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What's an ICR?
The Paperwork Reduction Act stipulates that every federal agency must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget before collecting the same or similar information from 10 or more members of the public. If the Environmental Protection Agency decides to gather information, the appropriate program office must prepare an Information Collection Request (ICR) and submit it to their Desk Officer in the Office of Environmental Information.
An Information Collection Request:
- Describes the information to be collected,
- Gives the reason the information is needed, and
- Estimates the time and cost for the public to answer the request.
After reviewing the request, the Office of Management and Budget may approve or disapprove the ICR, or place conditions that must be met for approval. This process was designed to prevent unnecessary collections and reduce costs.
Examples of information collections include surveys, permits, questionnaires, and reports.