regulatory requirements to insure 
that ozone depleting substances would be replaced by alternatives that 
reduce overall risks to human health and the environment, and to 
promote an expedited transition to safe substitutes. To promote this 
transition, the Act specified that EPA establish an information 
clearinghouse of available alternatives, and coordinate with other 
Federal agencies and the public on research, procurement practices, and 
information and technology transfers.
    Since the program's inception in 1994, SNAP has reviewed over 400 
new chemicals and alternative manufacturing processes for a wide range 
of consumer, industrial, space exploration, and national security 
applications. Roughly 90% of alternatives submitted to EPA for review 
have been listed as acceptable for a specific use, typically with some 
condition or limit to minimize risks to human health and the 
environment.
    Regulation promulgated under SNAP requires that mobile air 
conditioners (MAC) retrofitted to use a SNAP substitute refrigerant 
include basic information on a label to be affixed to the air 
conditioner. The label includes the name of the substitute refrigerant, 
when and by whom the retrofit was performed, environmental and safety 
information about the substitute refrigerant, and other information. 
This information is needed so that subsequent technicians working on 
the MAC system will be able to service the equipment properly, 
decreasing the likelihood of significant refrigerant cross-
contamination and potential failure of air conditioning systems and 
recovery/recycling equipment.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 
minutes 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 which have subsequently changed; 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.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate. 
This estimate is based on the Agency's 2003 estimate. The Agency 
welcomes comments from the public that describe and document how the 
reporting and recordkeeping burden has changed since 2003. The 2003 
estimate is summarized here:
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 87,000.
    Frequency of response: Once per and upon retrofit of a motor 
vehicle air conditioner.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 83,333 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $5,933,333, which includes $100,000 
annualized capital or O&M costs and $5,833,333 labor costs.
    In 2003, the U.S. Department of Labor statistics indicated there 
were 168,630 automotive body and related repairers (Standard Occupation 
Classification [SOC] System Code Number 49-3021) and 701,150 automotive 
service technicians and mechanics (SOC Code Number 49-3023) in the U.S. 
EPA estimated that 87,000 of them, or approximately 10% of the total, 
would be responsible for retrofitting the estimated 3,000,000 MACs over 
the three-year term of the previous ICR.
    In 2003, EPA estimated the time to complete and apply the label at 
5 minutes per MAC, making the total burden 250,000 hours (83,333 hours 
and 20 minutes per year). At an estimated average labor rate of $70 per 
hour, the overall cost associated with the burden hours is $17,500,000 
($5,833,333.33 per year). The cost for designing, typesetting, printing 
and distributing 3,000,000 labels is estimated at $0.10 per label to be 
$300,000 ($100,000 per year). Adding the labor and capital costs 
together yields a total cost burden of $17,800,000 ($5,933,333.33 per 
year).
    The Agency welcomes public comment on the number of CFC-12 MACs 
that will undergo a retrofit, the number of MAC service technicians 
performing such service, the average labor rate of MAC service 
technicians from 2006 to 2009 and any other relevant information.

Are There Changes in the Estimates From the Last Approval?

    This estimate is the same estimate used in 2003. The Agency 
requests public comment on how the number of estimated total respondent 
burden has changed since 2003. EPA expects that there will be a smaller 
burden in 2006 because fewer CFC-12 mobile air conditioners will be 
retrofitted.

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.


[[Page 34606]]


    Dated: June 5, 2006.
Brian J. McLean,
Director, Office of Atmospheric Programs.
 [FR Doc. E6-9316 Filed 6-14-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P