63544 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 230 / Monday, December 1, 1997 / Notices

basis with RI/FS starts for identifying

and reporting ARARs.

The burden is calculated using a

weighted average hourly rate of $29.57

multiplied times the number of hours to

undertake a given activity. For purposes

of this ICR, wage rates for state

government personnel are estimated to

be comparable to those for Federal

government personnel. Labor rates for

government workers reflect the median

GS level salaries for managerial,

technical and clerical positions. These

rates include direct salary and fringe

benefits (calculated at 60 percent of

direct salary). The hourly rates, as of

November 1997, are:

Management (GS 13, Step 1): $42.01/

hour

Technical (GS 11, Step 1): $29.48/hour

Clerical: $17.92/hour

Based on these assumptions, the

weighted hourly wage rate for state and

Federal personnel is $29.57

[(0.1)*(42.01) +(0.8)*(29.48)+

(0.1)*(17.92)].

At a state-led site, states incur a

burden for the following activities:

• Development of the RI/FS—5,200

hours/yr/site, $153,764.

• Development of the Proposed

Plan—160 hours/yr/site, $4,731.

• Preparation of the ROD—360 hours/

yr/site, $10,645.

• Development of the CIP—150

hours/yr/site, $4,435.

• Providing information to the

public—153 hours/yr/site, $4,524.

At all sites, states incur a unit burden

of three hours per site per year, or a cost

of $88.71, for providing information on

state ARARs.

Estimated Unit Burdens to Community

Members

During their participation in the

Superfund process, community

members may perform any or all of the

following activities (as with burden

estimates for state activities, an hourly

rate of $29.57 is used to estimate the

value of community members’ time):

• Participate in interviews—20 hours/

yr/site, $591.

• Attend informal and formal

meetings, open houses, and public

information availability sessions—240

hours/yr/site, $7,096.

• Participate in community groups—

160 hours/yr/site with such groups.

$4,731.

• Respond to surveys—47 hours/yr/

site, $1,389.

• Participate in focus groups—72

hours/yr/site with such groups, $2,129.

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.

Please send comments to the address

appearing in the ADDRESSES segment of

this document.

Dated: November 20, 1997.

Elaine F. Davies,

Deputy Director, Office of Emergency and

Remedial Response.

[FR Doc. 97–31405 Filed 11–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5930–4]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Continuing Collection;

Comment Request; Registration of

Fuels and Fuel Additives—Healtheffects Research Requirements

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.), this notice announces that

EPA is planning to submit the following

continuing Information Collection

Request (ICR) to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB):

Registration of Fuels and Fuel

Additives: Health-effects Research

Requirements for Manufacturers (EPA

ICR Number 1696.02, OMB Control

Number 2060–0297, expiration date: 1–

31–98). 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 January 30, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Fuels and Energy Division,

Office of Mobile Sources, Office of Air

and Radiation, Mail Code 6406J, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency,

Washington, DC 20460. A paper or

electronic copy of the ICR may be

obtained without charge by contacting

the person listed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James W. Caldwell, (202) 564–9303, fax:

(202) 565–2085,

caldwell.jim@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Affected entities: Entities potentially

affected by this action are those which

manufacture or import gasoline or diesel

fuel, or manufacture or import an

additive for gasoline or diesel fuel.

Title: Registration of Fuels and Fuel

Additives: Health-effects Research

Requirements for Manufacturers

OMB Control Number 2060–0297

EPA ICR Number 1696.02

Expiring: 1–31–98

Abstract: In accordance with the

regulations at 40 CFR 79, subparts A, B,

C, and D, Registration of Fuels and Fuel

Additives, manufacturers (including

importers) of gasoline and diesel fuel,

and manufacturers (including

importers) if additives for gasoline or

diesel fuel, are required to have their

products registered by EPA prior to their

introduction into commerce.

Registration involves providing a

chemical description of the fuel or

additive, and certain technical,

marketing, and health-effects

information. The development of

health-effects data, as required by 40

CFR 79, subpart F, is the subject of this

ICR. The information collection

requirements for subparts A through D,

and the supplemental notification

requirement of Subpart F (indicating

how the manufacturer will satisfy the

research requirements) are covered by a

separate ICR (EPA ICR Number 309.09,

OMB Control Number 2060–1050). The

health-effects information will be used

to determine if there are any products

whose evaporative or combustion

emissions pose an unreasonable risk to

public health, thus meriting further

investigation and potential regulation.

This information is required for specific

groups of fuels and additives as defined

in the regulations. For example, all

gasolines and gasoline additives which

consist of only carbon, hydrogen,

oxygen, nitrogen, and/or sulphur, and

which involve a gasoline oxygen
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 230 / Monday, December 1, 1997 / Notices 63545

content of less than 1.5 weight percent,

fall into a ‘‘baseline’’ group. Oxygenates,

such as ethanol and methyl tertiary

butyl ether (MTBE), when used in

gasoline at oxygen levels of at least 1.5

weight percent, define separate

‘‘nonbaseline’’ groups. Additives which

contain elements other than carbon,

hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and/or

sulphur fall into separate ‘‘atypical’’

groups. There are similar grouping

requirements for diesel fuels and

additives.

Manufacturers may perform the

research independently or may join

with other manufacturers to share in the

costs for each applicable group. Several

research consortiums (groups of

manufacturers) have been formed. The

largest consortium, organized by the

American Petroleum Institute (API),

represents most of the manufacturers of

baseline and nonbaseline gasolines,

diesel fuels, and additives. The research

is structured into three tiers of

requirements for each group. Tier 1

requires a health-effects literature search

and emissions characterization.

Voluminous Tier 1 data were submitted

by API and others in 1997. Tier 2

requires short-term inhalation exposures

of laboratory animals to emissions to

screen for adverse health effects.

Alternative Tier 2 testing can be

required in lieu of the standard Tier 2

if EPA concludes that such testing

would be more appropriate. The EPA

has reached that conclusion with

respect to gasoline and gasolineoxygenate blends, and the API

consortium has been notified. However,

the alternative requirements have not

been finalized, and thus are not part of

this ICR. A similar situation exists with

the Ethyl Corporation and its manganese

additive MMT. This ICR will be

amended once those requirements are

finalized. The API submitted Tier 2 data

for diesel in 1997. Tier 3 provides for

follow-up research, if necessary. No Tier

3 requirements have been established,

and it is unlikely that any will be during

the next three years. Thus, Tier 3 is not

addressed in this ICR. 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: There are

approximately 100 fuel manufacturers,

1300 additive manufacturers, 800

registered fuels, and 6000 registered

additives. Due to the costs, it is likely

that only limited additional Tier 1

research will be done. Future fuels and

additives will almost exclusively be

those that can group with existing Tier

1 data, and likely will come from

manufacturers that have already paid for

the Tier 1 research. It is estimated that

new Tier 1 research will cost $500,000

per product, and that there will be only

one Tier 1 submission over the next

three years. Standard Tier 2 activity also

will be very limited. The EPA has

concluded that existing data cover Tier

2 for baseline diesel. Alternative Tier 2

requirements for baseline gasoline, the

six major nonbaseline gasoline

oxygenates, and the atypical gasoline

additive MMT, are not covered by this

ICR. It is estimated that new Tier 2

research will cost $500,000 per product,

and that there will only be one Tier 2

submission over the next three years.

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: November 24, 1997.

Charles N. Freed,

Director, Fuels and Energy Division.

[FR Doc. 97–31407 Filed 11–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5928–3]

Sole Source Aquifer Designation of the

Guemes Island Aquifer System; Skagit

County, Washington

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of final determination.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

pursuant to section 1424(e) of the Safe

Drinking Water Act, and in response to

a petition from the Guemes Island

Property Owners Association, the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Region 10 Administrator has

determined that the Guemes Island

aquifer system, in Skagit County,

Washington, is a sole or principal

source of drinking water, and that if

contaminated, would create a significant

hazard to public health. As result of this

action, all Federal financially-assisted

projects proposed over the designated

aquifer system will be subject to EPA

review to ensure that they do not create

a significant hazard to public health.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This determination

shall be effective for purposes of judicial

review at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on

December 15, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The information upon

which this determination is based is

available to the public and may be

inspected during normal business hours

at the EPA Region 10 Library, 1200

Sixth Avenue, Seattle, Washington,

98101.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Scott E. Downey, Environmental

Protection Specialist, Ground Water

Protection Unit, OW–137,

Environmental Protection Agency,

Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle,

Washington, 98101, 206–553–0682.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

Section 1424(e) of the Safe Drinking

Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300h–3(e), Public

Law 93–523, states:

If the Administrator determines, on his

own initiative or upon petition, that an area

has an aquifer which is the sole or principal

drinking water source for the area and which,

if contaminated, would create a significant

hazard to public health, he shall publish

notice of that determination in the Federal

Register. After the publication of any such

notice, no commitment for Federal financial

assistance (through a grant, contract, loan

guarantee, or otherwise) may be entered into

for any project which the Administrator

determines may contaminate such aquifer

through a recharge zone so as to create a

significant hazard to public health, but a