[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 161 (Monday, August 19, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42884-42885]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21080]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5555-3]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request; CWA Section 404 State Assumed Programs
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 the Information Collection Request
(ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. 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 September 18, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY CALL: Sandy Farmer at EPA, (202) 260-
2740, and refer to EPA ICR No. 0220.07.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 State Assumed Programs
(OMB Control No. 2040-0168; EPA ICR No. 0220.07) expiring 10/31/96.
This is a request for extension of a currently approved information
collection. This renewal incorporates the burden for Tribal Assumption
of the Section 404 Permit Program, separately approved under OMB
Control No. 2040-0140 through 04/30/98.
Abstract: Section 404(g) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) authorizes
states/tribes to assume the Section 404 permit program. States/tribes
must demonstrate that they meet the applicable statutory and regulatory
requirements (40 CFR Part 233) for an approvable program. Specified
information and documents must be submitted by the State/tribe to EPA
to request program assumption. Once the required information and
documents are submitted and EPA has a complete assumption request
package, the statutory time clock for EPA's decision either to approve
or deny the State/tribe's assumption request starts. The information
contained in the assumption request is made available to the other
involved federal agencies (Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife
Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service) and to the general
public for review and comment.
States/tribes must have the ability to issue permits that comply
with the 404(b)(1) guidelines--the environmental review criteria.
States/tribes and the reviewing federal agencies must be able to review
proposed projects to evaluate and/or minimize anticipated impacts.
EPA's state program regulations establish recommended elements that
should be included in the State/tribe's permit application so that
sufficient information is available to make a thorough analysis of
anticipated impacts. These minimum information requirements are based
on the information that must be submitted when applying for a Section
404 permit from the Corps of Engineers.
EPA is responsible for oversight of assumed State/tribal programs
to ensure that the assumed programs are in compliance with applicable
requirements and that State/tribal permit decisions adequately consider
and minimize anticipated impacts. States/tribes must evaluate their
program annually and submit an annual report to EPA assessing their
program. EPA's state program regulations establish minimum requirements
for the State/tribal annual report.
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
Federal Register Notice required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting
comments on this collection of information was published on 04/04/96
(61 FR 15068); no comments were received.
Burden Estimates: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for a State/Tribal assumption request is estimated to average
520 hours per one-time response, with 2 States/tribes
[[Page 42885]]
applying per year, for an annual respondent burden of 1,040 hours.
The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for State/
Tribal permit application information is estimated to average 5 hours
per one-time response, with an estimated 4,000 permit applicants per
year, for an annual respondent burden of 40,000 hours.
The public reporting and recordkeeping burden for a State/Tribal
annual report is estimated to average 80 hours per response for 2
States/tribes per year, for an estimated total annual burden of 160
hours.
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.
Send comments regarding the burden estimates, or any other aspect
of the information collection including suggestions for reducing the
burden, to the following addresses. Please refer to EPA ICR No. 0220.07
and OMB Control No. 2040-0168 in any correspondence.
Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 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: August 13, 1996.
David Schwarz,
Acting Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 96-21080 Filed 8-16-96; 8:45 am]
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