[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 16 (Monday, January 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3737-3738]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1759]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5953-9]
Agency Information Collection Activities up for Renewal: Facility
Ground-Water Monitoring Requirements; Proposed Collection; Comment
Request
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 continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB): Facility Ground-Water Monitoring
Requirements, EPA ICR #959.09; OMB Control Number 2050-0033; expiration
5/31/98. 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 March 27, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Commenters must send an original and two copies of their
comments referencing docket number F-98-GWIP-FFFFF to: RCRA Docket
Information Center, Office of Solid Waste (5305G), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Headquarters (EPA, HQ), 401 M Street, SW, Washington,
DC 20460. Hand deliveries of comments should be made to the Arlington,
VA, address below. Comments may also be submitted electronically
through the Internet to: rcradocket@epamail.epa.gov. Comments in
electronic format should also be identified by the docket number F-98-
GWIP-FFFFF. All electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file
avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption.
Commenters should not submit electronically any confidential
business information (CBI). An original and two copies of CBI must be
submitted under separate cover to: RCRA CBI Document Control Officer,
Office of Solid Waste (5305W), U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington,
DC 20460.
Public comments and supporting materials are available for viewing
in the RCRA Information Center (RIC), located at Crystal Gateway I,
First Floor, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA. The RIC is
open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding federal
holidays. To review docket materials, it is recommended that the public
make an appointment by calling 703-603-9230. The public may copy a
maximum of 100 pages from any regulatory docket at no charge.
Additional copies cost $0.15/page. The index and some supporting
materials are available electronically.
The ICR is available on the Internet. Follow these instructions to
access the information electronically:
WWW: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/corrective action
FTP: ftp.epa.gov
[[Page 3738]]
Login: anonymous
Password: your Internet address
Files are located in /pub/epaoswer
The official record for this action will be kept in paper form.
Accordingly, EPA will transfer all comments received electronically
into paper form and place them in the official record, which will also
include all comments submitted directly in writing.
EPA responses to comments, whether the comments are written or
electronic, will be in a notice in the Federal Register. EPA will not
immediately reply to commenters electronically other than to seek
clarification of electronic comments that may be garbled in
transmission or during conversion to paper form, as discussed above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, contact the
RCRA Hotline at 800 424-9346 or TDD 800 553-7672 (hearing impaired). In
the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, call 703 412-9810 or TDD 703
412-3323.
For more detailed information on specific aspects of this
rulemaking, contact Hugh Davis, Office of Solid Waste 5303W, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC
20460, (703) 308-8633, or davis.hugh@epamail.epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are
those which own or operate surface impoundments, waste piles, land
treatment units, and landfills which manage hazardous waste regulated
under the Resource Conversation and Recovery Act.
Title: Facility Ground-Water Monitoring Requirements, EPA ICR
#959.09; OMB Control Number 2050-0033; expiration date 5/31/98.
Abstract: Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
of 1976 (RCRA) creates a comprehensive program for the safe management
of hazardous waste. Section 3004 of RCRA requires owners and operators
of facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste to
comply with standards established by EPA that are ``necessary to
protect human health and the environment.'' Section 3005 provides for
implementation of these standards under permits issued to owners and
operators by EPA or authorized States. Section 3005 also allows owners
and operators of facilities in existence when the regulations came into
effect to comply with applicable notice requirements to operate until a
permit is issued or denied. This statutory authorization to operate
prior to permit determination is commonly known as ``interim status.''
Owners and operators of interim status facilities also must comply with
standards set under Section 3004.
EPA promulgated ground-water monitoring standards for interim
status facilities in 1980 (45 FR 33154 May 19, 1980), codified in 40
CFR Part 265, Subpart F, and for permitted facilities in 1982 (47 FR
32274 July 26, 1982), codified in 40 CFR Part 264, Subpart F. Both sets
of standards establish programs for protecting ground water from
releases of hazardous wastes from land disposal facilities with
regulated units (these include surface impoundments, waste piles, land
treatment units, and landfills).
The ground-water monitoring requirements for regulated units follow
a tiered approach whereby releases of hazardous contaminants are first
detected, then confirmed, and, if necessary, are required to be cleaned
up. Each of these tiers requires collection and analysis of groundwater
samples. Owners or operators that conduct groundwater monitoring are
required to report information to the oversight agencies on releases of
contaminants and to maintain records of ground-water monitoring data at
their facilities. The goal of the ground-water monitoring program is to
prevent and quickly detect releases of hazardous contaminants to
groundwater, and to establish a program whereby any contamination is
expeditiously cleaned up.
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:
(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: For both permitted and interim status land
disposal facilities, the estimated total annual hour burden for this
information collection is 196,363 hours. The estimated total annual
cost burden for this information collection is $67,303,862, which
includes labor, capital, operations and maintenance, and purchased
service costs. For 623 permitted land disposal facilities, the annual
reporting hour burden is estimated to average 112.4 hours per response,
and the annual record keeping hour burden is estimated to average 26.0
hours per response, regardless of whether the facility is performing
detection monitoring, compliance monitoring or corrective action. For
1,024 interim status land disposal facilities, the annual reporting
hour burden is estimated to average 74.7 hours per response, and the
annual record keeping hour burden is estimated to average 32.8 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; 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.
Dated: January 20, 1998.
Matthew Hale,
Acting Director, Office of Solid Waste.
[FR Doc. 98-1759 Filed 1-23-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
