[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 211 (Monday, November 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67400-67401]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-27892]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OECA-2009-0494; FRL-9936-41-OECA]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Tips 
and Complaints Regarding Environmental Violations (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Tips and Complaints Regarding 
Environmental Violations (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 2219.05, OMB Control 
No. 2020-0032) 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 extension of the ICR, which is currently 
approved through 04/30/2016. 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 January 4, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OECA-
2009-0494, 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.
    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: Michael LeDesma, Legal Counsel 
Division, Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics, and Training; 
Environmental Protection Agency, Building 25, Box 25227, Denver Federal 
Center, Denver, CO 80025; telephone number: 303-462-9453 or fax number: 
303-462-9075; 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: The Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) 
is the component of the Environmental Protection Agency responsible for 
administrative, civil and criminal enforcement of the environmental 
laws that EPA administers. EPA's criminal enforcement program, and, to 
a lesser extent, its civil enforcement program are, like other federal 
law enforcement programs, dependent on tips and complaints from 
concerned citizens and members of the regulated community. The OECA 
Tips & Complaints Web page provides a convenient means by which

[[Page 67401]]

these individuals can voluntarily submit tips and complaints regarding 
suspected violations of environmental law. OECA is considering the use 
of a mobile-friendly version of the Tips and Complaints Web pages that 
will complement the existing process. Tips or complaints received are 
used by civil and/or criminal enforcement personnel at EPA to determine 
whether an investigation is warranted into the suspected or alleged 
misconduct. In some cases, EPA may decide to refer tips or complaints 
for investigation to other federal agencies or to State or local 
authorities within whose jurisdiction the matter may appropriately 
fall. The OECA Tips and Complaints Web page or mobile-friendly versions 
does not replace or otherwise supplant other means of providing tips or 
complaints to EPA; it merely provides a convenient means by which to 
supply these tips or complaints.
    As with complaints provided by phone, fax, or electronic mail, we 
expect that tippers or complainants are already in the possession of 
information that leads them to suspect a violation of environmental law 
when they contact EPA to report the matter. Accordingly, EPA believes 
that the burden associated with the reporting is merely that arising 
from the need to read the instructions and type or select information 
into the appropriate fields. In our estimate, this amounts to 
approximately \1/2\ hour per tip or complaint, for total annualized 
burden for all tippers and complainants of 5,143 hours. While we do not 
expect actual labor costs associated with these burden hours, the 
opportunity cost of 4,601 burden hours would be approximately $100,026.
    EPA does not maintain hardcopies of the information supplied 
through the webform. Tips or complaints not acted upon within 30 days 
are automatically purged from the database. Tips or complaints upon 
which some action is taken are preserved for a period of five years, 
pursuant to the record schedule for criminal investigations.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Anyone wishing to file a tip or 
complaint.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 10,286 (total).
    Frequency of response: Occasionally.
    Total estimated burden: 5,143 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $100,026 (per year), includes no annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is an increase of 542 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase reflects the fact that tips and 
complaints are being filed at a higher rate than originally 
anticipated, a strong indication of the success of this program. There 
has been no change in the information being reported or the estimated 
burden per respondent.

    Dated: October 15, 2015.
Henry Barnet,
Director, Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training.
[FR Doc. 2015-27892 Filed 10-30-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P