[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 235 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62842-62844]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-29840]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5341-4]
Agency Information Collection Activities under OMB Review
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request
(ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature
of the information collection collection and its expected cost and
burden; where appropriate, it includes the actual data collection
instrument. Pursuant to new requirements under the Paperwork Reduction
Act, a notice was published in the Federal Register on August 29, 1995
announcing the renewal of this ICR and requesting comment on the
renewal.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 8, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY CALL:
Sandy Farmer at EPA, (202) 260-2740, and refer to EPA ICR No. 1617.02.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Surviving of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners.
OMB Control No: 2060-0247.
EPA ICER No: 1617.02.
This is a request for an extension of a currently approved
collection. Within the next few months, EPA intends to propose and
finalize an amendment to the regulations implementing section 609. This
amendment will, pursuant to a statutory mandate, establish standards
for the recycling of any refrigerant in a motor vehicle air conditioner
that substitutes for a class I or class II(ie., CFC or HCFC)
refrigerant. This amendment will not affect the current recordkeeping
or reporting requirements under section 609.
Abstract: In 1992, EPA developed regulations under Section 609 of
the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 (Act) for the recycling of CFC's in
motor vehicle air conditioners. These regulations were published in 57
FR 31240, and are codified at 40 CFR Subpart B (Sec. 82.30 et seq.).
The reasons the information is being collected, the way the information
is to be used, and whether the requirements are mandatory, voluntary,
or required to obtain a benefit, are described below. The ICR renewal
will not include any burden for third-party or public disclosures not
previously reviewed and approved by OMB.
Technician training and certification. According to Section
609(b)(4) of the Act, automotive technicians are required to be
certified in the proper use of recycling equipment for servicing motor
vehicle air conditioners. Certification programs must meet EPA
standards. The Stratospheric Protection Division requires that
certification programs send their training and testing materials to EPA
for approval. The information requested is used by the Stratospheric
Protection Division to guarantee a degree of uniformity in the testing
programs for motor vehicle service technicians in addition to proper
and valid certification.
Approved independent standards testing organizations. In addition,
Section 609(b) (2)(A) of the Act requires independent laboratory
testing of recycling equipment to be certified by EPA. The
Stratospheric Protection Division requires independent laboratories to
submit an application that proves their general capacity to certify
equipment to meet the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J standards
for recycled refrigerant. The information requested is used by the
Stratospheric Protection division to approve independent laboratories
that can assure and industry accepted standard of quality in recycling
and recovery equipment.
Substantially identical equipment. Section 609(b)(2)(B) of the Act
allows equipment that was purchased before the proposal of the
regulations to be approved by EPA if it is substantially identical to
equipment that has been certified by an EPA approved independent
laboratory. This measure is designed to incorporate or ``grandfather''
older equipment that has not been submitted to an independent
laboratory for testing. The equipment manufacturer or owners may submit
the following to the Stratospheric Protection Division: an application
and supporting documents that includes process flow sheets, a list of
equipment components and any other information that would indicate that
the equipment is capable of recovering and/or cleaning the refrigerant
to standards set forth in the appropriate appendix to the regulations.
The information provided allows EPA to determine if the equipment is
substantially identical to certified equipment.
Certification, reporting and recordkeeping. To facilitate
enforcement under Section 609, EPA has developed several recordkeeping
requirements. The information is used by the Stratospheric Protection
Division to verify compliance with Section 609 of the Act. First, an
establishment that owns recover-only equipment must maintain records of
the name and address of the facility that is reclaiming its
refrigerant. Second, any person who owns approved refrigerant recovery
or recycling equipment must retain records demonstrating that all
persons authorized to operate the equipment are currently certified
technicians. Last, any person who sells or distributes refrigerant that
is in a container of less than 20 pounds must verify that the purchaser
is a certified technician, unless the purchase of small containers is
for resale only. In that case, the seller must obtain a written
statement from the purchaser that the containers are for resale only
and must indicate the purchaser's name and business address.
In addition, section 609(d)(3)-(4) of the Act requires that by
January 1, 1992, all entities that service motor vehicle air containers
for consideration must have acquired approved refrigerant recycling
equipment. The establishment must have submitted to the Administrator
on a one-time basis a certificate that provides the following
information: the name of the equipment owner, the address of the
service establishment where the equipment will be used, and the make,
model, year, and serial number of the equipment. Note that this
reporting requirement is contained in the statute itself and was not
developed by EPA.
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. The Federal Register Notice
with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of
information was published on August 29, 1995.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average .13
hours per response. This estimate 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
[[Page 62844]]
information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
Affected entities: Entities affected by this action are new and
used motor vehicle dealers, gasoline service stations, truck rental and
leasing facilities without drivers, passenger car rental facilities,
top, body, upholstery repair and paint shops, general automotive repair
shops, and automotive repair shops not elsewhere classified. Clean Air
Act Section 609 automotive air-conditioning technician certification
programs, and approved independent standards testing organizations,
will also be affected.
Estimated No. of Respondents: 16,039.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 8,923 hours.
Frequency of Collection: Most requirements require collection on a
one-time only basis.
This renewal shows a significant reduction in burden from the
original information collection request. This reduction is due
primarily to revisions in the estimates of the number of service
facilities that must complete certifications for the equipment they
have purchased. EPA estimates that over 250,000 pieces of equipment
have been purchased in the United States. As a result, the Agency
estimates that no more than 10,000 existing facilities, plus 4,000 new
facilities, will need to complete the certification forms in any year.
In addition, the reduction in burden hours from the original ICR is due
in part to a revision in the estimate of the time it takes for a
service facility manager to fill out the certification form. EPA
believes that the original estimate of one half-hour was inaccurate.
This time was halved, from one half-hour to one quarter-hour. Certain
other changes to the ICR have been made in order to reflect the current
size of the sectors affected by the ICR. For example, there are now
approximately 25 organizations that certify automotive service
technicians to work with recover/recycle equipment. This revised number
of organizations is reflected in the cost and burden hour totals.
Send comments on the Agency's need for this information, the
accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods
for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of
automated collection techniques, to the following addresses. Please
refer to EPA ICR No. 1617.02 and OMB Control No. 2060-0247 in any
correspondence.
Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory
Information Division (2136), 401 M Street, SW., Washington DC 20460
and
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20503.
Dated: November 28, 1995.
Joseph Retzer,
Director, Information Division.
[FR Doc. 95-29840 Filed 12-6-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-M
