[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 61 (Wednesday, March 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17694-17696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07174]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0125; FRL-9943-74]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed New Collection
(EPA ICR No. 2532.01); 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: ``Use of Mercury and Mercury Compounds in Products
and Processes'' and identified by EPA ICR No. 2532.01 and OMB Control
No. 2070-NEW, represents a new request. 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 May 31, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0125, 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: Document Control Office (7407M), Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, 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: For technical information contact: Sue
Slotnick, National Program Chemicals Division (7404T), Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001;
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telephone number: (202) 566-1973; email address: [email protected].
For general information contact: The TSCA-Hotline, ABVI-Goodwill,
422 South Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14620; telephone number: (202)
554-1404; 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. In particular, EPA seeks comment on these aspects of the
questionnaire:
Are there additional products or product categories that
should be included in the questionnaire?
Are there additional products or product categories that
should be eliminated from the questionnaire?
Should the questionnaire ask respondents to identify which
products are intended solely as replacement parts?
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: Use of Mercury and Mercury Compounds in Products and
Processes.
ICR number: EPA ICR No. 2532.01.
OMB control number: OMB Control No. 2070-NEW.
ICR status: This ICR is for a new information collection activity.
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, and
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: The U.S. EPA is making efforts to reduce the non-
essential use of mercury and mercury compounds in products and certain
manufacturing processes to prevent future releases of mercury to the
environment. After negotiating and joining a global agreement called
the Minamata Convention on Mercury, EPA continues to pursue measures to
reduce the use of mercury in various media. EPA has determined that
significant data gaps exist that prevent the Agency from taking
systematic, strategic, and effective actions to reduce the use of
mercury and mercury compounds in order to prevent potential releases to
the environment.
To close such data gaps, EPA will collect information from persons
who process, import, and/or export mercury or mercury-added products.
In addition, EPA will request information from persons who process
mercury or mercury compounds for use in certain industrial processes.
EPA is particularly interested in the amount of mercury or mercury
compounds used in mercury-added products as a whole and among various
categories of products, including mercury or mercury compounds that are
added during domestic manufacture, as well as contained in imported and
exported products.
Initially this will be a one-time information collection, but EPA
may request subsequent renewals of OMB approval of the information
collection as necessary. Information will be collected from companies
that manufacture, import, or export a product or products containing
mercury or mercury compounds, or companies that use mercury or mercury
compounds in a manufacturing process or processes. EPA will request
that companies voluntarily submit responses to a questionnaire during a
period of 60 days after OMB approves the proposed collection.
Thereafter, EPA will issue formal measures under section 11 of the
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to obtain the information if
appropriate. EPA anticipates that the information collection activity
will involve 250 private entities, although the number of entities may
be as high as 646. The years of interest are 2010, 2013, and 2016.
EPA will use the collected information to determine whether and if
so what type of actions, including voluntary and/or mandatory measures,
are needed to reduce non-essential use of mercury or mercury compounds.
The Agency will also use such information to prioritize where and how
EPA applies measures in order to help prevent potential risks of
mercury exposure to human health and the environment. In addition, this
information will be used to facilitate compliance with obligations of
the United States under the Minamata Convention to continue to reduce
the use of mercury in products and processes and to report on actions
taken to do so.
Responses to the collection of information are voluntary. However,
should EPA initiate TSCA section 11 actions to compel submission of
information, those responses would be mandatory. Respondents may claim
all or part of a notice confidential. EPA will disclose information
that is covered by a claim of confidentiality only to the extent
permitted by, and in accordance with, the procedures in TSCA section 14
and 40 CFR part 2.
Burden statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 9.9
hours per response. 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 persons who process mercury or mercury compounds for use
in the production of mercury-added products, import mercury for use in
the production of mercury-added products, import mercury-added
products, export mercury-added products, and/or process mercury or
mercury compounds for use in certain industrial processes.
Estimated total number of potential respondents: 646.
Frequency of response: One time.
Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent:
1.0.
Estimated total annual burden hours: 6,399 hours.
Estimated total annual costs: $444,430. This includes an estimated
burden cost of $444,430 and an
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estimated cost of $0 for capital investment or maintenance and
operational costs.
III. 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 technical person listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
Dated: March 23, 2016.
James Jones,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2016-07174 Filed 3-29-16; 8:45 am]
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