[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10315-10316]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03351]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2002-0091; FRL 10639-01-OAR]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Ambient 
Air Quality Surveillance 40 CFR 58 (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Ambient Air Quality 
Surveillance (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 0940.30, OMB Control No. 2060-
0084) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing 
so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the 
proposed information collection as described below. This is a proposed 
extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through July 31, 
2023. 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.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 18, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to the EPA, referencing Docket ID No. 
EPA-HQ-OAR-2002-0091, online using https://www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by email to [email protected], or by mail to: 
EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    The EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in 
the public docket without change including any personal information 
provided unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nealson Watkins, Air Quality 
Assessment Division, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, 
C304-06, Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 
27711; telephone number: 919-541-5522; fax number: 919-541-1903: email 
address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the 
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about the EPA's public docket, visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, the EPA is soliciting 
comments and information to enable it to: (i) 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; (ii) 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; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (iv) 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. The 
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. At that time, the EPA will issue another Federal 
Register notice to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the 
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: This ICR includes ambient air monitoring data and other 
supporting measurements reporting and recordkeeping activities 
associated with the 40 CFR 58, Ambient Air Quality Surveillance rule. 
These data and information are collected by various state and local air 
quality management agencies and reported to the EPA's Office of Air 
Quality Planning and Standards within the Office of Air and Radiation.
    The data collected through this information collection consist of 
ambient air concentration measurements for the seven air

[[Page 10316]]

pollutants with national ambient air quality standards (i.e., ozone, 
sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead, carbon monoxide, 
PM2.5 and PM10), ozone precursors, meteorological 
variables at a select number of sites and other supporting 
measurements. Accompanying the pollutant concentration data are quality 
assurance/quality control data and air monitoring network design 
information.
    The EPA and others (e.g., state and local air quality management 
agencies, tribal entities, environmental groups, academic institutions, 
industrial groups) use the ambient air quality data for many purposes. 
Some of the more prominent uses include informing the public and other 
interested parties of an area's (e.g., county, city, neighborhood) air 
quality, judging an area's air quality in comparison with the 
established health or welfare standards (including both national and 
local standards), evaluating an air quality management agency's 
progress in achieving or maintaining air pollutant levels below the 
national and local standards, developing and revising State 
Implementation Plans (SIPs) in accordance with 40 CFR 51, evaluating 
air pollutant control strategies, developing or revising national 
control policies, providing data for air quality model development and 
validation, supporting enforcement actions, documenting episodes and 
initiating episode controls, air quality trends assessment, and air 
pollution research.
    The state and local agencies and tribal entities with 
responsibility for reporting ambient air quality data and information 
as requested in this ICR submit these data electronically to the EPA's 
Air Quality System (AQS) database. Quality assurance/quality control 
records and monitoring network documentation are also maintained by 
each state and local agency, in AQS electronic format where possible.
    Although the state and local air pollution control agencies and 
tribal entities are responsible for the operation of the air monitoring 
networks, the EPA funds a portion of the total costs through federal 
grants. These grants generally require an appropriate level of 
contribution, or ``match,'' from the state/local agencies or tribal 
entities. The costs shown in this renewal are the total costs incurred 
for the monitoring program regardless of the source of the funding. 
This practice of using the total cost is consistent with prior ICR 
submittals and renewals.
    This ICR reflects revisions of the previous ICR update of 2019, and 
covers the period of 2023-2025. The number of monitoring stations, 
sampling parameters, and frequency of data collection and submittal is 
expected to remain relatively stable for 2023-2025, with minor 
increases and decreases expected for several ambient air monitoring 
networks as air monitoring agencies review and adjust their monitoring 
networks. However, the EPA is reviewing the burden estimates in this 
ICR renewal for potential updates and seeks comments on the burden 
associated with asset management recordkeeping and reporting, burden 
associated with Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) reporting, and 
whether there are other suggested updates to the burden estimates for 
this ICR renewal.
    As noted above, the EPA is considering the burden associated with 
implementing a reporting system and reporting requirements for asset 
management in this ICR renewal and has solicited feedback from 
reporting agencies on asset management reporting. Additionally, the EPA 
is considering the burden associated with Chemical Speciation Network 
(CSN) reporting, which is not a new requirement but was omitted from 
previous ICR renewals. As such, the EPA seeks comments, on a voluntary 
basis, regarding the following topics:
     The EPA seeks comments on whether reporting agencies are 
currently using an asset management system and would use electronic 
data transfer for asset management reporting or whether agencies would 
likely use direct data entry in an online reporting system.
     The EPA seeks comments on the burden currently incurred by 
reporting agencies associated with CSN recordkeeping and reporting.
     The EPA seeks comments on whether additional updates or 
edits are needed to improve the accuracy of the burden estimates in the 
current ICR (EPA ICR No. 0940.29, OMB Control No. 2060-0084).
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: State, Local, and Tribal Air 
Pollution Control Agencies.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (40 CFR part 58).
    Estimated number of respondents: 168 (total).
    Frequency of response: Quarterly.
    Total estimated burden: 1,771,662 hours (per year). Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $215,352,864 (per year), includes $81,263,356 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is an anticipated increase in burden 
from the most recently approved ICR as currently identified in the OMB 
Inventory of Approved Burdens. This is due to several considerations. 
First, the EPA expects to make a correction to include burden for CSN 
reporting. Additionally, the EPA plans to incorporate burden estimates 
for new asset management recordkeeping and reporting. The number of 
respondents is not expected to change significantly over the three-year 
period of this ICR. Finally, the EPA plans to update the burden 
estimates for the Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS). 
For this ICR renewal, the EPA will use experience from the last three 
years to provide burden estimates that adequately reflect the actual 
burden. The EPA will consider any comments received and will conduct 
consultation with reporting agencies. There is an anticipated increase 
in costs due to the correction to include CSN reporting, the additional 
asset management recordkeeping and reporting, and the use of updated 
labor rates.

Richard A. Wayland,
Director, Air Quality Assessment Division.
[FR Doc. 2023-03351 Filed 2-16-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


