[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51829-51831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24339]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0885: FRL-9970-59-OAR]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Implementation of the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards for Ozone; State Implementation Plan Requirements, 
EPA ICR No. 2347.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0695

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On October 2, 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
announced that EPA is planning to

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submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection 
Request (ICR) 2347.02, ``Implementation of the 2008 National Ambient 
Air Quality Standards for Ozone,'' to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB). This existing ICR is scheduled to expire on January 31, 
2018. Before submitting the ICR renewal request to OMB for review and 
approval, the EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the 
proposed information collection as described below. The EPA is 
reopening the comment period on the proposed ICR that closed on 
November 1, 2017.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 8, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2010-0885, at https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 
instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments cannot 
be edited or removed from http://www.regulations.gov. The EPA may 
publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit 
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be 
accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the 
official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish 
to make. For additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment 
policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general 
guidance on making effective comments, please visit https://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Butch Stackhouse, Air Quality 
Policy Division, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Mail 
Code C539-01, Environmental Protection Agency, T.W. Alexander Drive, 
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: (919) 541-5208; fax 
number: (919) 541-0824; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

How can I access the docket and/or submit comments?

    The EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket 
ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0885, which is available for online viewing at 
https://www.regulations.gov, or for in-person viewing at the Air Docket 
in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 
Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC 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 (202) 566-
1744, and the telephone number for the Air Docket is (202) 566-1742.
    Use https://www.regulations.gov to obtain a copy of the draft 
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those 
documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once 
in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number 
identified in this document.

What information is the EPA particularly interested in?

    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
(PRA), the EPA specifically solicits 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., allowing for electronic 
submission of responses (in this case, revisions to State 
Implementation Plans (SIPs) to meet planning requirements for 
nonattainment areas for the 2008 ozone NAAQS).

What should I consider when I prepare my comments for the EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific 
examples.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used 
that support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
    6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified 
under DATES.
    7. To ensure proper receipt by the EPA, be sure to identify the 
docket ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the 
first page of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and 
Federal Register citation.

What information collection activity or ICR does this apply to?

    Affected entities: Entities affected by this action are state and 
local air agencies subject to attainment planning requirements for 
areas designated nonattainment for the 2008 ozone NAAQS. Such planning 
requirements may include attainment demonstrations, Reasonable Further 
Progress (RFP) plans, and Reasonably Available Control Technology 
(RACT) and Reasonably Available Control Measure (RACM) SIP submissions. 
Local, state, and federal agencies are part of the North American 
Industrial Classification System Code number 924110. There are other 
entities that may be indirectly affected, due to the fact that they may 
comment on the draft submissions before air agencies submit them to 
EPA. These include potentially regulated entities, representatives of 
stakeholder groups, and members of the general public.
    Title: Implementation of the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality 
Standards for Ozone: State Implementation Plan Requirements; 
Information Collection Request Renewal.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2347.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0695.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on January 
31, 2018. 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 the 
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. They 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 in certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR 
part 9.
    Abstract: The PRA requires the information found in this ICR (No. 
2347.03) to assess the burden (in hours and dollars) of meeting the 
requirements of the Implementation of the 2008 National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ozone: State Implementation Plan 
Requirements;

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Final Rule. The rule was proposed on June 6, 2013 (78 FR 34178), and 
promulgated on March 15, 2015 (80 FR 12264). The rule includes 
requirements that involve collecting information from states with areas 
designated nonattainment for the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS. These 
information collection milestones include but are not limited to state 
submissions of attainment demonstrations, RFP plans, and RACT 
determinations. The burden estimate in the original ICR assumed 26 
state air agency respondents (state and local air agencies), including 
the District of Columbia, responsible for meeting attainment planning 
obligations for 46 designated nonattainment areas for the 2008 ozone 
NAAQS. The revised burden estimate in this proposed ICR renewal 
incorporates changes to the original estimate that affect 17 
respondents with jurisdiction over 30 nonattainment areas that are in 
various stages of planning for attainment or maintenance of the 2008 
ozone NAAQS. The time period covered by this ICR is February 1, 2018, 
through January 31, 2021.
    Burden Statement: The estimated public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for the original ICR was 120,000 labor hours for the 3-year 
period, for an estimated average burden of 4,615 hours per respondent 
(the number of respondents was assumed to be 26). The incremental 
public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this proposed collection 
of information is estimated to total 62,000 hours, for an average of 
3,647 hours per affected respondent (the number of respondents is 
assumed to be 17) over the 3-year period covered by this ICR renewal. 
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; to 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; to adjust the existing ways to 
comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements 
which have subsequently changed; to train personnel to be able to 
respond to a collection of information; to search data sources; to 
complete and review the collection of information; and, to transmit or 
otherwise disclose the information.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the agency's estimate, 
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Respondents/Affected Entities: State and local governments.
    Estimated total number of affected respondents: 17.
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Estimated total additional annual burden hours: 20,667 hours.
    Estimated total additional annual cost: $1,404,757. This includes 
an estimated burden cost of $0 for capital investment or maintenance 
and operational costs.

Are there changes in the estimates from the last approval?

    The total estimated respondent burden during the 3-year period of 
this ICR renewal is 62,000 hours, compared with a total estimated 
respondent burden of 120,000 hours identified for the 3-year period 
covered by the original ICR approved by OMB.

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

    The EPA will consider the comments received on this proposal and 
will 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. At 
that time, the EPA will issue another Federal Register notice 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 technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

     Dated: November 1, 2017.
Mary Henigin,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2017-24339 Filed 11-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


