[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 111 (Thursday, June 11, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27788-27789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-13732]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OEI-2006-0037, FRL-8917-5]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Exchange Network Grants Progress 
Report (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 2207.03, OMB Control No. 2025-0006

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 11/30/09. 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 July 13, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OEI-
2006-0037, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by e-mail to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental 
Information Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 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. 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 statue. 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 DC-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: Wm. Terry Forrest, OEI/OIC/IESD, Mail 
Code 2823T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-0196; fax number: 
202-566-1624; 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-OEI-2006-0037 which is available for online viewing at 
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the OEI 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 OEI Docket is (202) 566-1752.
    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 27789]]

What Should I Consider When I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing you 
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-OPEI-2006-0037

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
States, Tribal, and Territorial Environmental Offices receiving 
National Environmental Information Exchange Network (NEIEN) grants.
    Title: Exchange Network Grants Progress Report (Renewal)
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2207.03, OMB Control No. 2025-0006.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on November 30, 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: This notice announces the collection of information 
related to the U.S. EPA NEIEN Grant Program. The EPA Office of 
Environmental Information provides funding to EPA's Exchange Network 
partners (states, territories, and federally recognized Indian tribes) 
to support the development of the NEIEN. The NEIEN is an Internet and-
standards-based, secure information system that supports the electronic 
collection, exchange, and integration of data among its partners. 
Funding for the Grant Program has been provided through annual 
congressional appropriations for the EPA.
    To enhance the quality and overall public benefit of the Network, 
EPA proposes to collect information from the NEIEN grantees about how 
they intend to ensure quality in their projects and the environmental 
outcomes and outputs from their projects. The proposed Quality 
Assurance Reporting Form is intended to provide a simple means for 
grant recipients to describe how quality will be addressed throughout 
their projects. The Quality Assurance Reporting Form is derived from 
guidelines provided in the NEIEN 2006 grant solicitation notice. As a 
stipulation of their award, grant recipients are to submit the form 
within ninety days of grant award.
    Grantees are currently required to submit semi-annual progress 
reports as a stipulation of their award. In these reports, grantees 
outline project goals, activities required to meet these goals, and 
outputs and outcomes of activities to date. At the request of numerous 
grantees, we are proposing to offer the Progress Reporting Form as a 
vehicle for collecting information. This form is easier to complete 
than an unstructured narrative; it can be used as the semi-annual and 
final report form and the information returned will be of higher 
quality and comparable.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.5 
hours for the Semi-Annual Report Form per response and 1 hour per 
Quality Assurance Form 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 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 that 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: State, Tribal, and Territorial 
Environmental Offices receiving NEIEN grants.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 225.
    Frequency of Response: Twice for the Semi-Annual Report Form; once 
for the Quality Assurance Form.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 733.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $37,000 includes $0 annualized capital 
or O&M costs and $37,000 annual labor costs.

Are There Changes in the Estimates From the Last Approval?

    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 283 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This change is due to an increase in the estimate 
to complete the Semi-annual Progress Report Form and due to the 
additional of the Quality Assurance Form.

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: June 5, 2009.
Connie Dwyer,
Director, Information Exchange & Services Division.
[FR Doc. E9-13732 Filed 6-10-09; 8:45 am]
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