[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 236 (Thursday, December 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65532-65533]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29440]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0548; FRL-9091-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Exhaust Emissions of Light-duty Vehicles in 
Metropolitan Detroit ; EPA ICR No. 2363.01, OMB Control No. 2060-NEW

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

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 February 8, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2009-0548, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (734) 214-4939.
     Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center 
(EPA/DC), Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, Mail code 
6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB 
at: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, 
NW., Washington DC 20503.
     Hand Delivery: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, Mail 
code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 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-
2009-0548. 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 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: Constance Hart, Assessment and 
Standards Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, 
Environmental Protection Agency, AAAQMC, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann 
Arbor, MI 48105; telephone number: (734) 214-4340; fax number: (734) 
214-4939; 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-2009-0548, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person 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 information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.

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.

[[Page 65533]]

What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Apply to?

    ``Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0548.''
    Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
individual private owners of light-duty vehicles, including passenger 
cars and light trucks.
    Title: Exhaust Emissions of Light-duty Vehicles in Metropolitan 
Detroit.
    ICR Numbers: EPA ICR No. 2363.01, 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. In addition, they 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: In response to recommendations from the National Research 
Council of the National Academy of Sciences, the EPA is initiating a 
systematic data collection designed to improve the methods and tools 
used by the Agency to estimate exhaust emissions as vehicles age. Data 
to be collected include vehicle type, vehicle characteristics, and 
measurement of exhaust emissions.
    One of the main issues in the study of vehicle emissions is the 
difficulty in acquiring representative results. Major challenges 
include the diversity of technology, the highly variable nature of 
emissions, the complexity and expense of measurement, difficulty in 
acquiring and retaining engines or vehicles, and the array of external 
variables that influence emissions, ranging from temperature to driver 
behavior. In combination, these factors tend to limit the numbers of 
vehicles that can be included in a given study. Limited sample sizes in 
combination with high variability make emissions data challenging to 
interpret.
    The collection is a test program, to be conducted by the Office of 
Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) in the Office of Air and 
Radiation (OAR). This study will be designed to develop and test novel 
screening, sampling and measurement procedures. These approaches 
promise to substantially reduce the cost of exhaust emissions 
measurement as well as to improve the accuracy of resulting estimates.
    An innovative feature of this project will be the use of roadside 
remote-sensing measurements to construct a pool of vehicles from which 
vehicles can be sampled for purposes of recruitment and measurement 
using portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS). The acquisition of 
remote-sensing measurements for hydrocarbons, carbon-monoxide, and 
oxides of nitrogen will provide an index of emissions for all vehicles 
prior to sampling and recruitment for more intensive measurement. The 
index is expected to facilitate recruitment of vehicles with an 
emphasis on rare sub-populations such as high-emitting vehicles, and 
provide a means to appropriately relate measured vehicles to the 
overall fleet.
    Research questions for the project include: (1) Can remote-sensing 
be used as a reliable index of emissions across the range of emissions? 
(2) Can PEMS measure accurate emissions time series for very clean 
vehicles, such as Tier 2 (Bins 2 and 3) or LEV-II (ULEV, SULEV)? (3) 
How can portable instruments be used to measure start emissions? and 
(4) Can the emissions index used for recruitment also serve as a means 
to estimate potential non-response bias?
    We plan to collect remote-sensing measurements on approximately 
30,000 vehicles, and from this pool, to recruit approximately 100 
vehicles for measurement using PEMS. Participation in the program will 
be voluntary. The target population for the project will include light-
duty cars and trucks certified to Tier 2 (Bins 5, 3 and 2) or 
equivalent LEV-II standards (LEV, ULEV or SULEV), respectively.
    The information collection will involve 250 respondents, requiring 
360 hours to complete at a total cost to those respondents of $9,500. 
For the Agency, the collection will require 3,200 hours to complete at 
a total cost of $250,000.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.45 
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:
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 250.
    Frequency of response: On Occasion.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 
One.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 360.
    Estimated total annual costs: $9,500.
    This includes an estimated burden cost of $9,500 and an estimated 
cost of $0 for capital investment or maintenance and operational costs.

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: September 18, 2009.
Chester J. France,
Director, Assessment and Standards Division.
[FR Doc. E9-29440 Filed 12-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P