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Agency Announcement of Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Collection of 1997 Iron and Steel Industry Data (EPA ICR 1830.01)

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

  
[Federal Register: April 3, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 64)]
[Notices]
[Page 16500-16501]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03ap98-57]


[[Page 16500]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5991-2]


Agency Announcement of Information Collection Activities:
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Collection of 1997 Iron and
Steel Industry Data (EPA ICR 1830.01)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this document announces that the following Information
Collection Request (ICR) is being forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: ``Collection of 1997 Iron and
Steel Industry Data'' (EPA ICR No. 1830.01). The ICR describes the
nature of the information collection and the anticipated burden the
data collection will create on recipient facilities, and the collection
methodology EPA will use to distribute the data collection instruments.
The ICR also includes representative copies of the specific data
collection instruments that will be distributed to the public.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 4, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone
at (202) 260-2740, by email at farmer.sandy@epamail.epa.gov, or
download off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ost/ironsteel.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Information Collection Request for the Collection of 1997
Iron and Steel Industry Data (EPA ICR No.1830.01). This is a new
collection.
    Abstract: The Collection of 1997 Iron and Steel Industry Data is
intended to collect, from industry, the type of technical and economic
information required by EPA to develop effluent limitations guidelines
for Iron and Steel industry activities. The Iron and Steel industry
activities include cokemaking, sintering, briquetting, ironmaking,
steelmaking, ladle metallurgy, vacuum degassing, casting, hot forming,
salt bath descaling, acid pickling, cold forming, alkaline cleaning,
hot coating, electroplating, and utility operations.
    EPA is promulgating effluent limitations guidelines and standards
for the Iron and Steel industry in accordance with the consent decree
entered in the case of Natural Resources Defense Council, et al. v.
Reilly, Civ. No. 89-2980 (D.C. Cir., as amended). EPA will issue this
survey under authority of section 308 of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C.
1318, which authorizes EPA to require the owner or operator of a point
source to submit certain information at EPA's request. The data
collected will provide EPA with the technical and economic information
required to effectively evaluate pollution control technologies and the
economic achievability of the final rule. EPA will consider both
technical performance and economic achievability (including cost
effectiveness analyses of alternative pollution control technologies)
when developing the final regulations. An Agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an information
collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The
OMB control numbers for EPA's regulations are listed in 40 CFR part 9
and 48 CFR Chapter 15. The Federal Register document announcing the
impending submission of the ICR to OMB, as required under the Paperwork
Reduction Act's regulations at 5 CFR 1320.8(d), was published on
October 20, 1997. Six sets of comments from the public regarding the
October 20, 1997 announcement (62 FR 54453) were received by the
Agency. These comments, and EPA's responses, are presented in
Attachment 5 of the ICR.
    Burden Statement: The data collection consists of 5 elements: the
Detailed Survey, the Short Survey, the Capital Cost Survey, the
Production follow-up question, and the Analytical data follow-up
question. The total nationwide public reporting and record keeping
burden for this information collection is estimated to be 107,116 hours
or $3,654,832. The nationwide burden will be distributed among the 901
industry sites. 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; to 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; to
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable
instructions and requirements; to train personnel to be able to respond
to a collection of information; to search data sources; to complete and
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise
disclose the information.
    EPA will send the Detailed Survey to the 244 sites which comprise
the following types of mills: Integrated with cokemaking, Integrated
without cokemaking, Non-integrated with finishing, Non-integrated
without finishing, Stand-alone cokemaking, Stand-alone DRI or
sintering, Stand-alone finishing, and Stand-alone hot forming. These
244 sites will have an average estimated burden of 258 hours or $8,703
per site. EPA will send the Short Survey to the 657 sites which
comprise the following types of mills: Stand-alone pipe/tube, Stand-
alone hot dip coating, Stand-alone cold forming, and Stand-alone wire.
Each of these 657 sites will have an average estimated burden of 62
hours or $2,140 per site.
    EPA will distribute the Cost Survey to no more than 100 iron and
steel sites, to be chosen based on responses to the Detailed and Short
Surveys. Each of these 100 sites will have an estimated burden of 12
hours or $513 per site. EPA will distribute the Production follow-up
question to no more than 100 iron and steel sites, to be chosen based
on responses to the Detailed and Short Surveys. Each of these 100 sites
will have an estimated burden of 10 hours or $409 per site. EPA will
distribute the Analytical data follow-up question to no more than 100
iron and steel sites, to be chosen based on responses to the Detailed
and Short Surveys. Each of these 100 sites will have an estimated
burden of 10 hours or $332 per site.
    EPA made every effort possible to reduce the national reporting
burden associated with this data collection. The following are examples
of how EPA reduced the burden associated with the current data
collection:
    1. EPA reduced the number of questions in the Detailed Survey,
based on comments from the public and an internal reevaluation of what
information was considered to be essential to the guideline
development.
    2. EPA developed a Short Survey instrument to be sent to the
majority of the sites. EPA anticipates that many of these sites will be
small businesses, representing a relatively small portion of the
industry wastewater flow rates and pollutant loadings.
    3. EPA has conducted outreach with the following trade
associations, which represent the vast majority of the facilities that
will be affected by this guideline: American Iron and Steel Institute,
Steel Manufacturers Association, Specialty Steel Industry of North
America, the Cold Finished Steel Bar Institute, The Wire Association
International, Incorporated, the Steel Tube Institute of North America,
the American Galvanizers Association, Incorporated, and the American
Coke and Coal Chemicals Association. Outreach has involved distributing
advance copies of the survey and meeting with representatives of the

[[Page 16501]]

trade associations to discuss the guidelines development process and
the survey. Many of the comments received during these meetings have
been incorporated.
    4. EPA plans to operate a telephone help-line and develop an
internet address to answer questions regarding the survey.
    5. EPA plans to conduct a series of survey workshops.
    Send comments on the Agency's need for this information, the
accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods
for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of
automated collection techniques to the following addresses. Please
refer to EPA ICR No. 1830.01 in any inquiry.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory
Information Division (2137), 401 M Street S.W., Washington, DC 20460
      and
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for the EPA, 725 17th Street N.W.,
Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: March 30, 1998.
Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director,
Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 98-8788 Filed 4-2-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

 
 

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