96-27476. Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Collection of Compliance Information From Automotive Service and Repair Shops

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 208 (Friday, October 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55293-55294]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-27476]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5641-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Collection of Compliance Information From Automotive 
Service and Repair Shops

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 and/or continuing Information Collection Request 
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Automotive Service 
and Repair Environmental Compliance Checklist, EPA ICR Number 1793.01. 
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 December 24, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons may obtain a copy of the draft compliance 
checklist without charge by contacting, United States Environmental 
Protection Agency, Office of Compliance, Energy and Transportation 
Branch, Mail Code 2223A, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Everett Bishop, Phone: [phone], 
Facsimile [phone] or e-mail: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
those automotive repair shops that routinely maintain automobiles. Such 
businesses may include, new car dealerships, franchise repair shops, 
independent owner/operators or gasoline stations.

    Title: Automotive Service and Repair Environmental Compliance 
Checklist, A Survey.

    Abstract: The Office of Compliance within the Office of Enforcement 
and Compliance Assurance has developed a general multi-media checklist 
to quickly review the compliance of an automotive service and repair 
shop. The information on the two page checklist will be gathered by 
students from four community colleges in different parts of the United 
States. The completed checklists will be forwarded to the Coordinating 
Committee for Automotive Repair (CCAR) for tabulation. The information 
is being requested by the Agency to get a better handle on the overall 
compliance within the automotive service and repair sector. Current 
efforts by the Agency to determine overall compliance with applicable 
environmental regulations have been difficult. Additionally, this 
survey will be repeated twenty four months after this initial 
collection to determine if compliance outreach programs developed by 
the Agency have had any impact on improving the compliance rate within 
the industry.
    Information being requested by the community college students will 
be voluntary. The information will be treated with confidentiality. The 
Agency will have no knowledge of which shops were visited.
    This survey is being performed as part of a grant awarded by the 
Agency to the Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair (CCAR). CCAR 
is an umbrella organization representing 40 affiliates within the 
automotive service and repair industry.
    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. This 
information request approval is for one period of three years
    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: The Agency projects a burden to the shop owner or 
operator as follows: Two and one-half hours for the survey. Thirty 
minutes for introduction and purpose of collection, thirty minutes for 
gathering any paperwork, one hour to answer the questions on the 
checklist and thirty minutes for review and discussion. The cost of 
completing this survey is estimated at $62.50 for the two and one-half 
hours hours. This is based upon a shop owner's average salary of $25 
per hour. There is no additional burden being place upon the shop owner 
for recordkeeping or retention of information since these requirements 
are already accounted for in other ICRs. The frequency of the survey 
will be two collections. The first survey is to be conducted 
approximately January/February, 1997 and then a follow-up survey in 
January/February, 1999. The number of respondents for this survey will 
be no more than 500 shop owners or operators, nationwide. 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

[[Page 55294]]

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: October 15, 1996.
John B. Rasnic,
Director, Office of Manufacturing, Energy and Transportation.
[FR Doc. 96-27476 Filed 10-24-96; 8:45 am]
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