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Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Assessment of EPA Compliance Assistance Projects
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: August 31, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 170)]
[Notices]
[Page 45982-45984]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31au01-44]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7047-1]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request; Assessment of EPA Compliance Assistance
Projects
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 notice announces that EPA is planning to submit the
following proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office
of Management and Budget (MB) for renewal: Assessment of EPA Compliance
Assistance Projects 1860.01. The ICR describes the nature of the
information collection, the expected burden and cost to collect the
information, and the actual collection instruments. 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 October 1, 2001.
ADDRESSES: Send comments, referencing EPA ICR No. 1860.01 to the
following
[[Page 45983]]
addresses: Lynn Vendinello, EPA MC 2222A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20460; and to Office of information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer
for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For a copy of the ICR or technical
questions contact Ms. Lynn Vendinello at EPA by phone at (202) 564-
7066, by facsimile (202) 564-0031, or by email at
vendinello.lynn@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are
businesses and other members of the regulated community, technical
assistance providers that receive or access EPA compliance assistance
tools, regulating agencies, and state/local committees that are
recipients of required compliance reports. Technical assistance
providers are comprised of such groups as: state pollution prevention
programs, state small business assistance programs, small business
development centers. The request for information from these affected
entities will be voluntary.
Title: Information Collection Request for Assessment of EPA
Compliance Assistance Projects, EPA ICR Number 1860.01.
Abstract: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking
reapproval for a three year generic clearance from Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) to determine how well EPA compliance assistance tools
and services meet customers needs and to determine the relevant
outcomes. This will be a voluntary collection of information to gauge
customer satisfaction with the compliance assistance projects, and
measure any resulting changes in awareness and understanding, and in
limited cases behavioral change and environmental and human health
impacts. EPA proposes to use assessment surveys to provide the Agency
with feedback on the compliance assistance documents, onsite visits,
telephone assistance, Web sites, and compliance assistance seminars and
workshops delivered by Headquarters and Regional compliance assistance
programs to the regulated community This feedback will provide EPA with
the necessary information for improving the quality and delivery of
compliance assistance tools and services.
This ICR will only provide anecdotal data for the purpose of
informing EPA of the outcomes of compliance assistance tools, and
customer satisfaction with those tools. All assessments undertaken
under this ICR will adhere to certain conditions to ensure that data is
collected and used appropriately. The information collection is
voluntary, and will be limited to non-sensitive data concerning the
quality of compliance assistance activities. The data resulting from
this ICR's assessment activities will not be treated as statistical and
will not be used to make broad generalizations to the overall
population. The Office of Compliance (OC) attempts to perform such
evaluations will be undertaken under a separate ICR so that the public
is allowed adequate public comment period on our proposed methodology.
This process does not involve fact-finding for the purposes of
regulatory development or enforcement.
By seeking a generic clearance of assistance assessments, EPA will
have the flexibility it requires to expeditiously gather the views of
EPA customers to determine how well the bulk of EPA compliance
assistance tools and services meet customers needs and how to improve
them. In FY 2000 alone, EPA conducted over 1300 workshops and
trainings, over 2700 on-site visits and developed 140 compliance
assistance tools. The generic clearance will facilitate the coordinated
review and approval of surveys that solicit opinions from EPA customers
on a voluntary basis. Every effort will be made to improve response
rates to assessment surveys, and maximize the efficiency of data
collection.
To ensure the proper use of the data from the surveys, OC will
place the following conditions on the way the ICR is used:
After compliance assistance is delivered, EPA will follow
up on the quality of the assistance and the associated outcomes. During
the compliance assistance activity, EPA should communicate how it
intends to follow-up (e.g., phone, letter, email) and when.
True behavioral changes will only be considered when they
can be directly measured through on-site revisits, self-certifications
or other direct observations. Behavioral changes expressed through
surveys, training evaluations, and Internet questionnaires will be
considered as indications of behavioral change.
No use of comment cards as they often have low response
rates.
To ensure high response rates, all follow-up mail/email
surveys must use the Dillman Tailored Design Method. Staff using phone
surveys can also send out a postcard letting attendees know that EPA
will be calling.
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Allowed survey
Compliance assistance method (in order of Measure
activity preference)
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Phone Calls/Hotlines........ As part of Awareness,
assistance call. Understanding,
Customer
satisfaction.
Follow-up call...... Awareness and
understanding.
Mail/email follow-up Customer
survey. satisfaction.
Workshops/Trainings......... Pre/post test....... Awareness,
Understanding.
On-Site Post Awareness,
Workshop/Training Understanding,
Evaluation. Customer
satisfaction.
Phone survey (if
fewer than 50
participants).
Mail/email follow up
(if more than 50
participants).
Web Sites................... Online survey (with Awareness,
promotion of the Understanding,
survey via email). Customer
satisfaction.
Tools (e.g., manuals)....... Mail/email survey... Awareness
Understanding,
Customer
satisfaction.
Onsite visits............... Onsite revisits..... Awareness,
Understanding,
Behavioral change,
Environmental and
human health
improvements,
Customer
satisfaction.
Phone survey........
Mail/email survey...
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[[Page 45984]]
EPA would like to solicit comments 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).
Burden Statement: Burden means the total time, effort, or financial
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 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; 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.
It is estimated that approximately 24,823 entities may voluntarily
complete and return a compliance assistance activity or tool assessment
survey on an annual basis. EPA estimates that participating entities
may need to spend between five to twenty minutes to complete either the
compliance assistance product, seminar/workshop; onsite visit;
telephone assistance/hotline; or Internet web site assessment survey.
EPA estimates 3,564 hours annually or 8.64 minutes per respondent may
be spent to provide EPA with the data. This burden hour estimate
translates to a cost of $9.89 per facility that voluntarily completes
the survey and a total cost to the regulated community of $733,861 over
the three years covered by the ICR. The costs were calculated based on
$32.68 per hour employment expense rate, plus a $110 overhead for a
total labor cost of $68.63 (based on labor rates obtained form the
United States of Commerce, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2001,
Employer Costs for Employment Compensation, Table 10: White Collar,
Professional and Technical).
Respondents/Affected Entities: 74,470.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 74,470.
Frequency of Response: one time.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 3,564 hours.
Estimated Total Annualized Capital, O&M Cost Burden: $244,620.
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 addresses listed above. Please
refer to EPA ICR No. 1860.01 in any correspondence.
Dated: August 23, 2001.
Michael M. Stahl,
Director, Office of Compliance.
[FR Doc. 01-22019 Filed 8-30-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-M