Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 16 / Tuesday, January 25, 2011 / Notices 4343 

stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm. 

You may also contact Mr. Jeffrey Riley, 

Air Planning Section (6PD–L), U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, 

Texas 75202–2733, telephone (214) 

665–8542, E-mail address: 

Riley.Jeffrey@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Throughout this document ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’ 

and ‘‘our’’ refers to EPA. The word 

‘‘budget(s)’’ refers to the mobile source 

emissions budget for volatile organic 

compounds (VOCs) and the mobile 

source emissions budget for nitrogen 

oxides (NOX). 

On April 1st and April 6th, 2010, we 

received State Implementation Plan 

(SIP) revisions from the Texas 

Commission on Environmental Quality 

(TCEQ). These revisions consisted of a 

Reasonable Further Progress (RFP) SIP 

and an Attainment Demonstration SIP 

for the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria 

(HGB) ozone nonattainment area. These 

submissions established motor vehicle 

emissions budgets (MVEB) for the HGB 

area for the years 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017 

and 2018. The MVEB is the amount of 

emissions allowed in the state 

implementation plan for on-road motor 

vehicles; it establishes an emissions 

ceiling for the regional transportation 

network. The MVEBs are provided in 

Tables 1 and 2: 

TABLE 1—HOUSTON-GALVESTON-BRAZORIA REASONABLE FURTHER PROGRESS (RFP) NOX AND VOC MVEBS 

[Summer season tons per day] 

2008 2011 2014 2017 2018 

NOX ...................................................................................... 193.39 135.74 95.26 67.95 60.92 

VOC ..................................................................................... 94.75 75.17 61.84 53.23 51.35 

TABLE 2—HOUSTON-GALVESTONBRAZORIA ATTAINMENT DEMONSTRATION NOX AND VOC MVEB 

[Summer season tons per day] 

2018 

NOX ...................................... 49.22 

VOC ...................................... 45.97 

On June 24, 2010, EPA posted the 

availability of the HGB area budgets on 

EPA’s Web site, as part of the adequacy 

process, for the purpose of soliciting 

public comments. The comment period 

closed on July 26, 2010, and we 

received no comments. 

Today’s notice is simply an 

announcement of a finding that EPA has 

already made. EPA Region 6 sent a letter 

to TCEQ on October 8, 2010, finding 

that the MVEBs in the HGB RFP and 

Attainment Demonstration SIPs, 

submitted on April 1st and April 6th, 

2010 respectively, are adequate and 

must be used for transportation 

conformity determinations in the HGB 

area. This finding has also been 

announced on EPA’s conformity Web 

site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/ 

stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm. 

Transportation conformity is required 

by section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act. 

EPA’s conformity rule, 40 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) part 93, 

requires that transportation plans, 

programs and projects conform to state 

air quality implementation plans and 

establishes the criteria and procedures 

for determining whether or not they do 

so. Conformity to a SIP means that 

transportation activities will not 

produce new air quality violations, 

worsen existing violations, or delay 

timely attainment of the national 

ambient air quality standards. 

The criteria by which EPA determines 

whether a SIP’s MVEB is adequate for 

transportation conformity purposes are 

outlined in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). We 

have also described the process for 

determining the adequacy of submitted 

SIP budgets in our July 1, 2004, final 

rulemaking entitled, ‘‘Transportation 

Conformity Rule Amendments for the 

New 8-hour Ozone and PM2.5 National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards and 

Miscellaneous Revisions for Existing 

Areas; Transportation Conformity Rule 

Amendments: Response to Court 

Decision and Additional Rule Changes’’ 

(69 FR 40004). Please note that an 

adequacy review is separate from EPA’s 

completeness review, and it should not 

be used to prejudge EPA’s ultimate 

approval of the HGB RFP SIP and 

Attainment Demonstration SIP revision 

submittals. Even if EPA finds the 

budgets adequate, these submittals 

could later be disapproved. 

Within 24 months from the effective 

date of this notice, the transportation 

partners will need to demonstrate 

conformity to the new MVEBs if the 

demonstration has not already been 

made, pursuant to 40 CFR 93.104(e). 

See, 73 FR 4419 (January 24, 2008). 

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq. 

Dated: January 13, 2011. 

Al Armendariz, 

Regional Administrator, Region 6. 

[FR Doc. 2011–1470 Filed 1–24–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OARM–2010–0989; FRL–9256–4; 

EPA ICR No. 1550.07; OMB Control No. 

2030–023] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request; Contractor 

Conflicts of Interest 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document 

announces that EPA is planning to 

submit a request to renew an existing 

approved Information Collection 

Request (ICR) to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB). This 

ICR is scheduled to expire on May 31, 

2011. 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 March 28, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– 

OARM–2010–0989 by one of the 

following methods: 

• http://www.regulations.gov: Follow 

the on-line instructions for submitting 

comments. 

• E-mail: ramrakha.staci@epa.gov. 

• Fax: (202) 566–1753. 

• Mail: EPA–HQ–OARM–2010–0989, 

OEI Docket, Environmental Protection 

Agency, 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania 

Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. 

Please include a total of three (3) copies. 

• Hand Delivery: EPA Docket CenterAttention OEI Docket, EPA West, Room 

B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., 

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4344 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 16 / Tuesday, January 25, 2011 / Notices 

Washington, DC 20004. Such deliveries 

are only accepted during the Docket’s 

normal hours of operation, and special 

arrangements should be made for 

deliveries of boxed information. 

Instructions: Direct your comments to 

Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OARM–2010– 

0989. 

EPA’s policy is that all comments 

received will be included in the public 

docket without change and may be 

made available online at http:// 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided, unless 

the comment includes information 

claimed to be Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) or other information 

whose disclosure is restricted by statute. 

Do not submit information that you 

consider to be CBI or otherwise 

protected through http:// 

www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The 

http://www.regulations.gov Web site is 

an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which 

means EPA will not know your identity 

or contact information unless you 

provide it in the body of your comment. 

If you send an e-mail comment directly 

to EPA without going through http:// 

www.regulations.gov your e-mail 

address will be automatically captured 

and included as part of the comment 

that is placed in the public docket and 

made available on the Internet. If you 

submit an electronic comment, EPA 

recommends that you include your 

name and other contact information in 

the body of your comment and with any 

disk or CD–ROM you submit. If EPA 

cannot read your comment due to 

technical difficulties and cannot contact 

you for clarification, EPA may not be 

able to consider your comment. 

Electronic files should avoid the use of 

special characters, any form of 

encryption, and be free of any defects or 

viruses. For additional information 

about EPA’s public docket visit the EPA 

Docket Center homepage at http:// 

www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Staci Ramrakha, Policy, Training, and 

Oversight Division, Acquisition Policy 

and Training Service Center (3802R), 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington 

DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 

564–2017; e-mail address: 

ramrakha.staci@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

How can I access the docket and/or 

submit comments? 

EPA has established a public docket 

for this ICR under Docket ID No. EPA– 

HQ–OARM–2010–0989, which is 

available for online viewing at http:// 

www.regulations.gov, or in person 

viewing at the OEI Docket in the EPA 

Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, 

Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., 

NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC 

Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 

a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, excluding legal holidays. The 

telephone number for the Reading Room 

is 202–566–1744, and the telephone 

number for the OEI Docket is 202–566– 

1752. 

Use http://www.regulations.gov to 

obtain a copy of the draft collection of 

information, submit or view public 

comments, access the index listing of 

the contents of the docket, and to access 

those documents in the public docket 

that are available electronically. Once in 

the system, select ‘‘search,’’ then key in 

the docket ID number identified in this 

document. 

What information is EPA particularly 

interested in? 

Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 

the PRA, EPA specifically solicits 

comments and information to enable it 

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. In 

particular, EPA is requesting comments 

from very small businesses (those that 

employ less than 25) on examples of 

specific additional efforts that EPA 

could make to reduce the paperwork 

burden for very small businesses 

affected by this collection. 

What should I consider when I prepare 

my comments for EPA? 

You may find the following 

suggestions helpful for preparing your 

comments: 

1. Explain your views as clearly as 

possible and provide specific examples. 

2. Describe any assumptions that you 

used. 

3. Provide copies of any technical 

information and/or data you used that 

support your views. 

4. If you estimate potential burden or 

costs, explain how you arrived at the 

estimate that you provide. 

5. Offer alternative ways to improve 

the collection activity. 

6. Make sure to submit your 

comments by the deadline identified 

under DATES. 

7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, 

be sure to identify the docket ID number 

assigned to this action in the subject 

line on the first page of your response. 

You may also provide the name, date, 

and Federal Register citation. 

What information collection activity or 

ICR does this apply to? 

Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OARM– 

2010–0989. 

Affected entities: Entities potentially 

affected by this action are businesses or 

organizations performing contracts for 

the EPA. 

Title: Conflict of Interest, Rule # 1. 

ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1550.07, 

OMB Control No. 2030–023. 

ICR status: This ICR is currently 

scheduled to expire on May 31, 2011. 

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 in title 40 of the CFR, 

after appearing in the Federal Register 

when approved, are listed in 40 CFR 

part 9, are displayed either by 

publication in the Federal Register or 

by other appropriate means, such as on 

the related collection instrument or 

form, if applicable. The display of OMB 

control numbers in certain EPA 

regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR 

part 9. 

Abstract: EPA contractors will be 

required to disclose business 

relationships and corporate affiliations 

to determine whether EPA’s interests 

are jeopardized by such relationships. 

Because EPA has the dual responsibility 

of cleanup and enforcement and 

because its contractors are often 

involved in both activities, it is 

imperative that contractors are free from 

conflicts of interest so as not to 

prejudice response and enforcement 

actions. Contractors will be required to 

maintain a database of business 

relationships and report information to 

EPA on either an annual basis or when 

each work order is issued. 

Burden Statement: The annual public 

reporting and recordkeeping burden for 

this collection of information is 

estimated to average 1,138 hours per 

response. Burden means the total time, 

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 16 / Tuesday, January 25, 2011 / Notices 4345 

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 which have subsequently 

changed; 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. 

The ICR provides a detailed 

explanation of the Agency’s estimate, 

which is only briefly summarized here. 

The EPA estimates a total of 135 

respondents, 10 new and 125 existing. 

The estimated total annual burden 

hours are 153,626 for 135 responses for 

an average burden of 1,821 per 

respondent. 

Estimated total annual costs are 

$10,978,201.08. This includes an 

estimated contractor burden cost of 

$9,858,202.20 and an estimated Agency 

burden cost of $1,119,998.88. These 

amounts were calculated using the 

hours above and the labor rates from the 

2009 Bureau of Labor National Mean 

Statistics and the General Schedule. 

Specific calculations are included in the 

ICR. Because it will not be necessary for 

respondents to acquire any capital 

goods to provide the requested 

information, EPA has estimated no 

incurred capital/start-up costs. 

Are there changes in the estimates from 

the last approval? 

There is no change in the hours in the 

total estimated respondent burden 

compared with that identified in the ICR 

currently approved by OMB. 

What is the next step in the process for 

this ICR? 

EPA will consider the comments 

received and amend the ICR as 

appropriate. The final ICR package will 

then be submitted to OMB for review 

and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 

1320.12. At that time, EPA will issue 

another Federal Register notice 

pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to 

announce the submission of the ICR to 

OMB and the opportunity to submit 

additional comments to OMB. If you 

have any questions about this ICR or the 

approval process, please contact the 

technical person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Dated: January 18, 2011. 

John R. Bashista, 

Director, Office of Acquisition Management. 

[FR Doc. 2011–1476 Filed 1–24–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–9257–2] 

A Method To Assess Climate-Relevant 

Decisions: Application in the 

Chesapeake Bay 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of Peer Review 

Workshop. 

SUMMARY: EPA is announcing that 

Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), an 

EPA contractor for external scientific 

peer review, will convene an 

independent panel of experts and 

organize and conduct an external peer 

review workshop to review the external 

review draft document titled, ‘‘A 

Method to Assess Climate-Relevant 

Decisions: Application in the 

Chesapeake Bay’’ (EPA/600/R–10/096a). 

The draft document was prepared by 

EPA’s National Center for 

Environmental Assessment (NCEA), 

which is situated in the Office of 

Research and Development. 

EPA will forward public comments 

that were submitted in accordance with 

a previous notice (Federal Register 

Volume 75, Number 168 [Tuesday, 

August 31, 2010]) to the external peerreview panel for consideration prior to 

the meeting. When finalizing the draft 

document, EPA will consider any public 

comments that EPA received in 

accordance with the August 31, 2010 

Federal Register Notice. 

EPA released this draft document 

solely for the purpose of peer review 

under applicable information quality 

guidelines. This document has not been 

formally disseminated by EPA. It does 

not represent and should not be 

construed to represent any Agency 

policy or determination. 

EPA invites the public to register and 

attend this workshop and to give oral 

and/or provide written comments of the 

draft document under review. The draft 

document and EPA’s peer review charge 

are available via the Internet on NCEA’s 

home page under the Recent Additions 

and the Data and Publications menus at 

http://www.epa.gov/ncea. In preparing a 

final report, EPA will consider the 

comments and recommendations from 

the external peer review workshop and 

any public comments received in 

accordance with this notice. 

DATES: The peer review panel workshop 

will begin on Friday, March 11, 2011, at 

8:30 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The peer review workshop 

will be held at The Navy League 

Building, 2300 Wilson Boulevard, 

Arlington, VA 22201. The EPA 

contractor, ERG, is organizing, 

convening, and conducting the peer 

review workshop. To attend the 

workshop, register by Friday, March 4, 

2011 by calling ERG at 781–674–7374 or 

toll free at 800–803–2833 (ask for the 

Chesapeake Bay peer review 

coordinator, Laurie Waite), sending a 

facsimile to 781–674–2906 (please 

reference: ‘‘Chesapeake Bay peer review 

workshop’’ and include your name, title, 

affiliation, full address, and contact 

information, and whether you wish to 

make oral comments), or sending an email to meetings@erg.com (subject line: 

‘‘Chesapeake Bay peer review 

workshop’’ and include your name, title, 

affiliation, full address, and contact 

information, and whether you wish to 

make oral comments). You may also 

register via the Internet at https:// 

www2.ergweb.com/projects/ 

conferences/peerreview/registerchesapeake.htm. The draft ‘‘A Method to 

Assess Climate-Relevant Decisions: 

Application in the Chesapeake Bay’’ is 

available via the Internet on NCEA’s 

home page under the Recent Additions 

and the Data and Publications menus at 

http://www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited 

number of paper copies are available 

from the Information Management Team 

(IMT), NCEA; telephone: 703–347–8561; 

facsimile: 703–347–8691. If you are 

requesting a paper copy, please provide 

your name, mailing address, and the 

document title, ‘‘A Method to Assess 

Climate-Relevant Decisions: Application 

in the Chesapeake Bay.’’ Copies are not 

available from ERG. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Questions regarding information, 

registration, access or services for 

individuals with disabilities, or logistics 

for the external peer review workshop 

should be directed to ERG, 110 Hartwell 

Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421–3136; 

telephone: 781–674–7374; facsimile: 

781–674–2906; or e-mail: 

meetings@erg.com (subject line: 

Chesapeake Bay peer review workshop), 

preferably at least 10 days prior to the 

meeting, to give as much time as 

possible to process your request. 

If you need technical information 

about the document, please contact 

Susan Julius, National Center for 

Environmental Assessment (NCEA); 

telephone: 703–347–8619; facsimile: 

703–347–8694; e-mail 

Julius.susan@epa.gov. 

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