03-27479. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Production Line Testing, In-use Testing, and Selective Enforcement Auditing Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Manufacturers of ...

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. This ICR is scheduled to expire on 10/31/2003. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before December 1, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OAR-2003-0145, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to [e-mail], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, Mail Code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 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:

Ms. Nydia Y. Reyes-Morales, Certification and Compliance Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Office of Air and Radiation, Mail Code 6403J, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-9264; fax number: 202-565-2057; e-mail 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 4, 2003 (68 FR 45815), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0145, which is available for public viewing at the Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., 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 Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center is [phone]. An electronic version of the public docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/​edocket. Use EDOCKET to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select “search,” then key in the docket ID number identified above.

Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/​edocket.

Title: Production Line Testing, In-use Testing, and Selective Enforcement Auditing Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Manufacturers of Nonroad Spark Ignition Engines At or Below 19 Kilowatts.

Abstract: Title II of the Clean Air Act requires engine manufacturers to obtain a certificate of conformity with applicable emission standards for engine prototypes before they may legally introduce their products into commerce. The Act also mandates EPA to verify that manufacturers have successfully translated their certified engine prototypes into mass produced engines and that these engines comply with emission standards throughout their useful lives. EPA emission regulations pertaining to spark-ignition engines rated at or below 19 kilowatts are codified at 40 CFR part 90.

Under the Production Line Testing (PLT) Program, manufacturers test a sample of engines as they leave the assembly line. This self-audit program allows manufacturers to monitor compliance with statistical certainty and minimize the cost of correcting errors through early detection. Under the Voluntary In-use Testing Program, manufacturers test engines after a number of years of use to verify that the engines comply with emission standards throughout their useful lives. Participation in the In-use Testing Program is voluntary for Phase 2 SI engine families.

Sections 206(b) and 213(d) of the Act also mandate that EPA conduct testing of a sample of certified engines to determine if these engines do in fact conform with the applicable emission regulations. Under the Selective Enforcement Audit (SEA) Program, EPA selects a number of engines to be taken directly from the assembly line and tested according to EPA specifications. These audits are performed to ensure that test data submitted by manufacturers is reliable and testing is performed according to EPA regulations. All SI engine manufacturers are subject to be audited. Participation in the SEA program is mandatory.

The information requested by this information collection is used to enforce different provisions of the Act and maintain the integrity of the overall emissions reduction program. Data generated through the PLT, In-use and SEA programs may be used to evaluate future applications for certification, to identify potential issues, and as basis to suspend or revoke the certificate of conformity of those engines that fail. There are recordkeeping requirements in all programs.

The information is collected by the Engine Programs Group, Certification and Compliance Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Office of Air and Radiation. Confidentiality of proprietary information submitted by manufacturers is granted in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, EPA regulations at 40 CFR part 2, and class determinations issued by EPA's Office of General Counsel.

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 in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and are identified on the form and/or instrument, if applicable.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 529 hours per respondent for the Production Line Testing Program, 354 hours per respondent for the In-use Testing Program and 127 hours per respondent for the Selective Enforcement Auditing Program. 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.

Respondents/Affected Entities: Manufacturers of spark ignition engines rated at or below 19 kilowatts.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 59.

Frequency of Response: Annually, quarterly and on occasion.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 27,197.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $1,591,487, which includes $197,533 annualized O&M costs and $1,393,945 labor costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 53,186 hours in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is due to the elimination of a learning curve previously accounted for (respondents are already sufficiently familiar with this information collection requirements) and a significant increase in electronic reporting. The decrease in burden is, therefore, due to an adjustment to the estimates.

Dated: October 27, 2003.

Doreen Sterling,

Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.