[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55791-55792]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22027]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0567; FRL-9915-58]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), this 
document announces that EPA is planning to submit an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 
The ICR, entitled: ``Pesticide Program Public Sector Collections (FIFRA 
Sections 18 and 24(c))'' and identified by EPA ICR No. 2311.02 and OMB 
Control No. 2070-0182, represents the renewal of an existing ICR that 
is scheduled to expire on May 31, 2015. Before submitting the ICR to 
OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific 
aspects of the proposed information collection that is summarized in 
this document. The ICR and accompanying material are available in the 
docket for public review and comment.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 17, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0567, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit 
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute.
     Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 
20460-0001.
     Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand 
delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the 
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html.
    Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along 
with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rame Cromwell, Field External and 
Affairs Division (7506P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: 703 308-9068, email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. What information is EPA particularly interested in?

    Pursuant to PRA section 3506(c)(2)(A) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), 
EPA specifically solicits comments and information to enable it to:
    1. 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.
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimates of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used.
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected.
    4. 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. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from 
very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of 
specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork 
burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.

II. What information collection activity or ICR does this action apply 
to?

    Title: Pesticide Program Public Sector Collections (FIFRA) Sections 
18 and 24(c).
    ICR number: EPA ICR No. 2311.02.
    OMB control number: OMB Control No. 2070-0182.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on May 31, 
2015. 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 Code of Federal Regulations (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 
for certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
    Abstract: This ICR covers the paperwork burden under the PRA 
associated with two types of pesticide registration requests made by 
states, U.S. Territories, or Federal agencies. Specifically, this ICR 
covers emergency exemption requests, which allow for an unregistered 
use of a pesticide, and requests by states to register a pesticide use 
to meet a special local need (SLN). Section 18 of the Federal 
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) authorizes the EPA 
to grant emergency exemptions to states, U.S. Territories, and Federal 
agencies to allow an unregistered use of a pesticide for a limited time 
if EPA determines that emergency conditions exist. Section 18 requests 
include unregistered pesticide use exemptions for specific 
agricultural, public health, and quarantine purposes. Section 24(c) of 
FIFRA authorizes the EPA to grant permission to a particular state to 
register additional uses of a federally registered pesticide for 
distribution and use within that state to meet a SLN.
    Burden statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 
18,315 hours annually for state government ``applicants'' for FIFRA 
section 18 program, and for applicants under the FIFRA 24(c) program an 
annual estimate of 15,860 hours, for a combined total of 34,175 burden 
hours annually. Burden is defined in 5 CFR 1320.3(b).
    The ICR, which is available in the docket along with other related 
materials, provides a detailed explanation of the collection activities 
and the burden estimate that is only briefly summarized here:
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this ICR are pesticide registrants, which may be identified by 
pesticide and other agricultural chemical manufacturing (North American 
Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code 325320) and governments 
that administer environmental quality programs (NAICS code 9241).
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 980.
    Frequency of response: On occasion.

[[Page 55792]]

    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 1.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 34,175 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $2,332,954. This includes an 
estimated cost of $1,086,403 for the Section 18 program and an 
estimated cost of $1,236,551 for the Section 24(c) program. This ICR 
does not involve any capital investment or maintenance and operational 
costs.

III. Are there changes in the estimates from the last approval?

    There is no change in the estimated respondent burden hours per SLN 
application for this ICR from the currently-approved ICR for Section 
24(c) applications, for either registrants or states. The total annual 
respondent burden estimate (registrants + states) has decreased 
slightly from 16,900 to 15,860 hours due to a small decrease in the 
average number of petitions received annually, from about 325 to 305. 
Although EPA does not require Section 24(c)'s and cannot estimate 
precisely how many submissions will be received in the future, the 
Agency expects to receive approximately 305 Section 24(c) applications 
annually over the next 3 years. As a result of the decrease in the 
number of applications and updating the wage rates, the estimated 
respondent cost increased slightly from $1.235 million to $1.237 
million.
    The estimated unit burden for a given FIFRA section 18 application 
is unchanged. EPA estimates an increase in the number of section 18 
application submissions and estimated annual burden relative to the 
existing, approved collection. EPA estimates that the total annual 
respondent burden has increased from 12,672 hours to about 18,315 
hours. The increase corresponds with an increase in the average number 
of Section 18s requested per year, from 128 to 185. Although EPA does 
not require Section 18s and cannot estimate precisely how many 
submissions will be received in the future, the Agency expects to 
receive approximately 185 Section 18 applications annually over the 
next 3 years. As a result of the increase in the number of applications 
and updating the wage rates, the estimated respondent cost increased 
from $739 thousand to $1.086 million.

IV. What is the next step in the process for this ICR?

    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 pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. EPA will issue another 
Federal Register document pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to 
announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to submit 
additional comments to OMB. If you have any questions about this ICR or 
the approval process, please contact the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

    Dated: September 5, 2014.
James Jones,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-22027 Filed 9-16-14; 8:45 am]
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