[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 183 (Friday, September 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44408-44409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-20279]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0719; FRL-9968-04-OEI]


Information Collection Request (ICR) Submitted to OMB for Review 
and Approval; Comment Request; ICR Supporting Statement Information 
Collection Request for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System 
(NPDES) Program (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``ICR Supporting Statement 
Information Collection Request for National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES) Program (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 0229.23, 
OMB Control No. 2040-0004) 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 December 31, 2017. Public comments 
were previously requested via the Federal Register (82FR29549) on June 
29, 2017 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 October 23, 
2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2008-0719, 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: Kevin Weiss, State and Regional 
Branch, Water Permits Division, OWM Mail Code: 4203M, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 564-0742; fax number: (202) 564-9544; 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, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: This ICR estimates the burden and costs associated with 
the information collection requirements of the NPDES program, 
identifies the types of activities regulated under the NPDES program, 
describes the roles and responsibilities of state governments and the 
Agency, and presents the program areas that address the various types 
of regulated activities. This renewal also incorporates the burden and 
costs for seven more NPDES programs, which were previously contained in 
separate ICRs, including: Consolidated Animal Sectors (OMB Control No. 
2040-0250; EPA ICR Number 1989.09); Pesticide Applicators (OMB Control 
No. 2040-0284; EPA ICR Number 2397.02); National Pretreatment Program 
(OMB Control No. 2040-0009; EPA ICR Number 0002.15); Cooling Water 
Intake Structures Phase I--New Facilities (OMB Control No. 2040-0241; 
EPA ICR Number 1973.06); Cooling Water Intake Structures at Phase III 
Facilities (OMB Control No. 2040-0268, EPA ICR No. 2169.05); Cooling 
Water Intake Structures Existing Facilities (OMB Control No. 2040-0257; 
EPA ICR No. 2060.07); and NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule (OMB Control 
No. 2020-0035; EPA ICR No. 2468.02).
    Permit applications and other respondent reports may contain 
confidential business information. If a respondent does consider this 
information to be of a confidential nature, the respondent may request 
that such information be treated as confidential. All confidential data 
will be handled in accordance with 40 CFR 122.7, 40 CFR part 2, and 
EPA's Security Manual part III, chapter 9, dated August 9, 1976.
    Respondents/affected entities: Any industrial point source 
discharger of pollutants, including but not limited to publicly owned 
and privately owned treatment works (POTWs and PrOTWs), industrial 
dischargers to POTWs and PrOTWs, sewage sludge management and disposal 
operations, small and large vessels, airports with deicing operations, 
dischargers of stormwater, construction sites, municipalities, 
pesticide applicators, local and state goverments.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory. Sections 301, 302, 
304, 306, 307, 308, 316(b), 401, 402, 403, 405, and 510 of the CWA; the 
1987 Water Quality Act (WQA) revisions to CWA section

[[Page 44409]]

402(p); 40 (CFR) Parts 122, 123, 124, and 125 (and Parts 501 and 503 
for Biosolids); and the Great Lakes Critical Programs Act (CPA).
    Estimated number of respondents: 935,020 total (934,383 permittees 
and 637 States/Tribes/Territories).
    Frequency of response: Varies depending on the specific response 
activity and can range from ongoing and monthly to once every 5 years.
    Total estimated burden: 28,239,262 hours (per year). Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $1,476,244,044 (per year), includes 
$43,659,009 annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the estimates: There is a net increase of 836,289 (3%) 
hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the 
combined burden of the component ICRs currently approved by OMB. This 
change in the total is primarily due to a combination of both burden 
increases and decreases in the component ICRs. Minor changes in the 
estimated burden occurred for five of the eight component ICRs (NPDES 
ICR, Pesticide Applicators ICR, National Pretreatment Program ICR, 
Cooling Water Intake Structures Phase I New Facilities ICR, and the 
Cooling Water Intake Structures Phase III Facilities ICR). Significant 
changes occurred for three of the eight component ICRs (Consolidated 
Animal Sectors ICR, Cooling Water Intake Structures Existing Facility 
ICR, and Electronic Reporting Rule ICR). These significant changes 
included: (1) A decrease of 12 percent in the animal sector labor 
burden due to revised EPA estimates based on changes in industry 
practice, adherence to USDA guidelines, and industry consolidation (OMB 
Control No. 2040-0250); (2) an increase of 140 percent in the cooling 
water intake structures existing facilities labor burden due to the 
coincidence of the period of greatest implementation burden with the 
three year ICR period (OMB Control No. 2040-0257); and (3) a decrease 
of 164 percent in the electronic reporting rule labor burden due to the 
reduced need for data input due to increased participation in 
electronic filing of forms and reports as the rule is implemented (OMB 
Control No. 2020-0035).

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2017-20279 Filed 9-21-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P