[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 39 (Monday, February 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11068-11069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04106]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2014-0359; FRL-9615-01-OMS]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Underground Injection Control Program 
(Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), Underground Injection Control 
(UIC) Program (EPA ICR Number 0370.27, OMB Control Number 2040-0042) to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). This is a proposed 
extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through April 30, 
2022. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal 
Register on August 25, 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 March 30, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2014-0359, to EPA online using https://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 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: Kyle Carey, Drinking Water Protection 
Division, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, 4606M, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-2322; fax number: (202) 564-3756; 
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 
https://www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC 
West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004. 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: EPA developed the Underground Injection Control (UIC) 
Program under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act to establish 
a federal-state regulatory system to protect underground sources of 
drinking water (USDWs) from injection fluids and injection-related 
activities. These rules are designed to ensure that Americans receive 
safe drinking water, and ensure fair treatment and meaningful 
involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, 
or income. Injected fluids include hazardous waste, oil field brines or 
produced water, mineral processing fluids, various types of industrial 
fluids, automotive, sanitary, and other wastes, and carbon dioxide 
injected for geologic sequestration. Owners or operators of injection 
wells must obtain permits, conduct environmental monitoring, maintain 
records, and report results to EPA or the state agency (if the state 
has UIC primary enforcement responsibility (primacy)). States must 
report to EPA on permittee compliance and related information. This 
mandatory information is reported using standardized forms and annual 
reports. Reporting data are used by UIC authorities to ensure the 
protection of USDWs.
    Form Numbers: 7520-1, 7520-2A, 7520-2B, 7520-3, 7520-4, 7520-6, 
7520-7, 7520-8, 7520-11, 7520-16, 7520-17, 7520-18, and 7520-19.
    Respondents/affected entities: Owners or operators of underground 
injection wells and State UIC primacy agencies.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (40 CFR parts 144 
through 148).
    Estimated number of respondents: 37,677 (total).
    Frequency of response: Annual, semi-annual, quarterly.
    Total estimated burden: 1,631,360 hours (per year). Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $363,309,464 (per year), includes 
$276,069,465 annualized capital or operation and maintenance costs.
    Changes in the estimates: There is an increase of 339,100 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase is due to adjustments that include an 
increase in the number of Class I, Class II, Class III, and Class VI 
permit applications expected to be prepared and reviewed by UIC 
permitting authorities during the upcoming ICR period. The overall 
increase is partially offset by an inventory adjustment that results in 
a decrease in the number of current operators that will perform 
monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping activities over the life of an 
injection project (due to decreases in the injection well inventory). 
Programmatic changes that result in minor changes to the burden 
estimate include revisions to the reporting forms and changes in 
reporting of primacy state program information, including implementing 
electronic reporting options (which will reduce the burden to primacy 
agencies) and anticipated approval of Class VI UIC Program primacy for 
several states, which will increase state burden (by

[[Page 11069]]

shifting burden from EPA to the approved states).

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2022-04106 Filed 2-25-22; 8:45 am]
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