[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 143 (Thursday, July 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40823-40825]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16154]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0719; FRL-8774-01-OW]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit the ``Information Collection Request (ICR) Supporting Statement 
for The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program 
(Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 0229.25, OMB Control No. 2040-0004) to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is 
soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed 
information collection as described below. This is a proposed extension 
of the ICR, which is currently approved through March 31, 2022. 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 September 27, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-

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OW-2008-0719 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.

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: 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.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
(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, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (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 consolidated Information Collection Request (ICR) 
renews the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 
Program ICR. It calculates the information collection burden and costs 
associated with the NPDES program, identifies the types of activities 
regulated under the NPDES program, describes the roles and 
responsibilities of state governments and the Agency, and presents the 
program areas that address the various types of regulated activities. 
This ICR renewal (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control no. 
2040-0004, EPA ICR no. 0229.24, expiration date 03/31/2022) 
consolidates the information collection burden and costs associated 
with activities previously reported in 18 of the NPDES program or 
NPDES-related ICRs. This renewal documents the addition of the burden 
and costs for the four existing NPDES ICRs listed below. Once this 
renewal ICR is approved, the following ICRs will be discontinued (each 
originally would have been effective for three years).

 Public Notification Requirements for Combined Sewer Overflows 
(CSOs) in the Great Lakes Basin (OMB control no. 2040-0293, EPA ICR 
2562.03, expiration date 04/30/2024)
 Effluent Limitation Guidelines and Standards for the Dental 
Category (OMB control no. 2040-0287, EPA ICR no. 2514.03, expiration 
03/31/2024)
 2020 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Multi-
Sector General Permit (MSGP) for Industrial Stormwater Discharges (OMB 
control no. 2040-0300, EPA ICR no. 2612.02, expiration 03/31/2024)
 NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule--Phase 2 Extension (OMB 
Control No.: 2020-0037, EPA ICR No. 2617.02, expiration 12/31/2023)

    The Clean Water Act (CWA) provides that NPDES permits are required 
for the discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States. The CWA 
requires EPA to develop and implement the NPDES permit program. CWA 
section 402(b) allows states to acquire authority to administer the 
NPDES program, enabling them to issue NPDES permits for discharges 
within the state. At present, 47 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands are 
authorized to administer the NPDES permit program. In states that do 
not have authority for these programs, the Agency administers the 
program and issues NPDES permits. Because some permit applications are 
processed by states and some by EPA, this ICR calculates government 
burden and cost for both authorized states and EPA. See Appendix F.1 
for a copy of the authorizing regulation.
    Form Numbers: EPA Form l3510-1; EPA Form 3510-2A; EPA Form 3510-2B; 
EPA Form 3510-2C; EPA Form 3510-2D; EPA Form 3510-2E; EPA Form 3510-2F; 
EPA Form 3510-2S.
    Respondents/affected entities: Any point source discharger of 
pollutants, including but not limited to publicly owned and privately 
owned treatment works (POTWs and PrOTWs), industrial dischargers to 
POTWs and PrOTWs, industrial and commercial dischargers to water of the 
United States, sewage sludge management and disposal operations, large 
vessels, dischargers of stormwater, construction sites, municipalities, 
pesticide applicators, local and state governments.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Sections 301, 302, 304, 306, 
307, 308, 316(b), 401, 402, 403, 405, and 510 of the CWA; the 1987 
Water Quality Act (WQA) revisions to CWA section 402(p); 40 CFR parts 
122, 123, 124, and 125 (and parts 501 and 503 for Biosolids); and the 
Great Lakes Critical Programs Act (CPA).
    Estimated number of respondents: 829,419 (total). (Includes 637 
States/Tribes/Territories.)
    Frequency of response: The frequency of response varies depending 
on the specific response activity and can range from ongoing and 
monthly to once every five years.
    Total estimated burden: 31,147,981 hours (per year). Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $1,732,564,878 (per year), includes 
$22,999,181 annualized capital or operation and maintenance costs 
(O&M).
    Changes in Estimates: The current OMB-approved burden for the 
existing NPDES ICR (OMB control no. 2040-0004, EPA ICR no. 0229.24) is 
28,221,350 hours. The current combined OMB-approved burden for the 
existing NPDES ICR and the four ICRs being consolidated into this ICR 
is 28,661,318 hours. The combined burden requested in this ICR renewal 
is 31,147,981 hours. Overall, the burden requested in this ICR is 
2,486,663 hours (9 percent) more than the combined previously approved 
burdens of the component ICRs. The majority of this burden hour 
increase occurred as a result of an increase in EPA's estimates of 
permittee respondents. The increases in EPA's estimates of the number 
of permittee respondents is largely attributed to improvements in the 
current NPDES Integrated Compliance Information

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System (ICIS-NPDES) database, implementation of the Electronic 
Reporting Rule Phase 1, and refined estimates. Other significant 
changes in estimates of burden hours are the result of the following 
adjustments:
     This ICR eliminates the initial permit application and 
compliance activities for existing Cooling Water Intake Structure 
(CWIS) facilities as these activities have been completed by all 
existing CWIS facilities, resulting in a decrease in estimated burden 
hours for CWIS facilities.
     The collection burden associated with compliance with and 
administration of small vessels general permit (sVGP) has been removed. 
Eliminating the sVGP also decreased the number of vessel respondents 
significantly.
     The estimated number of respondents in some of the 
categories (shown in Appendix D of the ICR Supporting Statement) both 
increased and decreased per the current NPDES Integrated Compliance 
Information System (ICIS-NPDES) database and based on refined EPA 
estimates.
     This ICR accounts for adjustments to inflation to 
September 2021 dollars that updated the presumed capital and O&M cost 
burden.
     The burden associated with Electronic Reporting Rule Phase 
I implementation activities has been removed. This includes the burden 
associated with Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) mailing by 
permittees, and all state and federal DMR processing previously 
included in the ICR.

    Dated: July 22, 2021.
Andrew D. Sawyers,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. 2021-16154 Filed 7-28-21; 8:45 am]
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