[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 247 (Thursday, December 27, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66706-66707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27960]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-SFUND- 2004-0006; FRL-9988-07-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Community Right-to-Know Reporting 
Requirements Under Sections 311 and 312 of the Emergency Planning and 
Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), Community Right-to-Know Reporting 
Requirements under Sections 311 and 312 of the Emergency Planning and 
Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) (EPA ICR Number 1352.14, OMB 
Control Number 2050-0072), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. 
This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved 
through December 31, 2018. Public comments were previously requested 
via the Federal Register on July 18, 2018 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: Comments must be submitted on or before January 28, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
SFUND-2004-0006, to (1) EPA 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, 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.

[[Page 66707]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy Hoffman, Office of Emergency 
Management, Mail Code 5104A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 
564-8794; 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.
    Abstract: The authority for these requirements is sections 311 and 
312 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), 
1986 (42 U.S.C. 11011, 11012). EPCRA Section 311 requires owners and 
operators of facilities subject to OSHA Hazard Communication Standard 
(HCS) to submit a list of chemicals or MSDSs (for those chemicals that 
exceed thresholds, specified in 40 CFR part 370) to the State Emergency 
Response Commission (SERC) or Tribal Emergency Response Commission 
(TERC), Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) or Tribal Emergency 
Planning Committee (TEPC) and the local fire department (LFD) with 
jurisdiction over their facility. This is a one-time requirement unless 
a facility becomes subject to the regulations or has updated 
information on the hazardous chemicals that were already submitted by 
the facility. EPCRA Section 312 requires owners and operators of 
facilities subject to OSHA HCS to submit an inventory form (for those 
chemicals that exceed the thresholds, specified in 40 CFR part 370) to 
the SERC (or TERC), LEPC (or TEPC), and LFD with jurisdiction over 
their facility. This inventory form, Tier II (Emergency and Hazardous 
Chemical Inventory Form), is to be submitted on March 1 of each year 
and must include the inventory of hazardous chemicals present at the 
facility in the previous calendar year.
    On July 13, 2012, EPA published a final rule to add some new data 
elements to the facility identification and contact information 
sections of the Tier I and Tier II inventory forms. EPA also revised 
some existing data elements in the chemical reporting section of the 
Tier II form to ease reporting for facilities and make the forms more 
user-friendly for state and local agencies. The data elements that EPA 
added to the forms were requested by state and local agencies to 
improve their emergency response plans and response coordination during 
an emergency. The additional data elements, including general facility 
identification and contact information for the parent company, owner or 
operator of the company, facility emergency coordinator etc., are 
readily available to facilities and usually do not change from year to 
year. The burden and costs for adding these data elements, including 
one-time burden for familiarization by respondents and software updates 
by state agencies, as well as the additional annual burden, are 
approved under OMB Control Number 2050-0206. The facility-level burden 
to complete the new and revised data elements of per facility approved 
under OMB Control Number is being added to this ICR.
    Respondents/affected entities: Manufacturers and non-manufacturers 
required to have available a Material Safety Data Sheet (or Safety Data 
Sheet) under the OSHA HCS.
    Form Numbers: Tier II Emergency and Hazardous Chemical Inventory 
Form, EPA Form No. 8700-30.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (Sections 311 and 312 
of EPCRA).
    Estimated number of respondents: 465,692 (includes 3,052 SERCs and 
LEPCs).
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Total estimated burden: 6,963,565 hours (per year). Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $301,067,822 (per year), includes $5,415,824 
in annualized capital and operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is an increase of 1,048,311 hours 
compared to the previous ICR approved by OMB. This increase in burden 
is attributable mainly to the 15.66 percent increase in the estimated 
number of facilities subject to Tier II reporting, based on a recount 
of the number of facilities in the E-Plan database and information 
provided by EPA Regions, and the additional burden for Inventory 
Reporting Activity from the consolidation of 2050-0206 with this ICR. A 
small portion of the change in burden is attributable to the correction 
of math errors in the previous ICR renewal.


Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2018-27960 Filed 12-26-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P