[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67558-67560]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19756]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0073; FRL-8245-8]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Distribution of Offsite 
Consequence Analysis Information Under Section 112(r)(7)(H) of the 
Clean Air Act (CAA) (Renewal); EPA No. 1981.03, OMB No. 2050-0172

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

[[Page 67559]]

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-OAR-
2003-0073 to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by e-mail to, [email protected], or by mail to: 
EPA Air Docket, Mailcode 6102T, 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: Sicy Jacob, Office of Solid Waste and 
Emergency Response, Office of Emergency Management, Mail Code 5104A, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-8019; fax number: 
(202) 564-2620; 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 July 14, 2006, (71 FR 40093), EPA sought comments on this 
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA did not receive any 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-OAR-2003-0073, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air 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 Docket is 202-566-1742.
    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: Distribution of Offsite Consequence Analysis Information 
under Section 112(r)(7)(H) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) (Renewal).
    ICR number: EPA ICR No. 1981.03, OMB Control No. 2050-0172.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on December 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: This ICR is the renewal of the ICR developed for the 
final rule, Accidental Release Prevention Requirements; Risk Management 
Programs Under the Clean Air Act Section 112(r)(7); Distribution of 
Off-Site Consequence Analysis Information. CAA section 112(r)(7) 
required EPA to promulgate reasonable regulations and appropriate 
guidance to provide for the prevention and detection of accidental 
releases and for responses to such releases. The regulations include 
requirements for submittal of a risk management plan (RMP) to EPA. The 
RMP includes information on offsite consequence analyses (OCA) as well 
as other elements of the risk management program.
    On August 5, 1999, the President signed the Chemical Safety 
Information, Site Security, and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act 
(CSISSFRRA). The Act required the President to promulgate regulations 
on the distribution of OCA information (CAA section 112(r)(7)(H)(ii)). 
The President delegated to EPA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) the 
responsibility to promulgate regulations to govern the dissemination of 
OCA information to the public. The final rule was published on August 
4, 2000 (65 FR 48108). The regulations imposed minimal requirements on 
the public, state and local agencies that request OCA data from EPA. 
The state and local agencies who decide to obtain OCA information must 
send a written request on their official letterhead to EPA certifying 
that they are covered persons under Public Law 106-40, and that they 
will use the information for official use only. EPA will then provide 
paper copies of OCA data to those agencies as requested. The rule 
authorizes and encourages state and local agencies to set up reading 
rooms. The local reading rooms would provide read-only access to OCA 
information for all the sources in the Locoal Emergency Planning 
Committee's (LEPC's) jurisdiction and for any source where the 
vulnerable zone extends into the LEPC's jurisdiction.
    Members of the public requesting to view OCA information at federal 
reading rooms would be required to sign in and self certify. If asking 
for OCA information from federal reading rooms for the facilities in 
the area where they live or work, they would be required to provide 
proof that they live or work in that area. Members of the public are 
required to give their names, telephone number, and the names of the 
facilities for which OCA information is being requested, when they 
contact the central office to schedule an appointment to view OCA 
information.
    Burden Statement: For this ICR period, EPA estimates a total of 
2,150 hours (annually) for local agencies requesting OCA data from EPA 
and providing read-only access to the public. For the state agencies, 
the total annual burden for requesting OCA data from EPA and providing 
read-only access to the public, is 2,480 hours. For the public to 
display photo identification, sign a sign-in sheet, certify that the 
individual has not received access to OCA information for more than 10 
stationary sources for that calendar month, and to request information 
from the vulnerable zone indicator system (VZIS), EPA estimates a total 
of 4,965 hours annually. The total burden for the members of the 
public, state and local agencies is 9,595 hours. 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

[[Page 67560]]

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 agencies; members of 
the public.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 5,220.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 9,595.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $296,603, which includes $100 
annualizied capital or O&M costs and $296,500 annual labor costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 6,245 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR. This adjustment is due to using actual data of the state 
and local officials requesting OCA data and the public visiting reading 
rooms. The previous ICR estimated that all 50 states plus U.S. 
territories and D.C. and at least 1,000 of the 1,500 active LEPCs will 
be requesting OCA data. However, EPA only received requests for OCA 
data from 9 LEPCs and 240 state officials in the past three years. The 
public burden and costs have also decreased from the previous ICR, due 
to the actual number of people that have visited the federal, state and 
local reading rooms.

    Dated: November 15, 2006.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
 [FR Doc. E6-19756 Filed 11-21-06; 8:45 am]
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