[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 11, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15562-15563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07515]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-SFUND-2013-0549; FRL-9976-63-OLEM]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Notification of Episodic Releases of Oil and Hazardous 
Substances (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 1049.14

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), (EPA ICR No. 1049.14, OMB Control 
No. 2050-0046) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before 
doing so, EPA is soliciting 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 September 30, 
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.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 11, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
SFUND-2013-0549, 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.
    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: Sicy Jacob, Office of Emergency 
Management, (5104A), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-8019; email 
address: [email protected].

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.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
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. 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, 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: Section 103(a) of Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended, requires the 
person in charge of a facility or vessel to immediately notify the 
National Response Center (NRC) of a hazardous substance release into 
the environment if the amount of the release equals or exceeds the 
substance's reportable

[[Page 15563]]

quantity (RQ) limit. The RQs for the hazardous substance can be found 
in Table 302.4 of 40 CFR 302.4.
    Section 311 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), as amended, requires the 
person in charge of a vessel to immediately notify the NRC of an oil 
spill into U.S. navigable waters if the spill causes a sheen, violates 
applicable water quality standards, or causes a sludge or emulsion to 
be deposited beneath the surface of the water or upon adjoining 
shorelines.
    The reporting of a hazardous substance release that is at or above 
the substance's RQ allows the Federal government to determine whether a 
Federal response action is required to control or mitigate any 
potential adverse effects to public health or welfare or the 
environment. Likewise, the reporting of oil spills allows the Federal 
government to determine whether cleaning up the oil spill is necessary 
to mitigate or prevent damage to public health or welfare or the 
environment. The hazardous substance and oil release information 
collected under CERCLA section 103(a) and CWA section 311 also is 
available to EPA program offices and other Federal agencies that use 
the information to evaluate the potential need for additional 
regulations, new permitting requirements for specific substances or 
sources, or improved emergency response planning. Release notification 
information, which is stored in the national Emergency Response 
Notification System (ERNS) data base, is available to state and local 
government authorities as well as the general public. State and local 
government authorities and the regulated community use release 
information for purposes of local emergency response planning. Members 
of the general public, who have access to release information through 
the Freedom of Information Act, may request release information for 
purposes of maintaining an awareness of what types of releases are 
occurring in different localities and what actions, if any, are being 
taken to protect public health and welfare and the environment. ERNS 
fact sheets, which provide summary and statistical information about 
hazardous substance and oil release notifications, also are available 
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. The OMB control numbers 
for EPA's regulations in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9.
    Form numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Facilities and vessels that may have 
releases of any hazardous substance or oil at or above its RQ.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory under CERCLA section 
103(a).
    Estimated number of respondents: 18,447
    Frequency of response: As releases occur from a facility or a 
vessel.
    Total estimated burden: Hours (per year). 75,633 hours per year.
    Estimated total annual costs: $3,951,938. This cost includes an 
estimated labor cost of $3,951,938 and an estimated cost of $0 for 
capital investment or maintenance and operational costs.
    Changes in estimates: There is a decrease of 22,209 hours per year 
in the total estimated respondent burden compared with that identified 
in the ICR currently approved by OMB. This decrease reflects EPA's 
expected decrease in the projected number of release notifications per 
year.

    Dated: April 4, 2018.
Reggie Cheatham,
Director, Office of Emergency Management.
[FR Doc. 2018-07515 Filed 4-10-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


