03-10166. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of EPA ICR No. 2078.01 to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request

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 the following Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: ENERGY STAR^® Product Labeling. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before May 27, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

Follow the detailed instructions in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Rachel Schmeltz, Climate Protection Partnerships Division, Office of Air and Radiation, MC 6202J, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-9124; fax number: 202-565-2077; email 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 July 17, 2002 (67 FR 46969), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0033, which is available for public viewing at the Air and Radiation 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 Air and Radiation 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, and according to the following detailed instructions: (1) Submit your comments to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by email to [e-mail], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) mail your comments to 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.

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: ENERGY STAR Product Labeling (EPA ICR Number 2078.01). This is a request for a new collection.

Abstract: ENERGY STAR^® is a voluntary program developed in collaboration with industry to create a self-sustaining market for energy efficient products. The center piece of the program is the ENERGY STAR label, a registered certification label that helps consumers identify products that save energy, save money, and help protect the environment without sacrificing quality or performance. In order to protect the integrity of the label and enhance its effectiveness in the marketplace, EPA must ensure that products carrying the label meet appropriate program requirements. Since ENERGY STAR is a self-certification program, it is important that program participants submit signed Partnership Agreements indicating that they will adhere to logo-use guidelines and that participating products meet specified energy performance criteria based on a standard test method.

As part of our contribution to the overall success of the program, EPA has agreed to facilitate the sale of qualifying products by providing consumers with easy-to-use information about the products. To be effective, EPA must receive qualifying product information from participating manufacturers. Partners will be requested to submit updates to qualifying product information on an annual basis, so as to ensure that EPA information is recent and accurate. The information will be compiled into a complete qualifying products list per product category, posted on the ENERGY STAR Web site, and supplied to those purchasers who request it via phone, fax, or e-mail. In addition, because of the nature of these products, manufacturer of roof products and residential light fixtures will be requested to submit testing reports in order to verify qualification.

In order to monitor progress and support the best allocation of resources, EPA will also ask manufacturers to submit annual shipment data for their ENERGY STAR qualifying products. EPA is flexible as to the methods by which manufacturers may submit unit shipment data. For example, if manufacturers already submit this type of information to a third party, such as a trade association, manufacturers are given the option of arranging for shipment data to be sent to EPA via this third party to avoid duplication of efforts and to ensure confidentiality. In using any shipment data received directly from a partner, EPA will mask the source of the data so as to protect confidentiality.

Finally, Partners that wish to receive recognition for their efforts in ENERGY STAR may submit an application for the Partner of the Year Award.

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, and are identified on the form and/or instrument, if applicable.

Burden Statement: The average annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is about 173 hours. EPA collects initial information in the Partnership Agreement (PA), which is completed and submitted by every Partner participating in ENERGY STAR. One overarching PA has been developed by EPA for ENERGY STAR product labeling. It is expected that 118 new Partners will join each year for the three years of this ICR. The reporting burden for information collection requirements associated with completing the PA for each respondent is estimated to be about 13 hours. This estimate includes times for reviewing the instructions on the PA, completing and reviewing the information requested by the PA, and submitting the PA.

Every manufacturing Partner is required to submit information on each of their qualifying products. Annual updates, notifying EPA of any changes in qualifying product information, are required as well. Thirty-two different product categories are covered by EPA under ENERGY STAR. Each product category has specific qualifying product information that must be submitted by each Partner for at least one qualifying product. Qualifying product information is expected for 3,112 new qualifying products each year for the three years of this ICR. The qualifying product list for each product category is updated by the Agency once each month, for a total of 384 times annually (32 product categories times 12 months in a year). Approximately twice each month the Agency receives a request for qualifying product information that cannot be fulfilled by the ENERGY STAR Web site, for a total of 768 requests. The reporting burden for information collection requirements associated with submitting the qualifying product information for each qualifying product submitted by a respondent is estimated to be about 19 hours. This estimate includes time for compiling and reviewing the information requested, and submitting the information.

ENERGY STAR Partners for residential light fixtures and roof products are required to submit testing reports for each product determined to by qualified with the ENERGY STAR criteria. It is anticipated that qualifying product information for 654 new roof and residential light fixture products will be received by EPA each year for the three years of this ICR. The reporting burden for information collection requirements associated with testing reports by roof product and residential light fixture Partners for each qualifying product submitted by a respondent is estimated to be about 70 hours. This estimate includes performing testing in house or by a Third Party, assembling the data into a report format, reviewing it and submitting it.

EPA also requires that manufacturing Partners submit information on their unit shipments of ENERGY STAR labeled products annually. Each year, ENERGY STAR Partners are required to submit unit shipment data for their ENERGY STAR labeled products. There will be an average of 1,143 total Partners each year for the three-years of this ICR. Therefore, 1,143 reports of unit shipment data are expected each year for the three years of this ICR. Unit shipment data will be aggregated for each of the 32 product categories covered by EPA under ENERGY STAR. The reporting burden for information collection requirements associated with unit shipment data for each respondent is estimated to be about 27 hours. This estimate includes gathering unit shipment data compiling and reviewing unit shipment data by product category, and submitting unit shipment data.

Partners interested in receiving recognition for their efforts on ENERGY STAR are required to submit a Partner of the Year Award application. One set of Partner of the Year award criteria are developed by the Agency each year and posted on the ENERGY STAR Web site. An average of 30 Partners of the Year Award applications are expected each year for the three years of this ICR. The reporting burden for information collection requirements associated with the Partner of the Year Application for each respondent is estimated to be about 44 hours. This estimate includes reviewing the eligibility requirements and instruction on the application, gathering data and information for submission, completing the application, reviewing the information and narrative description required, and submitting the application to EPA.

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 affected by this action are product manufacturers which are Partners in EPA's ENERGY STAR program.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,143.

Frequency of Response: Annually.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 129,623.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $8,245,116 includes $346,667 annualized capital and $153,570 O&M costs.

Dated: April 11, 2003.

Oscar Morales,

Director, Collection Strategies Division.