[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 96 (Thursday, May 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29337-29338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11956]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2004-0501; FRL 9516-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; EPA's Green Power Partnership and 
Combined Heat and Power 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 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: Any additional comments on this ICR should be submitted on or 
before June 18, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2004-0501 to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method); email: [email protected], or by mail to EPA 
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Air and Radiation 
Docket, Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 
and (2) OMB by mail: 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: Mollie Lemon, Climate Protection

[[Page 29338]]

Partnerships Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, MC 6202J, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-343-9859; fax number: 202-
343-2208; 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 December 28, 2011 (76 FR 81491), EPA sought comments on 
this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received two comments during 
the comment period, which are addressed in the ICR. 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-OAR-2004-0501, which is available for online viewing at 
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 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 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 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: Reporting Requirements under EPA's Green Power Partnership 
and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Partnership.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2173.05, OMB Control No. 2060-0578.
    ICR Status: This ICR currently is scheduled to expire on June 30, 
2012. 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: In 2001, EPA launched two new partnership programs with 
industry and other stakeholders: the Green Power Partnership (GPP) and 
the Combined Heat and Power Partnership (CHPP). These voluntary 
partnership programs encourage organizations to invest in clean, 
efficient energy technologies, including renewable energy and combined 
heat and power. EPA collects information from GPP and CHPP Partners to 
assess the success of these programs in achieving their national energy 
and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals.
    EPA has developed this ICR to obtain authorization to collect 
information from organizations participating in the GPP and CHPP. 
Organizations that join these programs voluntarily agree to the 
following respective actions: (1) Designating a GPP or CHPP liaison and 
filling out a Partnership Agreement or Letter of Intent, respectively, 
(2) for the GPP, reporting to EPA on an annual basis their progress 
toward achieving their green power commitment via a 3-page reporting 
form; (3) for the CHPP, reporting to EPA information on their existing 
CHP projects, new project development, and other CHP-related activities 
via a one-page reporting form (for projects) or via an informal email 
or phone call (for other CHP-related activities). Partners are 
organizational entities that have volunteered to participate in either 
Partnership program.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to equal 2 hours 
per response. The average number of annual burden hours per type of 
response is: 1.96 hours for a Partnership Agreement (a one-time burden 
for GPP Partners), 2.14 hours for a Letter of Intent (a one-time burden 
for CHPP Partners), 1.38 hours for the Partner Yearly Report for the 
GPP, and 3.51 hours for the Partner Yearly Report for the CHPP.
    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 subsequently have 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: Organizations participating in the 
Green Power Partnership and Combined Heat and Power Partnership.
    Estimated Total Annual Number of Respondents: 2,216.
    Frequency of Response: annually, on occasion, and one time.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 4,800.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $256,053, which includes no capital 
costs, $6,744 in operations & maintenance (O&M) costs, and $249,309 in 
labor costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 1,023 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. Since the last ICR renewal, both the GPP and CHPP 
have introduced program efficiencies to reduce program burden by 
encouraging the electronic submission of documents directly to the 
program support contractors. The average number of hours per Partner 
decreased from 3.24 to 2.17 hours, while the total cost decreased due 
to a downward correction of the labor rates used to calculate 
respondent costs and a reduction in hours per response.

John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-11956 Filed 5-16-12; 8:45 am]
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