[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 41 (Friday, February 29, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11108-11110]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3934]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0013; FRL-8535-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; EPA Strategic Plan Information on Source Water 
Protection; EPA ICR No. 1816.04, OMB Control No. 2040-0197

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 to renew an existing approved Information Collection 
Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is 
scheduled to expire on June 30, 2008. 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 April 29, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2004-0013 by one of the following methods:
     www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 
Docket Center (EPA/DC), Mailcode: 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: The EPA Docket Center at the Public Reading 
Room, Room B3334, EPA West Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, 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-2004-
0013. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in 
the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless 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 www.regulations.gov or e-mail. 
The 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 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill Dean, Drinking Water Protection 
Division--Prevention Branch, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water 
(MC 4606M), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-8241; fax number: 
202-564-3756; 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-2004-0013, which is available for online viewing at 
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Water Docket in the 
EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B3334, 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

[[Page 11109]]

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 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 
State environmental and health agencies.
    Title: EPA Strategic Plan Information on Source Water Protection.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1816.04, OMB Control No. 2040-0197.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on June 30, 
2008. 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: States were allowed 18 months to submit a Source Water 
Assessment Program to EPA (Section 1453(a)(3) of the Safe Drinking 
Water Act) after the national guidance on State Source Water Assessment 
and Protection Programs was issued on August 5, 1997. Once the State 
Programs were approved by EPA, source water assessments of public water 
systems were conducted and completed within the required three and a 
half years after approval. Previous ICRs have included calculations of 
the burden and cost estimates related to the remaining assessment work.
    The EPA Strategic Plan (2006-2011; http://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/plan.htm) provides an overview of the voluntary programs and measures 
taken by States to ensure minimal health risks to the public by 
protecting source water and preventing contamination. The information 
collection request supports the EPA Strategic Plan by gathering 
information on protective actions for sources of water used for public 
water supplies, and to measure progress towards the Strategic Target 
SP-4--public health risks minimized in 50% of community water systems 
and the related 62% of the population served by those community water 
systems by 2011.
    EPA is collecting data from States, on a voluntary basis, 
concerning the number of community water systems (CWS) in localities 
that have substantially implemented source water protection programs 
according to that State's definition, and the population served by 
those community water systems. The Safe Drinking Water Act, while 
authorizing the generation of this data, does not require the 
implementation of source water protection programs by States. Section 
1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act allows the use of Drinking Water 
State Revolving Fund monies for support efforts in the information 
collection.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 
hours per annual response for each respondent, or 3,120 hours over the 
next three years of the information collection. 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: 52.
    Frequency of response: annual.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 1.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 1,040.
    Estimated total annual costs: $786,676. This includes an estimated 
burden cost of $38,419 and an estimated cost of $748,257 for capital 
investment or maintenance and operational costs.

Are There Changes in the Estimates From the Last Approval?

    There is a decrease of 3,172 hours in the total estimated annual 
respondent burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently 
approved by OMB.

[[Page 11110]]

This decrease reflects the fact that EPA is collecting less information 
from States under this collection than in earlier collections. 
Specifically, the 2004 ICR included the burden associated with 
reporting on the status of completing source water assessments and on 
the most prevalent and most threatening sources of contamination. EPA 
is no longer requesting this information because the assessments were 
completed in 2003, and contamination threats are not considered to have 
significantly changed since the previous ICR.

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: February 21, 2008.
Cynthia Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. E8-3934 Filed 2-28-08; 8:45 am]
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