E7-23074. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Reformulated Gasoline and Conventional Gasoline: Requirements for Refiners, Oxygenated Blenders, and Importers of Gasoline, Requirements ...

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (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 information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before December 27, 2007.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0176, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by e-mail to [e-mail] or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Air and Radiation Docket, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB by mail to: 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:

Jose M. Solar, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, mail code 6406J, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-343-9027; fax number: 202-343-2801; 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 Tuesday, July 31, 2007 (72 FR 41747), 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 EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0176, which is available for online viewing at www.regulations.gov,, or in person viewing at the Office of Air and Radiation Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is 202-566-1744, and the telephone number for the Office of Air and Radiation Docket is 202-566-1742.

Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at www.regulations.gov,, to 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 www.regulations.gov as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, confidential 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: Reformulated Gasoline and Conventional Gasoline: Requirements for Refiners, Oxygenated Blenders, and Importers of Gasoline and Requirements for Parties in the Gasoline Distribution Network (Renewal).

ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1591.24, OMB Control No. 2060-0277.

ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on November 30, 2007. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. 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 title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed either by publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such as on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable. The display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.

Abstract: Gasoline combustion is the major source of air pollution in most urban areas. In the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act (Act), section 211(k), Congress required that gasoline dispensed in nine areas with severe air quality problems, and areas that opt-in, be reformulated to reduce toxic and ozone-forming emissions. (Ozone is also known as smog.) Congress also required that, in the process of producing reformulated gasoline (RFG), dirty components removed in the reformulation process not be “dumped” into the remainder of the country's gasoline, known as conventional gasoline (CG). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated regulations at 40 CFR part 80, Subpart D—Reformulated Gasoline, Subpart E—Anti-Dumping, and Subpart F—Attest Engagements, implementing the statutory requirements, which include standards for RFG (§ 80.41) and CG (§ 80.101). The regulations also contain reporting and recordkeeping requirements for the production, importation, transport and storage of gasoline, in order to demonstrate compliance and facilitate compliance and enforcement.

The program is run by the Transportation and Regional Programs Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Office of Air and Radiation. Enforcement is done by the Air Enforcement Division, Office of Regulatory Enforcement, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. This program excludes California, which has separate requirements for gasoline.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 2.4 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: Refiners, Oxygenate Blenders, and Importers of Gasoline; Requirements for Parties in the Gasoline Distribution Network.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 4,068.

Frequency of Response: Once, Quarterly, Annually, On Occasion.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 127,041.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $35,255,669, which includes $25,092,389 in annualized capital or O&M costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 5,351 hours in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. This increase is due to new requirements.

Dated: November 20, 2007.

Sara Hisel-McCoy,

Director, Collection Strategies Division.