Jump to main content.

Agency Announcement of Information Collection Activities: 1997 Iron and Steel Industry Survey (EPA ICR No. 1830.01)

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

 [Federal Register: October 20, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 202)]
[Notices]
[Page 54453-54454]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20oc97-64]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5910-6]


Agency Announcement of Information Collection Activities: 1997
Iron and Steel Industry Survey (EPA ICR No. 1830.01)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this notice announces that the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit the following proposed
Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB): 1997 Iron and Steel Industry Survey (EPA ICR No.
1830.01). This industry includes cokemaking, sintering, ironmaking,
steelmaking, ladle metallurgy, vacuum degassing, casting, hot forming,
salt bath descaling, acid pickling, cold forming, alkaline cleaning,
hot coating, and electroplating. Before submitting an Information
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval, EPA is
soliciting comments from the public on specific aspects of the proposed
information collection survey instrument as described below.

DATES: Comments must be received by EPA no later than December 19,
1997.

ADDRESSES: The public may contact Mr. George Jett at the EPA for a
paper copy of the draft survey instrument or may download the draft
survey instrument from the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/ost/Events/
index.html#ann. Mr. Jett may be reached by mail at the U.S. EPA,
Engineering and Analysis Division (Mail Code 4303), 401 M Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20460; or by telephone at (202) 260-7151 or FAX at 202-
260-7185. The draft survey instrument includes all pertinent
instructions, information request questions, and definitions.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Affected Entities: Entities affected by the proposed survey include
facilities that manufacture iron and steel included in the following
manufacturing operations: cokemaking, sintering, ironmaking,
steelmaking, ladle metallurgy, vacuum degassing, casting, hot forming,
salt bath descaling, acid pickling, cold forming, alkaline cleaning,
hot coating, and electroplating. The survey is intended to identify and
collect data from iron and steel industrial sites that generate and
discharge process wastewater from all manufacturing processes
associated with potential water-using industrial activities.
    Title: 1997 Iron and Steel Industry Survey (EPA ICR No. 1830.01).
    Abstract: The survey is intended to collect technical (Part A) and
economic (Part B) information required by EPA in order to develop
revised effluent limitations guidelines for the iron and steel
manufacturing point source category as described above. EPA is required
by section 304 (m) of the Clean Water Act of 1987 (33 U.S.C. 1314 [m])
to review effluent limitations guidelines and standards periodically to
determine whether the current regulations remain appropriate in light
of changes in the industrial category caused by advances in
manufacturing technologies, in-process pollution prevention, or end-of-
pipe wastewater treatment. EPA is also required by the terms of a
Consent Decree with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC),
to develop revised effluent limitations guidelines and standards for
the Iron & Steel industry (D.D.C. Civ. No. 89-2980, January 31, 1992,
as modified). This survey is being conducted pursuant to those
legislative and judicial requirements.
    This survey instrument will be issued under authority of section
308 of the Clean Water Act of 1987 (Federal Water Pollution Control
Act, 5 U.S.C. 1318), and responses from data collection survey
instrument recipients are mandatory. The survey instruments will be
mailed to respondents after OMB approves the ICR. The ICR that will be
submitted by EPA to OMB will include discussion of the comments
received in response to today's announcement. The proposed survey
instrument is a necessary part of the data collection portion of the
effluent limitations guidelines development process. The proposed
survey instrument will provide EPA with the technical and economic data
required to evaluate effective pollution control technologies and the
economic achievability of any final rule that the Agency issues. EPA
will consider both technical performance and economic achievability
when making final decisions on 40 CFR part 420.
    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 are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR Chapter 15.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:

[[Page 54454]]

    (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, 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; 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 proposed survey instrument was developed in such a manner as to
reduce burden and improve clarity. EPA has conducted several outreach
meetings through project status briefings with the major industry trade
associations. Additionally, the survey instrument was distributed in
advance of this notice to the following industry trade associations:
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, and the American Galvanizers
Association, Incorporated.
    Because of the complexity of the industry and the substantial
changes in the iron and steel industry since part 420 was promulgated
(47 FR 23284, May 27, 1982), EPA has decided to prepare a detailed
survey instrument to characterize accurately current conditions in the
iron and steel industry as a basis for establishing equitable
regulations. The September 1995 ``Preliminary Study of the Iron and
Steel Category, 40 CFR part 420 Effluent Limitations Guidelines and
Standards'' (EPA 821-R-95-037), provides the basis for reassessing the
existing regulations. This document is available through the National
Technical Information Services under document number PB 96-126-156.
    EPA typically develops and distributes a screener questionnaire in
order to better define the target population for a regulation. The
screener allows the agency to eliminate facilities from consideration
which are not anticipated to fit under the scope of the regulation.
However, for the iron and steel industry, a number of factors make this
additional step unnecessary. These factors include the existence of
well organized trade associations, facility lists from a variety of
data sources, and past agency experience. EPA believes that the target
population for this regulation (approximately 577 facilities) is small
enough that the survey instrument can be distributed to all facilities.
(This number may change before the survey is mailed as we refine our
methodology for determining the target population). Therefore there
will be no screener questionnaire, and the survey instrument will be
considered as a complete census and not merely a partial survey of the
industry. This will allow the Agency to characterize more accurately
the industry, and thereby develop a regulation more pertinent to the
entire industry than if a partial survey were used. The Agency solicits
comment on this decision.
    The EPA burden estimate on industrial facilities is deemed to be
primarily proportional to the types and number of manufacturing
processes. The EPA burden estimate is presented in Table 1. The EPA
burden estimate is based on an estimated population of 577 facilities
with different configurations of manufacturing processes (from large
integrated mills to medium sized mills (mini-mills) to small stand
alone facilities). EPA estimates that the total burden will be 98,895
hours.

    Table 1.--Burden Estimate for 1997 Iron and Steel Industry Survey
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Large      Medium     Small
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Facilities...................         22        130        425
Technical Hours/Facility...............        515        195        105
Economic Hours/Facility................         45         40         30
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Finally, EPA will maintain a temporary, toll-free telephone number
once the survey instrument has been mailed that survey recipients may
call to obtain assistance in completing the survey instrument. EPA
believes that the toll-free telephone number will greatly reduce burden
by helping recipients to answer specific questions within the context
of their individual operations.
    Request for Comments: Since EPA must develop a sound technical and
economic basis for equitable national standards, EPA is soliciting
comments and suggestions regarding the substance and form of the draft
survey instrument. For example, are the directions and questions clear
and concise; are the definitions consistent with industry jargon and
use of terms; are the right questions in the survey; if not, please
suggest more appropriate ones; do the questions adequately cover all
pertinent factors relevant to developing equitable guidelines; if not,
what needs to be added? EPA is also soliciting comments on means of
reducing the data collection burden. EPA requests that all suggestions
be supported in order to properly evaluate the suggestion. Any burden
reduction suggestions must consider the need to collect information on
the pollutants being discharged by the industries, the processes that
generate the pollutants, alternative controls, the economic
achievability of the proposed regulations, and the benefits derived
from reducing pollution in our oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams.
Please send any suggestions to Mr. George Jett at the address listed
above.
Tudor T. Davies,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 97-27729 Filed 10-17-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

 
 

Local Navigation

Jump to main content.