05-2064. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Underground Injection Control Program (Renewal); EPA ICR Number 0370.19; OMB Control Number 2040-0042

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 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 January 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 March 7, 2005.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2003-0017, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to [e-mail], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Docket, MC 4104T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 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:

Robert E. Smith, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 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 October 25, 2004 (69 FR 62267), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA has addressed the comments received.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. OW-2003-0017, which is available for public viewing at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., 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 Water 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. 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. 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: Underground Injection Control Program (Renewal).

Abstract: The Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program under the Safe Drinking Water Act established a Federal and State regulatory system to protect underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) from contamination by injected fluids. Owners/operators of underground injection wells must obtain permits, conduct environmental monitoring, maintain records, and report results to EPA or the State UIC primacy agency. States must report to EPA on permittee compliance and related information. The mandatory information is reported using standardized forms, and the regulations are codified at 40 CFR parts 144 through 148. The data are used to ensure the protection of USDWs from UIC authorities.

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 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 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: Entities potentially affected by this action are owners and operators of underground injection wells, state UIC primacy agencies, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Trust Territories, Indian Tribes, Alaska's Native Villages and, in some instances, U.S. EPA Regional offices.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 41,141.

Frequency of Response: Varies.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,334,054.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $135,355,000, includes $89,415,000 annualized capital or O&M costs and $45,941,000 annual labor costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 242,109 hours in the total estimated annual burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. This increase is related to an expected increase in activities under the 1999 Class V Rule associated with regulatory deadlines for closure of large-capacity cesspools and closure/permitting of motor vehicle waste disposal wells that will occur during the clearance period. Also, this ICR burden reflects several adjustments in assumptions, including inventories of all well classes and changes to the number of responses or unit burdens for certain activities, based on recent consultations.

Dated: January 25, 2005.

Oscar Morales,

Director, Collection Strategies Division.