[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 247 (Friday, December 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80361-80362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32961]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0719, FRL 9508-7]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; National Pretreatment Program 
(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 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 January 23, 
2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2008-0719, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to [email protected]. (Identify Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OW-2008-0719 in the subject line), or by mail to: Water Docket, 
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: Amelia Letnes, State and Regional 
Branch, Water Permits Division, OWM Mail Code: 4203M, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 564-5627; fax number: (202) 564-9544; email 
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 August 25, 2011 (76 FR 53123), 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-OW-2008-0719, which is available for online viewing at 
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 EPA's electronic docket and comment system at 
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 business information (CBI), or other 
information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For 
further information about the electronic docket, go to 
www.regulations.gov.
    Title: National Pretreatment Program (Renewal).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR Number 0002.15, OMB Control Number 2040-0009.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on 12/31/2011. 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: This ICR calculates the burden and costs associated with 
managing and implementing the National Pretreatment Program as mandated 
under CWA sections 402(a) and 402(b) and 307(b). This ICR includes all 
existing tasks under the National Pretreatment Program, as amended by 
the EPA's Streamlining Rule.
    EPA's Office of Wastewater Management (OWM) in the Office of Water 
(OW) is responsible for the management of the pretreatment program. The 
CWA requires EPA to develop national pretreatment standards to control 
discharges from Industrial Users (IUs) into Publicly-Owned Treatment 
Works (POTWs). These standards limit the level of certain pollutants 
allowed in non-domestic wastewater that is discharged to a POTW. EPA 
administers the pretreatment program through the NPDES permit program. 
Under the NPDES permit program, EPA may approve State or individual 
POTW implementation of the pretreatment standards at their respective 
levels. Data

[[Page 80362]]

collected from IUs during implementation of the pretreatment program 
include the mass, frequency, and content of IU discharges and IU 
schedules for installing pretreatment equipment. Data also include 
actual or anticipated IU discharges of wastes that violate pretreatment 
standards, have the potential to cause problems at the POTW, or are 
considered hazardous under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
(RCRA). OWM uses the data collected under the pretreatment program to 
monitor and enforce compliance with the pretreatment regulations, as 
well as to authorize program administration at the State or Local 
(POTW) level. States and POTWs applying for approval of their 
pretreatment programs submit data concerning their legal, procedural, 
and administrative bases for establishing such programs. This 
information may include surveys of IUs, local limits for pollutant 
concentrations, and schedules for completion of major project 
requirements. IUs and POTWs submit written reports to the approved 
State or EPA. These data may then be entered into the NPDES databases 
by the approved State or by EPA.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 74.0 
hours per respondent per year, or 18.35 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.
    Affected entities: Various industrial categories, publicly owned 
treatment works (POTWs), Local and State governments.
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 24,411 (36 States, 
1,548 POTWs and 22,827 industrial users).
    Frequency of response: On occasion, semi-annually, annually.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 4.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 1,806,517 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $77,647,536. This includes an 
estimated burden cost of $75,328,623 and an estimated cost of 
$2,318,913 for capital investment or maintenance and operational costs.
    Change in Burden: There is an increase of 9,430 (0.5%) hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with that identified in the 
ICR currently approved by OMB. Most of the increase in burden is 
attributable to the transfer of the burden associated with Pretreatment 
Compliance Inspection (PCI) from the NPDES Program ICR (OMB Control No. 
2040-0004, EPA ICR No. 0229.20). There are also additional burden 
increases in other areas. For example, the number of state respondents 
has increased from 35 to 36, and the number of approved programs has 
increased to 1,548 from 1,512.
    However, the increases in burden are partially offset by a decrease 
in burden attributable to the decrease in the number of SIUs. EPA 
revised the estimated number of SIUs and pretreatment programs after 
extensive consultation with the EPA regions and a thorough examination 
of PCS data. The revised number of SIUs drives the decrease in 
respondent burden because SIUs constitute the bulk of respondents. This 
ICR shows a shift in burden from POTWs to States as a consequence of 
EPA's updated estimates of SIUs regulated by POTWs and States. However, 
this is not the result of programmatic changes but simply a reflection 
of more accurate information about the implementation of the 
pretreatment program.

    Dated: December 16, 2011.
John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2011-32961 Filed 12-22-11; 8:45 am]
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