Agency information collection activities; proposals, submissions, and approvals,

[Federal Register: July 7, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 129)]

[Notices]

[Page 40898-40899]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr07jy04-80]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPT-2003-0073; FRL-7782-5]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Reporting and Recordkeeping for Asbestos Abatement Worker Protection; EPA ICR No. 1246.09, OMB No. 2070-0072

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (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. This ICR is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2004. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before August 6, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to both (1) EPA, referencing docket ID number OPPT-2003-0073, online at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. (our preferred method), or by mailto:oppt.ncic@epa.gov. Mail to: Document

Control Office (DCO), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 7407T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB at: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503 (reference OMB Control No. 2070-0072).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Cunningham, Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 7408, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202- 554-1404; e-mail address: TSCA-Hotline@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 January 12, 2004, EPA sought comments on this renewal ICR (69 FR 1738) pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments during the comment period.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. OPPT-2003-0073, which is available for public viewing at the OPPT Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the

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Reading Room is 202-566-1744, and the telephone number for the Pollution Prevention and Toxics Docket is 202-566-0280. An electronic version of the public docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to submit or view public

comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number identified above.

Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket .

ICR Title: Reporting and Recordkeeping for Asbestos Abatement Worker Protection.

Abstract: EPA's asbestos worker protection rule is designed to provide occupational exposure protection to state and local government employees who are engaged in asbestos abatement activities in states that do not have state plans approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The rule provides protection for public employees not covered by the OSHA standard from the adverse health effects associated with occupational exposure to asbestos.

This rule requires state and local governments to monitor employee exposure to asbestos, take action to reduce exposure, monitor employee health, train employees about asbestos hazards, and provide employees with information about exposures to asbestos and the associated health effects. The rule also requires state and local governments to notify EPA before commencing any asbestos abatement project. State and local governments must maintain medical surveillance and monitoring records and training records on their employees, must establish a set of written procedures for respirator programs and must maintain procedures and records of respirator fit tests. EPA will use the information to monitor compliance with the asbestos worker protection rule.

Responses to the collection of information are mandatory (see 40 CFR part 763, subpart G). Respondents may claim all or part of a notice as CBI. EPA will disclose information that is covered by a CBI claim only to the extent permitted by, and in accordance with, the procedures in 40 CFR part 2.

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, are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and included on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.33 hour 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; 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: State or local government agencies in states without an OSHA-approved State Asbestos Plan or State Asbestos Worker Protection Plan that have employees engaged in asbestos-related construction, custodial, and brake and clutch repair activities.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion; includes third-party notification requirement.

Estimated No. of Respondents: 25,312.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 412,243 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Costs: $13,281,559.

Changes in Burden Estimates: This request reflects a decrease of 24,046 hours (from 436,289 hours to 412,243 hours) in the total estimated respondent burden from that currently in the OMB inventory. This decrease is due to a reduction in the number of supervisors at affected entities that need to read and interpret the regulation. In the previous ICR EPA anticipated that all supervisors undertook this activity. In the current ICR EPA expects that only new supervisors must do so. The change in burden represents an adjustment.

Dated: June 28, 2004. Oscar Morales, Director, Collection Strategies Division.

[FR Doc. 04-15344 Filed 7-6-04; 8:45 am]

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