[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 68 (Thursday, April 9, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 17410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-9389]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5993-5]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request; Four Private Party Surveys Regarding
Prospective Purchaser Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters
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: Four Private Party Surveys
Regarding Prospective Purchaser Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters
(EPA ICR #1837.02). The ICR describes the nature of the information
collection and its expected burden and cost; where appropriate, it
includes the actual data collection instrument.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 11, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone
at (202) 260-2740, by email at farmer.sandy@epamail.epa.gov, or
download off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA
ICR #1837.02.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Four Private Party Surveys Regarding Prospective Purchaser
Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters (EPA ICR #1837.02). This is a new
collection.
Abstract: In 1995, EPA issued guidance and policies concerning the
use of Prospective Purchaser Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters.
(See Guidance on Settlements with Prospective Purchasers of
Contaminated Property, published in the Federal Register on July 3,
1995 (60 FR 34792), and Policy on the Issuance of Comfort/Status
Letters, published in the Federal Register on January 30, 1997 (62 FR
4624). Since that date, EPA has entered into 76 Prospective Purchaser
Agreements and issued approximately 200 Comfort/Status Letters. OSRE
will use four surveys to collect information from private parties (non-
government personnel) at Brownfield sites where Prospective Purchaser
Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters have been issued, or where they
have been sought but not obtained. OSRE will use the information
collected to evaluate the effectiveness of the guidance on Prospective
Purchaser Agreements and the Comfort/Status Letter policy, consider
revisions to the guidance and policy, and consider expanding the use of
Prospective Purchaser Agreements and Comfort/Status Letters to other
EPA media programs. Responses to this information collection are
strictly voluntary, and the information collection is a one-time
effort.
OSRE will ensure the confidentiality of the responses to the
information collection by employing contractor support to collect and
analyze the information and by barring access to individual responses.
Using contractors to collect the information through telephone surveys
is expected to increase the candor of the responses. Contractors will
transcribe responses onto survey forms and will compile the
information. EPA and other personnel will not have access to individual
responses. All EPA personnel, as well as other interested parties, will
be limited to examining only compiled summaries of data. This process
will safeguard the confidentiality of the information. All contractors
involved in the information collection have signed non-disclosure
statements and Conflict of Interest assessments. These documents ensure
that the contractors have examined the information collection
assignment for possible conflicts of interest and have found none. They
also ensure that contractors will not reveal any information they
collect while conducting the surveys.
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. A
Federal Register document was published on 11/26/97 (62 FR 63158)
soliciting comments on this collection of information, as required
under 5 CFR 1320.8(d); no comments were received.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 45
minutes 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: Personnel at Brownfield sites.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 600.
Frequency of Response: one time only.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 488 hours.
Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $18,700.
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 #1837.02 in any correspondence.
Ms. Sandy Farmer, V.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OPPE 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: April 3, 1998.
Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 98-9389 Filed 4-8-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
