02-32393. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NSPS for Hot Mix Asphalt Facilities, ICR Number 1127.07, OMB Number 2060-0083

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 the following Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: NSPS for Hot Mix Asphalt Facilities (40 CFR part 60, subpart I), (OMB Control Number 2060-0083, EPA ICR Number 1127.07). 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 January 23, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

Follow the detailed instructions in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Gregory Fried, Compliance Assessment and Media Programs Division, Office of Compliance, Mail Code 2223A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, D.C. 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 June 20, 2002 (67 FR 41981), 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. OECA-2002-0005, which is available for public viewing at the Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center (ECDIC) 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 ECDIC 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, and according to the following detailed instructions: (1) Submit your comments to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by E-mail to: [e-mail], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code: 2201T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) Mail your comments to 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.

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: NSPS for Hot Mix Asphalt Facilities (40 CFR part 60, subpart I) (OMB Control Number 2060-0083, EPA ICR Number 1127.07). This is a request to renew an existing approved collection that is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2003. Under the OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB.

Abstract: The New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Hot Mix Asphalt Facilities were proposed on June 11, 1973, and promulgated on July 25, 1977. These regulations apply to the following facilities in 40 CFR part 60, subpart I: Dryers; systems for screening, handling, storing, and weighing hot aggregate; systems for loading, transferring, and storing mineral filler; systems for mixing hot mix asphalt; and the loading, transfer, and storage systems associated with emission control systems. The Administrator has judged that Particulate Matter (PM) emissions from hot mix asphalt facilities cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. Therefore, the purpose of this NSPS is to control the emissions of particulate matter (PM) from hot mix asphalt facilities. The standards limit particulate emissions to 90 milligrams per dry standard cubic meter (mg/DCM) and a 20% opacity. This information is being collected to assure compliance with 40 CFR part 60, subpart I. In order to ensure compliance with the standards promulgated to protect public health, adequate reporting and recordkeeping is necessary. Owners/operators of hot mix asphalt facilities must notify EPA of construction, modification, or reconstruction of a new or existing facility and submit a notification and the results of an initial performance test. In addition, a facility subject to this NSPS must record any startups, shutdowns or malfunctions. The purpose of the notifications is to inform the Agency or delegated authority when a source becomes subject to this standard. Performance tests are conducted to ensure that the new plants operate within the boundaries outlined in the standard. In the absence of such information, enforcement personnel would be unable to determine whether the standards are being met on a continuous basis, as required by the Clean Air Act. Under this standard the data collected by the affected industry is retained at the facility for a minimum of two years and made available for inspection by the Administrator.

The only type of industry costs associated with the information collection activity in the standards are labor costs.

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 3 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: Hot Mix Asphalt Facilities.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,835.

Frequency of Response: Initial and on occasion.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 10,303 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Labor Cost: $588,507.

Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 3,413 hours in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. This increase is due to an increase in the number of existing facilities that will undergo modifications such that they will be required to submit notifications and conduct the appropriate performance tests required by the standard.

Dated: December 10, 2002.

Oscar Morales,

Director, Collection Strategies Division.