[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43974-43975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-18367]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OECA-2005-0062; FRL-9180-6]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Procedures for Implementing the National Environmental 
Policy Act and Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA 
Actions (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 2243.06, OMB Control No. 2020-0033

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 an Information Collection 
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing 
approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the 
nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before August 26, 
2010.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OECA-
2005-0062, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by email to [email protected], or by mail to: 
EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica Trice, Office of Federal 
Activities, Mail Code 2252A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 
564-6646; fax number: (202) 564-0072; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB 
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 
1320.12. On May 7, 2010 (75 FR 25237), EPA sought comments on this ICR 
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any additional 
comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days 
of this notice.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OECA-2005-0062, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Enforcement and 
Compliance 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 Enforcement and 
Compliance Docket is 202-566-1752.
    Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those 
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the 
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number 
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public 
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made 
available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA 
receives them and without change, unless the comment contains 
copyrighted material, confidential

[[Page 43975]]

business information (CBI), or other information whose public 
disclosure is restricted by statute. For further information about the 
electronic docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov.
    Title: Procedures for Implementing the National Environmental 
Policy Act and Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA 
Actions (Renewal).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2243.06, OMB Control No. 2020-0033.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2010. 
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor 
the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. 
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, 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 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 
U.S.C. 4321-4347 establishes the federal government's national policy 
for protection of the environment. The Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations (CEQ Regulations) at 40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508 
establish procedures implementing the national policy. The CEQ 
Regulations (40 CFR 1505.1) require federal agencies to adopt and, as 
needed, revise their own implementing procedures to supplement the CEQ 
Regulations and to ensure their decision-making processes are 
consistent with NEPA. EPA accordingly laid out its ``Procedures for 
Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act and Assessing the 
Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA Actions'' at 40 CFR part 6.
    Those subject to the final NEPA rule include certain grant or 
permit applicants who must submit environmental information 
documentation to EPA for their proposed projects. The final NEPA 
regulations consolidate and standardize the environmental review 
process applicable to all EPA actions subject to NEPA, including those 
actions now specifically addressed in the regulations and other actions 
subject to NEPA but not specifically addressed in the regulations 
(e.g., certain grants awarded for special projects authorized by 
Congress through the Agency's annual Appropriations Act).
    EPA is collecting information from certain applicants as part of 
the process of complying with either NEPA or Executive Order 12114 
(``Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions''). EPA's NEPA 
regulations apply to the actions of EPA that are subject to NEPA in 
order to ensure that environmental information is available to the 
Agency's decision-makers and the public before decisions are made and 
before actions are taken.
    When EPA conducts an environmental assessment pursuant to its 
Executive Order 12114 procedures, the Agency generally follows its NEPA 
procedures. Compliance with the procedures is the responsibility of 
EPA's Responsible Officials, and for applicant-proposed actions 
applicants may be required to provide environmental information to EPA 
as part of the environmental review process. For this Information 
Collection Request (ICR), applicant-proposed projects subject to either 
NEPA or Executive Order 12114 (and that are not addressed in other EPA 
programs' ICRs) are addressed through the NEPA process.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 123 
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.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are certain grant or permit applicants who must submit 
environmental information documentation to EPA for their projects to 
comply with NEPA or Executive Order 12114, including Wastewater 
Treatment Construction Grants Program facilities, State and Tribal 
Assistance Grant recipients and new source National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System permittees.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 312.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 38,472 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $3,503,245, includes $7,638 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 9,675 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease reflects the increasing the number 
of projects that are documented with a categorical exclusion (CE) 
rather than an environmental assessment (EA). Under the current ICR, 
approximately 60% of the annual 300 grant projects were documented with 
a CE, and 40% with an EA. However, we estimate that out of the 300 
annual grant projects, 75% will be documented with a CE and 25% will be 
documented with an EA.

    Dated: July 21, 2010.
John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-18367 Filed 7-26-10; 8:45 am]
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