E8-22201. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NSPS for Primary and Secondary Emissions From Basic Oxygen Furnaces (Renewal), EPA ICR Number 1069.09, OMB Control Number 2060-0029

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 an 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. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before October 23, 2008.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number EPA-OECA-2008-0374, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or by e-mail to [e-mail], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Environmental Protection Agency, Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center, mail code 2201T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 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:

Sounjay Gairola, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: [phone]; 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 May 30, 2008 (73 FR 31088), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any additional comments on 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 number EPA-HQ-OECA-2008-0374, which is available for public viewing either online at http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Enforcement and Compliance Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, 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 Enforcement and Compliance Docket is [phone].

Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select “docket search,” then key in the docket ID number identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted either electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov, as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, Confidential Business Information (CBI), or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

Title: NSPS for Primary and Secondary Emissions from Basic Oxygen Furnaces (Renewal).

ICR Numbers: EPA ICR Number 1069.09, OMB Control Number 2060-0029.

ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on November 30, 2008. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. 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 when approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, and displayed either by publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such as on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable. The display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.

Abstract: The New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Primary and Secondary Emissions from Basic Oxygen Furnaces (40 CFR part 60, subparts N and Na) were promulgated on July 25, 1977 and January 2, 1986, respectively. These rules apply to Basic Oxygen Process Furnaces (BOPFs) in iron and steel plants commencing construction, modification or reconstruction after June 11, 1973 (NSPS subpart N) and top-blown BOPFs, hot metal transfer stations or skimming stations for which construction, reconstruction, or modification commenced after January 20, 1983 (NSPS subpart Na).

Owners or operators of the affected facilities must make an initial notification, performance tests, periodic reports, and maintain records of the occurrence and duration of an affected facility, or any period during which the monitoring system is inoperative. Reports, at a minimum, are required semiannually. These notifications, reports, and records are essential in determining compliance; and are required, in general, of all sources subject to NSPS.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 158 hours 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 which have subsequently changed; 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: Facilities with basic oxygen furnaces.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 5.

Frequency of Response: Initially, occasionally, and semiannually.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,896.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $179,440, which is comprised of $8,397 in O&M costs, $153,043 in labor costs, and $18,000 in annualized capital/startup costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is no change in the labor hours to the respondents in this ICR compared to the previous ICR. This is due to two considerations: (1) The regulations have not changed over the past three years and are not anticipated to change over the next three years; and (2) the growth rate for respondents is either very low, or negative, or non-existent. Therefore, the labor hours in the previous ICR reflect the current burden to the respondents and are reiterated in this ICR. There is a minor change to the cost figures, since the previous ICR rounded to the nearest $1,000; this ICR presents cost figures which differ by $397 from the previous ICR due to using exact figures instead of rounding.

Dated: September 16, 2008.

Sara Hisel-McCoy,

Director, Collection Strategies Division.