[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 43 (Friday, March 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10660-10661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5492]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-6238-3]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request; Enforcement Policy Regarding the Sale and Use
of Aftermarket Catalytic Converters ICR
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 document announces that the following Information
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Enforcement Policy Regarding
the Sale and Use of Aftermarket Catalytic Converters; OMB No. 2060-
0135; expires 03/31/99. The ICR describes the nature of the information
collection and its expected burden and cost; and where appropriate, it
includes the actual data collection instrument.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 5, 1999.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone at (202)
260-2740, by E-Mail at Farmer.Sandy@epamail.epa.gov or download off the
Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR No. 1292.05.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Enforcement Policy Regarding the Sale and Use of Aftermarket
Catalytic Converters, (OMB Control No. 2060-0135; EPA ICR No. 1292.05.)
expiring 3/31/99. This is a request for an extension of a currently
approved collection.
Abstract: Section 203(a) of the Clean Air Act (Act), 42 U.S.C.
7522(a), prohibits removing or rendering inoperative automobile
emission control devices or elements of design and prohibits the sale
or installation of any device that bypasses or renders inoperative
emission control elements of design. Prior to the issuance of the
aftermarket catalytic converter enforcement policy (51 FR 28114-28119,
28133 (Aug. 5, 1986); 52 FR 42144 (Nov. 3, 1987)), the manufacture,
sale or installation of aftermarket catalytic converters not equivalent
to new original equipment (OE) converters violated Sec. 203 of the Act.
However, current EPA policy allows aftermarket converters to be
manufactured and installed, under the conditions that the converters
meet certain specified standards; a converter may be installed on a
vehicle only if it is the appropriate type and size for that vehicle.
The record keeping and testing requirements of the policy are needed to
ensure the quality and installation requirements are met.
New aftermarket catalytic converter manufacturers are required,
once for each converter line manufactured, to identify physical
specifications of the converter and to summarize pre-production testing
of the prototype. The manufacturer must report semi-annually the number
of each type of converter manufactured, and provide a summary of
warranty card information (or copies of the actual cards, at the
manufacturer's option). In addition, the manufacturers must keep
warranty cards for 5 years, since that is the length of the warranty
period.
A company that reconditions used converters must, one time only,
identify itself and provide information regarding its converter testing
equipment and procedures. All used converters must be individually
bench-tested, and the company must report semi-annually the identity of
its distributors and the number of reconditioned converters of each
type that are sold to the distributor.
Installers of aftermarket converters have no reporting requirements
but must keep copies of installation invoices and a record that
demonstrates that the installation was justified. Removed converters
must be tagged with identifying information and be kept for 15 days.
EPA allows the use of computerized records and pre-printed
documents.
Parties who comply with these policies are allowed to manufacture,
sell and install aftermarket catalytic converters which are not
identical to original equipment (OE) converters.
While the program is voluntary in that converter manufacturers
could instead manufacture or install certified OE-equivalent
converters, for companies choosing to manufacture converters meeting
the less stringent requirements of the policy, all responses are
mandatory. EPA has authority to require this information under section
203 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7522, section 114 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7414
and section 208 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7542. Confidentiality of
information obtained from parties is protected under 40 CFR part 2.
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
[[Page 10661]]
15. The Federal Register document required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d),
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on
August 5, 1998 (63 FR 41818); no comments were received.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and record keeping
burden for this collection of information for new aftermarket catalytic
converter manufacturers is estimated to average 4 hours per year
(combined average). 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: Aftermarket catalytic converter
manufacturers and re-conditioners and aftermarket converter installers.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 12 new aftermarket catalytic
converter manufacturers, 8 used catalytic converter re-conditioners and
17,000 aftermarket converter installers.
Frequency of Response: 3 reports per year for new aftermarket
converter manufacturers and one prototype testing event per year; 2
reports per year for used aftermarket conditioners and 8,900 tests of
individual converters; installers average 118 recordkeeping activities
each year on a per sales transaction basis, with no reporting.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 65,788 hours, including startup
hours.
Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $756,444, including
annualized startup costs.
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. 1292.05 and OMB Control No. 2060-0135 in any
correspondence.
Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of
Policy, Regulatory Information Division (2137), 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: February 26, 1999.
Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 99-5492 Filed 3-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
