[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 227 (Tuesday, November 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70178-70179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27817]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0719; FRL 9919-79-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; National Pollutant Discharge Elimination 
System (NPDES) Permits for Point Source Discharges From the Application 
of Pesticides to Waters of the United States

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES) Permits for Point Source Discharges from the 
Application of Pesticides to Waters of the United States'' (EPA ICR No. 
2397.02, OMB Control No. 2040-0284) 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 Nov. 30, 2014. Public 
comments were previously requested via the Federal Register (79 FR 
41548), on July 16, 2014 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 December 26, 
2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2008-0719, to (1) EPA 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, 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: Amelia Letnes, State and Regional 
Branch, Water Permits Division, OWM Mail Code: 4203M, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 564-5627; 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

[[Page 70179]]

public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: This ICR calculates the burden and costs associated with 
information collection and reporting activities from EPA and state 
NPDES general permits for point source discharges from the application 
of pesticides to waters of the United States. On November 27, 2006, EPA 
issued a final rule (hereinafter called the ``2006 NPDES Pesticides 
Rule'') clarifying circumstances in which an NPDES permit was not 
required to apply pesticide to, or over, including near, waters of the 
U.S. On January 9, 2009, the Sixth Circuit Court vacated EPA's 2006 
NPDES Pesticides Rule. As a result of the Court's decision, beginning 
October 31, 2011 NPDES permits were required for discharges to waters 
of the U.S. from the application of biological pesticides and chemical 
pesticides that leave a residue. Regulations governing permit 
requirements for NPDES discharges are codified at 40 CFR part 122. This 
ICR includes information submitted or recorded by permittees as well as 
information used primarily by permitting authorities. The permitting 
authority will use the information to assess permittee compliance and 
modify/add new permit requirements as appropriate. The estimated burden 
in this ICR is based on EPA's NPDES Pesticide General Permit (PGP).
    Form Numbers: 6100-22, 6100-23, 6100-24, 6100-25, 6100-26.
    Respondents/affected entities: Pesticide applicators.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: mandatory (40 CFR 122).
    Estimated number of respondents: 365,047 total (365,000 permittees, 
47 permitting authorities [46 states and Virgin Islands]).
    Frequency of response: varies from once, every 5 years, to 
occasionally as needed.
    Total estimated burden: 834,756 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $38,662,462 ($38,462,682 for permittees and 
$199,780 for permitting authorities), includes $0 annualized capital or 
O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 12,896 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. EPA expects that the 2016 PGP will be similar to 
the 2011 PGP. All of the decrease in burden is attributable to the 
shift from the 2011 PGP to the 2016 PGP in year 3 of this ICR when 
permittees renewing their coverage would not need to develop a new 
Pesticide Discharge Management Plan.

Courtney Kerwin,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2014-27817 Filed 11-24-14; 8:45 am]
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