[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18137-18138]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10090]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5462-S]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Revision of the Information Collection Request for the
National Pretreatment Program
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 and/or continuing Information Collection Request
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Information
Collection Request for the National Pretreatment Program (40 CFR Part
403), OMB Control Number 2040-009, EPA ICR Number 0002.08 (expires
October 31, 1999). Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and
approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the
proposed information collection as described below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 24, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons may obtain a copy of this ICR without
charge by contacting John Hopkins, Office of Wastewater Management
(4203), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20460, telephone (202) 260-9527.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Hopkins at (202) 260-9527;
facsimile (202) 260-1460.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are
those subject to the regulations under 40 CFR Part 403, including
private industries, State, local and Federal governments.
Title: Revision of the Information Collection Request for the
National Pretreatment Program (40 CFR Part 403). OMB Control Number
2040-009. Expiration date October 31, 1999.
Abstract: This Information Collection Request (ICR) calculates the
burden and costs associated with managing the National Pretreatment
Program mandated by Sections 402(a) and (b) and 307(b) of the Clean
Water Act. This ICR is a renewal of the Revision of the Information
Collection Request for the National Pretreatment Program (OMB Control
No. 2040-0009, ICR No. 0002.07).
Management of the pretreatment program is the responsibility of the
Office of Wastewater Management (OWM) in the Office of Water (OW),
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Clean Water Act requires EPA
to develop national pretreatment standards to control discharges from
Industrial Users (IUs) into sewage systems, or Publicly Owned Treatment
Works (POTWs). These standards limit the level of certain pollutants in
IU wastewaters. EPA administers the pretreatment program through the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program.
Under the NPDES permit program, EPA may approve State or individual
POTW implementation of the pretreatment standards at their respective
levels. OWM uses the data collected under the pretreatment program to
monitor and enforce compliance with the regulations, as well as to
authorize program administration at the State or local (POTW) level.
The
[[Page 18138]]
data collected from IUs includes the mass, frequency, and content of
their discharges, their schedules for installing pretreatment
equipment, and actual or anticipated discharges of wastes that violate
pretreatment standards, have the potential to cause problems at the
POTW, or are considered hazardous under the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA). States and POTWs applying for approval of
pretreatment programs submit data concerning their legal, procedural,
and administrative bases for establishing such programs. This
information may include surveys of IUs, local limits for pollutant
concentration, and schedules for completion of major project
requirements. IUs and POTWs submit written reports. These data may then
be entered into the NPDES databases by the approved State or 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 and 48 CFR Chapter 15.
The EPA would like to solicit 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 through the use of appropriate automated
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses.
Burden Statement: The information collection will involve an
estimated 33,526 respondents at an annual cost of $91,332,981 to those
respondents. The total annual cost to both respondents and government
(excluding Federal government) is estimated at $95,859,696. The annual
number of responses will be 203,518 or 6.07 responses per respondent.
The time required for a response ranges from 15 minutes to 400 hours,
with an average response time of 6.600 hours. An estimated 33,526
respondents are required to keep records at an average annual burden of
6.853 hours per record keeper. The pretreatment program will entail
229,741 hours of record keeping and 1,343,215 hours of reporting for a
total of 1,572,957 burden hours. The pretreatment program will also
entail 218,168 burden hours for municipal and State governments as
users of the data.
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.
Dated: April 5, 1996.
Michael B. Cook,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. 96-10090 Filed 4-23-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
