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.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 30, 1997 / Notices 67865

Burden Statement

EPA plans to conduct ten sets of

interviews involving non-Federal

respondents in the form of roundtables.

EPA will contact 50 non-Federal

respondents. The interview will place a

burden of 16 hours on each respondent

and cost in time of $43 per respondent

per hour. Thus, the total expected

respondent burden is estimated at 800

hours and $34,400.

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

respond to a collection of information;

search existing data sources; complete

and′ review the collection of

information; and transmit or otherwise

disclose the information.

Dated: December 19, 1997.

Susan O’Keefe,

Deputy Director, Office of Planning and Policy

Analysis, Office of Enforcement and

Compliance Assurance.

[FR Doc. 97–33966 Filed 12–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5941–9]

Proposed Settlement Agreement,

Clean Air Act Petition for Review

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of proposed settlement;

request for public comment.

SUMMARY: In accordance with section

113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as amended

(‘‘Act’’), 42 U.S.C. 7413(g), notice is

hereby given of a proposed settlement

agreement, which was filed with the

United States Court of Appeals for the

District of Columbia Circuit by the

United States Environmental Protection

Agency (‘‘EPA’’) on October 16, 1997, to

address a lawsuit filed by the

Appalachian Power Company and other

electric utilities. Appalachian Power

Company, et al., v. United States

Environmental Protection Agency, No

93–1631. This lawsuit, which was filed

pursuant to section 307(b) of the Act, 42

U.S.C. 7607(b), is a petition for review

of the modeling assumptions required

for existing point source and new or

modified point source compliance

demonstrations as set forth in Tables 9–

1 and 9–2 of the ‘‘Guideline on Air

Quality Models’’ (the ‘‘Modeling

Guidelines’’) regulations published at 58

FR 38816 (July 20, 1993) and codified in

Appendix W of 40 CFR Part 51. The

proposed settlement agreement provides

that EPA will issue specified guidance

on interpretation of parts of the Tables

in question and will propose to

incorporate that guidance into the

Modeling Guideline.

For a period of thirty (30) days

following the date of publication of this

notice, EPA will receive written

comments relating to the proposed

settlement agreement from persons who

were not named as parties to the

litigation in question. EPA or the

Department of Justice may withhold or

withdraw consent to the proposed

settlement agreement if the comments

disclose facts or circumstances that

indicate that such consent is

inappropriate, improper, inadequate, or

inconsistent with the requirements of

the Act.

A copy of the proposed settlement

agreement was filed with the Clerk of

the United States Court of Appeals for

the District of Columbia Circuit on

October 16, 1997. Copies are also

available from Phyllis Cochran, Air and

Radiation Division (2344), Office of

General Counsel, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, 401 M Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20460, (202) 260–

7606. Written comments should be sent

to Alexander Schmandt at the address

above and must be submitted on or

before January 29, 1998.

Dated: December 18, 1997.

Scott C. Fulton,

Acting General Counsel.

[FR Doc. 97–33964 Filed 12–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–M

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5941–7]

Proposed Administrative Agreement

for Recovery of Past Response Costs

Under Section 122(h) of CERCLA

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed settlement.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 122(h) of

CERCLA, EPA is proposing to settle a

claim under Section 107 of CERCLA for

response costs incurred by EPA in

conducting a removal action to address

hazardous substances at the Pruitt &

Grace Site in Lorain, OH. Mr. Michael

Pruitt, the Settling Party, has agreed to

reimburse EPA in the amount of

$20,000. EPA today is proposing to

approve this settlement offer because it

reimburses EPA for costs incurred

during the removal action.

DATES: Comments on this proposed

settlement must be received on or before

January 29, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the proposed

settlement are available at the following

address for review: (It is recommended

that you telephone Mr. Kevin Chow at

(312) 353–6181 before visiting the

Region 5 Office).

Mr. Kevin Chow (C–14J), Office of

Regional Counsel, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Region 5, 77 West

Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604.

Comments on this proposed

settlement should be addressed to:

(Please submit an original and three

copies, if possible) Mr. Kevin Chow (C–

14J), Office of Regional Counsel, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency,

Region 5, 77 West Jackson Boulevard,

Chicago, IL 60604.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Kevin Chow, Office of Regional

Counsel, at (312) 353–6181.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In

response to several hundred

deteriorated drums at the Pruitt & Grace

Site containing leaking hazardous or

ignitable waste and posing a risk of fire

or explosion, U.S. EPA undertook

actions to minimize the immediate

threat, test the materials involved, and

properly dispose of the hazardous

waste. The Settling Party was an owner

and officer of a highway line painting

company that operated at the site, and,

after ceasing operations, left behind

drums of hazardous and flammable

waste, primarily paint and solvent

waste. The Pruitt & Grace Site is not on

the National Priorities List. A 30-day

period, beginning on the date of

publication, is open pursuant to section

122(i) of CERCLA for comments on this

proposed settlement.

Comments should be addressed to Mr.

Kevin Chow, Office of Regional Counsel

(C–14J), U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, Region 5, 77 West Jackson

Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604.

Kevin C. Chow,

Assistant Regional Counsel.

[FR Doc. 97–33965 Filed 12–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–M