[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 13, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56933-56934]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-22253]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-SFUND-2012-0578; FRL 8929-01-OLEM]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request: 
Technical Assistance Needs Assessments (TANAs) at Superfund Remedial or 
Removal Sites

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Technical Assistance Needs 
Assessments'' (EPA ICR No. 2470.03, OMB Control No. 2050-0211) 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 as described in Supplementary Information. This 
document is a proposed renewal of the ICR, which is currently approved 
through May 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 December 13, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
SFUND-2012-0578 to: (1) EPA 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, and (2) OMB via email 
to [email protected]. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer 
for EPA.
    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: Callie Koller, Assessment and 
Remediation Division, 6560-50-P, Office of Superfund Remediation and 
Technology Innovation, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: 703-
603-0044; 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. Out of an abundance of caution for members of the 
public and our staff, the EPA Docket Center and Reading Room is 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. For further 
information about the EPA's public docket, Docket Center services and 
the current status, please visit us online at https://www.epa.gov/dockets. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744.
    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, 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 ICR covers the usage of TANAs to solicit feedback 
from members of the affected community in order to determine how the 
community is receiving technical information about a Superfund remedial 
or removal site; whether the community requires additional assistance 
in order to understand and respond to site-related technical 
information; and whether there are organizations in the community that 
are interested or involved in site-related issues and capable of acting 
as an appropriate conduit for technical assistance services to the 
affected community. EPA estimates that for each TANA it conducts, 20 
individuals are interviewed per site via direct face-to-face 
interaction, phone, or virtual call at five sites, with an approximate 
total of 100 individuals interviewed each year. Responses to the 
collection of information are voluntary and the names of respondents 
will be protected by the Privacy Act. The information obtained from 
each TANA will help ensure the community's needs for technical 
information assistance are defined as early in the remedial/removal 
process as possible and enable meaningful community involvement in the 
Superfund decision-making process. Additionally, the TANA process 
produces a blueprint for designing a coordinated effort to meet the 
community's needs for additional technical assistance while minimizing 
the overlap of services provided.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Respondents to this ICR are local, 
state, and tribal government officials, potentially responsible party 
(PRP) representatives, community organizations, businesses and 
individuals who may be impacted by a Superfund site or a removal action 
lasting 120 days or longer. These community members voluntarily 
participate in community involvement activities throughout the remedial 
phase of the Superfund process. SIC Codes are OSHA's Standard 
Industrial Classification System used to identify different groups. 
Local/state governments are categorized as Division J: Public 
Administration, Major Group 95: Administration of Environmental 
Quality, subgroup 9511: Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste 
Management. The other respondents, community members, do not have a SIC 
Code as they do not constitute an industry.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 100. (20 per TANA at five sites).
    Frequency of response: Once during either a removal cleanup lasting 
120 days or longer or a remedial cleanup of a site. Each TANA interview 
is expected

[[Page 56934]]

to last approximately one hour in duration.
    Total estimated burden: 100 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 
5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $2,587 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in estimates: A decrease of 450 hours in the total 
respondent burden hours is estimated during the three-year period as 
compared to the last collection period. The number of individual TANAs 
sharply declined, from 25 to five per year, thus decreasing the overall 
number of respondents voluntarily participating in this information 
request.

Larry Douchand,
Director, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation.
[FR Doc. 2021-22253 Filed 10-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P