[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18226-18227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9118]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0490; FRL-8894-2]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Consolidated Emissions Reporting Rule (Renewal); EPA 
ICR No. 0916.13, OMB Control No. 2060-0088

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 October 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 June 22, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2005-0490, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (919) 541-0684.
     Mail: Consolidated Emissions Reporting (Renewal), EPA-HQ-
OAR-2005-0490, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, 1301 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., EPA Headquarters Library, Room 3334, EPA West Building, 
Washington, DC 20460. 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-OAR-
2005-0490. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
http://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 http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://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 http://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: Dennis Beauregard, Office of Air 
Quality Planning and Standards, Air Quality Assessment Division, Mail 
Code C339-02, Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, 
NC 27711; telephone number: (919) 541-5512; fax number: (919) 541-0684; 
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-OAR-2005-0490, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air and 
Radiation 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 Air and 
Radiation Docket is 202-566-1742.
    Use http://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

[[Page 18227]]

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?

    Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0490.
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
state air pollution control agencies.
    Title: Consolidated Emissions Reporting (Renewal).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 0916.13, OMB Control No. 2060-0088.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on October 
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 and 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: EPA has promulgated a Consolidated Emissions Reporting 
Rule (CERR) (40 CFR part 51, subpart A) to coordinate new emissions 
inventory reporting requirements with existing requirements of the 
Clean Air Act (CAA) and 1990 Amendments. Under the CERR, 55 state and 
territorial air quality agencies, including the District of Columbia 
(DC), as well as an estimated 49 local air quality agencies, must 
annually submit emissions data for point sources emitting specified 
levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), oxides of nitrogen 
(NOX), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide 
(SO2), particulate matter less than or equal to 10 
micrometers in diameter (PM10), particulate matter less than 
or equal to 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5), lead (Pb), 
and ammonia (NH3).
    Every 3 years, states will be required to submit a point source 
inventory, as well as a statewide stationary nonpoint, nonroad mobile, 
onroad mobile, and biogenic source inventory for all criteria 
pollutants and their precursors. The emissions data submitted for the 
annual and 3-year cycle inventories for stationary point, nonpoint, 
nonroad mobile, and onroad mobile sources will be used by EPA's Office 
of Air Quality Planning and Standards to assist in developing ambient 
air quality emission standards, performing regional modeling, and 
preparing national trends assessments and special analyses and reports. 
Any data submitted to EPA under the CERR is in the public domain and 
cannot be treated as confidential.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 28.5 
hours per response. The total number of respondents is assumed to be 
2,038. This total number of respondents includes 104 state agencies 
that are subject to the CERR data reporting requirements and 1,934 
sources that are not subject, but are assumed to incur the burden for 
reporting estimates of PM2.5 and NH3 to state 
agencies. 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: 2,038.
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 1.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 58,172.
    Estimated total annual costs: $231,000. This includes an estimated 
burden cost of $218,400 and an estimated cost of $12,480 for capital 
investment or maintenance and operational costs.

Are There Changes in the Estimates From the Last Approval?

    There are no changes to the reporting requirements under the CERR 
so the actual state burden will remain unchanged. However, the final 
ICR may show a minor decrease to the total hours estimated for state 
reporting that are currently approved by OMB due to the use of updated 
data on state emissions reporting for annual and three-year emission 
inventories. In addition, the final ICR may show minor increased costs 
due to use of updated labor rates since the earlier 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: April 9, 2009.
Jenny N. Edmonds,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality, Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. E9-9118 Filed 4-20-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P