[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 37 (Thursday, February 24, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10361-10362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03861]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-SFUND-2015-0100; FRL-9341-01-OLEM]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Renewal 
of Information Collection Request for the Continuous Release Reporting 
Requirement Including Analysis for Use of Continuous Release Reporting 
Forms, EPA ICR No. 1445.15, OMB Control Number 2050-0086

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit an information collection request (ICR), ``Renewal of 
Information Collection Request for the Continuous Release Reporting 
Requirement Including Analysis for Use of Continuous Release Reporting 
Forms'' (EPA ICR No. 1445.15, OMB Control No. 2050-0086) 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 in Supplementary Information. This is a 
proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through 
November 30, 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.

[[Page 10362]]


DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 25, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
SFUND-2015-0100, to: (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), 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: Wendy Hoffman, Office of Emergency 
Management, Mail Code 5104A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 
564-8794; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that EPA will be collecting are available in the public 
docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at http://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: Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, in the 
first FR notice published on May 30, 2018, EPA solicited comments and 
information pertaining to the Continuous Release Reporting Requirements 
(CRRR) under Section 103(a) of CERCLA, as amended. CRRR requires the 
person in charge of a vessel or facility immediately to notify the 
National Response Center (NRC) of a hazardous substance release into 
the environment if the amount of the release equals or exceeds the 
substance's reportable quantity (RQ). The RQ of every hazardous 
substance can be found in Table 302.4 of 40 CFR 302.4. If the source 
and chemical composition of the continuous release do not change and 
the level of the continuous release does not significantly increase, a 
follow-up written report to the EPA Region one year after submission of 
the initial written report is also required. The person in charge must 
notify the NRC and EPA Region of a change in the source or composition 
of the release, and under section 103(a) of CERCLA, a significant 
increase must be reported immediately to the NRC. Finally, any change 
in information submitted in support of a continuous release 
notification must be reported to the EPA Region. Section 103(f)(2) of 
CERCLA provides facilities relief from per-occurrence notification 
release requirements if the subject release is continuous and stable in 
quantity and rate.
    The Continuous Release Reporting Requirement allows the Federal 
government to determine whether a Federal response action is required 
to control or mitigate any potential adverse effects to public health, 
welfare or the environment. The release information is also available 
to EPA program offices and other Federal agencies that evaluate the 
potential need for additional regulations, new permitting requirements 
for specific substances or sources, or improved emergency response 
planning. State and local government authorities and facilities subject 
to the CRRR use release information for local emergency response 
planning. The public, which has access to release information through 
the Freedom of Information Act, may request release information on what 
types of releases are occurring in different localities and what 
actions, if any, are being taken to protect public health, welfare and 
the environment. 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.
    The burden estimates, numbers and types of respondents, wage rates 
and unit and total costs for this ICR renewal will be revised and 
updated, if needed, during the 60-day comment period while the ICR 
Supporting Statement is undergoing review at OMB.
    Form Numbers: EPA Form 6100-10, Continuous Release Reporting Form.
    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are not defined. The use and release of hazardous 
substances are pervasive throughout industry. EPA expects many 
different industrial categories to report hazardous substance releases 
under the provisions of the CRRR. No one industry sector or group of 
sectors is disproportionately affected by the information collection 
burden.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory if respondents want 
reduced reporting for continuous releases. See the abstract for 
details.
    Estimated number of respondents: 4,192.
    Frequency of response: On occasion.
    Total estimated burden: 334,472 hours (average per year). Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $19,797,899 (average per year), including 
$243,200 annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs (average 
per year).
    Changes in estimates: Any change in burden or cost resulting from 
the 60-day OMB review period will be described and explained in this 
section when the updated ICR Supporting Statement is completed.

Donna Salyer,
Director, Office of Emergency Management.
[FR Doc. 2022-03861 Filed 2-23-22; 8:45 am]
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