2013-00818. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NSPS for Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators (Renewal)

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before February 15, 2013.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number EPA-HQ-OECA-2012-0502, to: (1) EPA online, using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or by email to: [e-mail], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Environmental Protection Agency, Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center, mail code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460; and (2) OMB at: 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:

Learia Williams, Monitoring, Assistance, and Media Programs Division, Office of Compliance, Mail Code 2227A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: [phone]; fax number: [phone]; email address: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12. On August 9, 2012 (77 FR 47631), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any additional comments on this ICR should be submitted to both EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under docket ID number EPA-HQ-OECA-2012-0502, which is available for either public viewing online at either http://www.regulations.gov,, or in person viewing at the Enforcement and Compliance Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is [phone], and the telephone number for the Enforcement and Compliance Docket is [phone].

Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov to either submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select “docket search,” then key in the docket ID number identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, Confidentiality of Business Information (CBI), or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic docket, go to www.regulations.gov.

Title: NSPS for Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators (Renewal).

ICR Numbers: EPA ICR Number 1730.09, OMB Control Number 2060-0363.

ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2013. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB.

Abstract: The affected entities are subject to the General Provisions of the NSPS at 40 CFR part 60, subpart A and any changes, or additions to the Provisions specified at 40 CFR part 60, subpart Ec.

Owners or operators of the affected facilities must make an initial notification report, performance tests, periodic reports, and maintain records of the occurrence and duration of any startup, shutdown, or malfunction in the operation of an affected facility, or any period during which the monitoring system is inoperative. Reports are also required semiannually.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 115 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.

Respondents/Affected Entities: Owners and operators of hospital, medical or infectious waste incinerators.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 5.

Frequency of Response: Initially, occasionally, semiannually and annually.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 3,912.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $664,375, which includes $378,826 in labor costs, $90,924 in capital/startup costs, and $194,625 in operation and maintenance (O&M) costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is an adjustment increase in the total estimated burden as currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved Burdens; however, this increase is not due to any program changes. The change in the burden and cost estimates occurred because the revised standard has been in effect for more than three years and the requirements are different during initial compliance for new facilities, as compared to on-going compliance for existing facilities. The previous ICR reflected those burdens and costs associated with the initial activities for subject facilities. This includes purchasing monitoring equipment, conducting performance tests and establishing recordkeeping systems. This ICR reflects the on-going burden and costs for existing facilities. Activities for existing source include continuously monitoring of pollutants and the submission of semiannual reports. In addition, there are a number of new facilities that are in the initial compliance phase described above. The overall result is an increase in burden hours, labor costs, and O&M costs. Furthermore, a portion of the labor cost increase is a result of increased labor rates. This ICR uses updated labor rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate burden costs.

Additionally, there is an adjustment decrease in capital costs in this ICR compared to the previous ICR. This is not due to any program changes. The previous ICR assumed all capital costs associated with monitoring were incurred during a single year; whereas this ICR calculates the average capital costs for new sources of each year that is covered under the ICR.

John Moses,

Director, Collection Strategies Division.