[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 98 (Friday, May 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31894-31896]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12647]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6700-6]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Establishing No-Discharge Zones Under Clean Water Act 
Section 312

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit the 
following continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB): Establishing No-Discharge Zones Under 
Clean Water Act section 312, EPA ICR Number 1791.03, OMB Control Number 
2040-0187; current expiration date 10/31/2000. This ICR will 
consolidate two ICRs associated with the establishment of no-discharge 
zones under CWA section 312 (EPA ICR Numbers 1791.01 to 1791.02). 
Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is 
soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information 
collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 18, 2000.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR can be obtained from and written comments 
may be submitted to James C. Woodley, Marine Pollution Control Branch, 
Oceans and Coastal Protection Division, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, 4504F, Ariel Rios, 1200 Penn. Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460. 
In the

[[Page 31895]]

alternative, EPA will accept comments electronically. Comments should 
be sent to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e4938b8b8088819dca8e85898197a4819485ca838b92"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="61160e0e050d04184f0b000c0412210411004f060e17">[email protected]</span></a>. EPA will print electronic comments in 
hard-copy paper form for the official administrative record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James C. Woodley, Oceans and Coastal 
Protection Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 4504F, Ariel 
Rios, 1200 Penn. Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460, (202) 260-1952.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
State, local, and tribal governments.
    Title: Establishing No-Discharge Zones Under Clean Water Act 
section 312 (OMB Control Number 2040-0187; EPA ICR Number 1791.03) 
expiring 10/31/2000.
    Abstract: (A) Sewage No-discharge Zones: The need for EPA to obtain 
information for the establishment of no-discharge zones (NDZs) for 
vessel sewage in State waters stems from CWA sections 312(f)(3), 
(f)(4)(A), and (f)(4)(B), and subsequent regulations at 40 CFR 140.4(a-
c). No-discharge zones are established to provide State and local 
governments with additional protection of waters from treated or 
untreated vessel sewage. There are 3 ways in which NDZs for vessel 
sewage can be established. This ICR discusses the information 
requirements associated with the establishment of NDZs for vessel 
sewage. The responses to this collection of information are required to 
obtain the benefit of a sewage NDZ (see 33 U.S.C. 1322). The 
information collection activities discussed in this ICR do not require 
the submission of any confidential information.
    (B) UNDS No-discharge Zones: Under section 312(n) of the Clean 
Water Act (``Uniform National Discharge Standards for Vessels of the 
Armed Forces'' or ``UNDS'') no-discharge zones (``NDZs'') for 
discharges from Armed Forces vessels may be established by either State 
prohibition or EPA prohibition following the procedures in 40 CFR part 
1700. UNDS also provides that the Governor of any State may petition 
EPA and the Secretary of Defense to review any determination or 
standard promulgated under the UNDS program if there is significant new 
information that could reasonably result in a change to the 
determination or standard. This ICR discusses the information that will 
be required from a State if it decides to establish a NDZ by State 
prohibition or apply for a NDZ by EPA prohibition, and the information 
that will be required from a State if it decides to submit a petition 
for review. The re-sponses to this collection of information are 
required to obtain the benefit of an UNDS NDZ or a review of an UNDS 
determination or standard (see 33 U.S.C. 1322(n)). The information 
collection activities discussed in this ICR do not require the 
submission of any confidential 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 for EPA's 
regulations are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR Chapter 15.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
    (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Burden Statement: Table 1 shows the annual respondent burdens for 
establishing sewage no-discharge zones as 1335 total hours. The average 
burden per respondent per year is 111.25 hours. Table 2 shows the 
annual respondent burdens for establishing UNDS no-discharge zones and 
petitioning for review of an UNDS determination or standard (957.50 
hours total). The average burden per respondent per year is 160 hours. 
Table 3 shows the annual respondent burdens for all of CWA section 312 
(2292.5 hours total). The average burden per respondent per year is 127 
hours. The estimates include time for gathering information, and 
preparing and submitting requests. Burden means the total time, effort, 
or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, 
retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. 
This includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, 
install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of 
collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and 
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; 
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable 
instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to 
a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review 
the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the 
information.

    Dated: May 5, 2000.
Robert H. Wayland III,
Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds.

             Table 1.--Sewage NDZ Total Estimated Respondent (State Agency) Burden and Cost Summary
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                                                      Number of      Total       Total       Total
                                         Number of   activities/   number of  labor cost    annual       Total
                                        respondents    year per    hours per   per year     capital   annual O&M
                                                      respondent     year         ($)      costs ($)   costs ($)
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Sewage No-Discharge Zone by State                 8            1         873   29,032.00        0.00     1200.00
 Prohibition [40 CFR 140.4(a)]........
Sewage No-Discharge Zone by EPA                   2            1         231    7,410.00        0.00      300.00
 Prohibition [40 CFR 140.4(b)]........
Drinking Water No-Discharge Zone [40              2            1         231    7,410.00        0.00      300.00
 CFR 140.4(c)]........................
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    Total.............................           12  ...........        1335   43,852.00        0.00     1800.00
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[[Page 31896]]


                Table 2.--UNDS Total Estimated Respondent (State Agency) Burden and Cost Summary
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                                                      Number of      Total       Total       Total
                                         Number of   activities/   number of  labor cost    annual       Total
                                        respondents    year per    hours per   per year     capital   annual O&M
                                                      respondent     year         ($)      costs ($)   costs ($)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNDS No-Discharge Zone by State                   4            1      717.00   23,815.12        0.00      600.00
 Prohibition [40 CFR 1700.9]..........
UNDS No-Discharge Zone by EPA                     1            1      194.25    6,477.58        0.00      150.00
 Prohibition [40 CFR 1700.10].........
UNDS Petition for Review [40 CFR                  1            1       46.25    1,578.27        0.00      150.00
 1700.12].............................
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    Total.............................            6  ...........      957.50   31,870.97        0.00      900.00
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           Table 3.--Total CWA Section 312 Estimated Respondent (State Agency) Burden and Cost Summary
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                                                                     Total       Total       Total
                                          Number of    Number of   number of  labor cost    annual       Total
                                         respondents  activities   hours per   per year     capital   annual O&M
                                                       per year      year         ($)      costs ($)   costs ($)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total..............................           18          18      2292.5   75,722.97        0.00        2700
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[FR Doc. 00-12647 Filed 5-18-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


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