[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 178 (Thursday, September 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56656-56658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19895]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-EPA-HQ-ORD-2021-0601; FRL-9066-01-ORD]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Information Collection Request for Underground Storage Tank Finder 
Application

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), ``Underground Storage 
Tank Finder Application'' (EPA ICR No. 2696.01-NEW, OMB Control No. 
2050-NEW) 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 below. This is a request 
for approval of a new collection. 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 56657]]


DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 14, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2021-0601, 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 (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexander Hall Office of Research and 
Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive., 
Cincinnati, OH 45268; 513-569-7374, [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 https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    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: The EPA recently developed the Underground Storage Tank 
(UST) Finder application (hereafter ``UST Finder''). UST Finder is a 
publicly available web map application containing a comprehensive, 
state-sourced national map of UST and leaking underground storage tank 
(LUST) data. UST Finder is available via EPA's GeoPlatform at https://gispub.epa.gov/ustfinder. UST Finder provides users access to 
information on the attributes and locations of active and closed USTs, 
UST facilities, and LUSTs in states in a geographic information system 
(GIS) environment. The application provides users with geospatial 
information about UST facilities and LUST sites, resulting in better 
understanding and assessment of vulnerability to human health and the 
environment. UST Finder also contains information about proximity of 
UST facilities and LUST sites to surface and groundwater public 
drinking water protection areas; the estimated number of private 
domestic wells and number of people living nearby; and areas prone to 
floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and other hazards. UST Finder may be 
used to import additional geospatial data layers of interest or to 
export UST facility and LUST site information for use by other software 
programs. The underlying data accessible in UST Finder are publicly 
available and free to use.
    This information collection relates to information that state and 
territorial agencies already collect from UST and LUST owners and 
operators as part of their customary business practice to manage their 
compliance and enforcement programs. To successfully implement, 
maintain, and improve the data quality and usability of UST Finder, the 
Agency seeks to gather, on a voluntary basis, information from state 
and territorial agencies that oversee UST/LUST programs. Specifically, 
EPA will request that these agencies provide location and other 
relevant data about USTs and LUSTs that is already being collected and 
managed by states and territories. The UST Finder application may be 
used for many purposes, such as helping regulators, owners, and 
operators in decision-making; prioritizing site cleanups or 
inspections; triaging risk; and identifying sites that may be more 
likely to have a release based on UST age and substance stored. The 
application may also be used by emergency response personnel to protect 
UST facilities from extreme weather events. After disasters, the UST 
Finder can be used to rapidly identify LUST site cleanups impacted by 
natural disasters and assist in restarting cleanups after these events.
    In order to have a dynamic database that provides more detailed and 
current data, the EPA intends to request UST/LUST data from state and 
territorial agencies that oversee UST/LUST programs. This information 
collection is voluntary and does not require the agencies to collect 
additional data on USTs/LUSTs beyond the data elements that are already 
being collected through their previously implemented programs. States 
and territories will decide the extent of information to be provided. 
The EPA intends to implement four options for collecting the UST/LUST 
data from states and territories: (1) by developing an Exchange server 
or other automated service through which states can ``push'' their data 
to the EPA, (2) by developing a link to the agencies' pre-existing 
electronic service used to maintain public websites such that the EPA 
can ``pull'' the data, (3) by allowing states and territories to submit 
existing databases or spreadsheets through an approved file sharing 
method, or (4) by EPA obtaining publicly available data from state and 
territory public agency websites (an option that will be exercised if 
states and territories do not voluntarily submit their data). For all 
data transfer options, the EPA will standardize, curate, and enter 
records into the UST Finder application. The EPA does not intend to 
collect any data that would be considered confidential business 
information.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: States and territories with 
delegated authority to operate UST and LUST programs under 40 CFR parts 
280, 281, 282, and 40 CFR 302.4.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 56 (total).
    Frequency of response: Semiannually.
    Total estimated burden: 3,470 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $175,000 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation and maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: This is a new information collection, 
therefore, there are no previous burden estimates. The estimated burden 
reflects assumptions based on Agency experience from the development of 
the UST Finder application, consultation with affected entities, and 
any comments received. Should the EPA request to extend this

[[Page 56658]]

information collection 3 years from now, changes in burden will be 
evaluated at that time.

Charlotte Coleman,
Deputy Director, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency 
Response (CESER), Office of Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 2022-19895 Filed 9-14-22; 8:45 am]
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