[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 150 (Friday, August 4, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44277-44279]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12625]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2006-0408; FRL-8205-8]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Under EPA's 
Water Efficiency Program; EPA ICR No. 2233.01, OMB Control No. New

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

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 EPA is planning to 
submit a request for a new Information Collection Request (ICR) to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 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 October 3, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2006-0408 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-501-2396.
     Mail: EPA Docket Center, Water Docket, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Mailcode 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: Water Docket, in the EPA Docket Center, EPA 
West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., 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-OW-2006-
0408. 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

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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.


    Note: The EPA Docket Center suffered damage due to flooding 
during the last week of June 2006. The Docket Center is continuing 
to operate. However, during the cleanup, there will be temporary 
changes to Docket Center telephone numbers, addresses, and hours of 
operation for people who wish to make hand deliveries or visit the 
Public Reading Room to view documents. Consult EPA's Federal 
Register notice at 71 FR 38147 (July 5, 2006) or the EPA Web site at 
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm for current information on 
docket operations, locations and telephone numbers. The Docket 
Center's mailing address for U.S. mail and the procedure for 
submitting comments to http://www.regulations.gov are not affected 
by the flooding and will remain the same.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cindy Simbanin, Office of Wastewater 
Management, Office of Water, 4204M, Environmental Protection Agency, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 
202-564-3837, fax number: 202-501-2396; 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-OW-2006-0408, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Water 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 Water Docket is 202-566-2426.
    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.
    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 
manufacturers, service providers, retailers, businesses, institutions, 
builders and others who voluntarily sign up to participate in EPA's 
Water Efficiency Program.
    Title: Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Under EPA's Water 
Efficiency Program.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2236.01, OMB Control No. 2040-New.
    ICR status: This ICR is for a new information collection activity. 
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 Water Efficiency Program is a voluntary program 
designed to create self-sustaining markets for water efficient products 
and services via a common label. The program provides incentives for 
manufacturers to design, produce, and market water-efficient products. 
In addition, the program provides incentives for service providers 
(e.g. landscapers) to deliver water-efficient products. The program 
also encourages consumers and commercial and institutional purchasers 
of water-using products and systems to choose water-efficient products 
and engage in water-efficient practices.
    EPA's Water Efficiency Program partners with manufacturers, 
retailers,

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utilities, state and local governments, NGOs, plumbers, developers, 
contractors, architects, landscapers, irrigation professionals, and 
service certification programs to market and adopt the Water Efficiency 
Program, and provide labeled products and services. To participate in 
the program, organizations will complete a Partnership Agreement, which 
details the partner and EPA commitments under the program, and is 
signed by a senior official at both EPA and the partner organization. 
EPA asks manufacturers, certification programs, and builders to submit 
an EPA Water Efficiency Program Labeled Product or Service Application 
within 12 months of execution of the Partnership Agreement. This 
document provides EPA information to verify that the product or service 
meets EPA specifications based on independent testing. EPA will use 
this information to inform the public on water efficient products and 
services. In addition, EPA requests partners submit promotional plans 
and annual updates on progress implementing the program. EPA intends to 
use this information to identify partnership opportunities and assess 
progress meeting program goals.
    In the third year of the program, EPA plans to initiate an awards 
program that will require interested partners to submit an awards 
application form. The purpose of this information collection is to 
document partner successes for further recognition. Partners may 
designate certain information submitted under this ICR as confidential 
business information. All information identified as confidential 
business information collected under this ICR will not be available to 
the public.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this information collection is estimated to average 8 hours 
per response for the Partnership Agreement, 13 hours per response for 
the Promotional Plan, 18 hours per response for the Annual Update, and 
21 hours for the Awards Application Form. This results in an estimated 
annual partner respondent burden of 39 hours if not applying for an 
award and 60 hours if applying for an award. In addition, manufacturers 
and certification programs will incur an estimated 21 hours per labeled 
product or service to complete the Labeled Product or Service 
Application Form. 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, 
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: EPA anticipates 
that 100 partners will participate in the program in the first year, 75 
in the second year, and 125 in the third year for a total of 300 
potential respondents.
    Frequency of response: Partnership Agreements are a one-time 
submission; Promotional Plans, Annual Updates, and Award Application 
forms are annual submissions, and Labeled Product or Service 
Application forms are submitted occasionally.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 
The estimated number of respondents averages 100 per year for the 
Partnership Agreements; and 192 respondents for Promotional Plans and 
Annual Updates. EPA estimates receiving approximately 126 Labeled 
Product or Service Applications each year and 100 Award Application 
forms the third year.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 10,081.
    Estimated total annual costs: $655,037. This includes an estimate 
of non-labor costs of $22/partner in fax, photocopies, and telephone 
costs (plus an additional $35 in copy and mailing costs for award 
applicants). Manufacturer partners will also incur one-time testing 
costs for each product tested as follows: ET controllers: $2,500 each; 
moisture sensors: $8,500 each; toilets: $2,000 each; faucets: $200 
each; plus an additional $65/test in associated photocopying and faxing 
costs.

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: July 31, 2006.
James Hanlon,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. E6-12625 Filed 8-3-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P