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Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Regulatory Pilot Projects (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 1755.08; OMB Control No. 2010-0026

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

 


[Federal Register: June 15, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 115)]
[Notices]
[Page 33218-33220]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15jn07-51]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-AO-2007-0408; FRL-8327-8]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Regulatory Pilot Projects (Renewal); EPA ICR No.
1755.08; OMB Control No. 2010-0026

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
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 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 as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 14, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-
2007-0408 identified by the Docket ID numbers provided for each item in
the text, by one of the following methods:
    • http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
    • E-mail: oei.docket@epa.gov.
    • Fax: (202) 566-9744.
    • Mail: OA Docket, EPA Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mail Code 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20460.
    • Hand Delivery: Office of the Administrator Docket in the
EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.
Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of
operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of
boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-AO-2007-
0408 identified by the Docket ID. EPA's policy is that all comments
received will be included in the public docket without change and may
be made available online 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
http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://www.regulations.gov
Web site 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 http://www.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

[[Page 33219]]

encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gerald Filbin, Office of Policy,
Economics, and Innovation, (1807T), Environmental Protection Agency,
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number:
202-566-2182; fax number: 202-566-2220; e-mail address: 
filbin.gerald@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

How Can I Access the Docket and/or Submit Comments?

    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-AO-2007-0408, which is available for online viewing at
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Office of the
Administrator Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public
Reading Room is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is
202-566-1744, and the telephone number for the Office of the
Administrator Docket is 202-566-0219.
    Use http://www.regulations.gov to obtain a copy of the draft
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those
documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once
in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number
identified in this document.

What Information is EPA Interested In?

    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA specifically
solicits 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. 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.

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. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
    6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified
under DATES.
    7. 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.

What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Apply to?

    Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-2007-0408.
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are
primarily state environmental agencies seeking information from
facilities participating in or whose participation is being solicited
for pilot projects to test innovation in environmental permitting.
State and tribal environmental agencies that wish to provide input for
the annual competition solicitation, or that submit proposals in the
annual competition are also effected, as well as state agencies that
are recipients of State Innovation Grants that are required to report
on progress and outcomes for each grant-funded project. Other parties
affected by this request may include industrial facilities and state
agencies that have been participants in Project XL in circumstances
where projects are being completed or terminated and information
characterizing the outcomes of those projects is being sought by EPA to
close out those individual projects.
    Title: Regulatory Reinvention Pilots.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1755.08, OMB Control No. 2010-0026.
    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: This is an information collection request renewal that
will allow for the continued solicitation of proposals for innovative
pilot projects and to allow EPA to continue its commitments to monitor
the results of previous and ongoing pilot tests of regulatory
innovation. The renewal of this ICR is important as it will allow the
Agency to measure performance outcomes of regulatory innovation
piloting and to assess the broader applicability of those pilot
projects. The ICR is also necessary to allow EPA to identify State and
Tribal co-regulators as well as additional regulated entities who are
interested in partnering with EPA in innovative pilot projects,
allowing the Agency to continue its commitment to innovation and
regulatory flexibility with facilities, communities, and states in
achieving environmental results. The renewal of this ICR will allow
OEPI to continue to receive and work with project sponsors on proposals
for innovation. Responses related to Project XL are voluntary, as are
any responses by state environmental agencies to EPA's request for
input for the design of the annual competition. States seeking funding
for an environmental regulatory innovation project must submit a
project proposal in the annual competition (see http://www.epa.gov/
innovation/stategrants) to receive a grant award and submittal of a
proposal does not automatically guarantee an assistance agreement
between EPA and a state for the purpose of implementing an innovation
project. In requiring the submittal of a proposal in competition, EPA
is adhering to its own policies on competition (EPA 5700.7) and
performance measurement (EPA 5700.8). Similarly, states implementing
innovative regulatory pilot tests in projects funded by a State
Innovation Grant are required to report on progress during the
operation of a

[[Page 33220]]

project and to provide a final project report summarizing outcomes and
major findings of each project. EPA's policy on performance measurement
in assistance agreements is an implementation outcome under the
Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA section 1115(a)(4) and
section 1116(c)). EPA's innovation piloting efforts are multi-media in
nature and include programs authorized under the full range of
authorizing legislation (e.g., the Clean Air Act, Section 103(b)(3) (42
U.S.C. 7403(b)(3)) the Clean Water Act, Section 104(b)(3) (33 U.S.C.
1254(b)(3)); the Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001 (42 U.S.C.
6981); the Toxics Substances Control Act, Section 10 (15 U.S.C. 2609);
the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20 (7
U.S.C. 136r); and the Safe Drinking Water Act, Sections 1442(a) and (c)
(42 U.S.C. 1(a) and (c)).
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 44
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 the Agency's estimate,
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Estimated total number of potential annual respondents: 1270.
    Frequency of response: 35 quarterly; 1234 annually.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 1.2.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 7748 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $331,460. This includes an estimated
burden cost of $331,460 and an estimated cost of $0 for capital
investment or maintenance and operational costs.

Are There Changes in the Estimates From the Last Approval?

    There is an increase of 2292 hours in the total estimated
respondent burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently
approved by OMB. This increase reflects the need to collect information
on project performance and outcomes in the form of quarterly reporting
and final project reporting for current and future projects that is not
addressed in other ICRs.

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. At that time, 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.

    Dated: May 24, 2007.
Elizabeth A. Shaw,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy Innovation.
[FR Doc. E7-11577 Filed 6-14-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

 
 

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