98-12854. Toxic Substances; Generic Collection of Economic and Program Support Data; Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Renewal and Request for Comment

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 93 (Thursday, May 14, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26794-26795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-12854]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPTS-00239; FRL-5785-3]


Toxic Substances; Generic Collection of Economic and Program 
Support Data; Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed 
Renewal and Request for Comment

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 continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the procedures described in 
5 CFR 1320.12. Before submitting the following ICR to OMB for review 
and reapproval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the 
information collection, which is briefly described under Unit I. and 
Unit II. of this document. The ICR is a continuing ICR entitled 
``Collection of Economic and Program Support Data; Request for Generic 
Clearance,'' EPA ICR No. 1170.06, OMB No. 2070-0034. This ICR covers 
the reporting of economic or other data that EPA may use in developing 
regulatory or voluntary actions. 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.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 18, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Each comment must bear the docket control number ``OPPTS-
00239'' and administrative record number 196. All comments should be 
sent in triplicate to: OPPT Document Control Officer (7407), Office of 
Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M 
St., SW., Rm. G-099, East Tower, Washington, DC 20460.
    Comments and data may also be submitted electronically to: 
[e-mail]. Follow the instructions under Unit III. of 
this document. No TSCA Confidential Business Information (CBI) should 
be submitted through e-mail.
    All comments that contain information claimed as CBI must be 
clearly marked as such. Three sanitized copies of any comments 
containing information claimed as CBI must also be submitted and will 
be placed in the public record for this document. Persons submitting 
information on any portion of which they believe is entitled to 
treatment as CBI by EPA must assert a business confidentiality claim in 
accordance with 40 CFR 2.203(b) for each such portion. This claim must 
be made at the time that the information is submitted to EPA. If a 
submitter does not assert a confidentiality claim at the time of 
submission, EPA will consider this as a waiver of any confidentiality 
claim and the information may be made available to the public by EPA 
without further notice to the submitter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact: Susan 
B. Hazen, Director, Environmental Assistance Division (7408), Office of 
Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M 
St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, Telephone: [phone], TDD: (202) 
554-0551, e-mail: [e-mail]. For technical 
information contact: Robert Lenahan, Economics, Exposure, and 
Technology Division (7406), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, 
Telephone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; e-mail: 
[e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Availability:

Internet

    Electronic copies of the ICR are available from the EPA Home Page 
at the Federal Register - Environmental Documents entry for this 
document under ``Laws and Regulations'' (http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/).

Fax-on-Demand

    Using a faxphone call [phone] and select item 4061 for a 
copy of the ICR.

I. Background

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
persons in the United States who manufacture, distribute, process, 
import, use or dispose of chemical substances or mixtures.
    For the collection of information addressed in this notice, EPA 
would like to solicit comments to:
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected.
    4. 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.

[[Page 26795]]

II. Information Collection

    EPA is seeking comments on the following ICR, as well as the 
Agency's intention to renew the corresponding OMB approval, which is 
currently scheduled to expire on August 31, 1998.
    Title: Collection of Economic and Program Support Data; Request for 
Generic Clearance.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1170.06, OMB No. 2070-0032.
    Abstract: Staff of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics 
(OPPT) are obliged to provide a wide array of analyses in support of 
Agency activities. These analyses allow OPPT staff to provide 
statistically valid information to assist in the development of 
regulations and voluntary activities that minimize costs and maximize 
net societal benefits. While some questions can be answered 
satisfactorily through information that EPA has in its possession or 
through existing secondary sources of data, there are others for which 
no relevant sources exist. Moreover, much of the work OPPT does 
requires information in a timely manner. Because of various pressures, 
the Agency often has to make decisions quickly. The ability for OPPT to 
collect information in relatively short periods to support such 
decisions is essential in ensuring that EPA makes sound decisions.
    OPPT is required, through statute, to consider the economic impacts 
of actions taken to control the manufacture, distribution, processing, 
use, or disposal of chemical substances or mixtures that present 
unreasonable risks of injury to human health or the environment. OPPT 
uses cost-benefit analyses to determine that a proposed regulatory 
action maximizes the net benefits to society when compared to the 
alternatives. Given the record regarding the lack of publicly available 
information on many chemicals, and other situations that arise during 
the course of determining regulatory options, an information collection 
activity often is required to collect the needed data. OPPT and other 
EPA staff then use these data to evaluate the regulatory options 
available, to determine the impact of a specific program, or to develop 
non-regulatory, voluntary options.
    Responses to this collection of information are voluntary.
    Burden statement: The burden to respondents for complying with this 
ICR is estimated to total 6,000 hours per year with an annual cost of 
$490,000. These totals are based on an average burden of 1.5 hour per 
response for an estimated 4,000 respondents making one or more 
responses annually. These estimates include the time needed to 
determine applicability; 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.

III. Public Record and Electronic Submissions

    The official record for this document, as well as the public 
version, has been established for this document under docket control 
number ``OPPTS-00239'' (including comments and data submitted 
electronically as described below). A public version of this record, 
including printed, paper versions of electronic comments, which does 
not include any information claimed as CBI, is available for inspection 
from 12 noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The official rulemaking record is located in the TSCA 
Nonconfidential Information Center, Rm. NE-B607, 401 M St., SW., 
Washington, DC.
    Electronic comments can be sent directly to EPA at:
    [e-mail]


    Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the 
use of special characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data 
will also be accepted on disks in WordPerfect 5.1/6.1 or ASCII file 
format. All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by 
the docket control number ``OPPTS-00239'' and administrative record 
number 196. Electronic comments on this document may be filed online at 
many Federal Depository Libraries.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Information collection requests, 
Reporting and recordkeeping.

    Dated: May 6, 1998.

Lynn R. Goldman,

Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic 
Substances.

[FR Doc. 98-12854 Filed 5-13-98; 8:45 am]
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