[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11297-11298]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05741]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OECA-2018-0250; FRL-9991-01-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; NSPS for New Residential Hydronic Heaters 
and Forced-Air Furnaces (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), NSPS for New Residential Hydronic 
Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces (EPA ICR No. 2442.03, OMB Control No. 
2060-0693), 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 
March 31, 2019. Public comments were previously requested, via the 
Federal Register, on May 30, 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 neither conduct nor 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 may be submitted on or before April 25, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OECA-2018-0250, to: (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), or 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Yellin, Monitoring, 
Assistance, and Media Programs Division, Office of Compliance, Mail 
Code 2227A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-2970; fax number: 
(202) 564-0050; 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 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for New 
Residential Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces (40 CFR part 60, 
subpart QQQQ) to new residential hydronic heaters, forced-air furnaces, 
or other central heaters manufactured either on or after May 15, 2015 
and sold or distributed in the United States. The residential hydronic 
heater and forced-air furnace NSPS establishes a certification program, 
instead of the usual NSPS requirement that each affected facility 
demonstrate compliance with emission limits through performance 
testing. Under this certification program, a single heating appliance 
is tested to demonstrate compliance with particulate matter (PM) 
emission limits for an entire model line which could consist of 
thousands of stoves. The use of a certification approach significantly 
reduces the compliance burden, including information collection, for 
the manufacturers of hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces. Each 
manufacturer subject to Subpart QQQQ is required to keep records of all 
documentation pertaining to the certification testing for each model 
line, the results of the quality assurance program inspections, and a 
sealed sample of each heater or furnace upon which certification tests 
were performed and certification granted. Each approved test laboratory 
and third-party certifier must maintain records consisting of all 
documentation pertaining to each certification test, quality assurance 
program inspection and audit test. Manufacturers must also submit the 
test reports and other documentation to EPA when they apply for a 
certificate of compliance for each model line. These reports, and 
records are essential in determining compliance, and are required of 
all affected facilities subject to NSPS. This information is being 
collected to assure compliance with 40 CFR part 60, subpart QQQQ.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: New residential hydronic heaters, 
forced-air furnaces, or other central heaters manufactured either on or 
after May 15, 2015 and sold or distributed in the United States. These 
regulations also apply to EPA-approved testing laboratories and EPA-
approved third-party certifiers.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (40 CFR 60 Subpart 
QQQQ).

[[Page 11298]]

    Estimated number of respondents: 50 respondents, consisting of 32 
hydronic heater manufacturers, 7 forced-air furnace manufacturers, and 
11 companies that are EPA-approved testing laboratories, third-party 
certifiers or both.
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Total estimated burden: 4,270 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.3(b).
    Total estimated cost: $4,770,000 (per year), which includes 
$4,280,000 in annualized capital/startup and/or operation & maintenance 
costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: The increase in burden from the most 
recently-approved ICR is due to an increase in the number of 
respondents and an increase in the number of testing labs and third-
party certifiers. The increase in burden is also due to an adjustment 
to the burden for reporting by third-party certifiers to include burden 
for submittal of certifications, QA audit program reports, and 
credentials. Additionally, there is an increase in the annual average 
capital/startup costs as compared with the costs in the previous ICR, 
due to a number of testing labs and third-party certifiers expected to 
re-apply for re-accreditation in the three-year period. The overall 
result is an increase in the number of responses and in the burden.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2019-05741 Filed 3-25-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P