[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 17, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76293-76294]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29862]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OECA-2013-0547; FRL 9903-29-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Performance Evaluation Studies on Wastewater 
Laboratories (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Performance Evaluation Studies 
on Wastewater Laboratories (Renewal)'' to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is 
currently approved through January 31, 2014. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register (78 FR 41926) on July 12, 
2013 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 January 16, 
2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OECA-2013-0547, 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: Brian Krausz, Office of Compliance, 
Monitoring, Assistance, and Media Programs Division, 2227A, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-3069; fax number: 202-
564-0038; 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, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the

[[Page 76294]]

Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional information about EPA's 
public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    EPA ICR Number: 0234.11.
    OMB Control Number: 2080-0021
    Abstract: Discharge Monitoring Report-Quality Assurance (DMR-QA) 
study program participation is mandatory for major and selected minor 
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit holders 
in accordance with Clean Water Act Section 308. The DMR-QA study 
program is designed to evaluate the analytic ability of the 
laboratories that perform chemical, microbiological and whole effluent 
toxicity (WET) analyses required in the NPDES permits for reporting 
results in the Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR). Under DMR-QA, the 
permit holder is responsible for having their in-house and/or contract 
laboratories perform proficiency tests and submit results for grading 
by proficiency test (PT) providers. Graded results are transmitted by 
either the permittee or PT provider to the appropriate federal or state 
NPDES regulatory authority. Permit holders are responsible for 
submitting corrective action reports to the appropriate regulatory 
authority.
    Form Numbers: EPA Form 6400-01.
    Respondents/affected entities: Major and selected minor permit 
holders under the Clean Water Act's National Pollution Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES).
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory under Clean Water Act 
Section 308(a).
    Estimated number of respondents: 5,509 (total).
    Frequency of response: Major permit holders must participate 
annually. Minor permit holders must participate if selected by the 
state or EPA DMR-QA coordinator.
    Total estimated burden: 36,361 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.3(b).
    Total estimated cost: $4,176,263 (per year), includes $2,376,638 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is a decrease of 5,150 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease in burden hours can be attributed to a 
number of states obtaining full or partial waivers from this activity 
through agreements with the EPA. Labor costs were revised upward to 
take into account employee benefit compensation costs and inflation. 
Non-labor costs for obtaining proficiency test samples increased 
because of an update to the list of most commonly used analytes, and 
due to inflation.

Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-29862 Filed 12-16-13; 8:45 am]
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