[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3804-3806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01430]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA HQ-OW-2008-0150; FRL 9350-01-OW]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Establishing Vessel Sewage No-Discharge Zones (NDZs) Under Clean Water 
Act (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Establishing No-Discharge Zones 
(NDZs) Under Clean Water Act Section 312 (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 
1791.09, OMB Control No. 2040-0187) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval in

[[Page 3805]]

accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Before doing so, the 
EPA solicits 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 August 31, 2022. 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 March 28, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2008-0150, online using 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.
    For comments submitted at www.regulations.gov, follow the online 
instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments cannot 
be edited or removed from 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. The EPA 
generally will not consider comments or comment contents located 
outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or other 
file sharing system). The EPA encourages the public to submit comments 
via www.regulations.gov, as there will be a delay in processing mail, 
and hand deliveries will be accepted on a limited basis. For additional 
submission methods, please contact the person identified in the ``For 
Further Information Contact'' section. For 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: Kelsey Watts-FitzGerald, Oceans, 
Wetlands and Communities Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and 
Watersheds, (4504T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-0232; email 
address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents that 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. The official public 
docket is located at the Office of Environmental Information (OEI) 
Docket in the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution 
Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The regular hours of the EPA Docket Center 
Public Reading Room are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays; however, due to the COVID-19 
pandemic, there may be limited or no opportunity to enter the docket 
center. At the time of this printing, out of an abundance of caution 
for members of the public and the EPA staff, the EPA Docket Center and 
Reading Room are open to the public by appointment only to reduce the 
risk of transmitting COVID-19. During this time, Docket Center staff 
will continue to provide remote customer service via email, phone, and 
webform. Hand deliveries and couriers may be received by scheduled 
appointment only. For further information on the EPA Docket Center 
services and the current status, please visit us online at https://www.epa.gov/dockets. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room 
is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OEI Docket is (202) 
566-1752.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available on the 
EPA's website at www.regulations.gov. You may use www.regulations.gov 
to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the 
contents of the official public docket, and access those documents in 
the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the 
system, key in the appropriate docket identification number then select 
``search.'' It is important to note that the EPA's policy is that 
public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be 
made available for public viewing online at www.regulations.gov without 
change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Information 
claimed as CBI and other information whose disclosure is restricted by 
statute is not included in the official public docket or in the 
electronic public docket.
    The EPA's policy is that copyrighted material, including 
copyrighted material contained in a public comment, will not be placed 
in the EPA's electronic public docket but will be available only in 
printed, paper form in the official public docket. The EPA has not 
included any copyrighted material in the docket for this FR Notice of 
Information Request. If commenters submit copyrighted material in a 
public comment, it will be placed in the official public docket and 
made available for public viewing when the EPA Docket Center is open. 
For additional information about the EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, the EPA 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., 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: (A) Sewage No-Discharge Zones: CWA section 312(f) and the 
implementing regulations in 40 CFR part 140 identify the information 
that must be included in a state's application to the EPA to establish 
a no-discharge zone (NDZ) for vessel sewage for some or all of the 
state's waters.
    In designated NDZs, the discharge of both treated and untreated 
sewage from vessels is prohibited. A state is not required to designate 
an NDZ and therefore need only develop applications for waters where 
such a discharge prohibition has been deemed necessary and beneficial 
by the state. This ICR addresses the burden to state respondents to 
develop applications

[[Page 3806]]

containing the necessary information, as well as the burden associated 
with the EPA's review of state applications. The information collection 
activities discussed in this ICR do not require the submission of any 
confidential information.
    (B) Uniform National Discharge Standards (UNDS) NDZs and Review of 
Discharge Determination or Standard: CWA section 312(n)(7) and the 
implementing regulations in 40 CFR part 1700 identify the information 
that a state must submit to the EPA in the state's application to 
establish an NDZ for one or more discharges incidental to the normal 
operation of a vessel of the Armed Forces. A state may seek an NDZ 
designation for any incidental discharge subject to UNDS for which the 
EPA and Department of Defense (DoD) have promulgated national standards 
of performance and corresponding implementing regulations, 
respectively. In addition, CWA section 312(n)(5) provides that that the 
Governor of any state may petition the EPA and DoD to review any 
discharge determination or standard promulgated under CWA section 
312(n) for vessels of the Armed Forces if there is significant new 
information that could reasonably result in a change to the discharge 
determination or standard. This ICR addresses the burden to a state 
respondent to develop applications for NDZs and requests for a review 
of a determination or standard and the burden to the EPA to review the 
applications. The information collection activities discussed in this 
ICR do not require the submission of any confidential information.
    Form numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: States.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: The responses to this 
collection of information are required to obtain the benefit of a 
sewage NDZ (CWA section 312(f)). The responses to this collection of 
information are required to obtain the benefit of an UNDS NDZ or a 
review of an UNDS discharge determination or standard (CWA section 
312(n)).
    Estimated number of respondents: 17 (total).
    Frequency of response: One time.
    Total estimated burden: 914 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 
5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $50,869 (per year), includes $848 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: The EPA expects a decrease in hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. EPA expects a decrease in the overall costs as well, 
despite increases to state and federal labor costs. These decreases are 
attributable to fewer anticipated respondents compared with previous 
estimates. This adjustment is made to account for overestimates in the 
existing ICR and the EPA's estimate of applications for NDZs and review 
of standards that may be submitted during the three-year ICR cycle.

    Dated: January 19, 2022.
John Goodin,
Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds.
[FR Doc. 2022-01430 Filed 1-24-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


