[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6094-6095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-01798]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0407; FRL 9526-6]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial 
and Industrial Sectors (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in 
the Commercial and Industrial Sectors'' (EPA ICR No. 1772.06, OMB 
Control No. 2060-0347) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is 
currently approved through January 31, 2013. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register (77 FR 46089) on August 
2, 2012 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an 
additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR 
is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. 
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.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before February 28, 
2013.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OAR-2006-0407, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by email to [email protected], or by mail to: 
EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB via email 
to [email protected]. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer 
for EPA.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexandra Sullivan, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, Mail Code: 6202J, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: 202-343-9040; fax number: 202-343-2204; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that EPA will be collecting are available in the public 
docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: EPA created ENERGY STAR as a voluntary program to help 
businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior 
energy efficiency. The program focuses on reducing utility-generated 
emissions by reducing the demand for energy. In 1991, EPA launched the 
Green Lights Program to encourage corporations, State and local 
governments, colleges and universities, and other organizations to 
adopt energy-efficient lighting as a profitable means of preventing 
pollution and improving lighting quality. Since then, EPA has rolled 
Green Lights into ENERGY STAR and expanded ENERGY STAR to encompass 
organization-wide energy performance improvement, such as building 
technology upgrades, product purchasing initiatives, and employee 
training. At the same time, EPA has streamlined the reporting 
requirements of ENERGY STAR and focused on providing incentives for 
improvements (e.g., ENERGY STAR Awards Program). EPA also makes tools 
and other resources available on the Web to help the public overcome 
the barriers to evaluating their energy performance and investing in 
profitable improvements.
    To join ENERGY STAR, organizations are asked to complete a 
Partnership Letter or Agreement that establishes their commitment to 
energy efficiency. Partners agree to undertake efforts such as 
measuring, tracking, and benchmarking their organization's energy 
performance by using tools such as those offered by ENERGY STAR; 
developing and implementing a plan to improve energy performance in 
their facilities and operations by adopting a strategy provided by 
ENERGY STAR; and educating staff and the public about their Partnership 
with ENERGY STAR, and highlighting achievements with the ENERGY STAR, 
where available.
    Partners also may be asked to periodically submit information to 
EPA as needed to assist in program implementation.
    Partnership in ENERGY STAR is voluntary and can be terminated by 
Partners or EPA at any time. EPA does not expect organizations to join 
the program unless they expect participation to be cost-effective and 
otherwise beneficial for them.
    In addition, Partners and any other interested party can seek 
recognition and help EPA promote energy-efficient technologies by 
evaluating the efficiency of their buildings using EPA's on-line tools 
(e.g., Portfolio Manager) and applying for recognition. EPA does not 
expect to deem any information collected under ENERGY STAR to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI).

Form Numbers:
     Attachment to Partnership Letter for

[[Page 6095]]

C&I Partners (5900-19)
     Partnership Agreement for EEPs (5900-33)
     ENERGY STAR Building Certification Application (5900-197)
     ENERGY STAR Leaders--Eligible Facilities List (5900-20)
     ENERGY STAR Leaders--Facility Summary Report (5900-20)
     ENERGY STAR Leaders--Ineligible Facilities List (5900-20)
     ENERGY STAR Leaders--Leaders Story (5900-20)
     Service and Product Provider (SPP) Partnership Application 
Data Form (5900-195)
     Small Business Network (5900-21)
     Statement of Energy Design Intent (5900-22)
     Statement of Energy Improvement (5900-198)
     Statement of Energy Performance--Plants (5900-89)
     Challenge for Industry Registration Form (5900-263)
     Challenge for Industry Online Recognition Application 
(5900-262)
     EPI Application Letter (5900-264)
     EPI Award Specification Sheet (5900-265)

    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are participants in EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in the 
Commercial and Industrial Sectors.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 15,000 (total).
    Frequency of response: One-time, annually, or on occasion.
    Total estimated burden: 194,509 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $24,408,276 (per year), including $10,318,180 
in annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs and $14,090,096 
in annualized labor costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 69,486 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This 69,486-hour increase includes an 18-hour decrease 
due to program changes and a 69,504-hour increase due to adjustments 
resulting from program growth. This 69,504-hour increase due to 
adjustments resulted primarily from the fact that EPA has significantly 
increased its estimate of the number of respondents using the on-line 
tool Portfolio Manager and applying for ENERGY STAR Certification. 
There are several reasons for this increase. A primary reason is that 
State and local governments are increasingly leveraging ENERGY STAR as 
a way for the public to respond to rising energy costs and global 
warming. In addition, associations, utilities, and third-party 
providers are voluntarily communicating ENERGY STAR messages and 
promoting the use of ENERGY STAR tools and strategies in an effort to 
help companies reduce their energy consumption and find more 
environmentally friendly ways to conduct business. Finally, the public 
has demonstrated an increasing desire to earn recognition under the 
ENERGY STAR Program.

John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-01798 Filed 1-28-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P