[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58767-58768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25423]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OW-2015-0641; FRL-9986-92-OW]
Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request;
Information Collection Request for Reporting Requirements for BEACH Act
Grants (Renewal)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to
submit an information collection request (ICR), ``Information
Collection Request for Reporting Requirements for BEACH Act Grants''
(EPA ICR No. 2048.06, OMB Control No. 2040-0244) to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with
the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, the 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 July 31, 2019. 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 must be submitted on or before January 22,
2019.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2015-0641 to the EPA (1) online using www.regulations.gov (our
preferred method), or (2) by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20460.
The 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: Tracy Bone, OW, 4305T, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460;
telephone number: 202-564-5257; 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
[[Page 58768]]
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 the
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 Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health
(BEACH) Act amends the Clean Water Act (CWA) in part and authorizes the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award BEACH Act Program
Development and Implementation Grants to coastal and Great Lakes
states, tribes, and territories (collectively referred to as
jurisdictions) for their beach monitoring and notification programs.
The grants assist those jurisdictions to develop and implement a
consistent approach to monitor recreational water quality; assess,
manage, and communicate health risks from waterborne microbial
contamination; notify the public of pollution occurrences, and post
beach advisories and closures to prevent public exposure to microbial
pathogens. To qualify for a BEACH Act Grant, a jurisdiction must submit
information to the EPA documenting that its beach monitoring and
notification program is consistent with performance criteria outlined
in the National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for
Grants, 2014 Edition.
Form numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by
this action are environmental and public health agencies in coastal and
Great Lakes states, territories, and tribes.
Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain the grants
as directed by the BEACH Act amendment to the CWA.
Estimated number of respondents: 39.
Frequency of response: Annual; however, the agency encourages more
frequent reporting to provide more up-to-date information to the
public.
Total estimated burden: 88,569 hours (per year). Burden is defined
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
Total estimated cost: $14,865,812 (per year), includes $11,063,780
(per year) operation & maintenance costs. There are no capital costs.
Changes in estimates: There is a decrease of 2,707 hours in the
total respondent burden compared with the ICR approved by OMB in July
2015 due to the respondents no longer needing to prepare and submit
schedules for the adoption of new or revised WQS and identification and
use of a beach notification threshold (BNT). The EPA no longer requests
respondents submit these schedules because they are using BNTs or
alternate BNTs and have either adopted new or revised WQS or are in the
process of doing so. This decrease in hours is partially offset by one
additional tribe having qualified for a BEACH grant. The total
respondent cost decreased by $587,496. The decrease in cost is
partially offset by slight increases in the salary rates. The O&M
decreased by $289,366 due to a reduction in the total number of beaches
(affecting O&M). The number of beaches reported by the jurisdictions
varies from year to year for many reasons. Reasons for removing beaches
include the destruction of beaches by natural disasters, change in
beach ownership, and existing beaches being combined within a
jurisdiction's monitoring and notification program.
Dated: November 13, 2018.
Deborah G. Nagle,
Acting Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2018-25423 Filed 11-20-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P