[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68689-68690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24924]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2022-0869; FRL-10393-01-OW]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Chrome 
Finishing Industry Data Collection

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), ``U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency Chrome Finishing Industry Data Collection'' (EPA ICR 
No. 2723.01, OMB Control No. 2040-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.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 17, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2022-0869, online using 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: Dr. Phillip Flanders, Engineering and 
Analysis Division, Office of Science and Technology, (4303T), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-8323; 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.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et 
seq), 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: Under the Clean Water Act (CWA), EPA develops effluent 
limitations guidelines (ELGs) to limit pollutants discharged from 
industrial point source categories. EPA initially promulgated the Metal 
Finishing ELGs in 1983 and amended the regulations in 1984 and 1986. 
The current regulation covers wastewater discharges from facilities 
performing various metal finishing operations. Metal finishing is the 
process of changing the surface of an object, for the purpose of 
improving its appearance and/or durability. Metal finishing is related 
to electroplating, which is the production of a thin surface coating of 
a metal upon another by electrodeposition. EPA first promulgated the 
Electroplating ELGs in 1974, with amendments in 1977, 1979, 1981, and 
1983. Together, the Metal Finishing and Electroplating ELGs apply to 
thousands of facilities which perform one or more of the following 
operations and discharge process wastewater directly to surface waters 
or indirectly to surface waters through publicly owned treatment works 
(POTWs): electroplating, electroless plating, anodizing, coating 
(including phosphating, chromating, and coloring), chemical etching and 
milling, and printed circuit board manufacture.
    As announced in the Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 
15, published in September 2021, EPA plans to conduct a rulemaking to 
address Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) discharges from a

[[Page 68690]]

subset of facilities in the Metal Finishing and Electroplating point 
source categories. Based on information and data collected during the 
Multi-Industry PFAS Study, EPA determined PFAS are used by some metal 
finishing and electroplating facilities to control hexavalent chromium 
emissions, a known human carcinogen and inhalation hazard. EPA 
determined facilities performing certain chromium operations (hereafter 
referred to as ``chrome finishing facilities''), including chromium 
plating, chromium anodizing, chromic acid etching, and chromate 
conversion coating operations, are the predominant sources of PFAS 
discharges by the Metal Finishing and Electroplating point source 
categories.
    Publicly available data on metal finishing and electroplating 
facilities, including whether they perform chromium finishing 
operations and potential use and discharge of PFAS, are limited. EPA 
reviewed information on metal finishing and electroplating facilities 
that potentially conduct one or more chromium finishing operations 
available in national EPA data sets, including the Chromium 
Electroplating and Anodizing National Emissions Standards for Hazardous 
Air Pollutants (NESHAP) codified at 40 CFR part 63 subpart N, 2017 
National Emissions Inventory (NEI), Compliance and Emissions Data 
Reporting Interface (CEDRI), Environmental Compliance History Online 
(ECHO), and Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS), as well as 
data collected from several state environmental agencies. However, none 
of these data sources define a complete population of chromium 
finishing facilities in the United States nor do they provide detailed 
information on specific facility operations (including use of 
hexavalent chromium or PFAS), generation and management of wastewater, 
or wastewater characteristics--factors essential to EPA's review and 
development of ELGs to address PFAS discharges. Therefore, a 
questionnaire and wastewater sampling program for the Metal Finishing 
and Electroplating point source categories are essential portions of 
the rulemaking process, necessary for EPA to determine if the current 
regulations remain appropriate and, if warranted, develop new 
regulations. If new regulations are deemed to be warranted, the 
questionnaire and sampling activities are essential for EPA to complete 
the detailed technical and economic analysis for the entire industry 
necessary for the rulemaking process. EPA has identified and compiled 
mailing addresses for approximately 1,815 potential chromium finishing 
facilities in the United States. All active metal finishing and 
electroplating facilities that conduct or have conducted one or more of 
the specified chromium finishing operations will be required to 
complete the questionnaire. The objectives of the questionnaire will be 
to confirm the population of facilities that engage or have engaged in 
chromium finishing operations, as well as gather facility-specific 
information and data relevant to generation and discharge of PFAS-
containing wastewater by the industry.
    Confidential Business Information (CBI) may be collected. In 
accordance with 40 CFR, part 2, subpart B, section 2.203, the survey 
informs respondents of their right to claim information as 
confidential. Each survey provides instructions for claiming 
confidentiality and informs respondents of the terms and rules 
governing the protection of CBI under the Clean Water Act and 40 CFR 
2.203(B). Survey respondents are able to and are requested to mark any 
claimed confidential responses as CBI. EPA and its contractors will 
follow EAD's existing procedures to protect data labeled as CBI.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: All chrome finishing facilities in 
the U.S. facilities will receive the questionnaire (1,815 facilities) 
and no more than 20 facilities will be asked to conduct specific 
wastewater sampling.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (Clean Water Act 
section 308) (citing authority).
    Estimated number of respondents: 1,815 (total).
    Frequency of response: One-time data collection.
    Total estimated respondent burden: 35,858 hours. Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated respondent cost: $1,696,682.83 one-time cost.
    Changes in Estimates: This is a new data collection request and is 
a one-time temporary increase to the agency's burden.

Deborah Nagle,
Director, Office of Science and Technology, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2022-24924 Filed 11-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P