[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16474-16475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06106]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OLEM-2018-0391, FRL-9357-01-OLEM]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Facility Ground-Water Monitoring Requirements, EPA ICR 
No. 0959.17, OMB Control No. 2050-0033

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), Facility Ground-Water 
Monitoring Requirements (Renewal) (EPA ICR No. 0959.17, OMB Control No. 
2050-0033) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Before 
doing so, the 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.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 23, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OLEM-2018-0391, at https://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), 
or the other methods identified in the ADDRESSES section. Once 
submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from the docket. The 
EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not 
submit to EPA's docket at https://www.regulations.gov any information 
you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia 
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written 
comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and 
should include discussion of all points you wish to make. The EPA will 
generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of 
the primary submission (i.e. on the web, cloud, or other file sharing 
system). For additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment 
policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general 
guidance on making effective comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
    Due to public health concerns related to COVID-19, the EPA Docket 
Center and Reading Room are open to the public by appointment only. Our 
Docket Center staff also continues to provide remote customer service 
via email, phone, and webform. Hand deliveries or couriers will be 
received by scheduled appointment only. For further information and 
updates on EPA Docket Center services, please visit us online at 
https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    The EPA continues to carefully and continuously monitor information 
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local area 
health departments, and our Federal partners so that we can respond 
rapidly as conditions change regarding COVID-19.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peggy Vyas, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: 202-566-0453; fax number: 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, the EPA is soliciting 
comments and information to enable it to: (i) Evaluate whether the 
proposed

[[Page 16475]]

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. The 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, the 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: Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
(RCRA) creates a comprehensive program for the safe management of 
hazardous waste. Section 3004 of RCRA requires owners and operators of 
facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste to comply 
with standards established by EPA that are to protect the environment. 
Section 3005 provides for implementation of these standards under 
permits issued to owners and operators by EPA or authorized States. 
Section 3005 also allows owners and operators of facilities in 
existence when the regulations came into effect to comply with 
applicable notice requirements to operate until a permit is issued or 
denied. This statutory authorization to operate prior to permit 
determination is commonly known as ``interim status.'' Owners and 
operators of interim status facilities also must comply with standards 
set under Section 3004.
    This ICR examines the ground-water monitoring standards for 
permitted and interim status facilities at 40 CFR parts 264 and 265, as 
specified. The ground-water monitoring requirements for regulated units 
follow a tiered approach whereby releases of hazardous contaminants are 
first detected (detection monitoring), then confirmed (compliance 
monitoring), and if necessary, are required to be cleaned up 
(corrective action). Each of these tiers requires collection and 
analysis of ground-water samples. Owners or operators that conduct 
ground-water monitoring are required to report information to the 
oversight agencies on releases of contaminants and to maintain records 
of ground-water monitoring data at their facilities. The goal of the 
ground-water monitoring program is to prevent and quickly detect 
releases of hazardous contaminants to groundwater, and to establish a 
program whereby any contamination is expeditiously cleaned up as 
necessary to protect human health and environment.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Business or other for-profit; and 
State, Local, or Tribal Governments.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (RCRA Sections 3004 
and 3005).
    Estimated number of respondents: 813.
    Frequency of response: Quarterly, semi-annually, and annually.
    Total estimated burden: 104,861 hours per year. Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $20,491,681 (per year), includes $16,090,478 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: The burden hours are likely to stay 
substantially the same.

    Dated: March 11, 2022.
Carolyn Hoskinson,
Director, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.
[FR Doc. 2022-06106 Filed 3-22-22; 8:45 am]
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