[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 28, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19221-19223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9652]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0482; FRL-8898-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Information Collection Activities Associated With 
SmartWay Transport Partnership; EPA ICR No. 2265.01, OMB Control No. 
2060--NEW

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 for a new Information Collection Request (ICR) to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 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 29, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2007-0482 by one of the following methods:
     www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-343-2803
     Mail: SmartWay Transport Partnership, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Mailcode: 6406J, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: Air Docket, EPA, Mailcode: 6102T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 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-2007-
0482. 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: Denise Kearns, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; 
telephone: 734-214-4240; Fax: 734-214-4906; e-mail: kearns.denise 
@epa.gov.

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-

[[Page 19222]]

HQ-OAR-2007-0482, which is available for online viewing at 
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air 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 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 Docket is 202-566-1742.
    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?

Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0482

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action 
include private and public organizations that join the SmartWay 
Transport Partnership; freight industry representatives who engage in 
activities related to the SmartWay Partnership; and representative 
samplings of consumers in the general public. These entities may be 
affected by EPA efforts to assess the effectiveness and value of the 
SmartWay program, awareness of the SmartWay brand, and ideas for 
improving and developing SmartWay.
    Title: Information Collection Activities Associated with SmartWay 
Transport Partnership.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2265.01, OMB Control No. 2060-NEW.
    ICR status: This ICR is for a new information collection activity. 
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: The EPA's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) supports the 
SmartWay Transport Partnership, an energy conservation deployment 
program that aims to improve fuel efficiency and curb greenhouse gas 
emissions generated by the freight industry (air, rail, water, truck, 
transit, pipeline). OAR developed the SmartWay Transport Partnership 
under directives outlined in Subtitle D of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 which calls on EPA to assess the energy and air quality impacts of 
activities within the freight industry. These activities include long-
duration truck idling, the development and promotion of strategies for 
reducing idling, fuel consumption, and negative air quality effects. 
SmartWay's objectives also are consistent with the Federal Technology 
Transfer Act and other laws that support collaborative partnerships 
between government and industry.
    The partnership is open to organizations that own, operate, and 
contract fleet operations, including both truck carriers and shippers. 
``Affiliate'' organizations that do not operate fleets, but that are 
working to strengthen the freight industry, such as industry trade 
associations, state and local transportation agencies and environmental 
groups, also may sign on as SmartWay partners.
    All organizations that join SmartWay, including carriers, shippers 
and affiliates are asked to provide EPA with information.
    Specifically, as a first step toward partnering with EPA, 
organizations that operate fleets, such as freight carriers, shippers 
and logistics management companies, commit to assessing and improving 
the environmental performance of their freight activities. A company 
joins SmartWay when it completes the Freight Logistics Environmental 
and Energy Transportation (FLEET) Performance Model and submits the 
model's results, along with a signed partnership agreement to EPA. The 
data outputs from the FLEET Model are used by companies to establish a 
baseline and set goals for reducing fuel and emissions over the next 3 
years. Under their partnership agreement, companies also agree to 
annually update their FLEET model and to provide those updated results 
to EPA.
    Data outputs from the FLEET Model are vital to the SmartWay 
Partnership for several reasons. First, the data provides confirmation 
that EPA's SmartWay Partners have set a baseline, established 
objectives and are meeting those objectives as outlined in their 
Partnership Agreement. The FLEET Model outputs also make it possible 
for EPA to assist our Partners in adjusting their commitments, as 
appropriate, and to update them with environmental performance and 
technology information that will empower them to improve their 
efficiency and achieve their environmental goals. This

[[Page 19223]]

information also improves EPA's knowledge and understanding of the 
environmental and energy impacts associated with goods movement, and 
the effectiveness of both proven and emerging strategies to lessen 
those impacts.
    In addition to requesting FLEET Model data and annual updates on 
fuel consumption and environmental performance, EPA may ask its 
SmartWay Partners for other kinds of information. These requests for 
information may be made of all our SmartWay Partners, including our 
affiliates. Some examples of this kind of information could include 
opinions and test data on the effectiveness of new and emerging 
technology applications; numeric data on sales volumes associated with 
SmartWay recommended vehicle equipment and technologies; the reach and 
value of partnering with EPA through the SmartWay program; and 
awareness of the SmartWay brand. In some instances, EPA might also 
query other freight industry representatives (not just SmartWay 
Partners), including trade and professional associations, nonprofit 
environmental groups, energy, and community organizations, and schools 
and universities, and a small sampling of the general public.
    Burden Statement: Total annual burden is estimated at 10,081 hours. 
The estimated number of Respondent Partners is 1,462 the first year, 
with a growth of 255 Partners per year projected into the future. The 
estimated average burden time per Respondent is 4.6 hours annually. EPA 
notes that this is a weighted average across all SmartWay Partners, 
regardless of whether they are affiliates, shippers, carriers, or 
logistics companies. The weighted average also includes 300 consumer 
and industry respondents who spend far less time, providing the 
SmartWay program with basic information on their awareness of the 
program.
    Among Respondent Partners, the burden hours are typically higher 
for larger companies with more complex fleets, than for smaller 
companies. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 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; 
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.

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.
Sarah Dunham,
Acting Director, Transportation and Regional Programs Division, Office 
of Transportation and Air Quality.
[FR Doc. E9-9652 Filed 4-27-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P