[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 24, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50032-50033]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20645]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OA-2019-0296; FRL-9046-9]
Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request;
Procedures for Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act and
Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA Actions (Renewal)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an
information collection request (ICR), ``Procedures for Implementing the
National Environmental Policy Act and Assessing the Environmental
Effects Abroad of EPA Actions'' (EPA ICR No. 2243.08, OMB Control No.
2020-0033) 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 January 31,
2020. 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 November 25, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-
2019-0296, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method) or
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: Candi Schaedle, NEPA Compliance
Division, Office of Federal Activities, Mail Code 2203A, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460;
telephone number: 202-564-6121; fax number: 202-564-0070; 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 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
[[Page 50033]]
notice to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity
to submit additional comments to OMB.
Abstract: The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42
U.S.C. 4321-4347 establishes a national policy for the environment. The
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) oversees the NEPA
implementation. CEQ's Regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508 set
the standard for NEPA compliance. They also require agencies to
establish their own NEPA implementing procedures. The EPA's procedures
for implementing NEPA are found in 40 CFR part 6. Through this part,
the EPA adopted the CEQ Regulations and supplemented those regulations
for actions proposed by the EPA that are subject to NEPA requirements.
The EPA actions subject to NEPA include the award of wastewater
treatment construction grants under Title II of the Clean Water Act,
the EPA's issuance of new source National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) permits under section 402 of the Clean Water
Act, certain research and development projects, development and
issuance of regulations, the EPA actions involving renovations or new
construction of EPA facilities, and certain grants awarded for projects
authorized by Congress through the agency's annual appropriations act.
The EPA is collecting information from certain applicants as part of
the process of complying with either NEPA or Executive Order 12114
(``Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions''). The EPA's
NEPA regulations apply to actions of the EPA that are subject to NEPA
in order to ensure that environmental information is available to the
agency's decision-makers and the public before decisions are made and
before actions are taken. When the EPA conducts an environmental
assessment pursuant to its Executive Order 12114 procedures, the agency
generally follows its NEPA procedures. Compliance with the procedures
is the responsibility of the EPA's Responsible Officials, and for
applicant proposed actions applicants may be required to provide
environmental information to the EPA as part of the environmental
review process. For this ICR, applicant-proposed projects subject to
either NEPA or Executive Order 12114 (and that are not addressed in
other EPA programs' ICRs) are addressed through the NEPA process.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by
this action are certain grant or permit applicants who must submit
environmental information documentation to the EPA for their projects
to comply with NEPA or Executive Order 12114, including Wastewater
Treatment Construction Grants Program facilities, State and Tribal
Assistance Grant recipients, and new source National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System permittees.
Respondent's Obligation to Respond: Voluntary.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 26 (total).
Frequency of Response: On occasion.
Total Estimated Burden: 4,720 hours (per year). Burden is defined
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
Total Estimated Cost: $394,461 (per year), includes $0 annualized
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
Changes in Estimates: There is a decrease of 8,957 hours in the
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently
approved by OMB. This decrease is due to an adjustment change in the
size of the respondent universe.
Dated: September 19, 2019.
Robert Tomiak,
Director, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 2019-20645 Filed 9-23-19; 8:45 am]
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