Agency information collection activities: Submission for OMB review; comment request,

[Federal Register: April 15, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 72)]

[Notices]

[Page 18402-18403]

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

[DOCID:fr15ap98-81]

[[Page 18402]]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5996-8]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Facility Ground-Water Monitoring Requirements

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the following Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Facility Ground-Water Monitoring Requirements, EPA ICR #959.10; OMB Control Number 2050-0033; expiring 5/31/98. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden and cost; where appropriate, it includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 15, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY: Contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone at (202) 260-2740, by email at farmer.sandy@epamail.epa.gov, or download off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR No. 959.10.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Facility Ground-Water Monitoring Requirements, OMB Control Number 2050-0033; EPA ICR #959.10; expiring 5/31/98. This is a request for an extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) creates a comprehensive program for the safe management of hazardous waste. Section 3004 of RCRA requires owners and operators of facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste to comply with standards established by EPA that are ``necessary to protect human health and the environment.'' Section 3005 provides for implementation of these standards under permits issued to owners and operators by EPA or authorized States. Section 3005 also allows owners and operators of facilities in existence when the regulations came into effect to comply with applicable notice requirements to operate until a permit is issued or denied. This statutory authorization to operate prior to permit determination is commonly known as ``interim status.'' Owners and operators of interim status facilities also must comply with standards set under Section 3004.

EPA promulgated ground-water monitoring standards for interim status facilities in 1980 (45 FR 33154 May 19, 1980), codified in 40 CFR Part 265, Subpart F, and for permitted facilities in 1982 (47 FR 32274 July 26, 1982), codified in 40 CFR Part 264, Subpart F. Both sets of standards establish programs for protecting ground water from releases of hazardous wastes from land disposal facilities with regulated units (these include surface impoundments, waste piles, land treatment units, and landfills).

The ground-water monitoring requirements for regulated units follow a tiered approach whereby releases of hazardous contaminants are first detected, then confirmed, and, if necessary, are required to be cleaned up. Each of these tiers requires collection and analysis of groundwater samples. Owners or operators that conduct groundwater monitoring are required to report information to the oversight agencies on releases of contaminants and to maintain records of ground-water monitoring data at their facilities. The goal of the ground-water monitoring program is to prevent and quickly detect releases of hazardous contaminants to groundwater, and to establish a program whereby any contamination is expeditiously cleaned up. 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 are listed in 40 CFR Part 9 and 48 CFR Chapter 15. The Federal Register Notice required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 1/26/98(63FR 3737); two comments were received.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 11.1 hours per year, and the annual record keeping burden is estimated at 23.6 hours per year; these estimates represent the overall reporting and record keeping burdens placed on permitted facilities, regardless of whether they are performing detection monitoring, compliance monitoring or corrective action. The specific burden estimates for these activities include: (1) For facilities performing detection monitoring, average reporting burden of 5.2 hours per year and an average record keeping burden of 25.5 hours per year; (2) for facilities performing compliance monitoring, average reporting burden of 9.0 hours per year and an average record keeping burden of 24.5 hours per year; (3) for facilities performing corrective action, average reporting burden of 20.0 hours per year and an average record keeping burden of 20.5 hours per year. 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.

Reasons for change in burden: The burden estimates reflect a revised analysis of burden that resulted from better identification of (1) capital and (2) operational and maintenance (O&M) costs. The overall annual burden hour estimate has decreased from 181,179 hours to 64,181 hours, a decrease of 116,998 hours per year. This burden hour decrease is better attributed to burden costs for the purchases of O&M services in the amount of $80,106,000.

Respondents/Affected Entities: Owners or operators of RCRA hazardous waste facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste in regulated units (these include surface impoundments, waste piles, land treatment units, and landfills).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,647.

Frequency of Response: Varies.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 64,181 hours.

Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $80,106,000.

Send comments on the Agency's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of automated collection techniques to the following addresses. Please refer to EPA ICR No. 959.10 and OMB Control No. 2050-0033 in any correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory Information Division (2137), 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. (or E-mail Farmer.Sandy@epamail.epa.gov) and

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Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503.

Dated: April 9, 1998. Joseph Retzer, Director, Regulatory Information Division.

[FR Doc. 98-10008Filed4-14-98; 8:45 am]

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