[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 110 (Friday, June 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34375-34376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13600]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0548; FRL-9821-8]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Exhaust 
Emissions of Light-Duty Vehicles in Metropolitan Detroit; EPA ICR No. 
2363.02

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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[[Page 34376]]

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Exhaust Emissions of Light-duty 
Vehicles in Metropolitan Detroit'' (EPA ICR No. 2363.02, OMB Control 
No. 2060-0645) 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.). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on 
specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described 
below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently 
approved through October 31, 2013. 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: Comments must be submitted on or before August 6, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2009-0548, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or 
by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    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: James Warila, Assessment and Standards 
Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, (AADTC), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 734-214-4951; fax number: 734-
214-4821; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that the 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.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
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. 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. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice 
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to 
submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: The EPA is initiating a systematic data collection 
designed to improve the methods and tools used by the Agency to 
estimate exhaust emissions as vehicles age. Data to be collected 
include vehicle type, vehicle characteristics, and measurement of 
exhaust emissions.
    One of the main issues in the study of vehicle emissions is the 
difficulty in acquiring representative results. Major challenges 
include the diversity of technology, the highly variable nature of 
emissions, the complexity and expense of measurement, difficulty in 
acquiring and retaining engines or vehicles, and the array of external 
variables that influence emissions, ranging from temperature to driver 
behavior. In combination, these factors tend to limit the numbers of 
vehicles that can be included in a given study. Limited sample sizes in 
combination with high variability make emissions data challenging to 
interpret.
    The collection is a research program, to be conducted by the Office 
of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) in the Office of Air and 
Radiation (OAR). This study will be designed to develop and test novel 
screening, sampling and measurement procedures. These approaches 
promise to substantially reduce the cost of exhaust emissions 
measurement as well as to improve the accuracy of resulting estimates.
    An innovative feature of this project is the use of roadside 
remote-sensing measurements to construct a pool of vehicles from which 
vehicles can be sampled for purposes of recruitment and measurement 
using portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS). The acquisition of 
remote-sensing measurements for hydrocarbons, carbon-monoxide, and 
oxides of nitrogen will provide an index of emissions for all vehicles 
prior to sampling and recruitment for more intensive measurement. The 
index is expected to facilitate recruitment of vehicles with an 
emphasis on rare sub-populations such as high-emitting vehicles, and 
provide a means to appropriately relate measured vehicles to the 
overall fleet.
    Research questions for the project include: (1) Can remote-sensing 
be used as a reliable index of exhaust emissions across the range of 
emissions? (2) can portable instruments measure accurate emissions time 
series for very clean vehicles, such as Tier 2 (Bins 2, 3 or 5) or LEV-
II (ULEV, SULEV)? (3) how can portable instruments be used to measure 
start emissions?, and (4) can the emissions index used for recruitment 
also serve as a means to estimate potential non-response bias?
    We have collected remote-sensing measurements on approximately 
35,000 vehicles, and from this pool, plan to recruit vehicles for 
measurement using PEMS. Participation in the program will be voluntary. 
The target population for the project will include light-duty cars and 
trucks certified to Tier 2 (Bins 5, 3 or 2) or an equivalent LEV-II 
standards (LEV, ULEV or SULEV), respectively.
    Form Numbers: 2363.02.
    Respondents/affected entities: private owners of light-duty cars 
and trucks.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 850 (total).
    Frequency of response: one-time event.
    Total estimated burden: 1,213 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.3(b).
    Total estimated cost: $33,247 (per year), includes $0.00 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: The total estimated respondent burden is 
expected to stay substantially the same compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB.

William Charmley,
Acting Director, Assessment and Standards Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-13600 Filed 6-6-13; 8:45 am]
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