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[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 208 (Tuesday, October 28, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55788-55789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-28479]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000-0134]

Proposed Collection; Comment Request Entitled Environmentally 
Sound Products

AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration 
(GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of request for public comments regarding an extension to 
an existing OMB clearance.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 
Secretariat will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a currently 
approved information collection requirement concerning Environmentally 
Sound Products. The clearance currently expires on February 28, 1998.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on or before December 29, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ralph DeStefano, Federal Acquisition 
Policy Division, GSA (202) 501-1758.

ADDRESSES: Comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect 
of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing 
this burden, should be submitted to: FAR Desk Officer, OMB, Room 10102, 
NEOB, Washington, DC 20503, and a copy to the General Services 
Administration, FAR Secretariat, 1800 F Street, NW, Room 4037, 
Washington, DC 20405. Please cite OMB Control No. 9000-0134,

[[Page 55789]]

Environmentally Sound Products, in all correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

    This information collection complies with Section 6002 of the 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (42 U.S.C. 6962). RCRA 
requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate items 
which are or can be produced with recovered materials. RCRA further 
requires agencies to develop affirmative procurement programs to ensure 
that items composed of recovered materials will be purchased to the 
maximum extent practicable. Affirmative procurement programs required 
under RCRA must contain, as a minimum (1) a recovered materials 
preference program and an agency promotion program for the preference 
program; (2) a program for requiring estimates of the total percentage 
of recovered materials used in the performance of a contract, 
certification of minimum recovered material content actually used, 
where appropriate, and reasonable verification procedures for estimates 
and certifications; and (3) annual review and monitoring of the 
effectiveness of an agency's affirmative procurement program.
    The items for which EPA has designated minimum recovered material 
content standards are (1) cement and concrete containing fly ash, (2) 
paper and paper products, (3) lubricating oil containing re-refined 
oil, (4) retread tires, and (5) building insulation products. The FAR 
rule also permits agencies to obtain pre-award information from 
offerors regarding the content of items which the agency has designated 
as requiring minimum percentages of recovered materials. There are 
presently no known agency designated items.
    In accordance with RCRA, the information collection applies to 
acquisitions requiring minimum percentages of recovered materials, when 
the price of the item exceeds $10,000 or when the aggregate amount paid 
for the item or functionally equivalent items in the preceding fiscal 
year was $10,000 or more.
    Contracting officers use the information to verify offeror/
contractor compliance with solicitation and contract requirements 
regarding the use of recovered materials. Additionally, agencies use 
the information in the annual review and monitoring of the 
effectiveness of the affirmative procurement programs required by RCRA.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

    Public reporting burden for this collection of information is 
estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time for 
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection of information.
    The annual reporting burden is estimated as follows: Respondents, 
64,350; responses per respondent, 1; total annual responses, 64,350; 
preparation hours per response, .5; and total response burden hours, 
32,175.
    Obtaining Copies of Proposals: Requester may obtain a copy of the 
justification from the General Services Administration, FAR Secretariat 
(MVRS), Room 4037, 1800 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20405, telephone 
(202) 501-4755. Please cite OMB control No. 9000-0134, Environmentally 
Sound Products, in all correspondence.

    Dated: October 20, 1997.
Sharon A. Kiser,
FAR Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 97-28479 Filed 10-27-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-34-P
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