[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 61 (Wednesday, March 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 17696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07087]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0162; FRL-9943-22-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Regional Haze Regulations (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Regional Haze Regulations 
(Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 1813.09, OMB Control No. 2060-0421) 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 March 31, 2016. Public comments were previously requested via 
the Federal Register (80 FR 58473) on September 29, 2015 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 April 29, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OAR-2003-0162, 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: Chris Werner, Air Quality Policy 
Division, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, C539-04, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; 
telephone number: (919) 541-5133; fax number: (919) 541-5315; 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.
    Abstract: This ICR is for activities related to the implementation 
of the EPA's regional haze rule, for the time period between March 31, 
2016, and March 31, 2019, and renews the previous ICR. The regional 
haze rule codified at 40 CFR parts 308 and 309, as authorized by 
sections 169A and 169B of the Clean Air Act, requires states to develop 
implementation plans to protect visibility in 156 federally-protected 
Class I areas. Tribes may choose to develop implementation plans. For 
this time period, states will primarily be developing and submitting 
periodic comprehensive implementation plan revisions (or initial 
implementation plans) and progress reports to comply with the 
regulations.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are state, local and tribal air quality agencies, regional 
planning organizations and facilities potentially regulated under the 
regional haze rule.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory [see 40 CFR 
51.308(b), (f) and (g) and 40 CFR 51.309(d)(10)].
    Estimated number of respondents: 52 (total); 52 state agencies.
    Frequency of response: Approximately every 5 years.
    Total estimated burden: 10,307 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $510,489 (per year). There are no annualized 
capital or operation and maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 4,259 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase is due to this ICR renewal period 
covering different task elements than the previous renewal (EPA ICR No. 
1813.08). These differences reflect the requirements of the current 
regional haze rule with respect to the scheduled events and activities 
in the implementation process. The last collection request anticipated 
the program consisting mainly of submission of 5-year progress reports. 
The change in burden reflects changes in labor rates and changes in the 
activities conducted due to the normal progression of the program, 
especially the fact that states will be working on and submitting 
periodic comprehensive State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions (or 
initial SIPs).

Courtney Kerwin,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2016-07087 Filed 3-29-16; 8:45 am]
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