E6-7650. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Health and Safety Data Reporting, Submission of Lists and Copies of Health and Safety Studies (TSCA Section 8(d)); EPA ICR No. 0575.10, ...

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. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection that is scheduled to expire on May 31, 2006. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before June 19, 2006.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2005-0019, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by e-mail to [e-mail] or by mail to: Document Control Office (DCO), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code: 7407T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barbara Cunningham, Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 7408, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-554-1404; e-mail 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 April 6, 2005 (70 FR 17444), EPA sought comments on this renewal ICR, pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received one comment during the comment period, which is addressed in the Supporting Statement of the ICR. Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OPPT-2005-0019, which is available for online viewing at http://www.regulations.gov or in person inspection at the OPPT 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 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is 202-566-1744, and the telephone number for the Pollution Prevention and Toxics Docket is 202-566-0280. Use Regulations.gov 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, key in the docket ID number identified above, then click the “submit” button.

EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing in Regulations.gov 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 Regulations.gov. 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 Regulations.gov. For further information about the electronic docket go to http://www.Regulations.gov.

Title: Health and Safety Data Reporting, Submission of Lists and Copies of Health and Safety Studies [TSCA Section 8(d)].

ICR Numbers: EPA ICR Number 0575.10, OMB Control Number 2070-0004.

Abstract: Section 8(d) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and 40 CFR part 716 require manufacturers and processors of chemicals to submit lists and copies of health and safety studies relating to the health and/or environmental effects of certain chemical substances and mixtures. In order to comply with the reporting requirements of section 8(d), respondents must search their records to identify any health and safety studies in their possession, copy and process relevant studies, list studies that are currently in progress, and submit this information to EPA.

EPA uses this information to construct a complete picture of the known effects of the chemicals in question, leading to determinations by EPA of whether additional testing of the chemicals is required. The information enables EPA to base its testing decisions on the most complete information available and to avoid demands for testing that may be duplicative. EPA will use information obtained via this collection to support its investigation of the risks posed by chemicals and, in particular, to support its decisions on whether to require industry to test chemicals under section 4 of TSCA.

Responses to the collection of information are mandatory (see 40 CFR part 716). Respondents may claim all or part of a notice as CBI. EPA will disclose information that is covered by a CBI claim only to the extent permitted by, and in accordance with, the procedures in 40 CFR part 2.

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 in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register, are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and included on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to be 19 hours per respondent. Burden is 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 potentially affected by this action are companies that manufacture, process, import, or distribute in commerce chemical substances or mixtures.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Estimated total/average number of responses for each respondent: 1.

Estimated No. of Respondents: 34.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1,278 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Costs: $61,129.

Changes in Burden Estimates: There is a decrease of 1,066 hours (from 2,334 hours to 1,278 hours) in the total estimated respondent burden compared with that identified in the information collection request most recently approved by OMB. This change is due to adjustments in the estimates to better reflect EPA's experience with the 1998 revisions to the TSCA section 8(d) reporting standards that reduced reporting burden. The last ICR renewal estimated reporting burden by projecting responses based on historical reporting from rules prior to the 1998 revisions. The data used to project future responses for this ICR renewal are limited to reports for chemicals added to the section 8(d) list after the 1998 revisions. The new estimates are based solely on experience with the 2004 list of section 8(d) chemicals (the first chemicals added to the list since the 1998 revisions to the regulations). As a result, EPA has reduced the estimated number of reports that will be submitted in the future. This change is an adjustment.

Dated: May 8, 2006.

Oscar Morales,

Director, Collection Strategies Division.