[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 212 (Thursday, November 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64520-64521]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-18495]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2002-0059; FRL-8238-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Fund 
Program; EPA ICR No. 1803.05, OMB Control No. 2040-0185

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 December 4, 
2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2002-0059, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by e-mail to [email protected] or by mail to: EPA 
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Water Docket, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 4101T, 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: Howard Rubin, Mail Code 4606M, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-2051; 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 June 5, 2006 (70 FR 32342), EPA sought comments on this ICR 
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments during the 
comment period.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OW-2002-0059, 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).

    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 visit the Public Reading Room to 
view documents. Consult EPA's Federal Register notice at 71 FR 54815 
(September 19, 2006) or the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm for current information on docket status, 
locations and telephone numbers.

    Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://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 http://www.regulations.gov as EPA 
receives them and without change, unless the comment contains 
copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure 
is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic 
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov.
    Title: Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Fund Program.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1803.05, OMB Control No. 2040-0185.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on November 30, 2006. 
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor 
the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. 
The OMB control numbers for EPA's regulations in title 40 of the CFR, 
after

[[Page 64521]]

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: The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996 
(Pub. L. 104-182) authorized the creation of the Drinking Water State 
Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program in each State and Puerto Rico to assist 
public water systems in financing the costs of infrastructure needed to 
achieve or maintain compliance with SDWA requirements and to protect 
public health. Section 1452 authorizes the Administrator of EPA to 
award capitalization grants to the States and Puerto Rico which, in 
turn, provide low-cost loans and other types of assistance to eligible 
drinking water systems. States can also reserve a portion of their 
grants to conduct various set-aside activities. The information 
collection activities will occur primarily at the program level through 
the (1) Capitalization Grant Application and Agreement/State Intended 
Use Plan; (2) Biennial Report; (3) Annual Audit; and (4) Assistance 
Application Review. Information collected is needed for input into the 
DWSRF National Information Management System.
    (1) Capitalization Grant Application and Agreement/State Intended 
Use Plan: The State must prepare a Capitalization Grant Application 
that includes an Intended Use Plan (IUP), outlining in detail how it 
will use all the funds covered by the capitalization grant. The State 
may, as an alternative, develop the IUP in a two part process with one 
part identifying the distribution and uses of the funds among the 
various set-asides in the DWSRF program and the other part dealing with 
project assistance from the Fund.
    (2) Biennial Report: The State must agree to complete and submit a 
Biennial Report on the uses of the capitalization grant. The scope of 
the report must cover assistance provided by the DWSRF Fund and all 
other set-aside activities included under the Capital Grant Agreement. 
States, which jointly administer DWSRF and Clean Water State Revolving 
Fund (CWSRF) programs, in accordance with section 1452(g)(1), may 
submit reports (according to the schedule specified for each program) 
that cover both programs.
    (3) Annual Audit: A State must comply with the provisions of the 
Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996. Best management practices suggest 
and EPA recommends that a State conduct an annual independent audit of 
its DWSRF program. The scope of the report must cover the DWSRF Fund 
and all other set-aside activities included in the Capitalization Grant 
Agreement. States which jointly administer DWSRF and CWSRF programs, in 
accordance with section 1452(g)(1), may submit audits that cover both 
programs but which report financial information for each program 
separately.
    (4) Assistance Application Review: Local applicants seeking 
financial assistance must prepare and submit DWSRF loan applications. 
States then review completed loan applications and verify that proposed 
projects will comply with applicable Federal and State requirements.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 131 
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 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.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: State and local governments, 
businesses, and non-profit institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1505 respondents per year.
    Frequency of Response: Annual for State Grant Applications and 
Audit reports, Biennial for State Annual Reports, once per loan 
applications for loan applicants.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 196,870 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $6,862,452, which includes $0 capital 
and O&M.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 1,935 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This increase reflects EPA's calculation of 
burden for Biennial Reports.

    Dated: October 26, 2006.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
 [FR Doc. E6-18495 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am]
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