[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 194 (Friday, October 5, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50363-50364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-21750]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[No. EPA-HQ-OW-2015-0613; FRL-9985-05-OW]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Implementation of Title I of the Marine Protection, Research, and 
Sanctuaries Act

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), ``Implementation of 
Title I of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act,'' (EPA 
ICR No. is 0824.07, OMB Control No. 2040-0008) 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. 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 December 4, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2015-0613. (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. 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: Charles Kovatch, Oceans, Wetlands, and 
Communities Division, mail code 4504T, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and, 
Watersheds, mail code 4501T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-
0399; fax number: 202-566-1147; 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 Paperwork Reduction Act 
(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), 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: With limited exceptions, ocean dumping--the 
transportation of any material for the purpose of dumping in ocean 
waters--is prohibited except in compliance with a permit issued under 
the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA). EPA is 
responsible for issuing ocean dumping permits for all materials except 
dredged material. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is 
responsible for issuing ocean dumping permits for dredged material 
using EPA's environmental criteria, though for federal projects, the 
USACE may apply the environmental criteria directly in lieu of the 
permit process. Ocean dumping permits for dredged material are subject 
to EPA review and concurrence. EPA is also responsible for designating 
and managing ocean sites for the disposal of wastes and other 
materials, and establishing Site Management and Monitoring Plans for 
ocean disposal sites. EPA collects or sponsors the collection of 
information for the purposes of permit issuance, reporting of emergency 
dumping to safety of life at sea, compliance with permit requirements, 
including general permits for burial at sea, for transportation and 
disposal of vessels, and for ocean disposal of marine mammal carcasses.
    EPA collects this information to ensure that ocean dumping is 
appropriately regulated and will not harm human health and the marine 
environment, based on applying the Ocean Dumping Criteria. The Ocean 
Dumping Criteria consider, among other things: The environmental impact 
of the dumping; the need for the dumping; the

[[Page 50364]]

effect of the dumping on esthetic, recreational, or economic values; 
land-based alternatives to ocean dumping; and the adverse effects of 
the dumping on other uses of the ocean. The Ocean Dumping Criteria are 
codified in 40 CFR parts 227-228. To meet U.S. reporting obligation 
under the London Convention, an international treaty on ocean dumping, 
EPA also reports some of this information in the annual United States 
Ocean Dumping Report.
    EPA uses ocean dumping information to make decisions regarding 
whether issue, deny, as well as to impose conditions on ocean dumping 
permits issued by EPA in order to ensure consistency with the Ocean 
Dumping Criteria. EPA uses monitoring and reporting data from 
permittees to assess compliance with ocean dumping permits, including 
associated monitoring activities.
    Form numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Respondents/affected entities may 
include any private person or entity, or state, local, or foreign 
governments.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain or retain a 
benefit, specifically permit authorization and/or compliance with 
permits required under MPRSA sections 102 and 104, 33 U.S.C. 1402 & 
1404, and implementing regulations at 40 CFR parts 220-229.
    Estimated number of respondents: 2,768 respondents per year.
    Frequency of response: The frequency of response varies for 
application and reporting requirements for different permits. Other 
than the general permit for transportation and disposal of vessels, 
response is required once for each permit application, whether a single 
notification to EPA or a permit application. Depending on the type of 
MPRSA permit, a permit application would be required prior to 
expiration if the permittee seeks re-issuance: General permit (once 
every seven years), special permit (once every three years), and 
research permit (once every 18 months).
    Total estimated burden: The public reporting and recordkeeping 
burdens for this collection of information are estimated to be 3,497 
hours per year. Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.3(b).
    Total estimated cost: Annual costs are estimated to be $380,376, 
which includes $184,503 for labor and $195,874 for capital or operation 
& maintenance costs.
    Changes in estimates: There is no significant increase in the 
burden. There is an increase of 1 hour in the total estimated 
respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB. This 
increase is due to a change in the program requirements and reflects 
updated reporting burden estimates. Specifically, since the issuance of 
the current ICR, EPA issued an additional general permit under the 
MPRSA for the transport and disposal of marine mammal carcasses in 
ocean waters under specified conditions. The estimates in the 
supporting information reflect the increase associated with the general 
permit, which was published in the Federal Register on December 6, 2016 
[81 FR 87928].

    Dated: September 27, 2018.
John Goodin,
Acting Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds.
[FR Doc. 2018-21750 Filed 10-4-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P