2018-21190. Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Renewal of an Existing Collection (EPA ICR No. 2511.02); Comment Request

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The ICR, entitled: “Reporting in the FIFRA Cooperative Agreement Work Plan and Report Template” and identified by EPA ICR No. 2511.02 and OMB Control No. 2070-0198, represents the renewal of an existing ICR that is scheduled to expire on April 30, 2019. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection that is summarized in this document. The ICR and accompanying material are available in the docket for public review and comment.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before November 27, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, identified by docket identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-0418, by one of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
• Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket Center (EPA/DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001.
• Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the instructions at http://www.epa.gov/​dockets/​contacts.html.

Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/​dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carolyn Siu, Field and External Affairs Division (7506P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: [phone]; email address: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. What information is EPA particularly interested in?

Pursuant to PRA section 3506(c)(2)(A) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), EPA specifically solicits comments and information to enable it 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 estimates 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. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.

II. What information collection activity or ICR does this action apply to?

Title: Reporting in the FIFRA Cooperative Agreement Work Plan and Report Template.

ICR number: EPA ICR No. 2511.02.

OMB control number: OMB Control No. 2070-0198.

ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on April 30, 2019. 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 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), after appearing in the Federal Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are 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 for certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.

Abstract: This ICR documents the Paperwork burden of the electronic collection of information for the pre-award burden activity for creating a work plan and the post-award and after-the-grant award activities related to reporting accomplishments to implement EPA's Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG) program (7 U.S.C. 136.u). This ICR augments the ICR entitled “EPA's General Regulation for Assistance Programs ICR” (EPA No. 0938.18; OMB No. 2030-0020) which accounts for the current PRA burden for the minimum management requirements for all recipients of EPA grants or cooperative agreements (assistance agreements). This ICR renewal provides the burden assessment for the FIFRA program specific activities associated with using a standardized electronic format for only the STAG program reporting.

Burden statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 46.15 hours per response. Burden is defined in 5 CFR 1320.3(b).

The ICR, which is available in the docket along with other related materials, provides a detailed explanation of the collection activities and the burden estimate that is only briefly summarized here:

Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this ICR are state, local governments, Indian tribes, and U.S. territories. Entities potentially affected by this ICR are grantees of Federal funds participating in the FIFRA and STAG program. The corresponding North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes for respondents include: 9241—Administration of Environmental Quality programs; 92115—American Indians and Alaska Native Tribal Governments.

Estimated total number of potential respondents: 81.

Frequency of response: Biannually.

Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 2.

Estimated total annual burden hours: 26,195 hours.

Estimated total annual costs: $2,102,179. There are no capital investment or maintenance and operational costs.

III. Are there changes in the estimates from the last approval?

There is no increase or decrease of the PRA burden hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently approved by OMB. However, there is an increase in EPA's burden cost in this ICR relative to the previous ICR due to updating the wages (from 2012 to 2017) and using the fully loaded wage rate replacing the unloaded wage rate used in the current ICR. This change is a program adjustment.

IV. What is the next step in the process for this ICR?

EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. EPA will issue another Federal Register document pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB. If you have any questions about this ICR or the approval process, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

Dated: September 13, 2018.

Charlotte Bertrand,

Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.