[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 129 (Thursday, July 7, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40527-40528]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-14492]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0442; FRL-10003-01-OMS]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Microbial Rules (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR) for the Microbial Rules (EPA ICR 
Number 1895.11, OMB Control Number 2040-0205) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, 
which is currently approved through July 31, 2022. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register on December 15, 2021, 
during a 60-day comment period. The ICR, a copy of which is in the 
docket and briefly summarized in this document, describes the covered 
information collection activities, along with the Agency's estimated 
burden and cost. 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 August 8, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2011-0442, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method) 
or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 
Code 2821T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. 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.
    Submit written comments and recommendations to OMB for the proposed 
information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Roland, Drinking Water 
Protection Division, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, 
(4606M), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-4588: fax number: 202-
564-3755; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents, which explain in 
detail the information that EPA will be collecting, are available in 
the public

[[Page 40528]]

docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at https://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 Microbial Rules ICR examines public water system and 
primacy agency burden and costs for recordkeeping and reporting 
requirements in support of the microbial drinking water regulations. 
The recordkeeping and reporting requirements are mandatory for 
compliance with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFFR) at 40 CFR parts 
141 and 142. The following microbial regulations are included: the 
Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR), the Revised Total Coliform Rule 
(RTCR), the Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (IESWTR), the 
Filter Backwash Recycling Rule (FBRR), the Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface 
Water Treatment Rule (LT1ESWTR), the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water 
Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR), the Ground Water Rule (GWR) and the Aircraft 
Drinking Water Rule (ADWR). Future microbial-related rulemakings will 
be added to this consolidated ICR after the regulations are promulgated 
and the initial, rule-specific, ICRs are due to expire.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Public water systems and primacy 
agencies.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory for compliance with 
40 CFR parts 141 and 142.
    Estimated number of respondents: 144,273 (total).
    Frequency of response: Varies by requirement (i.e., on occasion, 
monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually).
    Total estimated burden: 15,020,711 hours (per year). Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $1,318,255,000 (per year), includes 
$174,805,000 annualized capital or operation and maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 3,106,871 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This is due to the replacement of the original Total 
Coliform Rule with the Revised Total Coliform Rule and updated system 
inventories.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2022-14492 Filed 7-6-22; 8:45 am]
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