[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4901-4902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01855]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ -OW-2003-0033; FRL 9905-73-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Modification of Secondary Treatment 
Requirements for Discharges Into Marine Waters (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Modification of Secondary 
Treatment Requirements for Discharges into Marine Waters (Renewal)'' 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 01/31/2014. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register (78 FR 59345) on September 26, 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 March 3, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2003-0033, 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: Virginia Fox-Norse, Oceans and Coastal 
Protection Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, (Mail 
Code 4504T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-1266; fax 
number: (202) 566-1337; 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 Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    EPA ICR Number: 0138.10.
    OMB Control Number: 2040-0088.
    Abstract: The Clean Water Act (CWA) section 301(h) program involves 
collecting information from two sources: (1) The municipal wastewater 
treatment facility, commonly called a publicly owned treatment works 
(POTW); and (2) the state in which the POTW is located. Municipalities 
had the opportunity to apply for a waiver from secondary treatment 
requirements, but that opportunity closed in December 1982. A POTW that 
seeks a section 301(h) waiver does so voluntarily to obtain or retain a 
benefit. A POTW seeking to obtain a 301(h) waiver, holding a

[[Page 4902]]

current waiver, or reapplying for a waiver, provides application, 
monitoring, and toxic control program information. The state provides 
information on its determination whether the proposed conditions of the 
waiver ensure the protection of water quality, biological habitats, and 
beneficial uses of receiving waters, and whether the discharge will 
result in additional treatment, pollution control, or any other 
requirement for any other point or nonpoint sources. The state also 
provides information to certify that the discharge will meet all 
applicable state laws and that the state accepts all permit conditions. 
EPA requires updated information on the discharge to: (1) Determine 
whether the section 301(h) criteria are still being met and whether the 
section 301(h) waiver should be reissued; (2) determine whether the 
water quality, biological habitats, and beneficial uses of the 
receiving waters are protected; and (3) ensure that the permittee is 
effectively minimizing industrial and nonindustrial toxic pollutant and 
pesticide discharges into the treatment works. EPA needs information 
from the state to: (1) Allow the state's views to be taken into account 
when EPA reviews the section 301(h) application and develops permit 
conditions; and (2) ensure that all state laws are met and that the 
state accepts all permit conditions. This information is the means by 
which the state can non-concur with a section 301(h) approval decision 
made by the EPA Regional office. Regulations implementing CWA section 
301(h) are found at 40 CFR part 125, subpart G. The information covered 
by this information collection request involves treatment plant 
operating data, effects of POTWs' discharges on marine environments, 
and states' viewpoints on issues concerning effects of POTWs' 
discharges on marine environments.
    Form Numbers: ``None.''
    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are those municipalities that currently have section 301(h) 
waivers from secondary treatment, or have applied for a renewal of a 
section 301(h) waiver, and the states within which these municipalities 
are located.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain or retain a 
benefit.
    Estimated number of respondents: 37 (total).
    Frequency of response: From once every five years, to varies case-
by-case, depending on the category of information.
    Total estimated burden: 59,370 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.3(b).
    Total estimated cost: $1.3 million (per year), includes $0 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease in the total 
estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by 
OMB, due to changes in the respondent universe, program status, 
information needs, and the use of technology.

Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2014-01855 Filed 1-29-14; 8:45 am]
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