[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 20 (Monday, January 31, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5366-5368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1921]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2004-0077; FRL-9259-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program 
Final Rulemaking Under Title VI of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 
1990; EPA ICR No. 1596.08, OMB Control No. 2060-0226

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 June 30, 2011. 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 April 1, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2004-0077, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center 
(EPA/DC), Mailcode 6102T, Attention Docket ID No. OAR, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460
     Hand Delivery: Public Reading Room, Room 3334, EPA West 
Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.
    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-
2004-0077. 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/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Fiffer, Stratospheric 
Protection Division, Alternatives and Emissions Reduction Branch, Mail 
Code 6205J, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 343-9464; fax 
number: (202) 343-2362; 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-2004-0077, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing 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 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 202-566-1752.
    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

[[Page 5367]]

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-2004-0077.
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
manufacturers, importers, formulators and processors of substitutes for 
ozone-depleting substances.
    Title: Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program Final 
Rulemaking Under Title VI of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1596.08, OMB Control No. 2006-0226.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on June 30, 
2011. 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: Information collected under this rulemaking is necessary 
to implement the requirements of the Significant New Alternatives 
Policy (SNAP) program for evaluating and regulating substitutes for 
ozone-depleting chemicals being phased out under the stratospheric 
ozone protection provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and globally 
under the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer. 
Under CAA Section 612, EPA is authorized to identify and restrict the 
use of substitutes for class I and class II ozone-depleting substances 
where EPA determines other alternatives exist that reduce overall risk 
to human health and the environment. The SNAP program, based on 
information collected from the manufacturers, formulators, and/or 
sellers of such substitutes, identifies acceptable substitutes. 
Responses to the collection of information are mandatory under Section 
612 for anyone who sells or, in certain cases, uses substitutes for an 
ozone-depleting substance after April 18, 1994, the effective date of 
the final rule. Measures to protect confidentiality of information 
collected under the SNAP program are based on EPA's confidentiality 
regulations (40 CFR 2.201 et seq., or Subpart B). Submitters may 
designate all or portions of their forms or petitions as confidential. 
EPA requires the submitters to substantiate their claim of 
confidentiality. Under CAA Section 114(c), emissions information may 
not be claimed as confidential.
    To develop the lists of acceptable and unacceptable substitutes, 
the Agency must assess and compare ``overall risks to human health and 
the environment'' posed by use of substitutes in the context of 
particular applications. EPA requires submission of information 
covering a wide range of health and environmental factors. These 
include intrinsic properties such as physical and chemical information, 
ozone depleting potential, global warming potential, toxicity, and 
flammability, and use-specific data such as substitute applications, 
process description, environmental release data, exposure data during 
use of a substitute, environmental fate and transport, and cost 
information. Once a completed submission has been received, a 90 day 
review period under the SNAP program will commence. Any substitute 
which is a new chemical must also be submitted to the Agency under the 
Premanufacture Notice program under the Toxic Substances Control Act 
(TSCA). Alternatives that will be used as sterilants must be filed 
jointly with EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs and with SNAP.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 
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: 221.
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 6,517 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $465,450. This includes an estimated 
burden cost of $443,170 in labor costs, $22,070 in capital costs, and 
$210 in maintenance and operational costs.

Are there changes in the estimates from the last approval?

    There is a decrease of 1,687 hours in the total estimated 
respondent burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. The development of new substitutes caused the number 
of persons filing a SNAP Information Notice or TSCA/SNAP addendum to 
increase slightly, but also resulted in fewer respondents keeping 
records for alternatives that are subject to narrowed use limits. In 
addition, respondents filing a SNAP Information Notice reported a 
decrease in total annual burden of hours when collecting data to 
complete the form and when responding to requests for additional 
information. This decrease may be attributable to increased respondent 
familiarity with EPA's forms, more examples in the public record for 
respondents to research and use in preparing responses, and general 
increased availability of computer software and information via the 
Internet.

[[Page 5368]]

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: January 24, 2011.
Elizabeth Craig,
Acting Director, Office of Atmospheric Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-1921 Filed 1-28-11; 8:45 am]
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