[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67556-67557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19753]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OECA-2006-0557; FRL-8245-6]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Tips and Complaints Regarding 
Environmental Violations (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 2219.02, OMB Control 
No. 2020-0032

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 22, 
2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OECA-
2006-0557, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), or by mail to: The Enforcement and Compliance Docket 
and Information Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 
2201T, 1301 Constitution 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: Michael Le Desma; Legal Counsel & 
Resource Management Division; Office of Criminal Enforcement, 
Forensics, and Training, Environmental Protection Agency, Building 25, 
Box 25227, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80025; telephone number: 
(303) 462-9453; fax number: (303) 462-9075; 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 Thursday, August 31, 2006 (71 FR 51810), EPA sought 
comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received one 
comment during the comment period, which is addressed in the ICR. 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-OECA-2006-0557, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Enforcement and 
Compliance Docket and Information Center in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/
DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 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 
Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center is 202-564-
1927.
    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, 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: Tips and Complaints Regarding Environmental Violations 
(Renewal).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2219.02, OMB Control No. 2020-0032.
    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. 
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: The EPA tips and complaints web form is intended to

[[Page 67557]]

provide an easy and convenient means by which members of the public can 
supply information to EPA regarding suspected violations of 
environmental law. The decision to provide a tip or complaint is 
entirely voluntary and use of the web form when supplying a tip or 
complaint is also entirely voluntary. Tippers need not supply contact 
information or other personal identifiers. Those who do supply such 
information, however, should know that this information may be shared 
by EPA with appropriate administrative, law enforcement, and judicial 
entities engaged in investigating or adjudicating the tip or complaint.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average one-
half hour 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: Respondents are expected to be 
members of the general public as well as employees of any company 
subject to federal environmental regulation. There is no specific 
industry or group of industries about which EPA expects tips or 
complaints.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,600.
    Frequency of Response: One time, on occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,800 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: EPA does not anticipate any capital or 
start-up costs associated with completion of this form. EPA also does 
not anticipate that, in the usual case, burden hours associated with 
the tips and complaint form will translate into actual labor costs; we 
expect relatively few tips or complaints to be submitted as part of an 
employee's official duties. For this reason, we believe that the 
relevant ``labor costs'' associated with the form are best calculated 
as the wage opportunity cost to tippers of the form's estimated burden 
hours. The wage opportunity cost of the burden hours associated with 
this form can be estimated by multiplying the total number of burden 
hours by the average national hourly wage reported by the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics (BLS). BLS reports the average hourly wage in December 
2005 to have been $18.59 per hour; accordingly, the total wage 
opportunity cost associated with the tips and complaints form would be 
approximately $33,462 per annum.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is no change in the hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with that identified in the 
ICR currently approved by OMB.

    Dated: November 15, 2006.
Oscar Morales, Director,
Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. E6-19753 Filed 11-21-06; 8:45 am]
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