E5-6699. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review and Approval; Comment Request; NSPS for Equipment Leaks of VOC in Petroleum Refineries (Renewal); ICR Number 0983.08; OMB Number 2060-0067

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 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 December 31, 2005. 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 30, 2005.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OECA-2005-0018, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to [e-mail], or by mail to: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center, Mail Code 2201T, 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:

Maria Malavé, Compliance Assessment and Media Programs Division (Mail Code 2223A), Office of Compliance, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: [phone]; fax number: [phone]; 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 May 6, 2005 (70 FR 24020), 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 Number OECA-2005-0018, which is available for public viewing at the Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 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 and Information Center Docket 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. When 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, Confidential Business Information (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: NSPS for Equipment Leaks of VOC in Petroleum Refineries (Renewal).

Abstract: The New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Equipment Leaks of VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) in Petroleum Refineries were proposed on January 4, 1983 and promulgated on May 30, 1984. These standards apply to the following facilities in petroleum refineries: Compressors and the group of all equipment (e.g., valves, pumps, flanges, etc.) within a process unit in VOC service, commencing construction, modification or reconstruction after the date of proposal.

Owners or operators of the affected facilities described must make the following one-time only reports: Notification of the date of construction or reconstruction; notification of the anticipated and actual dates of startup; notification of any physical or operational change to an existing facility which may increase the regulated pollutant emission rate; notification of the date of the initial performance test; and the results of the initial performance test. Owners or operators are also required to 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. In general, these notifications, reports and records are required of all sources subject to NSPS.

Monitoring requirements specific to this NSPS provide information regarding which components are leaking VOCs. This rule references the compliance requirements of 40 CFR part 60, subpart VV. On a periodic basis, which varies depending on equipment type and leak history, owners or operators are required to record: (1) Information identifying leaking equipment; (2) repair methods used to stop the leaks; and (3) dates of repair. Semiannual reports are required to measure compliance with the standards of NSPS subpart VV as referenced by NSPS subpart GGG . These notifications, reports, and records are essential in determining compliance and in general, are required of all sources subject to NSPS.

This information is being collected to assure compliance with 40 CFR part 60 subpart GGG. Any owner or operator subject to the provisions of this part will maintain a file of these records, and retain the file for at least two years following the date of such records. The reporting requirements for this industry currently include only the initial notifications and initial performance test report listed above. All reports are sent to the delegated state or local authority. In the event that there is no such delegated authority, the reports are sent directly to the EPA regional office.

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, 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 72 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.

Respondents/Affected Entities: Process service units at petroleum refineries.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 148.

Frequency of Response: initially, semiannually, and on occasion.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 21,360 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Costs: $1,724,344, which includes $0 annualized capital/startup costs, $0 O&M costs, and $1,724,344 annual labor costs.

Changes in the Estimates: The increase in labor burden to industry from the most recently approved ICR from 6,137 hours to 21,360 hours is due to adjustments. The burden change resulted from an increase from 48 to 148 on the number of sources subject to the standard which is based on recent Agency data available on the sector and consultation with industry, as discussed in section 3 of this report. In the burden calculation, we also deleted any burden associated with new sources complying with the initial rule requirements, due to the assumption that there will be no industry growth. The total industry cost also increased from $631,983 to $1,724,344 as a result of these changes and the use of updated labor rates.

Dated: November 21, 2005.

Oscar Morales,

Director, Collection Strategies Division.