[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24608-24609]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09547]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-SFUND-2004-0008; FRL-9945-19-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Consolidated Superfund Information 
Collection Request (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Consolidated Superfund 
Information Collection Request (Renewal)'', (EPA ICR No. 1487.13, OMB 
Control No. 2050-0179) 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 April 30, 2016. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register (80 FR 76015) on December 
7, 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 May 26, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
SFUND-2004-0008, to (1) EPA 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, 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: Laura Knudsen, Office of Solid Waste 
and Emergency Response, Assessment and Remediation Division, (5204P), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 703-603-8861; 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 covers the following: The collection of 
information under 40 CFR part 35, subpart O, which establishes the 
administrative requirements for cooperative agreements funded under the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
(CERCLA) for state, federally-recognized Indian tribal governments, and 
political subdivision response actions; the application of the Hazard 
Ranking System (HRS) by states as outlined by section 105 of CERCLA 
(1980 and 1986) that amends the National Oil and Hazardous Substances 
Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) to include criteria prioritizing 
releases throughout the U.S. before undertaking remedial action at 
uncontrolled hazardous waste sites; and the remedial portion of the 
Superfund program as specified in the Comprehensive Environmental 
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 as amended (CERCLA) 
and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency 
Plan (NCP). For Cooperative Agreements and Superfund State Contracts 
for Superfund Response Actions, the information is collected from 
applicants and/or recipients of EPA assistance and is used to make 
awards, pay recipients, and collect information on how federal funds 
are being utilized. EPA requires this information to meet its federal 
stewardship responsibilities. Recipient responses are required to 
obtain a benefit (federal funds) under 40 CFR part 31, ``Uniform 
Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to 
State and Local Governments'' and under 40 CFR part 35, ``State and 
Local Assistance.'' For the Superfund Site Evaluation and Hazard 
Ranking System, the states will apply the HRS by identifying and 
classifying those releases or sites that warrant further investigation. 
The HRS score is crucial since it is the primary mechanism used to 
determine whether a site is eligible to be included on the National 
Priorities List (NPL). Only sites on the NPL are eligible for 
Superfund-financed remedial actions. For the NCP information 
collection, some community involvement activities covered by this ICR 
are not required at every site (e.g., Technical Assistance Grants) and 
depend very much on the community and the nature of the site and 
cleanup. All community activities seek to involve the public in the 
cleanup of the sites, gain the input of community members, and include 
the community's perspective on the

[[Page 24609]]

potential future reuse of Superfund NPL sites. Community involvement 
activities can enhance the remedial process and increase community 
acceptance and the potential for productive and beneficial reuse of the 
sites.
    Form Numbers: 6200-11.
    Respondents/affected entities: State, Local or Tribal Governments; 
Communities; U.S. Territories.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain benefits (40 
CFR part 35; section 105 of the CERCLA, 1980 and 1986; 40 CFR part 300 
under CERCLA).
    Estimated number of respondents: 14,284 (total).
    Frequency of response: Annually.
    Total estimated burden: 876,529 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $514,952 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 568,071 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase is due to a 28% increase in the number 
of assessment reports by respondents for the Superfund Site Evaluation 
and Hazard Ranking System, an overall increase in respondents for the 
Cooperative Agreements and Superfund State Contracts for Superfund 
Response Actions, and an increase in total contractor hours for an RI/
FS project for the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution 
Contingency Plan.

Courtney Kerwin,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2016-09547 Filed 4-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P