68142 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 225 / Tuesday, November 23, 2004 / Notices 

eliminate or reduce biases that may 

occur in surveys that have undergone 

insufficient testing and development 

(Mitchell and Carson 1989). Based on 

the planned iterative modification of 

survey questions, the structure of 

subsequent draft survey instruments 

will depend on how people respond to 

surveys and questions in previous focus 

groups.

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 

the public reporting and recordkeeping 

burden associated with the focus groups 

will average 160 minutes per 

respondent. The estimated total number 

of respondents is 96, producing an 

approximated 256 hours of total burden 

at a projected cost of $4,883. EPA 

estimates that there will be no capital 

and operating and maintenance cost 

burden. 

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: November 2, 2004. 

Geoffrey H. Grubbs, 

Director, Office of Science and Technology.

[FR Doc. 04–25942 Filed 11–22–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[OW–2004–0031, FRL–7840–6] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request; Information 

Collection Request for National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination 

System (NPDES) and Sewage Sludge 

Monitoring Reports; OMB Control 

Number 2040–0004, EPA ICR Number 

0229.16

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 

continuing Information Collection 

Request (ICR) to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB). This is 

a request to renew an existing approved 

collection. This ICR is scheduled to 

expire on February 28, 2005. 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 January 24, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

referencing docket ID number OW–

2004–0031, 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, Water Docket, Mail 

Code 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 

NW., Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions on this ICR to: Jack 

Faulk, Industrial Branch, Water Permits 

Division, Office of Wastewater 

Management; tel.: (202) 564–0768, fax: 

(202) 564–6431; or e-mail: 

faulk.jack@epa.gov. Or see Section I.C of 

the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has 

established a public docket for this ICR 

under Docket ID number OW–2004–

0031, 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 the 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, 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 those covered 

by an NPDES permit and have 

monitoring and reporting requirements 

as a condition of the permit. States 

responsible for reviewing and following 

up to these reports are also affected. 

Title: Information Collection Request 

for National Pollutant Discharge 

Elimination System (NPDES) and 

Sewage Sludge Monitoring Reports; 

OMB Control Number 2040–0004; EPA 

ICR Number 0229.16. 

Abstract: This ICR estimates the 

current monitoring, recordkeeping and 

costs associated with submitting and 

reviewing Discharge Monitoring Reports 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 225 / Tuesday, November 23, 2004 / Notices 68143

(DMRs), sewage sludge monitoring 

reports, and other monitoring reports 

under EPA’s NPDES program. The 

NPDES program regulations, codified at 

40 CFR parts 122 through 125, require 

permitted municipal and non-municipal 

point source discharges to collect, 

analyze, and submit data on their 

wastewater discharges. Under these 

regulations, the permittee is required to 

collect and analyze wastewater samples 

or have the analysis performed at an 

outside laboratory and report the results 

to the permitting authority (EPA or an 

authorized NPDES State) using a DMR, 

a preprinted form used for reporting 

pollutant discharge information. Sample 

monitoring, analysis, and reporting 

frequencies vary by permit, but must be 

performed at least annually for all 

permitted discharges except for certain 

storm discharges. Upon renewal of this 

ICR, the permitting authority will 

continue to require NPDES and sewage 

sludge facilities to report pollutant 

discharge monitoring data and other 

monitoring information. The permitting 

authority will use the data from these 

forms to assess permittee compliance, 

modify/add new permit requirements, 

and revise effluent guidelines. The 

monitoring data required of NPDES and 

sewage sludge facilities represents the 

minimum information necessary to 

achieve the Agency’s goals and satisfy 

regulatory standards. 

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 

displayed in 40 CFR part 9. 

The EPA would like to solicit 

comments to: 

(1) 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; 

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the 

Agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information; 

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

(4) Minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology, e.g., permitting electronic 

submission of responses.

Burden Statement: EPA estimates that 

79,055 NPDES permittees and 24,346 

sludge permittees will perform sample 

collection, pollutant analysis, reporting 

and recordkeeping as part of their 

NPDES permit requirements to collect 

and report discharge monitoring data to 

permit authorities. These permittees are 

expected to provide 598,016 responses 

to State and Federal NPDES permitting 

authorities. Nationally, permittees will 

spend 3,958,146 hours per year to 

collect samples of their wastewater or 

sludge, 9,041,965 hours per year to 

analyze samples collected, 1,202,620 

hours per year to record and report the 

sampling and analysis information on 

DMRs, and 19,226 hours per year for 

sludge facilities to maintain records (the 

recordkeeping burden for the remaining 

NPDES permittees is reported in the 

Compliance Assessment ICR, OMB 

Control No. 2040–0110) for a total of 

14,221,957 burden hours annually. Each 

permittee will spend an average of 138 

hours per year (23.8 hours per response) 

to collect, analyze and report discharge 

monitoring data. Burden for State 

permitting authorities to review and 

follow-up on non-compliance identified 

in the monitoring reports is estimated to 

be 150,932 hours. 

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: November 18, 2004. 

James A. Hanlon, 

Director, Office of Wastewater Management.

[FR Doc. 04–25943 Filed 11–22–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–7840–5] 

EPA Science Advisory Board Staff 

Office, Request for Nominations of 

Experts for the Children’s 

Environmental Exposure Research 

Study (CHEERS) Review Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Requesting the nomination of 

experts for the Science Advisory Board 

(SAB) CHEERS Review Panel.

DATES: December 17, 2004—Deadline 

for submitting nomination of experts.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Postal Address—U.S. 

EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), 

EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20460–0001. For FedEx 

or courier deliveries: 1025 F Street, 

NW., Room 3603, Mail Code: 1400F, 

Washington, DC 20004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Suhair Shallal, Designated Federal 

Officer, by telephone/voice mail at (202) 

343–9977, by fax at (202) 233–0643; or 

via e-mail at shallal.suhair@epa.gov. 

General information concerning the EPA 

SAB can be found on the EPA SAB Web 

site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: The Science Advisory 

Board (SAB) was established by 42 

U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent 

scientific and technical advice, 

consultation, and recommendations to 

the EPA Administrator on the technical 

basis for Agency positions and 

regulations. Pursuant to a request by 

EPA’s Office of Research and 

Development, the SAB will conduct a 

review of the study design of the 

Children’s Environmental Exposure 

Research Study (CHEERS) entitled 

‘‘Longitudinal Study of Young 

Children’s Exposures in their Homes to 

Selected Pesticides, Phthalates, 

Brominated Flame Retardants, and 

Perfluorinated Chemicals.’’ The study is 

designed to fill critical data gaps in 

understanding children’s exposures to 

pesticides and chemicals that can be 

found in typical residential 

environments. It will provide EPA with 

information to improve both risk 

assessment and risk management 

practices that will ultimately be more 

protective of children’s health. In a 

separate notice, EPA announced the 

availability of and the opportunity to 

comment on the above-mentioned 

document (FRN 68(192):57442–57444; 

69(42):10034–10035). The Agency has 

asked the SAB to comment on: (a) The 

scientific soundness of the study design 

(b) the ethical standards of the study 

design (c) ways of improving the study 

design. 

The SAB will be augmented with 

members of EPA’s Federal Insecticide, 

Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act 

Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP) 

and EPA’s Children’s Health Protection 

Advisory Council (CHPAC) with 

additional outside experts to form the 

SAB CHEERS Review Panel. By 

including members of three EPA 

advisory bodies, the SAB, FIFRA SAP