[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5252-5253]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00937]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Refuse Piles and Impoundment Structures, 
Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Mining Safety 
and Health Administration (MSHA)-sponsored information collection 
request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

DATES: The OMB will consider all written comments that agency receives 
on or before February 18, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent 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.
    Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the 
Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) if the information will be processed and used in a timely 
manner; (3) the accuracy of the agency's estimates of the burden and 
cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (4) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information collection; and (5) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony May by telephone at 202-693-
4129 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 103(h) of the Federal Mine Safety 
and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act), 30 U.S.C. 813(h), authorizes MSHA to 
collect information necessary to carry out its duty in protecting the 
safety and health of miners. Further, section 101(a) of the Mine Act, 
30 U.S.C. 811, authorizes the Secretary of Labor to develop, 
promulgate, and revise as may be appropriate, improved mandatory health 
or safety standards for the protection of life and prevention of 
injuries in coal or other mines. Title 30 CFR part 77, subpart C, sets 
forth standards for surface installations to prevent accidents and 
injuries to miners. More specifically, section 77.215 addresses refuse 
piles and section 77.216 addresses impoundments. Refuse piles are 
deposits of coal mine waste (other than overburden or spoil) that are 
removed during mining operations or separated from mined coal and 
deposited on the surface. Impoundments are structures that can impound 
water, sediment, or slurry or any combination of materials. The failure 
of these structures can have a devastating effect on mine employees, 
communities, and nearby areas. To avoid or minimize such failures, MSHA 
has promulgated standards for the design, construction, and maintenance 
of these structures; for annual certifications; for certification for 
hazardous refuse piles; for the frequency of inspections; and the 
methods of abandonment for impoundments and impounding structures. For 
additional substantive information about this ICR, see the related 
notice published in the Federal Register on October 6, 2020 (85 FR 
63144).
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless the OMB approves it and displays a currently valid 
OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions 
of law, no person shall generally be subject to penalty for failing to 
comply with a collection of information that does not display a valid 
OMB Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6.
    DOL seeks PRA authorization for this information collection for 
three (3) years. OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than 
three (3) years

[[Page 5253]]

without renewal. The DOL notes that information collection requirements 
submitted to the OMB for existing ICRs receive a month-to-month 
extension while they undergo review.
    Agency: DOL-MSHA.
    Title of Collection: Refuse Piles and Impoundment Structures, 
Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements.
    OMB Control Number: 1219-0015.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits institutions.
    Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 548.
    Total Estimated Number of Responses: 28,047.
    Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 68,692 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $1,509,202.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D).

    Dated: January 12, 2021.
Anthony May,
Management and Program Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2021-00937 Filed 1-15-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P