[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 207 (Tuesday, October 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65752-65753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-27379]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0033; FRL-9936-28-OAR]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Information Collection Activities Associated With 
EPA's ENERGY STAR[supreg] Product Labeling; EPA ICR No. 2078.06, OMB 
Control No. 2060-0528

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit an information collection request (ICR), ``EPA's ENERGY STAR 
Product Labeling'' (EPA ICR No. 2078.06, OMB Control No. 2060-0528) 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 revision of the ICR, which is currently approved through 
February 29, 2016.'' 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 December 28, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2003-0033, online using www.regulation.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.
    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: Kirsten Hesla, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, Office of Air and Radiation, Mailcode 6202J, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-2984; fax number: 202-
343-2200 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.
    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: ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program developed in 
collaboration with industry to create a self-sustaining market for 
energy efficient products. The center piece of the program is the 
ENERGY STAR label, a registered certification label that helps 
consumers identify products that save energy, save money, and help 
protect the environment without sacrificing quality or performance. In 
order to protect the integrity of the label and enhance its 
effectiveness in the marketplace, EPA must ensure that products 
carrying the label meet appropriate program requirements.
    Program participants submit signed Partnership Agreements 
indicating that they will adhere to logo-use guidelines and program 
requirements. Retail partners commit to selling, marketing and 
promoting ENERGY STAR certified products. Product brand owner partners, 
who are usually the manufacturer of the products, commit to having 
participating products certified to meet specified energy performance 
criteria based on a standard test method and EPA's third party 
certification requirements. These requirements for ENERGY STAR product 
certification also include provisions for verifying the performance of 
certified products through verification testing. The program's emphasis 
on testing and third-party product review ensures that consumers can 
trust ENERGY STAR certified products to deliver the energy savings 
promised by the label. In rare circumstances where product brand 
licensee's wish to partner with EPA, the Agency establishes the 
appropriate contacts and relationships for the brand owner and licensee 
through a joint brand owner and licensee template that both parties are 
required to sign.
    As part of the Agency's contribution to the overall success of the 
program, EPA facilitates the sale of certified products by providing 
consumers with easy-to-use information about the products. To perform 
this function, EPA must obtain data on certified products. Prior to EPA 
adopting a third-party certification process, product brand owners were 
required to submit individual product information directly to the 
Agency. Now, product information is recorded by Certification Bodies 
and shared with EPA using XML-based web services that validate and save 
the information in EPA's database. EPA believes the improved

[[Page 65753]]

process of submission has reduced the burden time for Partners and the 
Agency by taking advantage of the infrastructure in place for 
certifying products. With the new process of obtaining certified 
product data, certified model data is automatically updated daily on 
the ENERGY STAR Web site. To ensure that products are certified 
properly, the certification process also includes requirements for 
Certification Bodies to report to EPA products that were reviewed, but 
not eligible for certification. To ensure continued product performance 
after initial certification, EPA requires Certification Bodies to 
conduct post-market verification testing of a sampling of ENERGY STAR 
certified products. Certification Bodies are required to share 
information with EPA on products subjected to this post-market testing 
twice a year and to immediately report any certified products that no 
longer meet the program requirements. This process allows EPA to 
monitor the ongoing performance of products and take necessary steps to 
maintain consumer confidence in the ENERGY STAR label and protect the 
investment of partners.
    In order to monitor progress and support the best allocation of 
resources, EPA also asks manufacturers to submit annual shipment data 
for their ENERGY STAR qualifying products. EPA is flexible as to the 
methods by which manufacturers may submit unit shipment data. For 
example, many manufacturers are given the option of arranging for 
shipment data to be sent to EPA via this third party to ensure 
confidentiality. In using any shipment data received directly from a 
partner, EPA only shares aggregate information from multiple partners 
so as to protect confidentiality.
    Finally, Partners that wish to receive recognition for their 
efforts in ENERGY STAR may submit an application for the Partner of the 
Year Award.
    Burden Statement: EPA will consult with Partners to re-evaluate the 
burden. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or 
provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time 
needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize 
technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and 
verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and 
disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to 
comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements 
which have subsequently changed; train personnel to be able to respond 
to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and 
review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information.
    The estimated total cost for respondents is $3,908,125 and the 
hourly burden is approximately 59,407 hours. This cost includes an 
estimated burden cost of $3,890,840 and an estimated cost of $17,285 
for capital investment or maintenance and operational costs. The 
estimated total cost for the Agency is $566,573 and the hourly burden 
is approximately 14,044 hours. This cost includes an estimated burden 
cost of $566,549.63 and an estimated cost of $23.37 for capital 
investment or maintenance and operational costs. A grand total of 
$4,474,698 and an hourly burden of approximately 73,451 hours are 
expected for all information collection activities under ENERGY STAR 
product labeling.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Respondents for this information 
collection request include Partners in ENERGY STAR. Partners are 
product brand owners.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2050.
    Frequency of Response: Initially/one-time and annually.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 73,451 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $4,474,698, that includes an estimated 
$17,308.37 in Operations and Maintenance Costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an estimated decrease of 
approximately 10,951 in the total burden hours, and a decrease of 5,931 
in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR 
currently approved by OMB. Although participation in the ENERGY STAR 
program has steadily increased, EPA believes the automated process of 
sharing information between Certification Bodies and the Agency has 
reduced the overall burden for both Partners and the Agency. EPA 
increased the estimated number of respondents for Partnership 
Agreements, Unit Shipment data, and Award applications based on updated 
program data. EPA also updated the hourly wage rates to reflect 
inflation and current baseline labor rates for each labor category. EPA 
is currently evaluating and updating these estimates as part of the ICR 
renewal process. EPA will discuss its updated estimates, as well as 
changes from the last approval, in the next Federal Register notice to 
be issued for this renewal.

    Dated: October 21, 2015.
Jean Lupinacci,
Acting Director, Climate Protection Partnerships Division.
[FR Doc. 2015-27379 Filed 10-26-15; 8:45 am]
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