[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 6, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6961-6962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-2155]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-SFUND-2007-0888; FRL-8526-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Superfund Site Evaluation and 
Hazard Ranking System (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 1488.07, OMB Control No. 
2050-0095

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 March 7, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
SFUND-2007-0888 to (1) 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, Superfund 
Docket, Mail Code 2822T, 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: Randy Hippen, Office of Superfund 
Remediation and Technology Innovation, Mail Code 5204-P, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: 703-603-8829; fax number: 703-603-9104; 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 September 4, 2007 (72 FR 50679), 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-SFUND-2007-0888, which is available for online viewing at 
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Superfund Docket 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 
8:30 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 Superfund Docket is 202-566-0276.
    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: Superfund Site Evaluation and Hazard Ranking System 
(Renewal).
    ICR Numbers: EPA ICR No. 1488.07, OMB Control No. 2050-0095.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on February 29, 2008. 
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: Section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, 1980 and 1986) amends the 
National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) 
to include criteria prioritizing releases throughout the U.S. before 
undertaking remedial action at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. The 
Hazard Ranking System (HRS) is a model that is used to evaluate the 
relative threats to human health and the environment posed by actual or 
potential releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, and 
contaminants. The HRS criteria take into account the population at 
risk, the hazard potential of the substances, as well as the potential 
for contamination of drinking water supplies, direct human contact, 
destruction of sensitive ecosystems, damage to natural resources 
affecting the human food chain, contamination of surface water used for 
recreation or potable water consumption, and contamination of ambient 
air.
    EPA Regional offices work with States and Tribes to determine those 
sites for which the State or Tribe will conduct the Superfund site 
evaluation activities and the HRS scoring. Under this ICR, State or 
Tribal authorities will apply the HRS throughout a multi-phase site 
evaluation process. Evaluation results are used to identify which sites 
brought to the attention of the Superfund Program may warrant cleanup 
work and to help determine whether a site is eligible to be included on 
the National Priorities List (NPL). Only sites on the NPL are eligible 
for Superfund-financed remedial actions. EPA reimburses the States and 
Tribes 100 percent of their costs, except for record maintenance. 
Responses to this collection are required to obtain or retain a 
benefit.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 226.9 
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: States (including U.S. Territories) 
and Tribes.

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    Estimated Number of Respondents: 60.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion, averaging 11 responses per year 
per respondent.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 148,873.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $11,740,260, however all these costs 
are reimbursed by the Federal Government through cooperative 
agreements, resulting in no net cost to respondents for this ICR.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 1,412 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease represents an adjustment to the 
estimates and is primarily due to a decline in the estimated number of 
assessment activities to be performed by respondents.

    Dated: January 30, 2008.
Sara Hisel-McCoy,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
 [FR Doc. E8-2155 Filed 2-5-08; 8:45 am]
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