[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74053-74055]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30850]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2011-0940; FRL-9497-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Reporting Requirements Under EPA's Climate Leaders 
Partnership (Renewal)

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) (EPA ICR No. 2100.05) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) (OMB Control No. 2060-0532). This ICR is scheduled to 
expire on April 30, 2012. 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 January 30, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2011-0940 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: (202) 566-9744.
     Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, 
Air and Radiation Docket, Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: EPA Docket--Public Reading Room, EPA West 
Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. 
Such deliveries are accepted only 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-
2011-0940. 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 email. 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 email comment directly to EPA without 
going through www.regulations.gov your email address will be captured 
automatically 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: John Sottong, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, (6202J), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 343-9397; fax number: 
(202) 343-2208; email 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-2011-0940, 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 8:30 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.

[[Page 74054]]

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 also may provide the name, date, and Federal 
Register citation.

To what information collection activity or ICR does this apply?

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
participants in the U.S. EPA and U.S. GSA Federal Supplier Greenhouse 
Gas Emissions Inventory Pilot started during EPA's Climate Leaders 
Program.
    Title: Reporting Requirements Under EPA's Climate Leaders 
Partnership (Renewal).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2100.05, OMB Control No. 2060-0532.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on April 30, 
2012. 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: On September 30, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency officially ended its Climate Leaders program. One element of the 
Climate Leaders program was the Small Business Network (SBN) which 
offered small businesses tools and resources to assist them with 
managing and reducing their GHG emissions. In direct response to E.O. 
13514, EPA and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) utilized 
the Climate Leaders SBN as the foundation to launch the Federal 
Supplier Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Pilot (``the Pilot'') in 
August 2010 to assess the benefits and challenges experienced by small 
businesses in completing and reporting a GHG emissions inventory. The 
Pilot is a voluntary, three-year program in which small businesses are 
required to develop annual GHG emissions inventories through September 
2013. The small businesses are also required to develop and implement 
GHG emissions reductions strategies and review their progress towards 
meeting their reduction goals and the associated benefits. Through this 
interagency agreement, EPA continues to support the Pilot with 
education and technical assistance. EPA has developed this renewal ICR 
to ensure that the Pilot remains credible by obtaining continued 
authorization to collect information from its participants to ensure 
that they are meeting their GHG goals. Companies that joined the Pilot 
voluntarily agree to the following: Setting a corporate GHG reduction 
goal; submitting a GHG inventory management plan; reporting to EPA, on 
an annual basis, the company's GHG emissions inventory, and progress 
toward their GHG reduction goal via the Annual GHG Inventory Summary 
and Goal Tracking Form. The information contained in the inventories of 
the companies that participate in the Pilot may be considered 
confidential business information and is maintained as such. EPA uses 
the data obtained from the companies to assess the success of the Pilot 
in achieving its goals and to identify the type of outreach, training, 
and other direct assistance and incentives that will help small 
business federal suppliers meet the objectives of E.O. 13514. Responses 
to the information collection are voluntary.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 40 
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: Responses are 
expected from the 46 small businesses participating in the joint EPA-
GSA Federal Supplier Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Pilot.
    Frequency of response: The companies will be required to submit one 
response annually.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 
One response will be received from each respondent per year.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 1,840 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $171,810. This includes an estimated 
burden cost of $171,810 and an estimated cost of $0.00 for capital 
investment or maintenance and operational costs.

[[Page 74055]]

Are there changes in the estimates from the last approval?

    There is a decrease of 17,796 hours in the total estimated 
respondent burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease reflects EPA's phase down of the Climate 
Leaders program on September 30, 2011. As a result, the number of 
respondents to this ICR decreased to include only those 46 small 
businesses participating in the joint EPA-GSA Federal Supplier 
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Pilot.

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: November 21, 2011.
Elizabeth Craig,
Director, Climate Protection Partnerships Division.
[FR Doc. 2011-30850 Filed 11-29-11; 8:45 am]
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