
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 8 (Monday, January 13, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2168-2169]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00376]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2006-0369; FRL 9904-80-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; National Estuary Program (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``National Estuary Program'' (EPA 
ICR No. 1500.08, OMB Control No. 2040-0138) to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This is a proposed 
extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through January, 
2014. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal 
Register (78 FR 46332-02) on July 31, 2013 during a 60-day comment 
period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its 
estimated burden and cost to the public. 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: Additional comments may be submitted on or before February 12, 
2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2006-0369 to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to OW-Docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB via email to 
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer for 
EPA.
    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: John McShane, Oceans and Coastal 
Protection Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, Mail 
Code 4504T, Environmental Protection

[[Page 2169]]

Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: 202-566-1381; fax number: 202-566-1336; email address: 
mcshane.john@epa.gov.

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 EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: The National Estuary Program (NEP) involves collecting 
information from the state or local agency or nongovernmental 
organizations that receive funds under Sec. 320 of the Clean Water Act 
(CWA). The regulation requiring this information is found at 40 CFR 
part 35. Prospective grant recipients seek funding to develop or 
oversee and coordinate implementation of Comprehensive Conservation 
Management Plans (CCMPs) for estuaries of national significance. In 
order to receive funds, grantees must submit an annual workplan to EPA 
which are used to track performance of each of the 28 estuary programs 
currently in the NEP.
    EPA provides funding to NEPs to support long-term implementation of 
CCMPs if such programs pass a program evaluation process. The primary 
purpose of the program evaluation process is to help EPA determine 
whether the 28 programs included in the National Estuary Program (NEP) 
are making adequate progress implementing their CCMPs and therefore 
merit continued funding under Sec. 320 of the Clean Water Act. EPA also 
requests that each of the 28 NEPs receiving Sec. 320 funds report 
information that can be used in the GPRA reporting process. This 
reporting is done on an annual basis and is used to show environmental 
results that are being achieved within the overall NEP Program. This 
information is ultimately submitted to Congress along with GPRA 
information from other EPA programs.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are those state or local agencies or nongovernmental 
organizations in the National Estuary Program (NEP) who receive grants 
under Section 320 of the Clean Water Act.
    Respondent's Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain a 
benefit (Section 320 of the Clean Water Act).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 28 (total).
    Frequency of Response: Annual.
    Total Estimated Burden: 4,900 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b)
    Total Estimated Cost: $221,970 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is decrease of 933 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease is due to the fact that the respondents 
are not required to submit a program evaluation package in 2016, as a 
result of modifications made by EPA to the Program Evaluation Guidance 
and a redistribution of the number of NEPs to be reviewed each 
evaluation cycle.

John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2014-00376 Filed 1-10-14; 8:45 am]
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