Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 213 / Thursday, November 2, 2000 / Notices 65857

Please refer to EPA ICR No. 1442.17 and

OMB Control No. 2050–0085 in any

correspondence.

Dated: October 24, 2000.

Oscar Morales,

Director, Collection Strategies Division.

[FR Doc. 00–28167 Filed 11–1–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–05–U

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6895–3]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Submission for OMB

Review; Comment Request; Request

for Information for the Bioremediation

Field Initiative Database System

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.), this document announces

that the following Information

Collection Request (ICR) has been

forwarded to the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) for review and

approval: Request for Information for

the Bioremediation Field Initiative

Database System, EPA ICR No. 1672.03,

OMB Control No. 2080–0048, expires

November 30, 2000. The ICR describes

the nature of the information collection

and its expected burden and cost; where

appropriate, it includes the actual data

collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before December 4, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send comments, referencing

EPA ICR No. 1672.03 and OMB Control

No. 2080–0048, to the following

addresses: Sandy Farmer, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency,

Collection Strategies Division (Mail

Code 2822), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue,

N.W., Washington, DC 20460; and to

Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and

Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer

for EPA, 725 17th Street, N.W.,

Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

a copy of the ICR contact Sandy Farmer

at EPA by phone at (202) 260–2740, by

email at farmer.sandy@epamail.epa.gov,

or download off the Internet at http://

www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR

No. 1672.03. For technical questions

about the ICR contact Fran Kremer at

513–569–7346 or email at

kremer.fran@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Request for Information for the

Bioremediation Field Initiative Database

System (OMB Control No. 2080–0048;

EPA ICR No. 1672.03) expiring

November 30, 2000. This is a request for

extension of a currently approved

collection.

Abstract: This is an ICR renewal for

gathering information on the design,

operation, and performance of biological

treatment technologies from

remediation experts and managers

working at sites where biological

treatment technologies are being tested

or implemented. The authority for

collecting information on innovative

treatment technologies is described at

section 311 of the Superfund

Amendments and Reauthorization Act,

section 8003 of the Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act, section

7001 of the Oil Pollution Act, and

section 10 of the Toxic Substance

Control Act. Response to the collection

of information is voluntary. The

information will help the EPA to deploy

innovative technologies more quickly at

Superfund and other sites. Selected

respondents are asked to complete and

return, via mail, a two-part

questionnaire. The first part requests

general site information, such as

location, contacts, contaminants, and

legislative authority under which the

site is being remediated. The second

part requests site-specific biotechnology

information, such as the stage of the

operation, wastes and media being

treated, cleanup level goals, and the

performance and cost of the treatment.

Again, all responses are strictly

voluntary. Following the initial

questionnaire, respondents receive

followup questionnaires on a semiannual basis to update the information

already provided.

EPA compiles information from

completed questionnaires into the

Bioremediation Field Initiative

computer database. EPA developed a

software program called the

Bioremediation in the Field Search

System (BFSS) to search, view, and

report information in the database.

Recently, EPA re-engineered this

software into a Web-enabled

application, making the BFSS data

available to the public for online

searching.

Each site in the database includes

contact information for one or more

individuals associated with the

regulatory authority or application of

bioremediation technology at the site.

Remediation professionals may contact

individuals with common site

conditions to share information.

Summary statistics may be drawn from

the database to elucidate trends in

bioremediation.

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 Federal Register document

required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d),

soliciting comments on this collection

of information was published on March

15, 2000 (65 FR 13962); no comments

were received.

Burden Statement: The annual public

reporting and recordkeeping burden for

this collection of information is

estimated to average 1.0 hour per

response for update respondents and 5.0

hours per response for first-time

respondents. 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.

Respondents/Affected Entities: State/

local governments, private companies,

universities, and research centers.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

781.

Frequency of Responses: Semiannually and annually.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:

1620.

Estimated Total Annualized Capital,

Operating/Maintenance Cost Burden: 0.

Send comments on the Agency’s need

for this information, the accuracy of the

provided burden estimates, and any

suggested methods for minimizing

respondent burden, including through

the use of automated collection

techniques to the following addresses.

Please refer to EPA ICR No. 1672.03 and

OMB Control No. 2080–0048 in any

correspondence.

Dated: October 26, 2000.

Oscar Morales,

Director, Collection Strategies Division.

[FR Doc. 00–28168 Filed 11–1–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–U