[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 93 (Monday, May 17, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26689-26690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-10347]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Information Collection: Qualified Products Lists for Fire 
Chemicals for Wildland Fire Management

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and 
organizations on the renewal of a currently approved information 
collection, Qualified Products Lists for Fire Chemicals for Wildland 
Fire Management.

DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before July 16, 2021 
to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will 
be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to David 
Haston, Branch Chief, Equipment and Chemicals, US Forest Service, 
National Interagency Fire Center, 3833 S Development Avenue, Boise, 
Idaho 83705.
    Comments also may be submitted via facsimile to 208-387-5398 or by 
email to: [email protected]. Comments submitted in response to this 
notice may be made available to the public through relevant websites 
and upon request. For this reason, please do not include in your 
comments information of a confidential nature, such as sensitive 
personal information or proprietary

[[Page 26690]]

information. If you send an email comment, your email address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the internet. Please 
note that responses to this public comment request containing any 
routine notice about the confidentiality of the communication will be 
treated as public comments that may be made available to the public 
notwithstanding the inclusion of the routine notice.
    The public may inspect the draft supporting statement and/or 
comments received at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), Jack 
Wilson Building, in Boise, Idaho during normal business hours. Visitors 
are encouraged to call ahead to 208-387-5512 to facilitate entry to the 
building. The public may request an electronic copy of the draft 
supporting statement and/or any comments received be sent via return 
email. Requests should be emailed to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shirley Zylstra, National Technology 
and Development Program, (NTDP) at (406) 329-4859 or David Haston, 
National InterAgency Fire Center at (208) 387-5642. Individuals who use 
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1(800) 877-8339 twenty-four hours a 
day, every day of the year, including holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Qualified Products Lists for Fire Chemicals for Wildland 
Fire Management.
    OMB Number: 0596-0182.
    Expiration Date of Approval: July 31, 2021.
    Type of Request: Extension with no Revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Abstract: The Forest Service and cooperating wildland firefighting 
agencies need adequate types and quantities of qualified fire chemical 
products available to accomplish fire management activities as safely 
and effectively as possible. To accomplish this objective, the Agency 
evaluates and pre-approves commercial wildland firefighting chemicals. 
The Agency is required to submit the formulations to the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration 
Fisheries during the evaluation process. All products must meet the 
requirements of specifications identified and maintained by the 
Wildland Fire Chemical Systems (WFCS) staff at the National Technology 
& Development Program (Missoula). After a product evaluation has been 
completed successfully, the product is added to the Qualified Products 
List (QPL) for the appropriate product type. All Federal procurements 
of wildland fire chemicals are made from these lists.
    To initiate an evaluation, product manufacturers (or authorized 
suppliers) enter into an agreement with the Forest Service and pay all 
costs associated with the submission and evaluation of the product. 
Once the agreement is in place and funds are deposited to cover the 
associated costs, the manufacturer submits the following information to 
WFCS:
    1. List of the specific ingredients and quantity used to prepare 
the product;
    2. Identification of a specific company as the source of supply for 
each ingredient;
    3. Copies of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the product and for 
each ingredient used to prepare the product (from the company that 
supplies that chemical); and
    4. Specific mixing requirements and performance information.
    Review of the submitted information assures that the product does 
not contain ingredients meeting the criteria for Chemicals of Concern. 
Chemicals of Concern are defined as chemicals appearing on one or more 
of the following lists:
     Agency list of unacceptable ingredients;
     National Toxicology Program (NTP) Annual Report on 
Carcinogens;
     International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) 
Monographs for Potential Carcinogen;
     Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
Liability Act (CERCLA) List of Extremely Hazardous Substances and Their 
Threshold Planning Quantities;
     Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Acutely 
Hazardous and Toxic Wastes; and
     Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know (EPCRA), 
Toxic Release Inventory.
    A risk assessment, performed at the manufacturer expense, is 
required. The risk assessment, performed by a third party selected by 
the Agency, assesses the products and levels of ingredients found in 
typical applications relative to human and environmental impact.
    Each product submitted is tested to determine the mammalian and 
aquatic toxicity of the product and must meet specific levels of 
performance to minimize potential risk during firefighting operations. 
Additional tests are performed to determine the effectiveness of the 
product to reduce spread rate and intensity of the fire by application 
directly on or near the fire. A number of product characteristics are 
measured over the operational performance range of the product to 
ensure that the product meets the needs of the firefighters in the 
field.
    The collection of this information for each product submission is 
necessary due to the length of time needed to test the product (16 to 
18 months) and the need to ensure that products do not pose a hazard 
for laboratory personnel during the evaluation prior to purchase and 
use. This information collection and the product evaluation must be 
conducted on an ongoing basis to ensure the Agency can solicit and 
award contracts in a timely manner to provide firefighters with safe 
and effective wildland fire chemical products.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: 4.5 hours.
    Type of Respondents: Businesses (manufacturers and suppliers) of 
fire chemicals for wildland fire management.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 5.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 3.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 67.5 hours.

Comment Is Invited

    Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this collection of information 
is necessary for the stated purposes and the proper performance of the 
functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have 
practical or scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the Agency's 
estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    All comments received in response to this notice, including names 
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record. 
Comments will be summarized and included in the submission request 
toward Office of Management and Budget approval.

Patricia A. Grantham,
Acting Director, Fire and Aviation Management.
[FR Doc. 2021-10347 Filed 5-14-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P