Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2004 / Notices 5145

cooperating agencies for the preparation 

of the EA. 

Additional Information 

Additional information about the 

project is available from the 

Commission’s Office of External Affairs, 

at 1–866–208–FERC or on the FERC 

Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) 

using the eLibrary link. Click on the 

eLibrary link, click on ‘‘General Search’’

and enter the docket number excluding 

the last three digits in the Docket 

Number field. Be sure you have selected 

an appropriate date range. For 

assistance with eLibrary, the eLibrary 

helpline can be reached at 1–866–208–

3676, TTY (202) 502–8659, or at 

FERConlinesupport@ferc.gov. The 

eLibrary link on the FERC Internet Web 

site also provides access to the texts of 

formal documents issued by the 

Commission, such as orders, notices, 

and rulemakings. 

In addition, the Commission now 

offers a free service called eSubscription 

which allows you to keep track of all 

formal issuances and submittals in 

specific dockets. This can reduce the 

amount of time you spend researching 

proceedings by automatically providing 

you with notification of these filings, 

document summaries and direct links to 

the documents. Go to http://

www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm. 

Finally, public meetings or site visits 

will be posted on the Commission’s 

calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/

EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along 

with other related information.

Magalie R. Salas, 

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E4–165 Filed 2–2–04; 8:45 AM] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[OW–2003–0081, FRL–7617–3] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request; Survey 

Questionnaire To Determine the 

Effectiveness, Costs, and Impacts of 

Sewage and Graywater Treatment 

Devices for Large Cruise Ships 

Operating in Alaska, EPA ICR Number 

OW–2003–0014, OMB Control Number 

20XX–XXXX

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 EPA is planning to submit a 

proposed Information Collection 

Request (ICR) to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB). This is 

a request for a new collection. Before 

submitting the ICR to OMB for review 

and approval, EPA is soliciting 

comments on specific aspects of the 

proposed information collection as 

described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before April 5, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

referencing docket ID number OW–

2003–0081, to EPA online using 

EDOCKET (our preferred method), by email to ow-docket@epa.gov, or by mail 

to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental 

Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

Water Docket, EPA West, 4101T, 1200 

Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, 

DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Elizabeth Kim, Oceans and Coastal 

Protection Division, Office of Water, 

4504T, Environmental Protection 

Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 

Washington, DC 20460; telephone 

number: (202) 566–1270; fax number: 

(202) 566–1546; e-mail address: 

kim.elizabeth@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has 

established a public docket for this ICR 

under Docket ID number OW–2003–

0081, which is available for public 

viewing at the Water 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 8:30 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 Water Docket 

is (202) 566–2426. An electronic version 

of the public docket is available through 

EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://

www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to 

obtain a copy of the draft collection of 

information, 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 within 60 

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, 

Confidential Business Information (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.

Affected entities: Entities potentially 

affected by this action are operators of 

cruise lines and individual cruise ships 

authorized to carry for hire 500 or more 

passengers that operate in and near 

waters of the State of Alaska. 

Title: Survey Questionnaire to 

Determine the Effectiveness, Costs, and 

Impacts of Sewage and Graywater 

Treatment Devices for Large Cruise 

Ships Operating in Alaska. 

Abstract: On December 12, 2000, 

Congress passed HR 4577 (Pub. L. 106–

554), ‘‘Department of Labor, Health and 

Human Services, and Education, and 

Related Agencies Appropriations Act.’’

This act included a section, entitled 

‘‘Title XIV: Certain Alaskan Cruise Ship 

Operations’’ (33 U.S.C. 1902 Note). Title 

XIV set requirements for the discharge 

of sewage and graywater from cruise 

ships capable of carrying for hire 500 or 

more passengers while operating in the 

waters of the Alexander Archipelago 

and the navigable waters of the United 

States within the State of Alaska and 

within the Kachemak Bay National 

Estuarine Research Reserve. Title XIV 

also authorized that:

the Administrator [of the EPA] may 

promulgate effluent standards for treated 

sewage (human body waste and the wastes 

from toilets and other receptacles intended to 

receive or retain human body waste) and 

graywater (galley, dishwasher, bath, and 

laundry waste water) from cruise vessels 

operating in the waters of the Alexander 

Archipelago or the navigable waters of the 

United States within the State of Alaska or 

within the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine 

Research Reserve. Regulations implementing 

such standards shall take into account the 

best available scientific information on the 

environmental effects of the regulated 

discharges and the availability of new 

technologies for wastewater treatment.

EPA has begun an effort to develop 

and promulgate regulations, as

5146 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2004 / Notices 

necessary and appropriate, for 

controlling the discharge of sewage and 

graywater from cruise ships covered by 

Title XIV. Title XIV provides that the 

authority of sections 308(a) and 308(b) 

of the Clean Water Act, regarding 

records, reports, and inspections, shall 

be available to carry out the provisions 

of the Act (section 1413). EPA is in the 

process of preparing an ICR for OMB 

approval for gathering data in support of 

this rulemaking. The ICR would request 

approval to collect information from 

cruise lines and each cruise ship 

covered by Title XIV. 

The information to be gathered with 

a survey questionnaire would include: 

general information regarding the cruise 

line and each of the cruise vessels 

authorized to carry for hire 500 or more 

passengers in waters in and near Alaska 

(e.g., size, capacity, ports of call); 

description of sources of graywater; 

ship-board plumbing systems; data 

describing the effectiveness of sewage 

and graywater treatment systems and 

marine sanitation devices (MSDs) 

operating on these large vessels at 

removing pollutants of concern; costs of 

these systems; pollution prevention 

programs and management practices; 

information pertinent to environmental 

assessment; and financial information 

and data necessary for economic impact 

analysis. When possible, EPA would use 

available information to complete 

answers to some questions. In these 

cases, the respondent would be asked to 

verify the information and update it if 

necessary. The survey questionnaire 

would provide instructions on the 

procedures for making CBI claims, if 

necessary, and the respondents would 

be informed of the rules governing 

protection of CBI, obtained under the 

Clean Water Act, for information that 

warrants such claims. 

In a related effort that would not be 

covered by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act, EPA intends to sample and analyze 

wastewaters from three to five yet-to-be 

selected vessels operating in Alaska 

during the summer of 2004. The 

purpose of this sampling would be to 

characterize the on-board performance 

of various sewage and graywater 

treatment systems. EPA would like to 

solicit comments on this sampling 

effort. Subsequent to the publication of 

this notice, EPA intends to consult with 

cruise lines and other stakeholders to 

select technologies and vessels to be 

sampled, and will make specific 

information for this activity available for 

further public comment in the second 

Federal Register notice for the survey 

ICR. 

EPA also intends to continue to 

supplement these primary sources by 

gathering additional publicly available 

information and data from the Alaska 

Department of Environmental 

Conservation (ADEC) and the U.S. Coast 

Guard (USCG), the cruise ship industry, 

and other stakeholders. 

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. 

The EPA would like to solicit 

comments 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. 

Burden Statement: EPA estimates that 

12 cruise line operators would respond 

to the survey for each of the 32 vessels 

operating in Alaska. EPA estimates it 

would take an average of approximately 

48 hours to complete and review 

responses to the survey questionnaire 

and associated data submissions for 

each cruise ship that is certified by the 

U.S. Coast Guard to discharge 

continuously in the waters in and near 

Alaska under 33 CFR 159.309. This 

estimate includes the burden for 

verifying and updating ‘‘draft’’

responses provided by EPA to a portion 

of the questions. EPA estimates that the 

total burden for cruise lines operating 

the 18 vessels certified to discharge 

continuously under 33 CFR 159.309 

would be approximately 864 hours, or 

$34,000 assuming an average labor rate 

for the likely range of personnel 

involved in responding. 

For the remaining 14 ships that do not

have wastewater treatment systems 

authorized to discharge continuously, 

EPA estimates it would take an average 

of approximately 16 hours to complete 

and review responses to the survey 

questionnaire. EPA estimates that the 

total burden for these 14 vessels would 

be approximately 224 hours, or $9,000 

assuming an average labor rate for the 

likely range of personnel involved in 

responding. 

EPA estimates that the total burden to 

the 12 cruise lines operating 32 vessels 

for responding to the survey 

questionnaire would be approximately 

1088 hours, or $43,000. EPA estimates 

that there would be no start up or 

capital cost associated with responding 

to the surveys described above. 

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.

Dated: January 20, 2004. 

Suzanne E. Schwartz, 

Director, Oceans and Coastal Protection 

Division.

[FR Doc. 04–2154 Filed 2–2–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–7617–2] 

EPA Public Meeting: Market 

Enhancement Opportunities for WaterEfficient Products; Notice of Change in 

Meeting Location

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency is hosting a one-day public 

meeting to discuss market enhancement 

opportunities for water-efficient 

products. EPA’s goal is to bring together 

stakeholders from Federal, state and 

local governments; utilities; 

manufacturers; building trade 

associations; consumer groups; and 

other interested parties to exchange 

information and views on promoting 

water-efficient products in the 

marketplace. The focus of the February 

meeting will be on landscape irrigation 

products. The first meeting was held in 

Washington, DC on October 9, 2003 and