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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 177 (Wednesday, September 12, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56201-56202]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22404]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0162; FRL 9521-6]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Regional Haze Regulations (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Regional Haze Regulations'' 
(EPA ICR No. 1813.08, OMB Control No. 2060-0421), to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This is a 
proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through 
October 31, 2012. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register (77 FR 24952) on April 26, 2012, during a 60-day 
comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its 
estimated burden and cost to the public. 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.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before October 12, 
2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2003-0162, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to : a-and-r-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA 
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB via email to 
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer for 
EPA.
    The EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in 
the public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Gobeail McKinley (919) 541-5246, 
mckinley.gobeail@epa.gov, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, 
Air Quality Policy Division, Mail Code C539-04, Research Triangle Park, 
NC 27711.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents, which explain in 
detail the information that the EPA will be collecting, are available 
in the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: This ICR is for activities related to the implementation 
of the EPA's 1999 regional haze rule, for the time period between 
October 31, 2012 and October 30, 2015, and renews the previous ICR. The 
regional haze rule, as authorized by sections 169A and 169B of the 
Clean Air Act (CAA), requires states to develop implementation plans to 
protect visibility in 156 federally-protected Class I areas. Tribes may 
choose to develop implementation plans. For this time period, states 
will be completing their implementation plans to comply with the rule. 
Before any agency, department, or instrumentality of the federal 
government engages in, supports in any way, provides financial 
assistance for, licenses, permits, or approves any activity, that 
agency has the affirmative responsibility to ensure that such action 
conforms to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) required under the 
regional haze rule. Section 176(c) of the CAA requires that all Federal 
actions conform with the SIP requirements. Depending on the type of 
action, the federal entities must collect information themselves, hire 
consultants to collect the

[[Page 56202]]

information or require applicants/sponsors of the federal action to 
provide the information.
    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are state, local, and tribal air quality agencies, regional 
planning organizations and facilities potentially regulated under the 
regional haze rule.
    Respondents/affected entities: States and Federal Land Managers.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory.
    Estimated number of respondents: 53.
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Total estimated burden: 6,048 hours.
    Total estimated cost: $293,631. This includes an estimated labor 
cost of $293,631 and an estimated cost of $0 for capital investment or 
maintenance and operational costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 25,793 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. The last collection request anticipated the 
program progressing from the planning stages to implementation. The 
change in burden reflects changes in labor rates, changes in the 
activities conducted due to the normal progression of the program, and 
the fact that the aggregate initial regional haze SIPs and best 
available retrofit technology (BART) determinations will be acted on by 
the EPA by November 2012 and the states will be evaluating reasonable 
progress and implementation stages for the goals in those SIPs.

John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-22404 Filed 9-11-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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