[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 24 (Friday, February 6, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6286-6288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2558]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-SFUND-2009-0078; FRL-8771-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Brownfields Program--Revitalization Grantee Reporting 
(Renewal); EPA ICR No. 2104.03, OMB Control No. 2050-0192

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 Collection 
Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is 
scheduled to expire on July 31, 2009. 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 7, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
SFUND-2009-0078, by one of the following methods:
     www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-566-0276.
     Mail: EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Environmental Protection 
Agency, Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 
20460.
     Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection 
Agency, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., 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-SFUND-
2009-0078. 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: Rachel Lentz, Environmental Protection 
Agency, Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, (5105-T), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-2745; fax number: 202-
566-1476; 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-SFUND-2009-0078, which is available for online viewing at 
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at 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 202-566-9744.
    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.

[[Page 6287]]

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: General purpose units of local government; land clearance 
authorities or other quasi-governmental entities that operate under the 
supervision and control of, or as an agent of, a general purpose unit 
of local government; government entities created by State legislature; 
regional councils or groups of general purpose units of local 
government; redevelopment agencies that are chartered or otherwise 
sanctioned by the State; States; Indian Tribes other than in Alaska; 
Alaska Native Regional Corporations, Alaska Native Village 
Corporations, and Metlakatla Indian Communities; and non-profit 
organizations.
    Title: Brownfields Program--Revitalization Grantee Reporting 
(Renewal).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2104.03, OMB Control No. 2050-0192.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on July 31, 
2009. 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 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields 
Revitalization Act (Pub. L. 107-118) (``the Brownfields Amendments'') 
was signed into law on January 11, 2002. The Act amends the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
(CERCLA), as amended, and authorizes EPA to award grants to States, 
tribes, local governments, and other eligible entities to assess and 
clean up brownfields sites. Under the Brownfields Amendments, a 
brownfields site means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or 
reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence 
of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. For grant funding 
purposes, EPA uses the term ``brownfields property(ies)'' synonymously 
with the term ``brownfields sites.'' The Brownfields Amendments 
authorize EPA to award several types of grants to eligible entities on 
a competitive basis. Under subtitle A of the Small Business Liability 
Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, States, tribes, local 
governments, and other eligible entities can receive assessment grants 
to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community 
involvement related to brownfields properties; cleanup grants to carry 
out cleanup activities at brownfields properties; grants to capitalize 
revolving loan funds and provide subgrants for cleanup activities; and 
job training grants to support the creation and implementation of 
environmental job training and placement programs. Under subtitle C of 
the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, 
States and tribes can receive grants to establish and enhance their 
response programs. The grants support activities necessary to establish 
or enhance four elements of state and tribal response programs and to 
meet the public record requirements under the statute. The four 
elements eligible for grant funding include: (a) Timely survey and 
inventory of brownfield sites in the State or in the tribal land; (b) 
oversight and enforcement authorities or other mechanisms and 
resources; (c) mechanisms and resources to provide meaningful 
opportunities for public participation; and (d) mechanisms for approval 
of a cleanup plan and verification and certification that cleanup is 
complete. States and tribes that receive funding under subtitle C must 
establish a public record system during the grant funding period unless 
an adequate public record system is already established.
    Grant recipients have general reporting and record keeping 
requirements as a condition of their grant that result in burden. A 
portion of this reporting and recordkeeping burden is authorized under 
40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 and identified in the EPA's general grants ICR 
(OMB Control Number 2030-0020). EPA requires Brownfields program grant 
recipients to maintain and report additional information to EPA on the 
uses and accomplishments associated with the funded brownfields 
activities. EPA uses several forms to assist grantees in reporting the 
information and to ensure consistency of the information collected. EPA 
uses this information to meet Federal stewardship responsibilities to 
manage and track how program funds are being spent, to evaluate the 
performance of the Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment Program, to 
meet the Agency's reporting requirements under the Government 
Performance Results Act, and to report to Congress and other program 
stakeholders on the status and accomplishments of the grants program.
    This ICR addresses the burden imposed on grant recipients that are 
associated with those reporting and recordkeeping requirements that are 
specific to grants awarded under the Small Business Liability Relief 
and Brownfields Revitalization Act. This ICR renewal modifies the 
annual reporting and recordkeeping burden under the previous ICR. The 
modified burden reflects an increase in the number of respondents 
subject to the reporting and recordkeeping requirements, and 
improvements to the reporting forms based on EPA's experience 
implementing the grant program. Specifically, subtitle C grant 
recipients are now subject to the reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements previously established for subtitle A grant recipients. By 
using the same form to report information on grant activities, EPA is 
adopting a streamlined approach that avoids potential confusion among 
grant recipients and allows the Agency to collect and report program 
information consistently across all brownfields grants. EPA is also 
modifying the reporting form to simplify and clarify the reporting 
requirements, which will improve the accuracy of information reported 
and minimize the burden to grant recipients.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.25 
hours per

[[Page 6288]]

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.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate, 
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 294.
    Frequency of response: Bi-annual for subtitle C grant recipients; 
quarterly for subtitle A grant recipients.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 
20.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 8,683.
    Estimated total annual costs: $547,345. This includes an estimated 
burden cost of $547,345 and an estimated cost of $0 for capital 
investment or maintenance and operational costs.

Are There Changes in the Estimates From the Last Approval?

    There is no change in hours in the total estimated respondent 
burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently approved by 
OMB.

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: January 29, 2009.
David R. Lloyd,
Director, Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization.
[FR Doc. E9-2558 Filed 2-5-09; 8:45 am]
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