[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 248 (Thursday, December 28, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 89688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28640]



[[Page 89688]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2040-0299; FRL-11641-01-OMS]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Use of Lead Free Pipes, Fittings, Fixtures, Solder and Flux 
for Drinking Water (Renewal)

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), Use of Lead Free Pipes, 
Fittings, Fixtures, Solder and Flux for Drinking Water (EPA ICR Number 
2563.02, OMB Control Number 2040-0299) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is 
currently approved through December 31, 2023. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register on July 11, 2023 during a 
60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for 
public comments.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on or before January 29, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2040-0299, 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.
    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: Kevin Roland, Drinking Water 
Infrastructure Development Division, Office of Ground Water and 
Drinking Water, (4606M), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-
4588: fax number: 202-564-3755; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed extension of the ICR, 
which is currently approved through December 31, 2023. An agency may 
not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a 
collection of information unless it displays currently valid OMB 
control number.
    Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register 
on July 11, 2023 during a 60-day comment period (88 FR 44129). This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days of public comments. 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.
    Abstract: The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act of 2011 
(RLDWA, the Act) modified the technical definition of ``lead free'' by 
lowering the maximum lead content of pipes, fittings, and fixtures from 
8% to 0.25% and introduced greater complexity to calculating lead free 
by requiring that level be met based on a weighted average of wetted 
surfaces. The Act also created exemptions for certain plumbing products 
from pre-existing lead free requirements. The final rule establishes 
product certification requirements for products intended for potable 
use applications in public water systems and residential or non-
residential facilities to demonstrate compliance with the lead free 
requirements. EPA expects that these requirements for lead content in 
plumbing materials used in new installations and repairs will result in 
fewer sources of lead in drinking water and, consequently, will reduce 
adverse health effects associated with exposure to lead in drinking 
water. Manufacturers with 10 or more employees or importers entering 
products purchased from or manufactured by manufacturers with 10 or 
more employees must demonstrate compliance with the lead free 
definition by obtaining third party certification by an American 
National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited, third party 
certification body. Firms with fewer than 10 employees can use a third 
party certification body or self-certify that their products conform to 
the Safe Drinking Water Act's (SDWA) lead free requirements. This self-
certification option also extends to custom fabricated products 
regardless of a manufacturer's number of employees. This rule imposes a 
burden on states to enforce the statutory provisions in SDWA Section 
1417(a)(1), which cross references updated statutory definition of lead 
free within the meaning of SDWA Section 1417(d) according to the 2011 
Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act and the 2013 Community Fire 
Safety Act.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Primacy Agencies, Manufacturers of 
lead-free pipes, fixtures and fittings.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory for compliance with 
Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act of 2011.
    Estimated number of respondents: 2,250 (total).
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Total estimated burden: 97,186 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $12.2 million (per year), including $7.5 
million annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is an increase of 19,349 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase is a result of shifts in respondent 
activities required as the rule comes into full effect. Manufacturers 
have complied with initial requirements to conduct rule familiarization 
and initial product certifications and are now responsible for 
recertifications and recordkeeping. In the three-year period covered by 
this ICR, primacy agencies are responsible for developing and 
implementing oversight plans. These changes are considered adjustments 
because the parameters of this overall collection as defined by the 
September 2020 rule (85 FR 54235) have not been modified.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Information Engagement Division.
[FR Doc. 2023-28640 Filed 12-27-23; 8:45 am]
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