Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 30, 1997 / Notices 67863

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 6,300 hours.

Frequency of Collection: As needed.

II. Requests for Comments

The Agency will begin an effort to

examine the information requested and

consider options for reducing their

burden and increasing the usefulness of

the information collected by these

forms. The Agency would appreciate

any information on the users of this

information, how they use this

information, how the information could

be improved, and how the burden for

these forms can be reduced. In addition,

the Agency is also soliciting comments

that:

(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.

III. Public Docket

A record has been established for this

action under docket number 97–62. A

public version of this record, including

printed, paper versions of electronic

comments, which does not include any

information claimed as CBI, is available

for inspection from USEPA’s Office of

Air & Radiation. The public record is

located at the Air Docket, USEPA, MC

6102, 401 M Street., SW., room M 1500,

Washington, DC 20460.

Send comments regarding the burden

estimate, or any other aspect of this

information collection, including

suggestions for reducing the burden, to:

Rhone Resch, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Atmospheric

Pollution Prevention Division (6202J),

401 M Street, SW, Washington, D.C.

20460, or call (202) 564–9793.

Dated: December 18, 1997.

Paul Stolpman,

Director, Office of Air and Radiation.

[FR Doc. 97–33961 Filed 12–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5940–5]

Agency Information Collection

Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that

EPA is planning to submit an

Information Collection Request (ICR) to

the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) to allow the Agency to continue

collecting data for the AgSTAR Program.

Information is required from

participants (‘‘Partners’’ and ‘‘Allies’’) in

the AgSTAR Program. Partners,

primarily livestock producers, complete

a Memorandum of Understanding,

develop an implementation plan, and

report to EPA annually on progress

towards meeting the goals identified in

the implementation plan. Allies,

primarily utilities and marketers of

methane recovery technologies or

related associations, complete a

Memorandum of Understanding and

obtain EPA approval to use EPAdeveloped materials or reproduction of

materials bearing the AgSTAR logo.

This ICR is a reinstatement of a

previously approved information

collection. Before submitting the ICR to

OMB for review and approval, EPA is

soliciting comments on specific aspects

of the proposed information collection

described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before March 2, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to

the Docket Clerk (Docket No. 97–61),

located in the USEPA. Office of Air &

Radiation. One original and two copies

of each comment should be submitted.

Hand delivery of comments should be

made to: Air Docket, USEPA, MC 6102,

401 M Street., SW., room M 1500,

Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt

Roos, U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, Atmospheric Pollution

Prevention Division (6202J), 401 M

Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20460, or

call (202) 564–9041.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information Collection Requests

EPA is seeking comment on the ICR

for the AgSTAR Program (EPA ICR

1735.02). This ICR requests approval for

renewal of an existing collection.

Affected Entities: Entities affected by

this action are livestock producers,

utilities, vendors and universities.

Abstract: AgSTAR is an EPAsponsored, voluntary program that

encourages livestock producers to

implement methane recovery

technologies to increase livestock

production profit margins and reduce

emissions from manure methane, a

greenhouse gas. AgSTAR further

encourages utilities, regulatory agencies

and universities to support and promote

the use of methane recovery

technologies. The AgSTAR program

consists of two types of participants:

‘‘Partners’’ and ‘‘Allies.’’ Partners, who

are primarily livestock producers,

complete a Memorandum of

Understanding, develop an

implementation plan, and report to EPA

annually on progress towards meeting

the goals identified in the

implementation plan. Allies, primarily

utilities and marketers of methane

recovery technologies or related

associations, complete a Memorandum

of Understanding and obtain EPA

approval to use EPA-developed

materials or reproduction of materials

bearing the AgSTAR logo.

Burden Statement: The estimated

average public burden per respondent

for new Partners and Allies is five hours

per Partner response and nine hours per

Ally, including time for reviewing

instructions, searching existing data

sources, gathering the data needed, and

completing the collection of

information.

Respondents: Livestock producers,

utilities, vendors and universities.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

625.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 3,500 hours.

Frequency of Collection: As needed.

II. Requests for Comments

The Agency will begin an effort to

examine the information requested and

consider options for reducing their

burden and increasing the usefulness of

the information collected by these

forms. The Agency would appreciate

any information on the users of this

information, how they use this

information, how the information could

be improved, and how the burden for

these forms can be reduced. In addition,

the Agency is also soliciting comments

that:

(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,
67864 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 30, 1997 / Notices

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.

III. Public Docket

A record has been established for this

action under docket number 97–61. A

public version of this record, including

printed, paper versions of electronic

comments, which does not include any

information claimed as CBI, is available

for inspection from USEPA, Office of

Air & Radiation. The public record is

located at the Air Docket, USEPA, MC

6102, 401 M Street., SW., room M 1500,

Washington, DC 20460.

Send comments regarding the burden

estimate, or any other aspect of this

information collection, including

suggestions for reducing the burden, to:

Kurt Roos, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Atmospheric

Pollution Prevention Division (6202J),

401 M Street, SW, Washington, D.C.

20460, or call (202) 564–9041.

Dated: December 18, 1997.

Paul Stolpman,

Director, Office of Air and Radiation.

[FR Doc. 97–33962 Filed 12–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5941–8]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request; Compliance

Information Project, EPA ICR No.

1802.01

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.), this document announces

that EPA is planning to submit the

following proposed Information

Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB):

Compliance Information Project (CIP),

EPA ICR 1802.01. 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 February 28, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Office of Enforcement and

Compliance Assurance, Office of

Planning and Policy Analyses; U.S.

EPA; 401 M Street, SW (2201A);

Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John

Stoody, (202) 564–5118 / (202) 501–

0701 (fax), Office of Planning and Policy

Analysis, Office of Enforcement and

Compliance Assurance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Affected Entities: State compliance

and enforcement personnel, especially

field inspectors.

Title: Compliance Information Project

(CIP)(EPA ICR No. 1802.01).

Abstract: The Compliance

Information Project (CIP) is a new

approach under development by the

Office of Enforcement and Compliance

Assurance (OECA) to gather and analyze

compliance information that is not

already routinely collected by EPA and

State environmental personnel in

evaluating compliance for planning and

targeting purposes. The Agency is

conducting the CIP to address concerns

that our present methods and processes

for identifying and using compliance

information do not capture, internalize

or use all of the compliance information

potentially available to the Agency or

the States.

The purpose of the CIP is to identify

external compliance information which

is readily available to the Agency or the

States, but uncaptured or unutilized by

current systems or methods. Uncaptured

and unutilized compliance information

is outside, or external to, the present

knowledge base. For the purposes of

this Project, such unaccounted for

compliance information may be referred

to as an ‘‘information externality.’’ An

information externality becomes

internalized when EPA or the States

collect and use it. Two examples are

unutilized studies, reports, or audits

produced by States, private parties, or

other government agencies, and

observations by field personnel which,

for one reason or another, escape our

traditional methods for collecting and

documenting information.

The CIP is designed to channel

unidentified or unutilized compliance

information to the personnel who

design and implement our information,

targeting, and planning systems. The

Agency will use the CIP to internalize

compliance information externalities by

collecting and cataloging this

information, identifying issues or

possible conclusions, and passing the

information on to the appropriate

government personnel for further

analysis and use. Such compliance

information may fill gaps in the

Agency’s or the States’ databases, guide

us to previously unidentified

compliance problems, enhance our

ability to describe our successes, or help

us in other ways.

Through the CIP, EPA will collect

information in the form of compliance

reports, studies and published articles

on compliance with Federal

environmental statutes. The Agency will

also conduct field personnel roundtable

interviews in each of the ten EPA

Regions, and invite a representative

from each State to participate along with

Regional personnel. The Agency will

provide interview guides to each of the

participants in advance of the

roundtable. Participants unable to

attend the roundtable may respond in

writing. Participants attending the

roundtable may prepare advance

comments and forward them to the CIP

staff. Non-Federal respondents may

include State compliance and

enforcement personnel, especially field

inspectors. Responses to the information

collection request are voluntary and not

required to obtain or retain any benefit.

The Agency will not ask for nor collect,

as part of this project, references to

specific persons, facilities, or cases. The

Agency will use information received to

make observations and draw inferences

where appropriate. The Agency will not,

however, conduct a statistical analysis

of the results.

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. In any event, EPA is

seeking the voluntary participation of

State environmental enforcement

personnel and has no intention of

requiring a State response. The OMB

control numbers for EPA’s regulations

are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR

Chapter 15.

EPA is soliciting 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.