[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 148 (Friday, July 31, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46091-46092]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16590]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0015; FRL-10013-17-OMS]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program 
(Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted 
an information collection request (ICR),

[[Page 46092]]

Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program (EPA ICR Number 1391.12, OMB 
Control Number 2040-0118) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act 
(PRA). This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently 
approved through September 30, 2020. Public comments were previously 
requested via the Federal Register on January 13, 2020, 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 in this renewal 
notice, 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 August 31, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to EPA, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-
HQ-OW-2006-0369, 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. 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. Submit written comments and recommendations to 
OMB for the proposed information collection within 30 days of 
publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find 
this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently under 
30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Mylin, Water Infrastructure 
Division, Office of Wastewater Management, 4204M, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: 202-564-0607; 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 Clean Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF) were 
established by the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA) as a 
financial assistance program for a wide range of wastewater 
infrastructure and other water quality projects. The 1987 amendments 
added Title VI to the CWA, enabling EPA to provide grants to all 50 
states and Puerto Rico to capitalize CWSRFs. The CWSRFs can provide 
loans and other forms of assistance for a wide array of projects, 
including construction of wastewater treatments facilities, green 
infrastructure projects, agricultural best management practices, and 
water and energy efficiency improvements. In 2014, Title VI of the CWA 
was amended by the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). 
Additional information about the CWSRFs is available at http://www.epa.gov/cwsrf/learn-about-clean-water-state-revolving-fund-cwsrf.
    Capitalization Grant Agreement/Intended Use Plan--The 
Capitalization Grant Agreement is the principal instrument by which a 
CWSRF commits to manage its revolving fund program in conformity with 
the requirements of the Clean Water Act. The grant agreement contains 
or incorporates by reference the intended use plan, application 
materials and CWSRF administrative budget, required certifications, and 
other documentation required by EPA. The intended use plan describes 
how a CWSRF program intends to use its funds for the upcoming year to 
meet the CWA objectives.
    Annual Report--The annual report indicates how the CWSRF has met 
its goals and objectives of the previous state fiscal year as stated in 
the grant agreement and, more specifically, in the intended use plan. 
The report provides information on loan recipients, loan amounts, loan 
terms, project categories of eligible costs, and similar data on other 
forms of assistance.
    Annual Audit--The CWA requires a CWSRF to undergo an annual audit. 
Though an audit conducted under the Single Audit Act meets this 
requirement, EPA still recommends that a CWSRF also undergo a separate 
independent audit as a best management practice. The audit must contain 
an opinion on the financial condition of the CWSRF program, a report on 
its internal controls, and a report on compliance with applicable laws 
and the CWA.
    Clean Water National Information Management System (CWNIMS) and 
CWSRF Benefits Reporting (CBR)--States must enter financial data, 
including project disbursements, into the CWNIMS database on an annual 
basis. This publicly available information is used by EPA to assess 
compliance with the CWSRFs' mandate to use all funds in an 
``expeditious and timely'' manner and achieve the objectives of the 
CWA.
    Public Awareness Policy--Per EPA Grants Policy Issuance (GPI) 14-
02: Enhancing Public Awareness of EPA Assistance Agreements, CWSRF 
borrowers must publicize EPA's involvement in project funding only up 
to the funding amount in each year's capitalization grant.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: State environmental departments, 
and/or finance agencies responsible for operating the CWSRFs and 
eligible CWSRF borrowers.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain or retain a 
benefit per Title VI of CWA as amended by WRRDA.
    Estimated number of respondents: 51 state environmental departments 
and/or finance agencies (per year); 320 eligible CWSRF borrowers (per 
year).
    Frequency of response: Varies by requirement (i.e., quarterly, 
semi-annually and annually).
    Total estimated burden: 57,230 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $6,013,420 (per year), includes $2,928,100 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is a decrease of 530,156 hours (per 
year) in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR 
currently approved by OMB. This large reduction is in response to 
additional OMB guidance recommending that the burden associated with 
the CWSRF applications be removed as part of this ICR renewal since 
(1): States have a significant degree of discretion in what information 
they solicit through the CWSRF applications and (2): CWSRF applications 
are not subject to EPA approval.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2020-16590 Filed 7-30-20; 8:45 am]
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