
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 241 (Wednesday, December 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78227-78228]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31538]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0465; FRL 9940-12-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Water Quality Standards Regulation (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Water Quality Standards 
Regulation (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 0988.12, OMB Control No. 2040-0049) 
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 December 31, 2015. Public comments were previously requested 
via the Federal Register (80 FR 37616 on July 1, 2015), 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. An Agency may 
not

[[Page 78228]]

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 January 15, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2011-0465, 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.
    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: Tangela Cooper, Office of Water, 
Office of Science and Technology, Standards and Health Protection 
Division, (4305T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-0369; email 
address: cooper.tangela@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: Water quality standards are provisions of state, tribal, 
and federal law that consist of designated uses for waters of the 
United States, water quality criteria to protect the designated uses, 
and an antidegradation policy. Section 303(c) of the Clean Water Act 
requires states and authorized tribes to establish water quality 
standards, and to review and, if appropriate, revise their water 
quality standards once every three years. The Act also requires EPA to 
review and either approve or disapprove the new or revised standards, 
and to promulgate replacement federal standards if necessary. Section 
118(c)(2) of the Act specifies additional water quality standards 
requirements for waters of the Great Lakes system.
    The Water Quality Standards Regulation (40 CFR part 131 and 
portions of part 132) governs national implementation of the water 
quality standards program. The Regulation describes requirements and 
procedures for states and authorized tribes to develop, review, and 
revise their water quality standards, and EPA procedures for reviewing 
and approving the water quality standards. The regulation also 
establishes specific additional requirements for water quality 
standards and their implementation in the waters of the Great Lakes 
system, contained in the Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes 
System (40 CFR part 132).
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: States, territories, and Indian 
tribes with EPA-approved standards; NPDES-permitted facilities that 
discharge into the Great Lakes.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory or required to obtain 
or retain a benefit, pursuant to 40 CFR parts 131 and 132.
    Estimated number of respondents: 2,787 (total).
    Frequency of response: Generally annual.
    Total estimated burden: 292,305 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $13,579,575 (per year). There are no 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is an increase of 15,324 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase reflects an increase in the estimated 
number of respondents to reflect EPA's approval of water quality 
standards for four additional tribes, and minor adjustments to reflect 
updated estimates of Great Lakes activities.

Courtney Kerwin,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2015-31538 Filed 12-15-15; 8:45 am]
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