[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 39 (Wednesday, February 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8983-8985]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3516]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2003-0017; FRL-8282-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program; EPA ICR 
No. 0370.19; OMB Control No. 2040-0042

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to 
submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection 
Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is 
scheduled to expire on April 30, 2007. 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 April 30, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2003-0017, by each item in the text, by one of the following methods:
    <bullet> http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> E-mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bdf2ea90f9d2ded6d8c9fdd8cddc93dad2cb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7e3129533a111d151b0a3e1b0e1f50191108">[email protected]</span></a>.
    <bullet> Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: MC 4101T, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2003-
0017 identified by the Docket ID. EPA's policy is that all comments 
received will be included in the public docket without change and may 
be made available online at http://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided, unless the comment includes information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit 
information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through 
http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://www.regulations.gov 
website is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not 
know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the 
body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA 
without going through http://www.regulations.gov, your e-mail address 
will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that 
is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If 
you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your 
name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with 
any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of

[[Page 8984]]

special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects 
or viruses. For additional information about EPA's public docket visit 
the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert E. Smith, Office of Ground 
Water and Drinking Water, Drinking Water Protection Division/
Underground Injection Control Program, Mailcode: 4606M, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: 202-564-3895; fax number: 202-564-3756; e-mail 
address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a6d5cbcfd2ce88d4c9c4c3d4d28bc3d3e6c3d6c788c1c9d0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="82f1efebf6eaacf0ede0e7f0f6afe7f7c2e7f2e3ace5edf4">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

How Can I Access the Docket and/or Submit Comments?

    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OW-2003-0017, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Water Docket, 
Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room 
is open from 8 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 for the Water Docket is 202-566-2426.
    Use http://www.regulations.gov to obtain a copy of the draft 
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those 
documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once 
in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number 
identified in this document.

What Information Is EPA Particularly Interested in?

    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA specifically 
solicits comments and information to enable it 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. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from 
very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of 
specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork 
burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.

What Should I Consider When I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific 
examples.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used 
that support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
    6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified 
under DATES.
    7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket 
ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first page 
of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal 
Register citation.

What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Apply to?

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
owners and operators underground injection wells, State Underground 
Injection Control (UIC) primacy agencies, and in some instances, U.S. 
EPA Regional offices and staff.
    Title: Information Collection Request for the Underground Injection 
Control Program.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 0370.19, OMB Control No. 2040-0042.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on April 30, 
2007. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not 
required to respond to, a collection of information, unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's 
regulations in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal 
Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed 
either by publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate 
means, such as on the related collection instrument or form, if 
applicable. The display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA 
regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
    Abstract: The Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program under the 
Safe Drinking Water Act established a Federal and State regulatory 
system to protect underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) from 
contamination by injected fluids. Injected fluids include over 9 
billion gallons of hazardous waste per year and over two billion 
gallons of brine from oil and gas operations every day as well as 
automotive, industrial, sanitary and other wastes. Owners/operators of 
underground injection wells must obtain permits, conduct environmental 
monitoring, maintain records, and report results to EPA or the State 
UIC primacy agency. States must report to EPA on permittee compliance 
and related information. The mandatory information is reported using 
standardized forms and annual reports, and the regulations are codified 
at 40 CFR Parts 144 through 148. The data are used by UIC authorities 
to ensure the protection of underground sources of drinking water.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 2.35 
hours per response. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial 
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This 
includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, 
install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of 
collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and 
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; 
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable 
instructions and requirements which have subsequently changed; 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.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate, 
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 38,824.
    Frequency of response: yearly, semi-annually, quarterly, and other.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 
10.96.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 1,000,648 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $117,142,617. This includes an

[[Page 8985]]

estimated burden cost of $34,934,361 and an estimated cost of 
$82,208,255 for capital investment or maintenance and operational 
costs.
    In its ``Terms of Clearance'' for the current ICR, OMB asked EPA to 
report on its efforts to reduce burden on owners and operators of UIC 
injection wells. In response to this request, the Agency has undertaken 
an effort to study where further paperwork burden reduction is 
feasible. The UIC Program is reviewing UIC regulations requiring 
paperwork reporting/recordkeeping and then evaluating potential for 
burden reduction. Past efforts to reduce burden focused on analyzing 
data needs of the UIC Program and identifying ways to reduce burden on 
State primacy agencies that submit information to EPA. This effort 
resulted in reduced frequency with which states must submit several 
7520 Federal reporting forms. Current efforts focus on how to reduce 
burden on owners and operators that submit specific 7520 owner/operator 
reporting forms. Areas of consideration are combining/revising some 
7520 reporting forms, eliminating certain reporting requirements, 
eliminating data elements from the 7520 forms submitted by operators, 
reducing frequency and using options such as electronic data entry and 
transfer systems. EPA prepared a report that summarizes these efforts. 
This report can be found in the Water Docket for the UIC Program ICR 
under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2003-0017 and is available for viewing in 
person at the EPA/DC Public Reading Room which is in the EPA 
Headquarters Library, Room Number 3334 in the EPA West Building, 
located at 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC.

Are There Changes in the Estimates From the Last Approval?

    There is a decrease of 333,406 hours in the total estimated 
respondent burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease primarily reflects abatement of 
permitting and closure under the 1999 Class V Rule; reduced Class V 
well inventory activities; and a reduction in the Class II inventory, 
particularly the number of Class II permit applications that operators 
will submit during the clearance period. These changes are adjustments.

What Is the Next Step in the Process for This ICR?

    EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as 
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for 
review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. At that time, EPA will 
issue another Federal Register notice pursuant to 5 CFR 
1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the 
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB. If you have any 
questions about this ICR or the approval process, please contact the 
technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Dated: February 23, 2007.
Cynthia C. Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
 [FR Doc. E7-3516 Filed 2-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


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