[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5189-5190]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01065]


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

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-SFUND-2012-0104; FRL--10019-10-OMS]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Brownfields Program--Accomplishment 
Reporting (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), Brownfields Program--
Accomplishment Reporting (EPA ICR Number 2104.08, OMB Control Number 
2050-0192) 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 
January 31, 2021. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on June 18, 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 below, 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: Additional comments may be submitted on or before February 18, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to EPA, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-
HQ-SFUND-2012-0104, 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: Kelly Gorini, Office of Brownfields 
and Land Revitalization, (5105T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 
566-1702; fax number: (202) 566-1476; 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: This ICR covers the collection of information from those 
organizations that receive cooperative agreements from EPA under the 
authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 
and Liability Act (CERCLA) as amended by the Brownfields Utilization, 
Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act (Pub. L. 115-141). 
CERCLA, as amended, authorizes EPA to award grants or cooperative 
agreements to states, tribes, local governments, and other eligible 
entities to support the assessment and cleanup of brownfields sites. 
Under the Brownfields Amendments, a brownfields site means real 
property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be 
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous 
substance, pollutant, or contaminant. For funding purposes, EPA uses 
the term ``brownfields property(ies)'' synonymously with the term 
``brownfields sites.'' The Brownfields Amendments authorize EPA to 
award several types of cooperative agreements to eligible entities on a 
competitive basis.
    Under subtitle A of the Small Business Liability Relief and 
Brownfields Revitalization Act, states, tribes, local governments, and 
other eligible entities can receive assessment cooperative agreements 
to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community 
involvement related to brownfields properties; cleanup cooperative 
agreements to carry out cleanup activities at brownfields properties; 
multipurpose cooperative agreements to conduct activities

[[Page 5190]]

allowed under both assessment and cleanup cooperative agreements; 
cooperative agreements to capitalize revolving loan funds and provide 
subgrants for cleanup activities; area-wide planning cooperative 
agreements to develop revitalization plans for brownfields; and 
environmental workforce and development job training and placement 
programs. Under subtitle C of the Small Business Liability Relief and 
Brownfields Revitalization Act, states and tribes can receive 
cooperative agreements to establish and enhance their response programs 
through the four elements and meet the public record requirements under 
the statute. Cooperative agreement recipients (``recipients'') have 
general reporting and record keeping requirements as a condition of 
their cooperative agreement that result in burden. A portion of this 
reporting and record keeping burden is authorized under 2 CFR part 1500 
and identified in the EPA's general grants ICR (OMB Control Number 
2030-0020). EPA requires Brownfields program recipients to maintain and 
report additional information to EPA on the uses and accomplishments 
associated with funded brownfields activities. EPA uses several forms 
to assist recipients in reporting the information and to ensure 
consistency of the information collected. EPA uses this information to 
meet Federal stewardship responsibilities to manage and track how 
program funds are being spent, to evaluate the performance of the 
Brownfields Cleanup and Land Revitalization Program, to meet the 
Agency's reporting requirements under the Government Performance 
Results Act, and to report to Congress and other program stakeholders 
on the status and accomplishments of the program.
    Respondents/affected entities: State/local/tribal governments; Non-
Profits.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain or Retain 
Benefits (2 CFR part 1500).
    Estimated number of respondents: 2969 (total).
    Frequency of response: Bi-annual for subtitle C recipients; 
quarterly for subtitle A recipients.Total estimated burden: 6,144 hours 
(per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $712,108 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: The overall burden has increased slightly 
by 379 hours since the last ICR submittal. This is the result of an 
increased response total of 123 additional responses. Respondents 
indicated that improvements in the ACRES reporting system and increased 
familiarity with the program lead to a lower burden per individual 
entry.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2021-01065 Filed 1-15-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P