[Federal Register: February 6, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 25)]
[Notices]
[Page 6961-6962]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06fe08-50]
[[Page 6961]]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-SFUND-2007-0888; FRL-8526-3]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Superfund Site Evaluation and
Hazard Ranking System (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 1488.07, OMB Control No.
2050-0095
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an
existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below,
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated
burden and cost.
DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before March 7, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
SFUND-2007-0888 to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by e-mail to superfund.docket@epa.gov, or by mail
to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Superfund
Docket, Mail Code 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC
20460, and (2) OMB by mail to: Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer
for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randy Hippen, Office of Superfund
Remediation and Technology Innovation, Mail Code 5204-P, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460;
telephone number: 703-603-8829; fax number: 703-603-9104; e-mail
address: hippen.randy@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR
1320.12. On September 4, 2007 (72 FR 50679), EPA sought comments on
this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any
additional comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB
within 30 days of this notice.
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-SFUND-2007-0888, which is available for online viewing at
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Superfund Docket in
the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution
Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room is open from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is 202-566-1744,
and the telephone number for the Superfund Docket is 202-566-0276.
Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at
http://www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made
available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA receives
them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted
material, confidential business information (CBI), or other information
whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For further
information about the electronic docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Title: Superfund Site Evaluation and Hazard Ranking System
(Renewal).
ICR Numbers: EPA ICR No. 1488.07, OMB Control No. 2050-0095.
ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on February 29, 2008.
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor
the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB.
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 title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when
approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed either by
publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such
as on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable. The
display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA regulations is
consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
Abstract: Section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, 1980 and 1986) amends the
National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP)
to include criteria prioritizing releases throughout the U.S. before
undertaking remedial action at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. The
Hazard Ranking System (HRS) is a model that is used to evaluate the
relative threats to human health and the environment posed by actual or
potential releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, and
contaminants. The HRS criteria take into account the population at
risk, the hazard potential of the substances, as well as the potential
for contamination of drinking water supplies, direct human contact,
destruction of sensitive ecosystems, damage to natural resources
affecting the human food chain, contamination of surface water used for
recreation or potable water consumption, and contamination of ambient
air.
EPA Regional offices work with States and Tribes to determine those
sites for which the State or Tribe will conduct the Superfund site
evaluation activities and the HRS scoring. Under this ICR, State or
Tribal authorities will apply the HRS throughout a multi-phase site
evaluation process. Evaluation results are used to identify which sites
brought to the attention of the Superfund Program may warrant cleanup
work and to help determine whether a site is eligible to be included on
the National Priorities List (NPL). Only sites on the NPL are eligible
for Superfund-financed remedial actions. EPA reimburses the States and
Tribes 100 percent of their costs, except for record maintenance.
Responses to this collection are required to obtain or retain a
benefit.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 226.9
hours per response. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This
includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire,
install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of
collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information;
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable
instructions and requirements which have subsequently changed; train
personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search
data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and
transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
Respondents/Affected Entities: States (including U.S. Territories)
and Tribes.
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Estimated Number of Respondents: 60.
Frequency of Response: On occasion, averaging 11 responses per year
per respondent.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 148,873.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $11,740,260, however all these costs
are reimbursed by the Federal Government through cooperative
agreements, resulting in no net cost to respondents for this ICR.
Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 1,412 hours in the
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease represents an adjustment to the
estimates and is primarily due to a decline in the estimated number of
assessment activities to be performed by respondents.
Dated: January 30, 2008.
Sara Hisel-McCoy,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. E8-2155 Filed 2-5-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P