[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 76 (Tuesday, April 21, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19723-19724]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-10508]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-6000-2]
Agency Generic Information Collection Request: Regional
Compliance Assistance Program Evaluation
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 EPA is planning to submit the
following proposed Generic Information Collection Request (ICR) to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Measuring the Program
Effectiveness of EPA Regional Compliance Assistance Projects. Before
submitting the ICR to OMB for review, EPA is soliciting comments on
specific aspects of the collection as described below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 22, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Lynn Vendinello (2224A), Office of Compliance, US EPA, 401 M
St. SW, Washington, DC 20460. Interested persons may obtain a copy of
the ICR without charge by calling Lynn Vendinello at 202-564-7066 or
via e-mail at vendinello.lynn@epamail.epa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lynn Vendinello, 202-564-7066 or vendinello.lynn@epamail.epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are
those businesses and technical assistance providers who receive and/or
participate in EPA's Regional compliance assistance activities.
Technical assistance providers are comprised of such groups as: state
pollution prevention programs, state small business assistance
programs, small business development centers, manufacturing extension
partnership programs, and trade associations. The request for
information from these affected entities will be voluntary.
Title: Regional Compliance Assistance Activities Program
Evaluation. (OMB) Control No. XXXX-XXXX: EPA ICR No. 1758.02). This is
a new collection.
Abstract: Since EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance (OECA) was formed three years ago, there has been an
increased focus on the use of compliance assistance as an appropriate
tool to assist the regulated community in improving its compliance. In
particular, OECA has focussed its compliance assistance on small
business and small communities that have not had much exposure to
traditional enforcement and therefore may not be fully aware of their
compliance obligations. Compliance assistance consists of information
and technical assistance provided to the regulated community to help it
meet the requirements of environmental law. First and foremost,
compliance assistance ensures that the regulated community understands
its obligations by providing clear and consistent descriptions of
regulatory requirements. The bulk of OECA's compliance assistance
activities are undertaken in our regional offices. Regional
[[Page 19724]]
compliance assistance activities commonly include: hotlines, workshops/
seminar/trainings, compliance guides (e.g., plain language explanations
of regulations, videos), and on-site visits. Since compliance
assistance is a rather new tool for OECA, we are very interested in
learning about its effectiveness. In particular, we are interested in
learning about the ``outcome'' of compliance assistance on a continuum
of potential outcomes. The continuum includes determining the ``reach''
of activity within the intended audience; determining their
``satisfaction'' with the activity; and determining what ``behavioral
changes'' they make as a result of the activity. The purpose of this
generic ICR is to enable OECA to collect data on the program
effectiveness of their compliance assistance program so that we can
begin to understand which of our various types of compliance assistance
activities are most effective as well as to obtain anectdotal
information on the outcomes of these assistance efforts. Moreover,
since measuring the impact of compliance assistance is a new activity
for OECA, we are also interested in experimenting with different types
of measurement methods (e.g., comment cards, mailed surveys, phone
surveys) to better direct our program evaluation program. Moreover, we
are interested in learning if this data can be obtained using
statistically-valid methods and will be supporting our measurement
activities with analysis in this area.
In each instance we will be measuring whether or not the compliance
assistance activity is meeting its intended goal. Typical goals for
compliance assistance activities include: informing the regulated
community of their compliance obligations (e.g., plain-language
guides); assisting the regulated community in their understanding of
complex federal and/or state requirements (e.g., Section 215 of the
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act asks EPA to
undertake demonstration projects with states to develop compliance
assistance tools that integrate state and federal rules); and
motivating behavioral change (e.g., pollutants reduced, permits
adopted) from on-site visits, in-depth workshops/trainings.
This activity is being undertaken to assist EPA in its
implementation of the National Performance Measures Strategy that was
finalized on December 22, 1997, which includes compliance assistance.
None of the information collected by this action results in or
requests sensitive information of any nature from the states.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required
to respond to, a collection of information unless it display 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.
The EPA is soliciting comments to:
(i) evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
(ii) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected; and
(iv) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submission of response.
The Office of Compliance (OC) will use this information to evaluate
the effectiveness of our compliance assistance programs so that we can
plan more effective programs in the future. OC will also include
highlights in its end-of-year accomplishments report. This information
also will be provided to Congressional staffs and committees interested
in environmental matters and small business assistance activities at
the EPA regional and state level (the SBREFA Section 215 projects are
being conducted as cooperative agreements with state assistance
programs). In addition, we will share our lessons learned about
compliance assistance program effectiveness widely with state and local
assistance programs. Since compliance assistance is a relatively new
program for most state programs, this program effectiveness information
should be of great interest and value to them.
Burden Statement: This information collection request is for three
years with an OMB review of progress after 18 months. The information
collection request is a generic request for all surveys conducted over
the 3-year period. Sample surveys are attached to the ICR and actural
surveys will be submitted to OMB with a 10-day comment period from OMB.
OC will minimize the numbers of surveys by providing consistent surveys
for several similar activities. This will also increase the ability to
compare program effectiveness across program activities.
For each respondent, the annual cost burden is estimated to be
$4.20. Total capital and start-up cost component annualized over its
expected useful life is $0. Total operations and maintenance is
estimated at $0, and the cost for purchase of services is estimated at
$0.
Total annual burden for the 155,163 respondents is estimated to be
19,470 hours at a cost of $218,090.
Federal burden is estimated to be 53 hours a year at an annual
labor cost of $15,510. Total capital and start-up cost component
annualized over its expected useful life is $0. Total operations and
maintenance is estimated at $0, and the cost for purchase of services
is estimated at $75,000.
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,
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.
Dated: April 10, 1998.
Elaine Stanley,
Director, Office of Compliance.
[FR Doc. 98-10508 Filed 4-20-98; 8:45 am]
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