[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26281-26282]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12073]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2014-0359; FRL-9979-01-OW]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Information Collection Request for the Underground Injection Control 
Program

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 for the Underground Injection Control Program'' (EPA 
ICR No. 0370.26, OMB Control No. 2040-0042) to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA; 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Before doing so, 
the EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the 
proposed information collection as described in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is 
currently approved through December 31, 2018. 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 6, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2014-0359 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: Kyle Carey, Office of Ground Water and 
Drinking Water/Drinking Water Protection Division, 4606M, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 564-2322; fax number: (202) 564-3756; 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, the 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. The 
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, the 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 EPA developed the Underground Injection Control (UIC) 
Program, under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act, to 
establish a federal-state regulatory system to protect underground 
sources of drinking water (USDWs) from injection fluids and injection-
related activities. Injected fluids include hazardous waste, oil field 
brines or produced water, mineral processing fluids, various types of 
industrial fluids, automotive, sanitary and other wastes, and carbon 
dioxide injected for geologic sequestration. Owners or operators of 
injection wells must obtain permits, conduct environmental monitoring, 
maintain records, and report results to the EPA or the state agency (if 
the state has UIC primary enforcement responsibility (primacy)). States 
must report to the EPA on permittee compliance and related information. 
This required information is reported using standardized forms and 
annual reports. The governing regulations are codified in the Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR parts 144 through 148. Reporting 
data are used by UIC authorities to ensure the protection of USDWs.
    Form Numbers: 7520-1, 7520-2A, 7520-2B, 7520-3, 7520-4, 7520-6, 
7520-7, 7520-8, 7520-9, 7520-10, 7520-11, 7520-12, 7520-14, 7520-16, 
and 7520-17.
    Respondents/affected entities: Owners or operators of underground 
injection wells and state UIC primacy agencies.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: mandatory (40 CFR parts 144 
through 148).
    Estimated number of respondents: 40,187 (total).
    Frequency of response: annual, semi-annual, and quarterly.
    Total estimated burden: 1,290,586 hours (per year). Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $226,276,957 (per year), includes 
$167,334,210 annualized capital or operation and maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is a decrease of 423,460 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease is due to changes in the injection well 
inventory, primarily, a significant reduction in the number of Class II 
and Class VI permit

[[Page 26282]]

applications expected to be prepared and reviewed; a decrease in the 
number of Class V inventory forms that are anticipated to be submitted; 
and a decrease in the number of Class I and Class VI well operators 
that the EPA estimates will be submitting information. Furthermore, the 
EPA has revised the operator reporting forms, which has resulted in 
additional burden reductions for operators of all well classes. These 
decreases are partially offset by an increase in burden due to changes 
in the number of Class III permit applications.

    Dated: May 25, 2018.
Peter Grevatt,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 2018-12073 Filed 6-5-18; 8:45 am]
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