[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 171 (Wednesday, September 2, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54574-54575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-19350]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2020-0433; FRL-10014-43-OW]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Public 
Notification Requirements for Combined Sewer Overflows in the Great 
Lakes Basin (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit an information collection request (ICR), ``Public Notification 
Requirements for Combined Sewer Overflows in the Great Lakes Basin 
(Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 2562.02, OMB Control No. 2040-0293) to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Before doing so, EPA 
is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed 
information collection. This is a proposed extension of the ICR which 
is currently approved through April 30, 2021. 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 2, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OW-2020-0433, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/ 
(our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Email: [email protected]. Include Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OW-2020-0433 in the subject line of the message.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID 
No. for this rulemaking. Comments received may be posted without change 
to https://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal information 
provided. For detailed instructions on sending comments and additional 
information on the rulemaking process, see the ``How do I submit 
written comments?'' heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 
this document. Out of an abundance of caution for members of the public 
and our staff, the EPA Docket Center and Reading Room are closed to the 
public, with limited exceptions, to reduce the risk of transmitting 
COVID-19. Our Docket Center staff will continue to provide remote 
customer service via email, phone, and webform. We encourage the public 
to submit comments via https://www.regulations.gov or email, as there 
may be a temporary delay in processing mail and faxes. Hand deliveries 
may be received by scheduled appointment only. For further information 
on EPA Docket Center services and the current status, please visit us 
online at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joshua Baehr, National Program Branch, 
Water Permits Division, OWM Mail Code: 4203M, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1201 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: (202) 564-2277; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. How do I submit written comments?

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2020-
0433, at https://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or the 
other methods identified in the ADDRESSES section. Once submitted, 
comments cannot be edited or removed from the docket. The EPA may 
publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit 
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be 
accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the 
official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish 
to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment 
contents located outside of the primary submission (i.e. on the web, 
cloud, or other file sharing system). For additional submission 
methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or 
multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective 
comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
    The EPA is temporarily suspending its Docket Center and Reading 
Room for public visitors to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19. 
Written comments submitted by mail are temporarily suspended and no 
hand deliveries will be accepted. Our Docket Center staff will continue 
to provide remote customer service via email, phone, and webform. We 
encourage the public to submit comments via https://www.regulations.gov. For further information and updates on EPA Docket 
Center services, please visit us online at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    The EPA continues to carefully and continuously monitor information 
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local area 
health departments, and our Federal partners so that we can respond 
rapidly as conditions change regarding COVID-19.

II. Executive Summary

    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 https://www.regulations.gov. 
The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For 
additional information about EPA's public docket, visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, 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; (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. 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, 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: This ICR calculates the incremental increase in burden 
and

[[Page 54575]]

costs associated with implementation of the Combined Sewer Overflow 
(CSO) public notification requirements for CSO permittees in the Great 
Lakes Basin approved during the Public Notice Requirements for Combined 
Sewer Overflow Discharges to the Great Lakes rulemaking. In 2018 EPA 
established public notification requirements for permittees authorized 
to discharge from a CSO to the Great Lakes Basin [82 FR 4233]. These 
requirements address: 1. Signage; 2. notification to local public 
health department and other potentially affected public entities; 3. 
notification to the public; and 4. annual notice. Additionally, 
permittees are required to develop a public notification plan and seek 
and consider input on these plans from local public health departments 
and other potentially affected public entities. The public notification 
plans also provide state permit writers with detailed information 
needed to write permit conditions. The rule protects public health by 
ensuring timely notification to the public and to public health 
departments, public drinking water facilities and other potentially 
affected public entities, including Indian tribes. It provides 
additional specificity beyond existing public notification requirements 
to ensure timely and consistent communication to the public regarding 
CSO discharges to the Great Lakes Basin. Timely notice may allow the 
public and affected public entities to take steps to reduce the 
public's potential exposure to pathogens associated with human sewage, 
which can cause a wide variety of health effects, including 
gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and wound 
infections.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: CSO permittees, Great Lakes States 
(Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and 
Wisconsin).
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory. 40 CFR 122.38.
    Estimated number of respondents: 164 (157 permittees and 7 States).
    Frequency of response: Responses include one-time implementation 
activities, such as signage, activities that occur once per year, such 
as providing annual notice, and initial and follow-up activities that 
would occur during and after CSO discharge events.
    Total estimated burden: 8,694 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $426,059 (per year), includes $5,412 in 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is an estimated net decrease of 1,607 
burden hours since the prior approved ICR. The decrease in labor hours 
from the prior ICR is due to the completion of startup activities 
performed during the first year of the prior ICR. Also, one permittee 
(Woodville, Ohio NPDES Permit No. OH0020591) separated the city's 
combined sewer system and therefore, is no longer within the scope of 
the rule and this updated ICR. There was an increase in labor costs 
($31,841) due to a projected increase in labor base wages and total 
compensation (i.e., benefits). There was a decrease in non-labor costs 
($65,039) due to a decrease in capital costs after the initial startup 
period during the first year of the prior ICR. Overall, total burden 
hours decreased by 1,607 hours and total burden cost decreased by 
$31,048 for the three-year period.

    Dated: August 27, 2020.
Andrew D. Sawyers,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. 2020-19350 Filed 9-1-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P