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Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Reporting and Recordkeeping for Asbestos Abatement Worker Protection; EPA ICR No. 1246.10, OMB Control No. 2070-0072

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

  [Federal Register: February 1, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 21)]
[Notices]
[Page 4705-4707]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01fe07-48]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2006-0853; FRL-8102-6]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Reporting and Recordkeeping for Asbestos Abatement
Worker Protection; EPA ICR No. 1246.10, OMB Control No. 2070-0072

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to
submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection
Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR,
entitled: ``Reporting and Recordkeeping for Asbestos Abatement Worker
Protection'' and identified by EPA ICR No. 1246.10 and OMB Control No.
2070-0072, is scheduled to expire on October 31, 2007. Before
submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting
comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection.

[[Page 4706]]

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 2, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2006-0853, by one of the following methods:
    ? Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
    ? Mail: Document Control Office (7407M), Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
    ? Hand Delivery: OPPT Document Control Office (DCO), EPA
East Bldg., Rm. 6428, 1201 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC.
Attention: Docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2006-0853. The DCO is open from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The
telephone number for the DCO is (202) 564-8930. Such deliveries are
only accepted during the DCO's normal hours of operation, and special
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-
2006-0853. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the public docket without change and may be made available on-line
at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-
mail. The regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' system,
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through regulations.gov your
e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part of
the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on
the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that
you include your name and other contact information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket's
index available at http://www.regulations.gov. Although listed in the
index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other
material, such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only
in hard copy. Publicly available docket materials are available
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, or, if only available in
hard copy, at the OPPT Docket. The OPPT Docket is located in the EPA
Docket Center (EPA/DC) at Rm. 3334, EPA West Bldg., 1301 Constitution
Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room hours of
operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding
Federal holidays. The telephone number of the EPA/DC Public Reading
Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OPPT Docket is
(202) 566-0280. Docket visitors are required to show photographic
identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor
log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and
subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA/DC badge that must
be visible at all times in the building and returned upon departure.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact: Colby
Lintner, Regulatory Coordinator, Environmental Assistance Division
(7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (202) 554-1404; e-mail address: 
TSCA-Hotline@epa.gov.
    For technical information contact: Robert Courtnage, National
Program Chemicals Division (7404T), Office of Pollution Prevention and
Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 566-1081; fax
number: (202) 566-0473; e-mail address: courtnage.robert@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. What Information is EPA Particularly Interested in?

    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA specifically
solicits comments and information to enable it to:
    1. 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.
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimates of the burden of
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used.
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected.
    4. 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. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from
very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of
specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork
burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.

II. What Should I Consider when I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific
examples.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used
that support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns.
    6. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
    7. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified
under DATES.
    8. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket
ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first page
of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal
Register citation.

III. What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does this Action Apply to?

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action
include states and local government employers in the 26 states, the
District of Columbia and certain other U.S. territories that have
employees engaged in asbestos-related construction, custodial, and
brake and clutch repair activities without Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA)-approved state plans.
    Title: Reporting and Recordkeeping for Asbestos Abatement Worker
Protection.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1246.10, OMB Control No. 2070-0072.

[[Page 4707]]

    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on October
31, 2007. 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. The OMB control numbers for EPA's
regulations in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal
Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed
either by publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate
means, such as on the related collection instrument or form, if
applicable. The display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA
regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
    Abstract: EPA's asbestos worker protection rule is designed to
provide occupational exposure protection to state and local government
employees who are engaged in asbestos abatement activities in states
that do not have state plans approved by OSHA. The rule provides
protection for public employees not covered by the OSHA standard from
the adverse health effects associated with occupational exposure to
asbestos. Specifically, the rule requires state and local governments
to monitor employee exposure to asbestos, take action to reduce
exposure to asbestos, monitor employee health, and train employees
about asbestos hazards.
    The rule includes a number of information reporting and
recordkeeping requirements. State and local government agencies are
required to provide employees with information about exposures to
asbestos and the associated health effects. The rule also requires
state and local governments to notify EPA before commencing any
asbestos abatement project. State and local governments must maintain
medical surveillance and monitoring records and training records on
their employees, must establish a set of written procedures for
respirator programs and must maintain procedures and records of
respirator fit tests. EPA will use the information to monitor
compliance with the asbestos worker protection rule. This request
addresses these reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
    Responses to the collection of information are mandatory (see 40
CFR part 763, subpart G). Respondents may claim all or part of a notice
confidential. EPA will disclose information that is covered by a claim
of confidentiality only to the extent permitted by, and in accordance
with, the procedures in TSCA section 14 and 40 CFR part 2.
    Burden statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15.95
hours per response. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal Agency. This
includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire,
install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of
collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information;
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable
instructions and requirements which have subsequently changed; train
personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search
data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and
transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of this estimate, which is
only briefly summarized here:
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 25,312.
    Frequency of response: On occasion; includes third-party notification.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 50.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 403,751 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $14,994,566. This includes an
estimated burden cost of $14,994,566 and an estimated cost of $0 for
capital investment or maintenance and operational costs.

IV. Are There Changes in the Estimates from the Last Approval?

    There is a decrease of 8,492 hours (from 412,243 hours to 403,751
hours) in the total estimated respondent burden compared with that
identified in the ICR currently approved by OMB. This decrease
principally reflects EPA's correction of the training burden for Class
I and Class II competent persons that results from correctly
annualizing the 40-hour training over five years rather than over a
three-year period. While some changes were made in the calculations of
the numbers of initial and periodic medical questionnaires that
construction employees and supervisors complete, the net result of
those changes has a very slight impact on the total annual burden hour
estimate. This change is an adjustment.

V. What is the Next Step in the Process for this ICR?

    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 pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. EPA will issue another
Federal Register notice pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce
the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to submit
additional comments to OMB. If you have any questions about this ICR or
the approval process, please contact the technical person listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    Dated: January 22, 2007.
James B. Gulliford,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic
Substances.
[FR Doc. E7-1622 Filed 1-31-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S

 
 

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