[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 124 (Thursday, June 29, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29551-29552]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13676]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0947; FRL-9963-49-OAR]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Information Collection Request Renewal for the NOX Budget Trading 
Program To Reduce the Regional Transport of Ozone

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), ``Information Collection 
Request Renewal for the NOX Budget Trading Program to Reduce 
the Regional Transport of Ozone'' (EPA ICR No. 1857.07, OMB Control No. 
2060-0445) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. 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 August 31, 
2017. 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 August 28, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2006-0947, 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: Karen VanSickle, Clean Air Markets 
Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs (6204J), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 343-9220; fax number: (202) 343-2361; 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 NOX Budget Trading Program was a market-
based cap and trade program created to reduce emissions of nitrogen 
oxides (NOX) from

[[Page 29552]]

power plants and other large combustion sources in the eastern United 
States. NOX is a prime ingredient in the formation of 
ground-level ozone (smog), a pervasive air pollution problem in many 
areas of the eastern United States. The NOX Budget Trading 
Program was designed to reduce NOX emissions during the warm 
summer months, referred to as the ozone season, when ground-level ozone 
concentrations are highest. In 2009 the program was replaced by an 
ozone-season NOX trading program under the Clean Air 
Interstate Rule (CAIR), which has in turn been replaced by ozone-season 
NOX trading programs under the Cross-State Air Pollution 
Rule (CSAPR). Although the NOX Budget Trading Program was 
replaced after the 2008 compliance season, this information collection 
is being renewed because some industrial sources in certain States are 
still required to monitor and report emissions data to EPA under these 
rules, so we will account for their burden. All data received by EPA 
will be treated as public information. 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 40 CFR are listed in 
40 CFR part 9.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are those which participate in the NOX Budget 
Trading Program to Reduce the Regional Transport of Ozone.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: mandatory (Sections 110(a) and 
301(a) of the Clean Air Act).
    Estimated number of respondents: EPA estimates that there are 122 
former NOX Budget Trading Program units that will continue 
to conduct monitoring in accordance with Part 75 solely under the 
NOX SIP call.
    Frequency of response: Yearly, quarterly, occasionally.
    Total estimated burden: 57,586 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b)
    Total estimated cost: $8,066,616 (per year), includes $3,777,000 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is no increase in hours in the total 
estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by 
OMB.

    Dated: May 31, 2017.
Richard A. Haeuber,
Acting Director, Clean Air Markets Division, Office of Atmospheric 
Programs, Office of Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 2017-13676 Filed 6-28-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P