60860 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 197 / Wednesday, October 13, 2004 / Notices 

annual burden estimate. This is a more 

transparent method since it relies on 

simple multiplication of the estimated 

number of respondents by the unit 

burden associated with each.

Dated: October 4, 2004. 

Oscar Morales, 

Director, Collection Strategies Division.

[FR Doc. 04–22959 Filed 10–12–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[OECA–2004–0093; FRL–7827–1] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission for OMB Review 

and Approval; Comment Request; 

Clean Air Act Tribal Authority 

(Renewal), ICR Number 1676.04, OMB 

Number 2060–0306

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 October 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: Comments must be submitted on 

or before November 12, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

referencing docket ID number OAR–

2004–0093, to (1) EPA online using 

EDOCKET (our preferred method), by 

email to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov, or by 

mail to: Environmental Protection 

Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), 

Air and Radiation Docket and 

Information Center, EPA West, Mail 

Code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Darrel Harmon, Immediate Office, Office 

of Air and Radiation, Mail Code 6101A, 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20460; telephone 

number: (202) 564–7416; fax number 

(202) 501–0394, E-mail address: 

harmon.darrel@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 July 13, 2004 (69 FR 42052), EPA 

sought comments on this ICR pursuant 

to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no 

comments. 

EPA has established a public docket 

for this ICR under Docket ID Number 

OAR–2004–0093, which is available for 

public viewing at the Air and Radiation 

Docket and Information Center in the 

EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA 

West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution 

Avenue, 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 the Air 

and Radiation Docket and Information 

Center Docket is: (202) 566–1741. 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. When 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, 

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.

Title: Clean Air Act Tribal Authority 

(Renewal). 

Abstract: This Information Collection 

Request (ICR) seeks authorization for 

Tribes to demonstrate their eligibility to 

be treated in the same manner as states 

under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and to 

submit applications to implement a 

CAA program. This ICR extends the 

collection period of information for 

determining eligibility, which expires 

October 31, 2004. The ICR also is 

revising the estimates of burden costs 

for Tribes in completing a CAA 

application. 

The program regulation provides for 

Indian Tribes, if they so choose, to 

assume responsibility for the 

development and implementation of 

CAA programs. The regulation, Indian 

Tribes: Air Quality Planning and 

Management (Tribal Authority Rule 

[TAR] 40 CFR parts 9, 35, 49, 50 and 

81), sets forth how Tribes may seek 

authority to implement their own air 

quality planning and management 

programs. The rule establishes: (1) 

Which CAA provisions Indian Tribes 

may seek authority to implement, (2) 

what requirements the Tribes must meet 

when seeking such authorization, and 

(3) what Federal financial assistance 

may be available to help Tribes establish 

and manage their air quality programs. 

The TAR provides Tribes the authority 

to administer air quality programs over 

all air resources, including non-Indian 

owned fee lands, within the exterior 

boundaries of a reservation and other 

areas over which the tribe can 

demonstrate jurisdiction. An Indian 

Tribe that takes responsibility for a CAA 

program would essentially be treated in 

the same way as a State would be 

treated for that program. 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, and are 

identified on the form and/or 

instrument, if applicable. 

Burden Statement: The annual public 

reporting and recordkeeping burden for 

this collection of information is 

estimated to average 40 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 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 197 / Wednesday, October 13, 2004 / Notices 60861

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, 

Local, or Tribal Governments. 

Estimated Number of Respondents:

27. 

Frequency of Response: One time 

application. 

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:

360 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Costs:

$26,438, which includes $0 annualized 

capital/startup costs, $0 annual O&M 

costs, and $26,438 annual labor costs. 

Changes in Estimates: There is a 

decrease of 67 hours in the total 

estimated burden currently identified in 

the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR 

Burdens. This decrease is based on 

estimates of fewer responses.

Dated: October 4, 2004. 

Oscar Morales, 

Director, Collection Strategies Division.

[FR Doc. 04–22960 Filed 10–12–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–7827–4] 

State Innovation Grant Program, 

Preliminary Notice and Request for 

Input on the Development of a 

Solicitation for Proposals for 2004/

2005 Awards

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, Office of Policy, 

Economics and Innovation (OPEI) is 

giving a preliminary notice of its 

intention to solicit proposals for a 2004/

2005 grant program to support 

innovation by state environmental 

regulatory agencies—the ‘‘State 

Innovation Grant Program.’’ The Agency 

is also seeking input from State 

Environmental Regulatory Agencies on 

the topic areas for the solicitation. In 

addition, EPA is asking each State 

Environmental Regulatory Agency to 

designate a point of contact at the 

management level (in addition to the 

Commissioner or Cabinet Secretary 

level) who should receive further 

communication about the upcoming 

solicitation. EPA anticipates publication 

of a Federal Register notice to announce 

the availability of the next solicitation 

within 75 days.

DATES: State Environmental Regulatory 

Agencies will have 30 days from the 

date of this pre-announcement notice in 

the Federal Register publication until 

November 12, 2004, to respond with: (1) 

Suggestions for specific topics that 

should be included under the general 

subject area of ‘‘Innovation in 

Environmental Permitting Programs’’

(e.g., topics with 1–2 paragraphs 

description) for the next solicitation; 

and (2) point of contact information 

(name, title, mailing address, telephone 

and fax numbers, and e-mail address) 

for the person within the State 

Environmental Regulatory Agency (in 

addition to Commissioner or Cabinet 

Secretaries) who should receive future 

notices about the State Innovation 

Grants. We will automatically transmit 

notice of availability of the solicitation 

to people in State agencies identified for 

previous solicitations.

ADDRESSES: Information should be sent 

to: State Innovation Grant Program; 

Office of Policy, Economics and 

Innovation; U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (1807T); 1200 

Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, 

DC 20460. Responses may also be sent 

by fax to (202–566–2220), addressed to 

the ‘‘State Innovation Grant Program,’’

or by e-mail to: 

Innovation_State_Grants@EPA.gov. We 

encourage e-mail responses. If you have 

questions about responding to this 

notice, please contact EPA at this e-mail 

address or fax number, or you may call 

Sherri Walker at 202–566–2186. For 

point of contact information, please 

provide: name, title, department and 

agency, street or Post Office address, 

city, State, zip code, telephone, fax, and 

e-mail address. EPA will acknowledge 

all responses it receives to this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: In April 2002, EPA 

issued its plan for future innovation 

efforts, published as Innovating for 

Better Environmental Results: A 

Strategy to Guide the Next Generation of 

Innovation at EPA (EPA 100–R–02–002; 

http://www.epa.gov/innovation/

strategy/). The Agency’s Innovation 

Strategy presents a framework for 

environmental innovation consisting of 

four major elements: 

(1) Strengthen EPA’s innovation 

partnerships with States; 

(2) Focus on priority environmental 

issues; 

(3) Diversify environmental protection 

tools and approaches; 

(4) Foster a more ‘‘innovationfriendly’’ organizational culture and 

systems. This assistance program 

strengthens EPA’s partnership with the 

States by supporting State innovation 

compatible with the Innovation 

Strategy. EPA would like to help States 

build on previous experience and 

undertake strategic innovation projects 

that promote larger-scale models for 

‘‘next generation’’ environmental 

protection and promise better 

environmental results. EPA is interested 

in funding projects that go beyond a 

single facility experiment and obtain 

better results from a program, process, 

or sector-wide innovation. EPA is 

particularly interested in innovation 

that promotes integrated (cross-media) 

environmental management and is 

transferable to other States. 

In 2002, EPA initiated the State 

Innovation Grants Program with a 

competition that asked for State project 

proposals that would create innovation 

in environmental permitting programs 

related to one of the Innovation 

Strategy’s four priority environmental 

issues: reducing greenhouse gases, 

reducing smog, improving water quality, 

and ensuring the long-term integrity of 

the nations’s water infrastructure. In 

addition, the solicitation encouraged 

projects that test incentives that 

motivate ‘‘beyond-compliance’’

environmental performance, or move 

whole sectors toward improved 

environmental performance. The 2002 

competition resulted in six state 

innovation project awards. In October 

2003, the EPA National Center for 

Environmental Innovation (NCEI) 

opened the 2003/2004 competition for 

projects to be funded in 2004. On April 

16, 2004, EPA announced the ten 

projects that have been selected from 

this new competition. EPA is currently 

completing awards to States selected in 

that competition. For more information 

on last year’s solicitation, the proposals 

received, and the 2003–04 award 

decisions, please see the Web site at: 

http://www.epa.gov/innovation/

stategrants.

Request for Input on Solicitation 

Topics and Priorities: Like the prior two 

solicitations, the 2004/2005 State 

Innovation Grant Program competition 

will seek to strengthen EPA’s innovation 

partnership with States by providing a 

source of funding to facilitate State 

efforts to test new models for ‘‘next 

generation’’ environmental protection 

that will provide better environmental 

results, consistent with the goals of 

EPA’s Innovation Strategy.

EPA proposes to retain ‘‘innovation in 

permitting’’ as the general subject area 

of the upcoming solicitation as well as