1

83-I OMB SUPPORTING STATEMENT

1. Identification of the Information Collection 

Title: Brownfields Program – Accomplishment Reporting (OMB Control Number 2050-

0192; EPA ICR No. 2104.04). 

This is a request to renew an existing Information Collection Request (ICR). This ICR 

covers the collection of information from those organizations that receive cooperative agreements 

from EPA under the authority of subtitle A and expand the collection to those eligible entities that 

receive cooperative agreements from EPA under the authority of subtitle C of the “Small 

Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act” (Public Law 107-118, January

2002). Subtitle A of the Act amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 

Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended, and authorizes EPA to award 

cooperative agreements to States, tribes, local governments, and other eligible entities to support 

the assessment and cleanup of brownfields properties and subtitle C authorizes a noncompetitive 

$50 million program to establish and enhance state and tribal response programs. With this ICR, 

EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) seeks authorization to collect 

information from cooperative agreement recipients (recipients) using several standard forms that 

will streamline the data collection effort and improve the quality of information collected. The 

information collected under this ICR supplements the minimum reporting and record keeping 

requirements that recipients are subject to under 40 CFR Part 30, “Grants and Agreements with 

Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-profit Organizations” and 40 CFR 

Part 31, “Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State 

and Local Governments.” EPA estimates that all respondents who voluntarily respond to this 

information collection by electing to participate in the Brownfields program have determined that 

the expected benefits of participation outweigh any burden associated with preparing the 

response. 

2. Need for/Use of the Collection

On January 11, 2002, the President signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and 

Brownfields Revitalization Act (the “Brownfields Amendments”), which authorizes EPA to 

award several types of cooperative agreements to eligible entities. Under subtitle A of the 

Brownfields Amendments, States, tribes, local governments, and other eligible entities can 

receive cooperative agreements to: 

(1) inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement 

related to brownfields sites; 

(2) carry out cleanup activities at brownfields sites; 

(3) capitalize revolving loan funds and provide sub-grants for cleanup activities; and

(4) support the creation and implementation of environmental job training and 

placement programs. 
2

Under subtitle C of the Brownfields Amendments, States and tribes can receive cooperative 

agreements to:

(1) establish or enhance a State response program that meets the four elements;

(2) establish or enhance a public record;

(3) develop legislation, regulations, procedures, or guidance that would establish or 

enhance the legal structure of the State program;

(4) capitalize a revolving loan fund;

(5) purchase environmental insurance; and

(6) carry out site-specific environmental assessment and cleanup activities.

In the Brownfields Amendments, a brownfields site means real property, the expansion, 

redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a 

hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. For funding purposes, EPA uses the term 

“brownfields property(ies)” synonymously with the term “brownfields site(s).” 

While the Agency collects basic cooperative agreement information as part of its Federal 

stewardship responsibilities to manage and oversee recipient activities and expenditures (see 40 

CFR Parts 30 and 31), OBLR needs additional information from recipients to be reported in a 

consistent manner in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and to report on program 

activities and accomplishments to Congress and other program stakeholders. Specifically, OBLR

has used and will continue to use the information collected from recipients to oversee the 

activities carried out using cooperative agreement funds, to evaluate program implementation and 

effectiveness, and to meet the Agency’s responsibilities under the Government Performance and 

Results Act to report on OBLR’s accomplishments. The information collection activities covered 

by this renewed ICR are intended to: (1) continue to improve the alignment of reporting 

requirements with programmatic performance measures; and (2) simplify and standardize 

reporting requirements to reduce uncertainty and burden imposed on recipients. Without the 

information collection, OBLR would have limited access to information needed to effectively 

assess the relationship between those activities funded by EPA’s Brownfields cooperative 

agreements and the intent of Congress with the passage of the Brownfields Amendments. 

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

3(a). Non-duplication – There is no other known source for the information that EPA 

seeks under this ICR. Moreover, this ICR supplements, and does not duplicate, the information 

that EPA collects as part of its reporting and record keeping provisions under the Agency’s 

general assistance regulations at 40 CFR Part 30, “Grants and Agreements with Institutions of 

Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-profit Organizations,” and 40 CFR Part 31, 

“Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and 

Local Governments.” EPA’s regulations at 40 CFR Part 31, which implements the requirements 
3

of OMB Circular A-102, became effective for awards made on or after October 1, 1988. The Part 

31 rule (common rule) established uniformity among Federal agencies that award Federal grants 

and cooperative agreements to States, political subdivisions thereof, and Federally-recognized 

Indian Tribal Governments. Exhibit 1 identifies the tasks and burdens of recipients that are 

covered under other OMB-approved ICRs. This ICR addresses the burden imposed on recipients 

and EPA associated with the reporting requirements that are unique to cooperative agreements 

awarded by EPA under authority of subtitles A and C of the Brownfields Amendments.

Exhibit 1: Grant Burdens Covered Under Other Agency ICRs

Task/Burden Authority Agency Approved ICR

Preliminary Grant Proposal 40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 OMB 2030-0020

Final Grant Proposal 40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 OMB 2030-0020

Budget Sheets 40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 OMB 2030-0020

Quarterly Progress Reports 40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 OMB 2030-0020

Notification of Significant 

Developments

40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 OMB 2030-0020

Procurement Reports 40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 OMB 2030-0020

Financial Reports 40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 OMB 2030-0020

Project Records 40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 OMB 2030-0020

3(b). Public Notice Required Prior to ICR Submission to OMB. The first notification of 

the Agency’s request for the renewal of this ICR was published in the Federal Regi, 2012. 

Concurrent with the submission of this ICR to OMB, EPA is publishing a second Federal Register 

notice seeking public comments on this ICR.

3(c). Consultations – EPA has more than 15 years of experience managing Brownfields 

cooperative agreement programs that awarded more than 2,900 cooperative agreements to State, 

local, and tribal governments to address brownfields properties. For these Brownfields 

cooperative agreements, EPA staff has worked closely with the recipients to help them participate 

in the program and address their brownfields properties. As such, EPA has a detailed 

understanding of the activities that recipients undertake and the burden they incur for voluntarily 

participating in EPA’s cooperative agreement programs. In addition, during the preparation of the 

initial ICR in 2003 and the reporting forms that are included, EPA contacted eight Brownfields 

recipients to ask them specific questions about the burden associated with completing the draft 

forms included in this ICR. Recipient responses form the basis of EPA’s initial calculations of 

the burden hours and costs. 

For the first renewal of this ICR in 2006 the ICR was expanded to include reporting from subtitle 

C recipients. To do so, EPA consulted with several State and Tribal representatives when working 

on modifications to the Property Profile Form. State personnel involved included: Barbara Coler, 

State of California; Andrew Shivas, State of Tennessee; Mark Walker, State of Colorado; Amy 
4

Yersavich, Ohio; and Catherine Sharp, State of Oklahoma. Tribal personnel included Susan 

Morang, Cherokee Nation.

For the second renewal of the ICR, EPA added additional fields to the Property Profile Form. 

EPA contacted eight Brownfields recipients to ask them specific questions about the burden 

associated with completing the draft new fields for the Property Profile Form included in this

renewal ICR.

For this third renewal of the ICR, EPA added additional fields to the Property Profile Form and 

combined other fields to streamline the form. EPA contacted nine RLF recipients and six Job 

Training recipients and asked them to evaluate the burden of completing the forms attached to this 

ICR. Recipient responses form the basis of EPA’s calculations of the burden hours and costs. 

3(d). Effects of Less Frequent Collection – The information collection schedule is 

consistent with the Agency’s reporting schedule for general assistance agreements. Less frequent 

collection may not enable EPA to oversee and manage Brownfields cooperative agreements 

effectively and would lessen OBLR’s ability to report up-to-date and accurate information on 

program activities and accomplishments. In consideration of the burden imposed on recipients, 

EPA has adopted less frequent reporting for the Property Profile Form in which recipients are 

required to update and submit the form as notable activities or changes occur at a particular 

property. EPA anticipates that recipients of subtitle A assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan 

fund cooperative agreements will submit an updated Property Profile Form to EPA, twice but not 

more than four times over the life of the cooperative agreement. For subtitle C State and tribal 

response program cooperative agreements, EPA anticipates that recipients will submit a Property

Profile Form to EPA twice a year in line with the bi-annual reporting guidelines. 

3(e). General Guidelines – The information collection is consistent with the guidelines set 

forth in 5 CFR 1320.6 of the Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines.

3(f). Confidentiality – No confidentiality is provided and no sensitive information is 

collected under this ICR.

3(g). Sensitive Questions – Sensitive questions are not associated with the information 

collection activities performed under Public Law 107-118.

4. Respondents and Information Requested

4(a). Respondents – Respondents under this ICR are those entities who voluntarily elect 

to participate in the Brownfields cooperative agreement programs and receive funding from EPA 

under the authority of subtitle A and/or C of the Brownfields Amendments. Specifically, 

respondents to this information collection include: general purpose units of local government

(NAICS Code: 92411); land clearance authorities or other quasi-governmental entities that 

operate under the supervision and control of, or as an agent of, a general purpose unit of local 

government (NAICS Code: 92411); government entities created by State legislature (NAICS 
5

Code: 92411); regional councils or groups of general purpose units of local government (NAICS 

Code: 92411); redevelopment agencies that are chartered or otherwise sanctioned by the State

(NAICS Code: 92411); States (NAICS Code: 92411); Indian Tribes other than in Alaska (NAICS 

Code: 92115); Alaska Native Regional Corporations, Alaska Native Village Corporations, and 

Metlakatla Indian Communities (NAICS Code:92115); and non-profit organizations1(NAICS 

Code: 813312).

4(b). Information Requested – The information requested by EPA under this ICR includes 

information from recipients specific to the activities undertaken and the accomplishments that 

result using Brownfields funds. The information to be collected by EPA will vary by the type of 

cooperative agreement awarded to the respondent. Brownfields Job Training recipients are 

required to complete on a quarterly basis the Brownfields Job Training Reporting Form. The Job 

Training Reporting Form seeks basic information on how funds were used to support Job 

Training programs and the accomplishments stemming from those programs. For example, Job 

Training recipients will report the number of participants who have completed the training, 

whether participants obtained employment, and the average hourly wages of participants who 

obtained employment.

For Brownfields assessment, cleanup, revolving loan fund cooperative agreements, and 

property-specific activities of the State Response Program Cooperative Agreements, EPA requires 

subtitle A and C award recipients to prepare an initial Brownfields Property Profile Form for each 

property the cooperative agreement intends to address. The Property Profile Form complements 

the information collected as part of the progress reports required by the general assistance 

regulations, and requests basic information about each brownfields property covered by the 

cooperative agreement, such as property name, location, parcel number, and size. EPA requires 

recipients to update the Property Profile Form as notable activities or changes occur on the 

property, but no more frequently than quarterly for subtitle A recipients and no more than twice a 

year for subtitle C recipients. For example, as an assessment of the property is completed, 

recipients are required to complete the portion of the Property Profile Form that applies to 

assessments, and provide basic information to EPA on the type of assessment, date of completion, 

and results or findings of the assessment. Other sections of the Property Profile Form collect 

basic information on cleanups and any redevelopment activities that occur on the property, 

including estimates of the number of jobs that result. 

5. The Information Collected – Agency Activities, Collection, Methodology and Information 

Management

5(a). Agency Activities – EPA is responsible to Congress and other stakeholders to ensure 

that its resources are being used efficiently and effectively, to evaluate the progress of the 

recipients in meeting the goals of EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, and to 

share the successes, lessons learned, and best practices among Brownfields recipients. EPA will 

collect the information using standardized forms that minimize the burden on respondents while 

 

1

For the purposes of the Brownfields grant program, EPA uses the definition of non-profit organization contained in 

Section 4(6) of the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, Public Law 106-107. 

2NAICS Codes as of 2002. Source: http://www.census.gov/epcd/naics02/naicod02.htm 
6

ensuring consistent information that can be easily aggregated and accurately reported. EPA 

program staff will review the information collected to keep current on recipient activities, and will 

enter the information into the Agency’s Assessment, Cleanup, and Redevelopment Exchange 

System (ACRES), formerly known as the Brownfields Management System (BMS). EPA uses 

ACRES to maintain information on all of its Brownfields cooperative agreements’ property 

specific activities, develop reports to support management and program evaluation activities, and 

to report accomplishments achieved as part of the Agency’s responsibilities under GPRA.

5(b). Collection Methodology and Management – EPA will collect data under this ICR 

using a standard set of forms, instructions, and guidance that are designed to simplify and 

facilitate the reporting requirements for recipients. In fulfilling the requirements under the 

Government Paperwork Elimination Act (Public Law 105-277), EPA developed an electronic 

reporting process that will allow recipients to report their data electronically. This electronic 

reporting process is integrated with EPA’s Enterprise Architecture to further streamline the 

Agency’s data management and reporting responsibilities. EPA released the electronic reporting 

process in January 2007 and all Brownfields recipients starting from FY 2003 have been given 

access. EPA has modified its reporting guidance and provides training on the electronic reporting 

process. EPA has achieved positive returns in user acceptance of the electronic reporting process 

since its release and continues to anticipate that the electronic reporting process may reduce the 

burden placed on recipients during the next three years of this ICR. Through improvements to 

ACRES and greater recipient experience, it is estimated that the reporting burden will decrease. 

5(c). Small Entity Flexibility – This information collection request is expected to affect 

small governmental jurisdictions, which are defined as governments of cities, counties, towns, 

townships, villages, school districts, or special districts with populations of less than 50,000. This 

definition may also include Indian Tribes, in keeping with the President’s Federal Indian Policy. 

EPA has considered whether to establish different reporting requirements for small entities and 

has determined that: (1) different reporting requirements among recipients will result in 

inconsistent data that may lessen the Agency’s ability to oversee and report on program activities 

and accomplishments; (2) the burden imposed by this information collection is relatively small 

and small entities should not be unduly burdened by the reporting requirement; and (3) the 

Brownfields program is voluntary and respondents who elect to participate in this program have 

determined that the expected benefits of participation outweigh any burden associated with 

preparing the response.

5(d). Collection Schedule – The information to be collected under this ICR for subtitle A 

assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund recipients shall not occur more frequently than 

quarterly and no more than twice a year for subtitle C property specific activities. Brownfields 

Job Training recipients must complete and/or update their Brownfields Job Training Performance 

Form every quarter. For subtitle A assessment, cleanup, revolving loan fund cooperative 

agreements, and subtitle C property specific activities, recipients will be required to prepare an 

initial Property Profile Form for each property at which the cooperative agreement starts to 

address, and to update the Property Profile forms for only those properties in which notable 

activities or changes have occurred during the last reporting period. 
7

6. Estimating the Burden and Cost of the Collection

6(a). Estimating respondent burden - A “unit” burden is the burden incurred by a 

respondent for performing a specific activity that is not covered by another ICR (such as 40 CFR 

Parts 30 and 31). The estimated burden is incurred by the following activities:

 Completion of the Brownfields Job Training Reporting Form;

 Initial completion of the Brownfields Property Profile Form; and

 Periodic updating of the Brownfields Property Profile Form to report progress on specific

properties undergoing assessment, cleanup, or redevelopment.

The estimated burden for respondents is presented in Exhibit 2. 

If any burdens were found to be imposed in the ICR by a rule that supersedes the 

Brownfields Amendments, those burdens, or a percentage of those burdens, were removed from 

the overall burden calculation in this ICR (see Exhibit 1). 

6(b). Estimating respondent costs - To estimate the unit burden (hours) and hourly rate for 

the original information collection activity, EPA relied on its extensive experience working 

closely with Brownfields recipients, as well as in-depth interviews with nine current or former 

Revolving Loan Fund recipients and six Job Training recipients specific to this ICR. Those 

interviewed were shown draft copies of all forms and accompanying instructions and guidance 

that would be used for reporting and asked to estimate: (1) the number of hours that would be 

required to perform each task; and (2) the labor mix required to perform each task (e.g., 

percentage of management, technical, clerical). The data gathered from these interviews were 

then analyzed to estimate the unit burden and labor mix. 

For the expansion and renewal of this information collection request in 2012, EPA carried 

forward the same assumptions that were made for the original request. 

For this renewal, EPA has requested more specific information in the current response fields, on 

the Property Profile Form, otherwise the forms and data collection remains unchanged. To 

estimate the unit burden (hours) and hourly rate for the renewed information collection activity, 

EPA conducted in-depth interviews with nine current RLF recipients specific to this ICR. Those 

interviewed were shown draft copies of the new fields and accompanying instructions and 

guidance that would be used for reporting and asked to estimate: (1) the number of hours that 

would be required to perform each task; and (2) the labor mix required to perform each task (e.g., 

percentage of management, technical, clerical). The data gathered from these interviews were 

then analyzed to estimate the unit burden and labor mix.
8

Exhibit 2 - Annual Respondent Burden and Cost

* Unit Labor Cost in Dollars reflects a “loaded” rate for benefits and overhead.

** Figures may not sum due to rounding. 

The unit labor cost (dollars) for this burden estimate is a weighted hourly rate based upon 

the estimated labor mix and wage rates gathered from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

Across all tasks, data from consultations indicate that the average recipient will incur 13 percent 

of its burden with executive/managerial staff labor, 6 percent with professional specialty staff 

labor, 53 percent with technical labor, 10 percent with administrative support or clerical labor,

and 17 percent with program participants and partners. This labor mix was applied to BLS, 

National Compensation Survey (NCS) data issued in December 20083for a weighted hourly rate 

of $46.72 and an estimated fully loaded rate of $98.12.

For this renewal, EPA has added four new fields to the Job Training report form. To 

calculate the reporting burden, EPA conducted in-depth interviews with six Job Training

recipients. Those interviewed were shown draft copies of the new fields and accompanying 

instructions and guidance that would be used for reporting and asked to estimate: (1) the number 

of hours that would be required to perform each task; and (2) the labor mix required to perform 

each task (e.g., percentage of management, technical, clerical). The data gathered from these 

interviews were then analyzed to estimate the unit burden and labor mix.

 

4

See Bureau of Labor Statistics publication entitled “Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation 

and costs as a percent of total compensation: State and local government, by occupational group, March 2005 

http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.t04.htm#content. 

Activity Unit 

Burden 

(Hours)

Unit 

Labor 

Cost 

(Dollars)

Total 

Unit 

Cost 

(Dollars)

Average 

Number of 

Responses/Year*

Total 

Burden 

Hours/Year*

Total 

Cost/Year 

(Dollars)*

Job Training Reporting Form 4 $82.00 $328.00 29 116 $9,512 

Initial Completion of Property Profile 

Form (Subtitle A)

1 $98.12 $98.12 1,007 1,007 $98,807 

Initial Completion of Property Profile 

Form (Subtitle C)

1 $98.12 $98.12 564 564 $55,340 

Update of Property Profile Form (Subtitle 

A)

1.5 $98.12 $147.18 705 1,057 $103,747 

Update of Property Profile Form (Subtitle 

C)

1.5 $98.12 $147.18 282 423 $41,505 

TOTAL 2,587 3,167 $308,911 

AVERAGE TOTAL COST PER BURDEN HOUR $97.53 
9

Job Training recipients will be required to report progress on a quarterly basis using EPA’s 

“Brownfields Job Training Reporting Form.” Recipients will be required to report progress on a 

quarterly basis, with each update requiring approximately 4 hours for a unit burden of $328.00. 

This estimate captures the recipients and the program participants time needed to provide data and 

the recipients time to gather data and submit the form The majority of this burden stems from the 

activities associated with the collection of salary or wage information from Job Training program 

participants who are able to find employment.

Subtitle A cleanup, assessment, and revolving loan fund recipients will be required to 

report progress with the “Brownfields Property Profile Form.” EPA anticipates that the initial 

completion of this form will require approximately 1 hour. Recipients will be required to update 

this form as milestones are achieved, though not more frequently than quarterly. It is estimated 

that each update will require approximately 1.5 for a unit burden of $147.18. It is estimated that 

each form will be updated an average of twice per year.

Cleanup and assessment cooperative agreements awarded under subtitle A of the 

Brownfields Amendments cover a period of performance of two years, and revolving loan fund 

cooperative agreements cover a period of performance up to 5 years. Based on the Agency’s 

experience under its program, EPA estimates that at the end of two years, approximately 75

percent of cooperative agreements will receive a no-cost extension, approximately 20 percent of 

recipients will receive supplemental awards, and 5 percent of cooperative agreements will close 

out. Recipients that receive either a no-cost extension or a supplemental award will be required to 

continue to report on their activities using the forms authorized under this ICR. In addition, 

cooperative agreements that have closed out may undergo a five-year review conducted five years 

after close out. The five year review gathers data on the current status of properties that benefited 

from EPA funding while the cooperative agreement was active using the forms authorized under 

this ICR. This burden is included in the estimated number of responses per year and, therefore, 

the overall burden calculation estimated for this ICR.

Subtitle C recipients that conduct property specific activities will be required to report 

progress with the “Brownfields Property Profile Form.” EPA anticipates that the initial 

completion of this form will require approximately 1 hour. Recipients will be required to update 

this form as milestones are achieved, though not more frequently than twice a year. It is 

estimated that each update will require approximately 1.5 hours for a unit burden of $147.18. It is 

estimated that each form will be updated an average of twice per year. 

All awards made under subtitle C of the Brownfields Amendments have at least a one year 

period of performance or can be a multi-year award depending on the State’s financial need for 

continued funding. Based on the Agency’s understanding of State response programs, EPA 

estimates that one-half of the State recipients have sophisticated response programs and can 

complete property specific activities with in one year, therefore submitting a total of two 

responses. EPA further estimates that the remaining State, tribal, and US territories that receive 

funding take two years to complete property specific activities therefore submitting a total of four 

responses.
10

Start-up costs to meet the Brownfields reporting requirements are minimal and are a part 

of the customary and usual expenses incurred by recipients. There are no capital costs related to 

Brownfields reporting requirements. Therefore, total start-up and capital costs are zero. There 

are no operation and maintenance costs required.

6(c). Agency burden and costs - EPA incurs a burden in the process of requesting, 

reviewing and processing the information covered by this ICR. This burden includes:

 Reviewing and processing Brownfields Job Training Reporting Forms;

 Reviewing and processing initial Brownfields Property Profile Forms; and

 Reviewing and processing updates of Brownfields Property Profile Forms.

The estimated burden associated with EPA activities is presented in Exhibit 3. 

Activity Unit 

Burden 

(Hours)

Unit 

Labor 

Cost 

(Dollars)

Total 

Unit 

Cost 

(Dollars)

Average 

Number of 

Responses/Year*

Total 

Burden 

Hours/Year*

Total 

Cost/Year 

(Dollars)*

Review and Process Job 

Training Reporting Form

1 $50.19 $50.19 29 29 $1,456 

Review and Process Initial 

Completion of Property 

Profile Form (Subtitle A)

1.5 $49.66 $74.49 1,007 1,511 $75,015 

Review and Process Initial 

Completion Property Profile 

Form (Subtitle C)

1.5 $49.66 $74.49 564 846 $42,014 

Review and Process Update 

to Property Profile Form 

(Subtitle A)

1 $49.66 $49.66 705 705 $35,007 

Review and Process Update 

to Property Profile Form 

(Subtitle C)

1 $49.66 $49.66 282 282 $14,005 

TOTAL 2,587 3,372 $167,496 

AVERAGE TOTAL COST PER BURDEN HOUR $49.67 

Exhibit 3 - Annual Agency Burden and Cost

* Unit Labor Cost in Dollars reflects a “loaded” rate for benefits and overhead.

** Figures may not sum due to rounding. 

The burden imposed upon EPA was initially estimated by: (1) interviewing EPA Regional 

and Headquarters staff to gather individual estimates of the time required to perform each activity

and the GS level of the staff performing those tasks; (2) averaging the time data to estimate the 

number of hours required for each burden element; (3) averaging the data on the percentage of 

time performed by particular staff GS levels; (4) developing a weighted hourly rate based upon 

percentage of staff labor at different GS levels devoted to each task; and (5) determining the 

product of the weighted hourly rate and the number of hours required per activity. 
11

For the renewal and expansion of this information collection request, EPA is using the 

estimates collected from RLF project officers and Job Training project officers. 

The weighted hourly rate utilized in the Federal burden estimate is based upon the 

following composite:

GS Level Percent Hourly Wage Rate*

GS 4, Step 1 10% $11.75

GS 11, Step 1 10% $24.10

GS 13, Step 1 75% $34.34

GS 14, Step 1 5% $40.58

Weighted Rate $31.37

*Rates for 2011 General Schedule (http://www.opm.gov/oca/11tables/pdf/gs_h.pdf)

6(d). Estimated Respondent Universe and Total Burden and Costs – The estimated annual 

average number of respondents per year for this information collection is 1007 respondents, with 

the average total number of responses per year estimated at 2,587. As presented in Exhibit 2, the 

total average annual burden to respondents is 3,167 hours per year at a cost of $308,911.

6(e). Bottom-line burden hours and costs – Exhibits 2 and 3 provide the bottom-line 

burden hours and costs for respondents and EPA, respectively. The hours and costs presented in 

these exhibits represent the average annual burden resulting from this information collection; the 

total burden hours and costs for the three-year period covered under this ICR is estimated to be 

three times the total hours and costs provided in each exhibit.

6(f). Reasons for Change in Burden – The overall burden has decreased since the last ICR 

submitted. Respondents indicated that improvements in the ACRES reporting system and 

increased familiarity with the program lead to a lower burden. 

6(g). Burden Statement – The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this

collection of information is estimated to average 4 hours per response for Job Training recipients, 

and 1.25 hours per response for subtitle A assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund and 

subtitle C recipients. 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. 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 
12

for EPA's regulations are listed in 40 CFR Part 9 and 48 CFR chapter 15. 

To comment on the Agency's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided 

burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including the 

use of automated collection techniques, EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under 

Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-SFUND-2012-0104 which is available for public viewing at the 

OSWER 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 OSWER 

Docket is (202) 566-0276. Use EPA’s electronic docket and comment system at 

www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents 

of the docket, and to access those documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once 

in the system, select “docket search,” then key in the docket ID number identified above. Please 

note that EPA’s policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will 

be made available for public viewing at www.regulations.gov as EPA receives them and without 

change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose 

public disclosure is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic docket, go 

to www.regulations.gov. Also, you can send comments to the Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 

20503, Attention: Desk Office for EPA. Please include the EPA Docket ID No. EPA-HQSFUND-2012-0104 and OMB Control Number 2050-0192 in any correspondence.