1

INFORMATION COLLECTION REQUEST

for GREEN PO W ER PARTNERSHIP AND COMBINED HEAT AND POWER PARTNERSHIP

EPA ICR NUMBER 2173. 02

OMB CONTROL NUMBER 2060

- 0578

April 22 20 15

Prepared by:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation Climate Protection Partnerships Division2 Table of Contents

1 Identification of the Information Collection

................................ ................................ ........ 4 1. a Title of the Information Collection

................................ ................................ ............ 4 1. b Short Characterization/Abstract

................................ ................................ ................. 4 2 Need for and Use of the Collection

................................ ................................ ...................... 4 2.a Need/Authority for the Collection

................................ ................................ .............. 4 2.b Practical Utility/Users of the Data

................................ ................................ .............. 5 3 Non duplication , Consultations, and Other Collection Criteria

................................ ........... 6 3. a Non duplication

................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 6 3. b Public Notice Required Prior to ICR Submission to OMB

................................ ...... 6 3. c C onsultations

................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 6 3. d Effects of Less Frequent Collection

................................ ................................ ........... 7 3. e General Guidelines

................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 7 3. f Confidentiality

................................ ................................ ................................ ............ 7 3. g Sensitive Questions

................................ ................................ ................................ .... 7 4 The Respondents and the Information Requested

................................ ............................... 8 4. a Respondents and SIC Codes

................................ ................................ ...................... 8 4. a . (i ) GPP Respondents and SIC Codes

................................ ................................ ...... 8 4. a ( ii) CHP P Respondents and SIC Codes

................................ ................................ ... 8 4. b Information Requested

................................ ................................ ............................. 10 4. b (i) Data Items, Including Recordkeeping Requirements

................................ ....... 10 4. b (ii) Respondent Activities

................................ ................................ ..................... 12 5 Information Collected: Agency Activities, Collection Methodology, and Information Management

................................ ................................ ................................ ....................... 1 3 5. a Agency Activities

................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 1 3 5. b Collection Methodology and Management

................................ .............................. 1 6 5. c Small Entity Flexibility

................................ ................................ ............................ 1 6 5. d Collection Schedule

................................ ................................ ................................ . 1 9 6 Estimating the Burden and Cost of the Colle ction

................................ ............................. 1 9 6. a Estimating Respondent Burden

................................ ................................ ................ 1 9 6. b Estimating Respondent Costs

................................ ................................ .................. 20 6. b ( i) Estimating Labor Costs

................................ ................................ ..................... 20 6. b ( ii) Estimating Capital and Operations and Maintenance Costs

............................ 20 6. c Estimating Agency Burden and Cos ts

................................ ................................ ...... 2 1 6. d Estimating the Respondent Universe

................................ ................................ ....... 2 1 6. e Bottom Line Burden Hours and Costs

................................ ................................ ..... 22 6. f Reasons for Change in Burden

................................ ................................ ................. 2 5 6. g Burden Statement

................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 2 63 EXHIBITS ATTACHMENT A: Green Power Partnership Respondent Burden for Years 1 through 3
A

- 1 Green Power Partnership Private Sector Respondent Burden for Year 1
A

- 2 Green Power Partnership Private Sector Respondent Burden for Year 2
A

- 3 Green Power Partnership Private Sector Respondent Burden for Year 3

A

- 4 Green Power Partnership Local & State Government Respondent Burden for Year 1
A

- 5 Green Power Partnership Local & State Government Respondent Burden for Year 2
A

- 6 Green Power Partnership Local & State Government Respondent Burden for Year 3

A

- 7 Green Pow er Partnership Federal Government Respondent Burden for Year 1
A

- 8 Green Power Partnership Federal Government Respondent Burden for Year 2
A

- 9 Green Power Partnership Federal Government Respondent Burden for Year 3

ATTACHMENT B: CHP Partnership Resp ondent Burden for Years 1 through 3
B

- 1 CHP Partnership Private Sector Respondent Burden for Year 1
B

- 2 CHP Partnership Private Sector Respondent Burden for Year 2
B

- 3 CHP Partnership Private Sector Respondent Burden for Year 3

B

- 4 CHP Part nership State & Local Government Respondent Burden for Year 1
B

- 5 CHP Partnership State & Local Government Respondent Burden for Year 2
B

- 6 CHP Partnership State & Local Government Respondent Burden for Year 3

ATTACHMENT C: Green Power Partnership A gency (EPA) Burden for Years 1 through 3
C

- 1 Green Power Partnership Agency (EPA) Burden for Year 1
C

- 2 Green Power Partnership Agency (EPA) Burden for Year 2
C

- 3 Green Power Partnership Agency (EPA) Burden for Year 3

ATTACHMENT D: CHP Partnership Agency (EPA) Burden for Years 1 through 3
D

- 1 CHP Partnership Agency (EPA) Burden for Year 1
D

- 2 CHP Partnership Agency (EPA) Burden for Year 2
D

- 3 CHP Partnership Agency (EPA) Burden for Year 34 SUPPORTING STATEMENT A
1. IDENTIFICATION OF THE INFORMATION COLLECTION 1(a) Title and Number of the Information Collection Request Reporting Requirements u nder EPA’s Green Power Partnership (GPP) and C ombined
H eat and P ower (CHP) Partnership (Renewal) EPA ICR No. 2173.02, OMB Con trol No. 2060

- 0578

. 1(b) Short Characterization/Abstract
In 2002, EPA launched two new partnership programs with industry and other
stakeholders: the Green Power Partnership (GPP) and the Combined Heat and Power Partnership (CHPP) . These voluntary partnership programs encourage organizations to invest in clean, efficient energy technologies, including renewable energy and combined heat and power. To continue to be successful, it is critical that EPA collect information from GPP and CHPP Partners

t o ensure these organizations are meeting their renewable energy and CHP goals and to assure the credibility of these voluntary partnership programs. EPA has developed this ICR to obtain authorization to collect information from organizations participating in the GPP and CHPP . Organizations that join these programs voluntarily agree to the following respective actions: (1) designating a GPP or CHPP lia ison and filling out a Partnership Agreement or Letter of Intent (LOI) respectively ; (2) for the GPP
, reporting to EPA, on an annual basis, their progress toward their green power commitment via a
2

- page reporting form; (3) for the CHPP , reporting to EPA i nformation on their existing CHP projects , new project development and other CHP

- related activities . EPA uses the data obtained from its Partners to assess the success of these programs in achieving their national energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals. Partners are organizational entities that have volunteered to participate in either Partnership program. Finally, GPP partners that wish to receive additional recognition for their effort in g reen
p ower use and promotion may submit an applicatio n for the Green Power Leadership Award.

2. NEED FOR AND USE OF THIS COLLECTION

2(a) Need/Authority for the Collection

Section 103(a) of the Clean Air Act authorizes EPA to establish “a national research and development program for the prevention and control of air pollution.” As part of such a program,5

EPA is to “conduct and promote the coordination and acceleration of re search, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects (including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention and control of air pollution.” Section 103(a ) ( 1).

In addition, as a component of the pr ogram, section 103(g) directs the Administrator to “conduct a basic engineering research and technology program to develop, evaluate, and
demonstrate non regulatory strategies and technologies for air pollution prevention.” The section
calls on the Adminis trator to provide opportunities for industry, public interest groups, scientists, and other interested persons to participate in strategy development. Section 103(g) further directs EPA to include as elements in the program “improvements in non

- regulatory strategies and technologies for preventing or reducing multiple air pollutants including sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, heavy metals, PM

- 10 (particulate matter), carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide...” The strategies and technologies are to improve vario us air pollutant reduction and non

- regulatory control strategies, including clean energy programs

. The Green Power Partnership and the Combined Heat and Power Partnership programs are part of the Administrator’s response. EPA needs to collect the informat ion in the Partnership Agreement or LOI to formally establish participation in the GPP or CHPP program and to obtain general information about new Partners. Additional information collected through information
forms is needed to allow EPA to track Partner progress toward meeting their commitments, and to enable the programs to facilitate and provide assistance to encourage green power purchases and the implementation of CHP projects, and to determine progress in meeting the programs’ national energy and GH G reduction goals. This information collection will assist the GPP in increasing demand for the use of qualifying renewable energy sources for power generation thereby reducing GHG emissions. The information will also help the CHPP to increase the use of more efficient, cleaner power generation and reduce GHG emissions. Participation in the GPP and CHPP is voluntary. Program participants agree to provide EPA with the requested information. This information collection is designed to support and

ensure t he success of GPP AND CHP as a non

- regulatory strategy for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions 2(b) Practical Utility/Users of the Data
EPA uses the information submitted in the Partnership Agreement or LOI to update its
database s of GPP or CHPP Partners. The database s serve as a source of general information and6

a contact list. EPA uses the information submitted in additional forms to monitor the progress of current participation and projects and identify new opportunities. EPA also uses the data to
prepare reports on GPP and CHP projects and progress as well as to determine the GHG reductions achieved by the programs. EPA uses case studies of successful CHP projects to demonstrate to existing and potential Partners the cost sa vings and environmental benefits associated with more efficient energy production through CHP projects. General information on the Partners, green power, and CHP is also provided on the respective Web sites, making it
available to other Partners as well a s the public.
3. NONDUPLICATION, CONSULTATIONS, AND OTHER COLLECTION
CRITERIA 3(a) Non duplication For new Partners, the information to be collected has not previously been collected by EPA or any other Federal Agency. Existing GPP Partners provide updates to existing information through a Partner Yearly Report. Existing CHP P Partners with ongoing CHP project development activities review and update a CHPP Partners Project Data Form every year. Some
CHPP Partners
, such a s certain end

- users and city /state programs, have no annual reporting requirements. For existing Partners with both programs, some of the information required is available in the existing databases from previous submittals. To avoid requesting information that has already
been co llected, forms sent to existing Partners are pre

- populated with previously submitted information from the database. Recipients of the forms are asked to review the information provided. Only if the information is incorrect or out of date will the recipie nts be required to provide updated or additional information. To further reduce burden, EPA provide s CHPP Partners who have ongoing project development activities with a simple spreadsheet of previously submitted project data that they can review and revise electronically rather than filling out a form. 3(b) Public Notice Required Prior to ICR Submission to OMB In 2015, EPA will be soliciting public comments on the ICR through an announcement in the Federal Register contained in docket number EPA

- HQ

- OAR

- 2004

- 0501 3(c) Consultations
In 2015, EPA consult ed with five GPP partners and three CHPP partners rega rding the burden of information collection for the programs, as the agency did in 2004
, 2008 , and 2011.
EPA follow ed the same consultation procedure s as was conducted in 2004
, 2008 , and 2011

.7

In 2015, EPA consulted with five GPP Partners (three for genera l GPP programs, two for Green Power Leadership awards) and three CHPP Partners regarding the burden of this
information collection. The contacted P artners were provided copies of the information collection forms, estimates of the labor burden derived from Partners responses in 2011, and labor wage rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). EPA requested comments on whether the labor burden estimates and labor rates were appropriate. Generally, the estimates provided by the
Partners were similar and were consistent with the estimates provided by EPA. EPA averaged Partner responses for the labor burden estimates and labor rates for use in this ICR renewal. 3(d) Effects of Less Frequent Collection
The Partnership Agreement or LOI are submitted once by organizations that choose to
become Partners of the GPP or CHPP . To allow EPA to remain current on Partner participation and determine if green power purchase commitments are being met, GPP Partners will be ask ed to update an an nual report

. All CHPP Partners with ongoing project development activities, including all project developers, energy service companies, consulting engineers, equipment manufacturers, and approximately 33 % of utility Partners will review their project info rmation and provide updates every year. These differences in reporting requirements reflect the varying dynamics of the data contained in the reports for the different subcategories of Partners. Partners of both programs may also update company and conta ct information periodically via the respective partnership Web sites. EPA believes that any reduction in the frequency of this information collection would impede efforts by EPA to evaluate results of the programs, facilitate green power purchases and CHP project implementation, and respond in a timely manner to needs
of the Partners. 3(e) General Guidelines This information collection request was prepared in compliance with OMB’s and EPA’s guidelines for ICR preparation. 3(f) Confidentiality Participa tion in the GPP and CHPP is voluntary. Participants are not asked to reveal
C onfidential B usiness I nformation (CBI) . Additionally, participants will be given specific instructions not to provide any information that they consider confidential. 3(g) Sensitive Questions No questions of a sensitive nature are asked in any of the forms or periodic information updates.8

4. THE RESPONDENTS AND THE INFORMATION REQUESTED 4(a) Respondent NAICS/SIC Codes This information collection will encompass a wide vari ety of respondents with most respondents specific to either the GPP or CHPP

. (i) GPP Respondent NAICS/SIC codes
The GPP Partners consist of company, institutional, and public sector organizations that pledge to purchase a proportion of their annual purchased electricity use from eligible renewable energy resources through one of three purchasing options. Companies include both service and goods providing industries, institutions are comprised of institutes of higher education and NGOs, and public sector Partners are local, state, or federal level government agencies.

NAICS SIC Description
Full

- scale Partners a
611310 8221 Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
722110 5812

5461 Restaurants

423390 5093 Automobile Manufacturing
445110 5411 Grocery Stores
323110 2752 Print shops
621111 8093 Offices of Physicians
924 9511 Public Administration of Environmental Quality Programs
92411 9631 Public Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs
928110 9711 Military bases and camps
927110 9661 Public Administration of Space Research and Technology

a Given the breadth of industries who are currently GPP Partners, only a subset of their NAICS/SIC codes is listed to provide examples.

( ii ) CHPP Respondent NAICS/SIC codes
The CHPP classifies its Partners into ten categories. State, Local and Tribal Partners include state and local energy, environmental, and economic development agencies who will promote CHP development in their area. The remaining nine categories are included in the commercial and institutional Partner group. End

- user Partners are comprised of a broad range of industrial, commercial, or institutional organizations who utilize CHP technology to provide heat and electricity at their facilities. Equipment suppliers are involved in the manufacturing, supplying, or installation of CHP

- related products. Other Partner categories can be classified as9

CHP project promoters and facilitators who work to create new CHP projects. These Partners include energy services compa nies (ESCOs), attorneys, CHP project developers, non

- government organizations (NGOs), financiers, and engineering consultants. Utility Partners work to provide
end

- users with fuel for their CHP projects or work to distribute electricity from CHP sources. The following list provides the most common NAICS/SIC codes for the various different types of
CHPP Partners:

NAICS SIC Description
State/Local/Tribal Partners
92613 96 3 1 Public Administration, Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities
926130 9631 Public Administration, Energy development and conservation programs
9611 9611 Public Administration of General Economic Programs
924 9511 Public Administration of Environmental Quality Programs Equipment Manufacturers
333611 3511 Turbine and turbine generator manufacturing
335999 3699 Fuel cells, electrochemical generators, manufacturing
541512 7373 Information management computer systems integration design services
541614 8742 Manufacturing operations improvement consulting services CHP project promoters and facilitators
541110 8111 Offices of Lawyers
541690 8999 Energy consulting services
541330 8999 Engineering consulting services
523910 6153 6211

6799 Financial Investments and Related Activities, Miscellaneous Intermediation

Utilities
221122 4911 Electric Power Distribution
221210 4923 Natural Gas Distribution
End

- Users a
325415 2834 Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing
611310 8221 Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
322121 2611 2621 Pulp and Paper Mills (Except Newsprint Mills)
336111 3711 Automobile Manufacturing
813110 8661 Religious Organizations
331111 3317 Steel Mills
721110 701 1 Hotels (Except Casino Hotels) and Motels10

a There is a wide variety of entities that could install CHP projects and become CHP end users. Any facility with a demand for both electricity and thermal energy (i.e., steam, heating, or cooling) during most of the year and with access to fuels is a pote ntial candidate for a CHPP end

- user Partner. For this reason, only a subset of the end

- users is listed to provide examples.

4(b) Information Requested (i) Data Items, Including Recordkeeping Requirements
GPP . Information will be collected through the Partnership Agreement
, Partner Yearly Report, and the Green Power Leadership Awards application, as well as through clarification
follow

- ups and calls or e

- mails as needed. Each activity is described below.

The Partnership Agreement request s the followi ng information from all Partners:

• Organization name;

• Scope of entity/entities joining Partnership;

• Total purchased electricity use and green power purchase commitment;

• Signature and printed name and title of authorized organization representative;

• Contact information about the organizational liaison to the GPP , including name, title address, phone number, fax number and e

- mail address;

• Purchase details such as retailer name, the type of green power product delivered (utility product, renewable ener gy certificates , or on

- site generation ), type of
renewable resource ; and

• Q uestions about product certification status and contract dates

.

The GPP Partner Yearly Reports collect or update the following information:

• Updates to l iaison information listed above;

• Updates to c ommitment details, including total annual energy consumption, annual green power commitment;

• Updates p urchase details such as reta iler name, the type of green power product
delivered (utility product, renewable energy certificates , or on

- site generation ), type of renewable resource ;

• Updates to product certification status and contract dates ; and

• Short paragraph description of Pa rtner’s Green Power Commitment.11

The GPP Green Power Leadership Awards collects information from all interested Partners interested in being further recognized for their green power purchasing and promotion activities:

• Identification of the type of awa rd category;

• Partner’s contact information and Communications point of contact;

• Confirmation of eligibility;

• Partner’s Green Power usage update;

• Short paragraph description of Partner’s Green Power Commitment; and

• Description of outreach communication ac tivities;

A company profile is made available on the GPP Web site. Partners may submit corrections or updates to their profile via the Web site or electronically at any time. EPA will also place follow

up calls to clarify any unclear information submitt ed by Partners. Occasionally, EPA may request technical information in addition to the standard forms. This information will be requested on a voluntary basis from a subset of GPP Partners. For instance, information may be requested from the twenty

- five largest green power purchasers in order to feature them on the GPP Web site. Requested information may also be used to target
communications and outreach efforts more effectively.

CHPP . Information will be collected through the LOI and the CHPP Partners Project
Data F orm , as well as through clarification follow

- up calls or e

- mails as needed . The LOI requests the following information from all new Partners:

 Or ganization name ;

 Designated CHPP Partner Liaison’s contact information ;

 Organization CHP

- related service or activity ; and

 Organization web site address and/or CHP

- related W eb page

.

CHPP Partner s Project Data Forms are used to collect information on completed or planned CHP projects on a yearly basis , and will be c ompleted by company or institutional Partners involved in planned or operational CHP projects. The requested information includes:

• Project Owner;

• Project Name and address;12

• Pr oject information including start

- up date, fuel type, annual operating hours, average net power output, percentage of electricity sold offsite or to grid and percentage of thermal output sold offsite;

• List of each prime mover, including size, fuels and emi ssion controls;

• Types and applications of thermal output;

• Contact information including the company name, contact name, phone number and date submitted; and

• Project team information including the engineer, prime contractor, project developer and thermal ho st.

After the first submittal, EPA will send the Partner spreadsheets containing all previously

submitted information on planned projects for the Partner to review annually. A company profile and contact information will be available on the CHPP Partnership Web site. Partners may submit corrections or updates via the Web site at any time. EPA will also place follow

- up calls to clarify any unclear information submitted by Partners. Participation in GPP and CHPP does not require any records to b e kept, although Partners will likely keep file copies of the LOI and CHPP Partner Projects Data information forms
submitted to EPA. The Partnership Agreement form will be updated by removing the approval expiration date, which is currently located in the top right corner of the form.

The Partnership Agreement form statement regarding the one year length of time the green power purchase must be completed by will be updated to read as follows: "Buy green power that meets or exceeds Partnership requirements within six months of signing this Partnership Agreement." (ii) Respondent Activities The respondent activities depend on the aspect of the information collection to which they are responding. In completing the Partnership Agreement or LOI, respondents will:

• R eview the form;

• C omplete the form;

• S ign and submit the form electronically or via fax or mail to EPA; and

• F ile a copy of the form.13

In completing the pre

- populated GPP Partner Yearly Report or the pre

- populated CHPP Partner Projects Data Form, respondents will:

• R ead the forms and instructions;

• U pdate the pre

- populated report or form with new information where necessary;

• S ubmit the yearly report (or CHP project spreadsheet) electronically or via fax or mail to EPA; and

• F ile a copy of the form.

In completing the awards application, respondents will:

• Read the forms and instructions;

• Complete the form;

• Sign and submit the form electronically or vi a fax or mail to EPA; and

• File a copy of the form.

In replying to or initiating an information update or clarification, respondents will:

• G ather information
, and provide information to the GPP or CHPP via the Web site,

an e

- mail, or a telephone interview.

5. THE INFORMATION COLLECTED

- AGENCY ACTIVITIES, COLLECTION METHODOLOGY, AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT 5(a) Agency Activities (i) Agency Activities for the GPP ’s Pa rtnership Agreement s and CHPP LOIs Agency activities associated with this information collection depend on the aspect of the
information collection that the Agency has received. In receiving the Partnership Agreement or
LOI for either the GPP or CHPP , the Agency will:

• R eview the information provided;

• E nter the information into a database; and

• F ile the form. (ii) Agency Activities for GPP Agency activities specific to the GPP will depend on the types of activities the A gency will initiate and receive. In requesting and receiving the information through a Partner Yearly14

Report Form sent to Partners one year after they join the Partnership and annually thereafter , the Agency will:

• P repare pre

- populated partner data and mail the Partner Yearly Report annually ;

• R eceive and review the information provided on completed forms;

• E nter the information into a database; and

• F ile the form.

In initiating information updates and follow

- ups, the Agency will:

• C all or email Partners;

• R equest updated information or clarification on Partnership Agreements or Partner Yearly Report Forms by telephone or e

- mail;

• R equest additional technical information, as needed, from a subset of GPP Partners; and

• R evise data in the database based on these updates.

In receiving the information for the GPP Green Power Leadership Awards, the Agency will:

• Prepare the annual update to the Awards application and post it on the program’s
website.

• Announce the awards application p eriod through a series of outreach mechanisms, email blasts, tweets, announcements in newsletters, and announcements in other
program engagements.

• Receive and review the information provided on completed forms;

• Enter the information into a database;

• Revi ew and Rank the applications based on posted criteria,

• Conduct compliance screen of proposed awardees, and

• File the form.

In initiating information updates and follow

- ups, the Agency will:

• Call or email Partners;

• Request updated information or clarification on award forms by telephone or e

mail;

• Request additional technical information, as needed, from a subset of GPP Partners; and15

• Send a letter of award or loss to applicant.

In receiving inform ation updates via the Web site, the Agency will:

• R eview the data received through the GPP Web site; and

• R evise data in the database based on the updates.

(iii) Agency Activities for CHPP Agency activities specific to the CHPP will also depend on the types of activities the Agency will initiate and receive. In requesting and receiving the information on CHP projects through an information form sent to Partners within the same year they join the Partnership, the Agency will:

• P repare and e

- mail the CHPP Partner Projects Data Forms;

• R eceive and review the information provided on completed forms;

• E nter the information into a database; and

• F ile the form.

In requesting and receiving information on ongoing project development activ ities through a CHP project spreadsheet already populated with information provided on a Partner’s initial project reporting form or most recent project spreadsheet, the Agency will, once a year:

• P opulate the Partners’ spreadsheets with the project informa tion from the most recent project forms or spreadsheets, which is contained in the CHP project database;

• E mail the pre

- populated spreadsheets to the appropriate Partners;

• R eceive and review any updates provided from the Partner on the spreadsheet;

• E nter up dated information from the spreadsheet into a database; and

• F ile the spreadsheet.

In initiating information updates and follow

- ups, the Agency will:

• C all or email Partners;

• R equest updated information or clarification on CHPP Partner Projects Data Forms; and

• R evise data in the database based on the updates.16

In receiving information updates via the Web site, the Agency will:

• R eview the data received on the CHPP Web site; and

• R evise data in the database based on the updates.

5(b) Collection Methodology and Management The methods selected for this information collection are chosen based on efficiency and minimization of burden for respondents and EPA. The respective Partnership Agreement and LOI can be downloaded from the appropriate Web site and returned to EPA either by fax or mail, or submitted electronically. General Partner information will be posted on the GPP or CHPP Web
site where it can be review ed for accuracy by the Partners and revised if necessary. Information forms will be available for Partners electronically on each Web site and can be returned by fax, mail, or e

- mail. In addition, the GPP will send pre

- populated Yearly Reports to Partner s each year containing the information previously submitted. Partners need only review the information for accuracy and submit any updates, thus minimizing the burden of the respondents. To further reduce burden, EPA will provide CHPP Partners who have o ngoing project development activities with a simple spreadsheet of previously submitted project data that they can review and revise electronically rather than filling out a form. The Green Power Leadership award application can
be downloaded from the GPP Web site and returned to EPA either by fax or mail, or submitted electronically. All information received through the forms (electronically or via hard copy) will be reviewed by EPA before being entered into the database. 5(c) Small Entity Flexibility EPA expects that some GPP Partners and CHPP Partners are small entities. EPA has designed its approach for this information collection to minimize burden for all respondents while obtaining sufficient and accurate information. The data requested include s only the most critical information and may be submitted electronically

. As discussed above, for both Partnership programs EPA pre

- populates Yearly Report forms or spreadsheets with information previously submitted to avoid duplication of effort and mini mize the burden for respondents. Additionally, participation in GPP and CHPP is voluntary. Any small entity that finds the information collection overly burdensome is not required to participate. EPA expects that some G PP p artners are small entities

. GPP determined whether Local Government Partners are small entities based on the population served by these government agencies

. Approximately 30 percent of exist ing Local Government Partners a re in cities or17

counties with populations less than 50,000, wh ich is the threshold for small entities within the public administration sector

. GPP assumed that all State Government Partners are not classified as

s mall entities, since each State population is greater than 50,000. Likewise, GPP assumed that all
Feder al Government Partners are not small entities. Given the large number of private sector GPP p artners, EPA was not able to review the small entity status of each Partner individually. GPP assumed that all companies on Fortune magazine’s list of the top 1,0 00 U.S. companies by revenue are not small entities. GPP also
assumed that all non

- profit organizations are classified as small entities. For the remaining private sector Partners, GPP determined the small entity status of a portion of Partners, followin g the U.S.
Small Business Administration’s 2007 Table of Small Business Size Standards Matched to North American Industry Classification System Codes. GPP reviewed company profiles and Web sites when available to help determine the selected company’s smal l entity status. GPP th en compared the company’s small entity status to their total electricity use, a figure which EPA collects for all
Partners. Using this information, EPA determined an approximate electricity base load under which a company could reas onably be considered a small entity. This base load was different for companies in manufacturing industries than for companies in non

- manufacturing industries

. The companies whose small entity status was not determined were assumed to follow a similar

co rrelation to those reviewed

. Following this assumption, EPA estimates that 65 percent of its private sector Partners are small entities. Overall, 60 percent of all GPP Partners are estimated to
be small entities. EPA has designed its approach for this in formation collection to minimize the burden for all respondents while obtaining sufficient and accurate information

. Since the previous ICR, GPP
has strived to lessen the reporting burden on Partners by introducing reporting efficiencies, such as

a writeable P o rtable Document Format (PDF) version of the Partnership Agreement that improves readability, and thereby reduces the frequency of Agency follow up with Partners

. EPA expects that some CHPP Partners are small entities. The CHPP consists of the following partner categories: project developer; consultant/engineering; energy service company (ESCO); financier; utility; non

- governmental organization (NGO); government; equipment manufacturer; and end

- user. The CHPP assumed that all utilities, governme nt partners, equipment18

manufacturers, and end

- users are not small businesses

. Companies of these partner types are large in scale and scope and are most likely not small businesses. The CHPP assumed that all NGO partners are small businesses given they ty pically have a small number of employees and typically do not work for profit

. For project developer partners, the CHPP reviewed Web sites and organization descriptions for 25 percent of the partners

. The companies whose Web sites were not reviewed were assumed to contain a similar percentage of small businesses to those reviewed

. For the 25 percent of partners reviewed, the CHPP also evaluated the number of projects developed by these partners as an additional gauge of whether the project developer is a small business or not

. In most cases, if the project developer reviewed by the CHPP had zero projects, it was assumed to be a small
business . T he CHPP estimates that 20 percent of the project developer partners are small
businesses. For consultant/engi neer partners, the CHPP reviewed Web sites and organization descriptions for 25 percent of the partners

. The companies whose Web sites were not reviewed were assumed to contain a similar percentage of small businesses to those reviewed

. For the 25

percen t of partners reviewed, the CHPP also evaluated the number of projects developed by these partners as an additional gauge of whether the consultant/engineer is a small business or not

. In most cases, if the consultant/engineer reviewed by the CHPP had zer o projects, it was assumed to
be a small business

. CHPP estimates that 23 percent of the consultant/engineer partners are small
businesses. For ESCO partners, the CHPP reviewed Web sites and organization descriptions for all of the partners

. CHPP e stimat es at 15 percent of the ESCO partners are small businesses. For financier partners, the CHPP reviewed Web sites and organization descriptions for all of the partners

. CHPP e stimates at 18 percent of the financier partners are small businesses

. Table 1 summarizes the small entities affected per year according to partner category

. The
numbers in Table 1 reflect the CHPP’s assumption that the distribution of small entities within each new partner category over the years 2009

- 2011 will be similar to the d istribution analyzed for each existing partner category.

Table 1 : CHPP Estimate of Small Entities for Each Respondent Category

Respondent Category New Existing Project Developer* 4 1219 Consultant/Engineer* 5 12 ESCO** 0 1 Financier** 0 2 NGO** 0 19 Utility* 0 0 Government* 0 0 Equipment Manufacturer* 0 0 End

- User* 0 0 Total 9 46 * The CHPP ICR burden estimate assumes the following number of new partners for each of the year s 2009

- 2011: project developer

– 7; consultant/engineer

– 7; utility

– 6; government

– 2; equipment manufacturer

– 6; end

- user

– 6 (Note: the CHPP assumed that none of the existing or new utility, government, equipment manufacturer, or end

- user partners are small businesses)

. ** The CHPP ICR burden estimate assumes that there will be no new ESCO, financier, or NGO partners in years 2009

- 2011. 5(d) Collection Schedule
EPA will collect general information from all new Partners through either the GPP ’s Partnership Agreement or CHPP ’s LOI, which is completed and submitted by each Partner upon their agreement to participate in the program. In addition, GPP Partners will be asked to complete a Partner Yearly Report on an annual basis on the anniversary of EPA’s receipt of the Partner’s last information update

. In addition, a subset of GPP Partners may occasionally be asked to provide additional information specific to their industry sector or to an aspect of the GPP program. Annually, EPA announces the ap plication schedule for the Green Power Leadership Awards. Company and institutional CHPP Partners with operational projects will fill out a Partner Projects Data Form one time for each operational project. Certain CHPP Partners with ongoing project
devel opment activities will be asked to review and update a project data spreadsheet every year.

6. ESTIMATING THE BURDEN AND COST OF THE COLLECTION 6(a) Estimating Respondent Burden
In 201 5, EPA consulted with eight Partners (respondents) from the GPP and the CHPP to obtain accurate hourly burden and cost estimates . These responses were averaged to estimate the hourly burden for each activity and the labor rates. In consulting with Partners, EPA provided them with hourly burden estimates from the last submitted ICR, as well as current labor rates from
the Burea u of Labor Statistics

. R espondent s were asked if the hourly burden estimates and labor

rates w ere appropr iate and
, if not
, to provide estimates based on their experience

. The hourly burden for each activity was multiplied by the number of Partners (respondents) performing the activity each year to estimate the total respondent burden. In20

accordance with the Paper Reduction Act, Federal Partners were excluded from the burden estimate although we summarize their burden in Table 5

. Capital, operation and maintenance costs
were also considered

. Attachment A presents the estimated annual respondent burden and c osts
for information collection activities associated with the GPP for each year of the collection.
Attachment A and Table 5 include burden estimates for Federal entities in the GPP , but these are not included as part of this Information Collection R equest

. Attachment B presents the estimated annual respondent burden and costs for information collection activities associated with the CHPP for each year of the collection. Table 3 in Section 6(e) of this supporting statement presents a summary of the overall respondent burden for both the GPP and CHP P for each of the three years as well as the total burden and the annual average burden. 6(b) Estimating Respondent Costs (i) Estimating Labor Costs Respondent labor rates came from direct consultations w ith GPP Partners and CHPP
Partners , as discussed in section 6(a)

. For GPP Partners, the base rates are $53.94 for legal staff, $44.07 for managerial staff, $40.92 for technical staff, and $19.13 for clerical staff. These l oaded rates are $1 43.84 for legal staff, $ 1 17.52 for managerial staff, $ 109.12 for technical staff, and $ 51.01 for clerical staff. For CHPP Partners, the base rates are $71.15 for legal staff, $63.47 for managerial staff, $47.74 for technical staff, and $25.34 for clerical staf f

. The loaded rates are $1 89.73 for legal staff, $ 169.25 for managerial staff, $ 127.31 for technical staff, and $ 67.57 for
clerical staff

. For public sector respondents (Local and State Partners ) , EPA used the same labor rates used for EPA personnel (see Section 6(c)). The Labor rates for management staff of public

- sector respondents were used to represent labor rates for legal staff of public

- sector respondents. (ii) Estimating Capital and Operations and Maintenance Costs
Because this information collection requires respondents only to report information that is already available to them, there are no capital costs. EPA does not expect that the operations and maintenance (O&M) costs of th ese program s will be significant. The only O&M costs expect ed are for postage required to return any completed forms, long distance fax charges if the forms are faxed instead of mailed, and costs to copy the forms if Partners wish to retain them on file. A submittal cost of $ 3 is attributed to all activities invo lving mailing materials to account for the use
of traceable mail or long distance fax and copying. If Partners choose to submit forms21

electronically, their costs will be lower than estimated. The average annual O&M cost over three years is $ 7
, 695

. 6(c) Estimating Agency Burden and Costs
Attachments C and D present the estimated Agency burden hours and costs for the
information collection activities associated with GPP and CHPP , respectively. Table 2 presents a summary of the Agency burden for both programs and the total burden. EPA estimates an average hourly labor cost (labor plus 60% for o verhead) of $8 8.30 for managerial staff, $ 5 6 .0 4 for technical staff, and $2 1.46 for clerical staff. To derive these estimates, EPA used the “S alary
Table 20 15

- GS Salary Table of Annual Rates by Grade and Step” dated January 20 15
, from the Department of Personnel Management. For purposes of this ICR, EPA assigned staff the following government service levels:

• Managerial Staff

- GS

- 15, Step 5 $8 8

. 30 ($5 5

. 19 +60% OH)

• Technical Staff

- GS

- 13, Step 1 $5 6 .0 4 ($3 5

. 03 +60% OH)

• Clerical Staff

- GS

- 5, Step 1 $21 .46 ($1 3

. 41 +60% OH)

Table 2 : Summary of Agency Burden
2016 2017 2018 Total Annual Average
Hours 3,806 4,208 4,947 12,961 4,320
Cost $ 201,811 $ 222,237 $ 261,739 $ 685,787 $ 228,596

6(d) Estimating the Respondent Universe
GPP . A total of 1
, 5 71 GPP Partners is expected by the end of 20 15

. These are broken out as 1,339 from the private sector, 2 02 from local and state governments, and 30 from Federal
Government. EPA expects future growth to be constant since the number of Partners that have joined in the past few years has been steady

. EPA anticipates that 2 50 new Partners will join the

program ea ch year in 20 16
, 201 7 , and 201 8 . Of these new 250 Partners joining each year , EPA expects that 219 will be from the private sector
, 27 from local and state governments, and 4 from
Federal Government as is consistent with the Partnership’s current makeup

. Each new Partner is required to complete and submit a Partnership Agreement form, and all participating Partners are expected to fill out or update the Partner Yearly Report, starting the year after they join

. Only a small percentage of GPP partners apply for the Green Power Leadership awards, EPA expects that only 4% of the current eligible partners will apply for the Green Power Leadership awards.22

The average annual number of respondents over three years is 2,030 . The number of respondents in each of the three years of this information collection and the average over the 3

- year period is shown in Table 3 in Section 6(e) of this supporting statement.
CHPP . A total of 475 Partners is expected by the end of 2 0 15

. EPA anticipates 30 new Partners will join the program each year in 20 16
, 20 1 7 , and 20 1 8 . Of these new respondents, it is
assumed that there are 6 to 7 new Partners per year in each of the following categories: end

- users, project developers, consult ing engineers, equipment manufacturers, and utilities, with up to an
additional two Partners belonging to State/ Local/T ribal governments per year. Each of the new Partners is expected to fill out an LOI. All of the new end

- users, project developers, consulting engineers, and equipment manufacturers and 33 % of new utility Partners will complete the CHPP Partner Projects Data Form within the same ye ar they join the Partnership. New State/Local/Tribal Agency Partners do not fill out project forms. All of the existing project developers, ESCOs, consulting engineers and equipment manufacturers, and 33 % of the existing utilities will continue
to review their project information and provide updates every year in a project spreadsheet starting in the year they join the Partnership. The average annual number of respondents over three years is 535. The number of respondents in each of the three years of t his information collection and the average over the 3

- year period are shown in Table 3

.

6(e) Bottom Line Burden Hours and Costs
GPP . Attachments A and C show the detailed annual burden and cost to respondents and
the Agency , respectively, for the information collection activities associated with GPP . The results
are summarized in Tables 3 and 4 . The total annual burden, averaged over the three

- year period, is
4
, 132 hours and $ 460,820 per year for respondents and 2
, 67 6 hours and $ 1 36
, 161 per year for the Agency . (See Tables 3 and 4 for these average numbers.) The bottom line burden for respondents will be the least in year 1 and will gradually increase in years 2 and 3. This is because there are more Partners respond ing in years 2 and 3. The burden per respondent is similar in all 3 years. In years 1, 2, and 3, new Partners will complete a Partnership Agreement . In years 1, 2, and 3, existing Partners will update information in the Partner Yearly Report Form as nee ded. After the first submittal, EPA will provide the information previously submitted by existing Partners and only ask for updates. In years 1, 2, and 3, only a small subset of new and existing Partners will23

submit an application for the Green Power Par tnership awards. Similarly, the Agency burden is the least in year 1 and will gradually increase in years 2 and 3 as EPA has more information
submittals to review and enter into the database. See Tables 3 and 4 for respondent and Agency burdens in each of the three years. Table 5 summarizes the total annual respondent burden for Federal Partners
, although these
are not included in Table 3 since, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, Federal respondents are excluded from Inform ation Collection Requests

. The total annual burden for
Federal Partners , averaged over the three

- year period, is 38 hours and $ 8
, 088 per year.

CHPP

. Attachments B and D show the detailed annual burden and cost to respondents and
the Agency , respectively, for the information collection activities associated with CHPP

. The
results are s ummarized in Tables 3 and 4 . The total annual burden, averaged over the three

- year period is 2, 492 hours and $ 361,639 for Partners, and 1756 hours and $ 99,33 6 for the Agency . (See
Tables 3 and 4 for these average numbers)

. The bottom line burden for respondents will be the least in year 1 and will gradually increase in years 2 and 3. This is because there are more Partners responding in years 2 and 3. The burden per respondent is similar in all 3 years. In years 1, 2, and 3, new Partners will complete an LOI. If a new Partner has direct involvement in CHP projects, they will submit project forms in the year they join. In years 1, 2, and 3, existing Partn ers will be updating information only as needed. For Partners with ongoing project development activities, EPA will provide the information previously submitted by the existing Partners in a spreadsheet and only ask for updates. Similarly, the Agency bur den is the least in year 1 and will gradually increase in years 2 and 3 as EPA has more information submittals to review and enter into the
database. See Tables 3 and 4 for the respondent and Agency burdens in each of the three years.
The CHPP has no Federal Partners so no burden is calculated in Table 5.

Total

. Considering both the GPP and the CHPP , the combined total annual burden (averaged over a 3

- year period) is 6 , 624 hours and $ 822
, 459 per year for respondents and 4 ,432
hours and $ 2 35,497 per year for the Agency

. Tables 3 and 4 show the breakout between labor costs. The burden estimates reflect an average of 2, 565 respondents per year. The average annual burden per respondent is 3. 58 hours and $ 3 20

. 65 per year.24

T able 3. E s timated Total Respondent Burden and Cost for GPP, CHPP , and C ombined

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Annual Average Green Power Partnership Program Number of Respondents* 1
, 784 2,030 2,276 6,090 2,030 Number of Company/Institutional Respondents 1,555 1,774 1,993 5,322 1,774
Number of Local/State Respondents 229 256 283 768 256 Hours 3, 665.25 4,132.49 4,599.76 12,397.50 4,132.50 Labor Costs $ 405,984 $ 457,245 $ 500,963 $1
, 364,192 $ 454,730 O&M Costs $ 5,352 $6,0 90 $6
, 828 $18,270 $6
, 090 TOTAL Costs $ 4 11,336 $ 463,335 $ 507,791 $1
, 382,462 $ 460,820 CHP Partnership Program Number of Respondents 505 535 565 1605 535 Number of Company/Institutional Respondents 503 533 563 1599 533
Number of State Respondents 2 2 2 6 2 Hours 2,353 2, 492 2,6 34 7, 477 2, 492 Labor Costs $ 335,682 $ 362,066 $ 382,354 $ 1,080,102 $ 360,034 O&M Costs $1, 515 $ 1
, 605 $ 1
, 695 $ 4
, 815 $ 1
, 605 TOTAL Costs $ 337,197 $ 363,671 $ 384,049 $ 1,084,917 $ 361,639 Combined Totals for Both Programs Number of Respondents 2,289 2,565 2,841 7,695 2,565 Hours 6,015 6,624 7,234 19,874 6,624 Labor Costs $ 7 41
, 666 $ 819
, 311 $ 883 ,3 17 $ 2
, 444
, 294 $ 814
, 764 O&M Costs $6, 867 $ 7, 695 $ 8, 523 $ 2 3
, 085 $ 7, 695 TOTAL Costs $ 7 48
, 533 $ 827
, 006 $ 891
, 840 $ 2
, 467
, 379 $ 822
, 459 Average annual hours per respondent 3. 58 Average annual costs per respondent $ 3 20.62 *In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, Federal government respondents are not included in the burden estimate in Table 3 because, based on its experience, GPP assumes that participating Federal facilities are not run by contractors. The burden on Federal government respondents is shown separately in Table 5.

T able 4

. E stimated Total Agency Burden and Cost for GPP, CHPP and C ombined

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Annual Average Green Power Partnership Program Number of Respondents 1,818 2,068 2,318 6,204 2,068 Hours 2,345.8 2,676.4 3,007.1 8,029.3 2,676.4 Labor Costs $ 119,618 $ 136,161 $ 152,704 $ 408,483 $ 136,161 O&M Costs $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 TOTAL Costs $ 11 9 ,6 18 $ 1 36
, 161 $ 1 52
, 704 $ 408
, 483 $ 136,161 CHP Partnership Program Number of Respondents 505 535 563 1,603 534 Hours 1,558 1,644 2,067 5,269 1,756 Labor Costs $ 88,169 $ 92,977 $ 116,862 $ 298,008 $ 99,336 O&M Costs $0 $0 $0 $0 $025 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Annual Average TOTAL Costs $ 88,169 $ 92,977 $ 116,862 $ 298,008 $ 99,336 Combined Totals for Both Programs Number of Respondents 2,323 2,603 2,881 7,807 2,602

Hours 3, 9 0 3.8 4, 320.4 5
, 074.1 1 3
, 298.3 4 432.7 Labor Costs $207,787 $229,138 $269,566 $706,491 $235,497 O&M Costs $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 TOTAL Costs $207,787 $229,138 $269,566 $706,491 $235,497

T able 5

. E stimated Respondent Burden for Federal Government Partners

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Annual Average Green Power Partnership Program Number of Respondents 34 38 42 114 38 Hours 66.72 74.04 81.35 222.11 74.04 Labor Costs $7,296 $8,089 $8,881 $24,266 $8,088.67 O&M Costs 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 TOTAL Costs $7,296 $8,089 $8,881 $24,266 $8,088.67 CHP Partnership Program Number of Respondents 0 0 0 0 0 Hours 0 0 0 0 0 Labor Costs 0 0 0 0 0 O&M Costs 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL Costs 0 0 0 0 0 Combined Totals for Both Programs Number of Respondents 34 38 42 114 38 Hours 66.72 74.04 81.35 222.11 74.04 Labor Costs $7,296 $8,089 $8,881 $24,266 $8,088.67 O&M Costs 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 TOTAL Costs $7,296 $8,089 $8,881 $24,266 $8,088.67 Average annual hours per respondent 1.95 Average annual costs per respondent $212.86

6(f) Reasons for Change in Burden Under this renewal ICR, the average annual total respondent burden is 6 , 624 hours

. The
20 11 ICR average annual respondent burden was 5,823 hours per year. Since the last ICR renewal, both the GPP and CHPP have introduced program efficiencies to reduce program burden and simplified collection forms into pre

- populated spreadsheets or documents

. In pr evious ICR submittals, the Green Power Partnership application was not included as the majority of the effort was managed by independent third party entity. Since then, the award process has been internalized and EPA is solely managing the process. While the burden is low based on a small percentage of partners applying, it is a new effort that was not accounted for in previous ICR submittals.26

As a result of these changes, the average number of hours per Partner has increased slightly
from 3. 25 hours to 3 .5 8 hours

. For perspective on the magnitude of Partner growth, the number of
Partners at the end of 20 08 was 1,308 , whereas by year

- end 20 1 8 ther e w ill be an estimated 2 ,565 ( 2,030 for GPP
, 535 for CHPP )

.

6(g) Burden Statement The annual public re porting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 2.5 9 hours per respondent. The average number of annual burden hours per type of response is:
2.6 hours for a Partnership Agreement (a one

- time burden for GPP );
2.2 5 hours for a Letter of Intent (a one

- time burden for CHPP Partners)
, 1.6 hours for the Partner Yearly Report for the GPP,
5.17 hours for the Partner Yearly Report for the CHPP

. Partners from both programs may also sub mit voluntary updates of simple information, such as contact information or company profiles, via the Web site. These updates would take from 15 minutes to 0.5 hours per response . A subset of Partners may participate in brief (i.e., 15 minute) telephone calls with EPA to clarify questions pertaining to the Partnership Agreement or LOI, GPP Partner Yearly Report, or CHPP Partner project reporting. All of these activities are
included in the annual burden estimate. To comment on the Agency’s need for this information, the accuracy of the provide burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including the use of automated collection techniques, EPA has established a public docket for th is ICR under Docket
ID No. EPA

- HQ

- OAR

- 2004

- 0501, which is available for public viewing at the Air and Radiation
Docket and Information Center in EPA’s Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334 , 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. EPA’s 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 is (202) 566

- 1742. An electronic version of the pu blic docket is available at www.regulations.gov. This site can be used 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

ar e available electronically. Once in the system, select “search,” then key in the docket ID numberidentified above. Also, you can send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW, Was hington, DC 20503,
Attention: Desk Officer for EPA. Please include EPA ’s Docket ID No. EPA

- HQ

- OAR

- 2004

- 0501
and OMB C ontrol N umber 2060

- 0578 in any correspondence.