[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 28, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72657-72658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-33626]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-6516-3]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Toxic Chemical Release
Reporting; Submission of ICR No. 1363.09 to OMB
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of submission to OMB.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this document announces that the Information Collection
Request (ICR) entitled: ``Toxic Chemical Release Reporting,'' (EPA ICR
No. 1363.09; OMB Control No. 2070-0093) has been forwarded to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval pursuant
to the OMB procedures in 5 CFR 1320.12. The ICR, which is abstracted
below, describes the nature of the information collection and its
estimated cost and burden. The Agency is requesting that OMB renew for
3 years the existing approval for this ICR, which is scheduled to
expire on April 30, 2000. A Federal Register document announcing the
Agency's intent to seek the renewal of this ICR and the 60-day public
comment opportunity, requesting comments on the request and the
contents of the ICR, was issued on July 28, 1999 (64 FR 40862). EPA
received a number of comments on this ICR during the comment period,
which have been addressed.
DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before January 27,
2000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone on (202)
260-2740, by e-mail: farmer.sandy@epa.gov,'' or download off the
Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr/icr.htm and refer to EPA ICR No.
1363.09.
ADDRESSES: Send comments, referencing EPA ICR No. 1363.09 and OMB
Control No. 2070-0093, to the following addresses:
Ms. Sandy Farmer, Office of Environmental Information (OEI), Mailcode
2822, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20460;
And 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Review Requested: This is a request to renew a currently approved
information collection pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12.
ICR Numbers: EPA ICR No. 1363.09; OMB Control No. 2070-0093.
Current Expiration Date: Current OMB approval expires on April 30,
2000.
Title: Toxic Chemical Release Reporting, Recordkeeping, Supplier
Notification and Petitions under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning
and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
Abstract: Section 313 of EPCRA requires owners or operators of
certain facilities that manufacture, process or otherwise use any of
over 600 listed toxic chemicals and chemical categories in excess of
applicable threshold quantities to report annually to the Environmental
Protection Agency and to the states in which such facilities are
located on their environmental releases and transfers of and waste
management activities for such chemicals. In addition, section 6607 of
the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) requires that facilities provide
information on the quantities of the toxic chemicals in waste streams
and the efforts made to reduce or eliminate those quantities.
Annual reporting under EPCRA section 313 of toxic chemical releases
and other waste management information provides citizens with a more
complete picture of the total disposition of chemicals in their
communities and helps focus industries' attention on pollution
prevention and source reduction opportunities.
The information gathered under these authorities is stored in a
database maintained at EPA and is available through the Internet. This
information, commonly known as the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), is
used extensively by both EPA and the public sector.
Responses to the collection of information are mandatory (see 40
CFR part 372). Respondents may claim all or part of a document
confidential. EPA will disclose information that is covered by a claim
of confidentiality only to the extent permitted by, and in accordance
with, the procedures in TSCA section 14 and 40 CFR part 2.
[[Page 72658]]
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting burden for this
collection of information is estimated to average 52.1 hours per
response for an estimated 25,159 respondents making one or more
submissions of information annually. These estimates include 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. No person is
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for these
regulations are displayed in 40 CFR part 9.
Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by
this action are owners or operators of facilities that manufacture,
process or otherwise use certain specified toxic chemicals and chemical
categories, which are required under EPCRA section 313 to report
annually on the environmental releases and transfers of and waste
management activities for such chemicals.
Estimated No. of Respondents: 27,235.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 7,321,441 hours.
Frequency of Collection: Annually.
According to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12, EPA has
submitted this ICR to OMB for review and approval. Any comments related
to the renewal of this ICR should be submitted within 30 days of this
document, as described above.
Dated: December 21, 1999.
Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division, Office of
Environmental Information.
[FR Doc. 99-33626 Filed 12-27-99; 8:45 am]
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