[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 59380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23366]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OARM-2018-0028; FRL-9195-01-OMS]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Contractor Conflicts of Interest (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), Contractor Conflicts of Interest 
(EPA ICR Number 1550.12, OMB Control Number 2030-0023) 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 December 31, 2021. Public comments 
were previously requested via the Federal Register on April 9, 2021 
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 November 26, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OARM-2018-0028, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method) 
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: Pamela Leftrict, Policy Training and 
Oversight Division, Office of Acquisition Solutions (3802R), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-9463; 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: The collection of this information is required to ensure 
that the Agency can effectively identify, evaluate, and take 
appropriate action concerning contractor conflicts of interest (COI). 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contractors are required to 
disclose any actual or potential COI with regard to their employees, 
corporate affiliations, and business relationships. Contractors will be 
required to maintain a database of business relationships and report 
information to EPA on either an annual basis or when work is ordered 
under an Agency contract. Additionally, under some contracts, the 
contractor must request written approval from the contracting officer 
to enter a proposed contract subject to the restrictions of EPA's 
Limitation of Future Contracting Clause that can found at CFR 48 
1552.209-74.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: All contractors seeking contract 
award that are identified with the potential conflict of interest upon 
contract award.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory in accordance with 
Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 9.5.
    Estimated number of respondents: 56.
    Frequency of response: Varies.
    Total estimated burden: 69,757.52 hours annually. Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $5,029,174 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is an increase of 13,703 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase is due to an increase in the number of 
Conflicts of Interest Plans required by the upsurge in acquisitions 
during the past three years. In the previous filing, there were 45 
required COI plans, but in the current filing there are 56 required COI 
plans.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2021-23366 Filed 10-26-21; 8:45 am]
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