[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 231 (Monday, December 4, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57200-57201]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25963]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Information Collection; Qualified Products Lists for Fire 
Chemicals for Wildland Fire Management

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and 
organizations on the extension with no revision of a currently approved 
information collection, Qualified Products Lists for Fire Chemicals for 
Wildland Fire Management.

DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before February 2, 
2018 to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to Dave 
Haston, Branch Chief, Equipment and Chemicals, USDA Forest Service, 
National Interagency Fire Center, 3833 S. Development Avenue, Boise, ID 
83705.
    Comments also may be submitted via facsimile to 208-387-5642 or by 
email to: [email protected].
    The public may inspect comments received at the National 
Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), Jack Wilson Building, in Boise, Idaho, 
Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Visitors are encouraged 
to call ahead to 208-387-5348 to facilitate entry to the building.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shirley Zylstra, Missoula Technology 
and Development Center (MTDC), 406-329-4859, Cecilia Johnson, (MTDC), 
406-329-4819, or Dave Haston, NIFC, 208-387-5642. Individuals who use 
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 twenty-four hours a 
day, every day of the year, including holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Qualified Products Lists for Fire Chemicals for Wildland 
Fire Management.
    OMB Number: 0596-0182.
    Expiration Date of Approval: April 30, 2018.
    Type of Request: Extension with no revision.
    Abstract: The Forest Service and cooperating wildland firefighting 
agencies need adequate types and quantities of qualified fire chemical 
products available to accomplish fire management activities as safely 
and effectively as possible. To accomplish this objective, the Agency 
evaluates and pre-approves commercial wildland firefighting chemicals. 
The Agency is required to submit the formulations to the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries during the evaluation process. All 
products must meet the requirements of specifications identified and 
maintained by the Wildland Fire Chemical Systems (WFCS) staff at the 
National Technology & Development Program (Missoula). After a product 
evaluation has been completed successfully, the product is added to the 
Qualified Products List (QPL) for the appropriate product type. All 
Federal procurements of wildland fire chemicals are made from these 
lists.
    To initiate an evaluation, product manufacturers (or authorized 
suppliers) enter into an agreement with the Forest Service and pay all 
costs associated with the submission and evaluation of the product. 
Once the agreement is in place and funds are deposited to cover the 
associated costs, the manufacturer submits the following information to 
WFCS:
    1. List of the specific ingredients and quantity used to prepare 
the product;
    2. Identification of a specific company as the source of supply for 
each ingredient;
    3. Copies of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the product 
and for each ingredient used to prepare the product (from the company 
that supplies that chemical); and
    4. Specific mixing requirements and performance information.
    Review of the submitted information assures that the product does 
not contain ingredients meeting the criteria for Chemicals of Concern. 
Chemicals of Concern are defined as chemicals appearing on one or more 
of the following lists:
     Agency list of unacceptable ingredients;
     National Toxicology Program (NTP) Annual Report on 
Carcinogens;
     International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) 
Monographs for Potential Carcinogen;
     Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
Liability Act (CERCLA) List of Extremely Hazardous Substances and Their 
Threshold Planning Quantities;
     Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Acutely 
Hazardous and Toxic Wastes; and
     Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know (EPCRA), 
Toxic Release Inventory.
    A risk assessment, performed at the manufacturer expense, is 
required. The risk assessment, performed by a third party selected by 
the Agency, assesses

[[Page 57201]]

the products and levels of ingredients found in typical applications 
relative to human and environmental impact.
    Each product submitted is tested to determine the mammalian and 
aquatic toxicity of the product and must meet specific levels of 
performance to minimize potential risk during firefighting operations. 
Additional tests are performed to determine the effectiveness of the 
product to reduce spread rate and intensity of the fire by application 
directly on or near the fire. A number of product characteristics are 
measured over the operational performance range of the product to 
ensure that the product meets the needs of the firefighters in the 
field.
    The collection of this information for each product submission is 
necessary due to the length of time needed to test the product (18 to 
24 months) and the need to ensure that products do not pose a hazard 
for laboratory personnel during the evaluation prior to purchase and 
use. This information collection and the product evaluation must be 
conducted on an ongoing basis to ensure the Agency can solicit and 
award contracts in a timely manner to provide firefighters with safe 
and effective wildland fire chemical products.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: 4.5 hours.
    Type of Respondents: Businesses (manufacturers and suppliers) of 
fire chemicals for wildland fire management.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 3.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 3.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 40.5 hours.

Comment Is Invited

    Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this collection of information 
is necessary for the stated purposes and the proper performance of the 
functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have 
practical or scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the Agency's 
estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    All comments received in response to this notice, including names 
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record.
    Comments will be summarized and included in the submission request 
toward Office of Management and Budget approval.

    Dated: November 13, 2017.
Glenn Casamassa,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2017-25963 Filed 12-1-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P