[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 73 (Friday, April 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17852-17854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8897]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2004-0501; FRL-8893-2]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Reporting Requirements Under 
EPA's Green Power Partnership and Combined Heat and Power Partnership 
(Renewal); EPA ICR Number 2173.02, OMB Control No. 2060-0578

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: Any additional comments on this ICR should be submitted on or 
before May 18, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2004-0501, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by e-mail to a-and [email protected], or by 
mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Air and 
Radiation Docket and Information Center, MC 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Avenue,

[[Page 17853]]

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: Allison Bellins, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, 6202J, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-343-9526; fax number: 202-
343-2208; 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 October 31, 2008 (73 FR 64941), 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-2004-0501, which is available for 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 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, 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 
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, confidential 
business information (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 Green Power Partnership 
and Combined Heat and Power Partnership (Renewal).
    ICR Numbers: EPA ICR No. 2173.02, OMB Control No. 2060-0538.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on April 30, 2009. 
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 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. The display of OMB 
control numbers in certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR 
part 9.
    Abstract: In an effort to aid implementation of the President's May 
2001 National Energy Strategy, as well as the President's February 2002 
Climate Change Strategy, EPA launched two new partnership programs with 
industry and other stakeholders: the Green Power Partnership and the 
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Partnership. These voluntary partnership 
programs encourage organizations to invest in clean, efficient energy 
technologies, including renewable energy and combined heat and power. 
To continue to be successful, it is critical that EPA collect 
information from Green Power and CHP Partners to ensure these 
organizations are meeting their renewable energy and CHP goals and to 
assure the creditability of these voluntary partnership programs.
    EPA has developed this ICR to obtain authorization to collect 
information from organizations participating in the Green Power 
Partnership and CHP Partnership. Organizations that join these programs 
voluntarily agree to the following respective actions: (1) designating 
a Green Power or CHP liaison and filling out a Partnership Agreement or 
Letter of Intent (LOI) respectively, (2) for the Green Power 
Partnership, reporting to EPA, on an annual basis, their progress 
toward their green power commitment via a 2-page reporting form; (3) 
for the CHP Partnership, reporting to EPA information on their existing 
CHP projects and CHP development activity. EPA uses the data obtained 
from its partners to assess the success of these programs in achieving 
that national energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals. Partners 
are organizational entities that have volunteered to participate in 
either Partnership program.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to equal 5,823 
hours and to average 3.25 hours per year 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 if 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: Companies, institutions, non-
governmental organizations, and State/local governments that 
participate in the Green Power and Combined Heat and Power 
Partnerships.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,794.
    Frequency of Response: Annual, on occasion, once.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 5,823.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $517,118, which includes $0 annualized 
Capital Startup costs, $5,466 annualized Operating and Maintenance 
(O&M) costs and $511,652 annualized Labor costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is an increase of 1,824 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. Since the last ICR renewal, both the Green Power 
Partnership and CHP Partnership have introduced program efficiencies to 
reduce program burden and simplified collection forms into pre-
populated spreadsheets or documents. As a result of these changes, the 
average number of hours per Partner has decreased from 3.4 hours to 
3.25 hours but the total hourly burden still increased because of an 
increase in the number of Partners. For perspective on the magnitude of 
partner growth, the number of Partners at the end of 2004 was 865, 
whereas by year-end there will be an estimated 1,308.


[[Page 17854]]


    Dated: April 13, 2009.
John Moses,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. E9-8897 Filed 4-16-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P