[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 205 (Monday, October 26, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54996-54998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-25738]



[[Page 54996]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2002-0059; FRL-8973-8; EPA ICR No. 1803.06; OMB Control No. 
2040-0185]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Fund Program

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 February 28, 2010. 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 December 28, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2002-0059 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mailcode: 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: Water Docket, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), 
EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave, NW., Washington, DC 20004. 
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-OW-2002-
0059. 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: Howard Rubin, Mail Code 4606M, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-2051; fax number: 
(202) 564-3757; 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-OW-2002-0059, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Water 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 Water Docket is 202-566-2426.
    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 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?

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
the 50 States, Puerto Rico, and the recipients of assistance in each of 
these jurisdictions.

[[Page 54997]]

    Title: Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Fund Program
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1803.06, OMB Control No. 2040-0185.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on February 
28, 2010. 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 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996 
(Pub. L. 104-182) authorized the creation of the Drinking Water State 
Revolving Fund (DWSRF; the Fund) program in each State and Puerto Rico 
to assist public water systems to finance the costs of infrastructure 
needed to achieve or maintain compliance with SDWA requirements and to 
protect public health. Section 1452 authorizes the Administrator of the 
EPA to award capitalization grants to the States and Puerto Rico which, 
in turn, provide low-cost loans and other types of assistance to 
eligible drinking water systems. States can also reserve a portion of 
their grants to conduct various set-aside activities. The information 
collection activities will occur primarily at the program level through 
the (1) Capitalization Grant Application and Agreement/State Intended 
Use Plan; (2) Biennial Report; (3) Annual Audit; and (4) Assistance 
Application Review. Information collected is needed for input into the 
DWSRF National Information Management System.
    (1) Capitalization Grant Application and Agreement/State Intended 
Use Plan: The State must prepare a Capitalization Grant Application 
that includes an Intended Use Plan (IUP) outlining in detail how it 
will use all the funds covered by the capitalization grant. The State 
may, as an alternative, develop the IUP in a two part process with one 
part identifying the distribution and uses of the funds among the 
various set-asides in the DWSRF program and the other part dealing with 
project assistance from the Fund.
    (2) Biennial Report: The State must agree to complete and submit a 
Biennial Report on the uses of the capitalization grant. The scope of 
the report must cover assistance provided by the Fund and all other 
set-aside activities included under the Capital Grant Agreement. States 
which jointly administer DWSRF and Clean Water State Revolving Fund 
(CWSRF) programs, in accordance with section 1452(g)(1), may submit 
reports (according to the schedule specified for each program) which 
cover both programs.
    (3) Annual Audit: A State must comply with the provisions of the 
Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996. Best management practices suggest 
and EPA recommends that a State conduct an annual independent audit of 
its DWSRF program. The scope of the report must cover the DWSRF Fund 
and all other set-aside activities included in the Capitalization Grant 
Agreement. States which jointly administer DWSRF and CWSRF programs, in 
accordance with section 1452(g)(1), may submit audits that cover both 
programs but which report financial information for each program 
separately.
    (4) Assistance Application Review: Local applicants seeking 
financial assistance must prepare and submit DWSRF loan applications. 
States then review completed loan applications and verify that proposed 
projects will comply with applicable Federal and State requirements.

As a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by the 
President on February 17, 2009, the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund 
received an additional $2 billion in funding for assistance agreements 
for projects to be under contract or construction by February 17, 2010. 
EPA expects an estimated two-fold increase of respondents (in some 
years) due to this additional funding.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to be an average 
of 131 hours 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 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:

DWSRF--Base Program

    Estimate total number of potential respondents: 1505 respondents 
per year, at a cost of $4,565.35 average annual burden per response.
    Frequency of response: For Capitalization Grants and Audits 
responses are annual, for Biennial reports and Loan Applications, 
responses are on occasion.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 
This ICR estimates one annual response per respondent.
    Estimated total annual burden hours per response: Approximately 131 
hrs. (197,155 hrs./1505 respondents)
    Estimated total annual burden hours: Respondent burden is estimated 
at 197,155 hrs. annually.
    Estimated total annual costs: Respondent total cost is estimated at 
$6,870,852 annually.

DWSRF--American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

    Estimate total number of potential respondents: 1505 respondents 
per year at a cost of $3,849.40 average annual burden per response.
    Frequency of response: For Capitalization Grants and Audits 
responses are annual, for Biennial reports and Loan Applications, 
responses are on occasion.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 
This ICR estimates one annual response per respondent.
    Estimated total annual burden hours per response: Approximately 97 
hrs. (146,550 hrs./1505 respondents)
    Estimated total annual burden hours: Respondent burden is estimated 
at 146,550 hrs. annually.
    Estimated total annual costs: Respondent total cost is estimated at 
$5,793,489 annually.

 Summary: Annual Burden for Assistance Recipients Receiving DWSRF Loans
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                     Program                        Hours        Cost
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DWSRF--Base.....................................    197,155   $6,870,852
DWSRF--ARRA.....................................    146,550    5,793,489
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  Total.........................................    343,705   12,664,341
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[[Page 54998]]

Are There Changes in the Estimates From the Last Approval?

    There is an increase of 197,155 hours in the total estimated 
respondent burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This reflects EPA's calculation of the burden hours 
resulting from a possible two-fold increase in respondents due to 
additional funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

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: October 20, 2009.
Cynthia C. Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. E9-25738 Filed 10-23-09; 8:45 am]
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