[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 105 (Friday, May 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31087-31088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12092]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2002-0094; FRL-8573-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Reporting Requirements Under 
EPA's Climate Leaders Partnership (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 2100.03, OMB 
Control No. 2060-0532

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 EPA is planning to 
submit a request to renew an existing approved information request ICR 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. 
This ICR is scheduled to expire on October 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: Additional comments may be submitted on or before June 30, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2002-0094, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov 
(preferred method), by e-mail to [email protected], or by 
mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Air and 
Radiation Docket and Information Center, MC 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, 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: Manuel J. Oliva, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, 6202J, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 343-9094; fax number: 
(202) 565-2134; 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 1, 2006 (71 FR 31177), 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-OAR-2002-0094, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air and 
Radiation Docket and Information Center in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/
DC), EPA West Building, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Avenue, 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 and Radiation 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: Reporting Requirements Under EPA's Climate Leaders 
Partnership (Renewal).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2100.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0532.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on October 30, 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, and included on the related 
collection instrument or form, if applicable.
    Abstract: In an effort to aid implementation of U.S. commitments in 
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 
President announced a Climate Change Strategy on February 14, 2002, 
wherein he set a national U.S. GHG intensity goal of 18 percent by 
2012. Part of that

[[Page 31088]]

strategy challenges companies to set GHG reduction goals by working 
with EPA through the voluntary Climate Leaders program. EPA has 
developed this renewal ICR to ensure that the program remains credible 
by obtaining continued authorization to collect information from 
Climate Leaders Partners to ensure that Partners are meeting their GHG 
goals. Companies that join Climate Leaders voluntarily agree to the 
following: completing and submitting a Partnership Agreement; 
negotiating a corporate GHG reduction goal; submitting a GHG inventory 
management plan; participating in an onsite review of the inventory 
management plan, and reporting to EPA, on an annual basis, the 
company's GHG emissions inventory, and progress toward their GHG 
reduction goal via Climate Leaders Annual GHG Inventory Summary and 
Goal Tracking Form. The information contained in the inventories of the 
companies that join Climate Leaders may be considered confidential 
business information and is maintained as such. EPA uses the data 
obtained from the companies to assess the success of the program in 
achieving its GHG reduction goals. Responses to the information 
collection are voluntary.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to equal 19,636 
hours and to average 87.27 hours per year per respondent. The average 
number of annual burden hours on first year partners for each type of 
one-time response is: 9 hours to complete and submit a Partnership 
Agreement, 47 hours for documenting and submitting an Inventory 
Management Plan, 22 hours participating in an on-site verification of 
the Inventory Management Plan, 42 hours for negotiating and setting a 
GHG reduction goal, 117.25 hours for establishing a base year 
inventory, and 4.25 hours to submit a company profile that is posted on 
the Web. For all other partners who have been part of the program for 
longer than one year, the average number of annual burden hours is 62 
hours for verifying and updating the Annual GHG Inventory Summary and 
Goal Tracking Form one time per year.
    Partners may also submit voluntary updates of company profiles or 
contact information, via the Climate Leaders Web site or e-mail. These 
updates are estimated to take not more than 2 hours per response. All 
of these activities are included in the annual burden estimate.
    There are no capital or start-up costs associated with this 
information collection. The average annual operation and maintenance 
cost resulting for this collection of information is $3 for each first 
time respondent. The average annual labor cost is $8,212 per 
respondent. The resulting total annual cost averaged over the three 
year period is $1,847,771.
    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: Climate Leaders Partner 
Corporations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 225.
    Frequency of Response: Annually, on occasion, one-time.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 19,636.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $1,847,721, includes $0 annualized 
capital/startup costs, $105 annualized Operating and Maintenance (O&M) 
costs and $1,847,616 annualized labor costs. Changes in the Estimates: 
There is an increase of 7,681 hours in the total estimated burden 
compared with that identified in the ICR currently approved by OMB. 
Although the reporting requirements of the Climate Leader Partnership 
have been streamlined to reduce the individual burden for each 
reporter, the increase in overall costs are due to the continued growth 
in the number of companies participating in the Partnership. EPA has 
collaborated with partners to develop these revised reporting 
requirements, which are better suited for establishing and tracking 
progress of corporate GHG reduction goals. This change is result of a 
more interactive program approach between EPA and Climate Leaders 
partners and a larger number of partners in the program since the 
currently approved ICR.

    Dated: May 22, 2008.
Kathleen Hogan,
 Director, Climate Protection Partnership Division.
 [FR Doc. E8-12092 Filed 5-29-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P