[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 136 (Monday, July 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40506-40507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11250]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OA-2006-0278; FRL-8197-6]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Minority Business Enterprise/
Woman Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) Utilization Under Federal Grants, 
Cooperative Agreements, and Interagency Agreements (Renewal); EPA ICR 
No. 2212.02, OMB Control No. 2090-0025

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces 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. The ICR, which is abstracted below, 
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated 
burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before August 16, 
2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-
2006-0278, (1) to EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by e-mail to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, MBE/WBE Utilization Under 
Federal Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Interagency Agreements, 
Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, 
and (2) OMB by mail to: 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: Kimberly Y. Patrick, Office of Small 
and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Mailcode: 1230N, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: 202-564-5386; fax number: 202-501-0139; 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 April 3, 2006 (71 FR 16574), EPA sought comments on this 
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any 
additional comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB 
within 30 days of this notice.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OA-2006-0278, which is available for online viewing at 
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Office of 
Environmental Information 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 Office of 
Environmental Information Docket is 202-566-1752.
    Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at 
www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those 
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the 
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number 
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public 
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made 
available for public viewing at >www.regulations.gov 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. For further 
information about the electronic docket, go to www.regulations.gov.
    Title: Minority Business Enterprise/Woman Business Enterprise (MBE/
WBE) Utilization Under Federal Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and 
Interagency Agreements (Renewal).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2212.02, OMB Control No. 2090-0025.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2006. 
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor 
the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. 
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: All EPA financial assistance agreement recipients are 
required to make good faith efforts to assure that small, minority and 
women owned businesses are used, when possible, as sources of 
construction, services, equipment, and supplies. The completion and 
submission of EPA Form 5700-52A is mandatory. The information collected 
by EPA Form 5700-52A is used to compile data concerning the utilization 
of minority and women owned businesses as contractors and 
subcontractors under procurements funded by EPA financial assistance 
agreements pursuant to Executive Orders 11625, 12138, and 12432, and 
Public Laws 101-507 and 102-389. The effectiveness of EPA's MBE/WBE 
Program is measured through this reporting requirement. The 
modifications to the form were made to simplify and shorten the form 
itself. The instructions in the modified form also provide more 
information about questions frequently asked by respondents.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.5 
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

[[Page 40507]]

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, 
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 3600.
    Frequency of response: Depending on the type of financial 
assistance received, respondents either report on an annual or 
quarterly basis.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 
2.5 average responses per year, including annual and quarterly 
respondents.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 10,800.
    Estimated total annual costs: $548,532. This includes $0 annualized 
capital startup costs, $0 annualized O&M costs, and $548,532 annualized 
labor costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: The estimates reflect an increase in 
Respondent burden hours and costs due to extra time needed to review 
the new instructions for the form. Even though we received no comments 
regarding the form from our consultation efforts, or from public 
comments, hours to gather information to complete the form were 
increased in response to past comments about the form. The total change 
in burden represents an increase from 1 burden hour to 1.5 burden 
hours.

    Dated: July 8, 2006.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
 [FR Doc. E6-11250 Filed 7-14-06; 8:45 am]
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