[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 189 (Monday, September 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79584-79585]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-22296]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2016-0731; FRL-12299-01-OMS]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; EPA's Methane Challenge and Natural Gas STAR Programs 
(Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), EPA's Methane Challenge and 
Natural Gas STAR Programs (EPA ICR Number 2547.03, OMB Control Number 
2060-0722) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a 
proposed revision of the current ICR, which is currently approved 
through December 31, 2024. Public comments were previously requested 
via the Federal Register on June 5, 2024 during a 60-day comment 
period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on or before October 30, 2024.

[[Page 79585]]


ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OAR-2016-0731, to EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#90f1bdf1fef4bde2bdd4fff3fbf5e4d0f5e0f1bef7ffe6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="39581458575d144b147d565a525c4d795c4958175e564f">[email protected]</span></a> or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
    Submit written comments and recommendations to OMB for the proposed 
information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Meluch, Office of Atmospheric 
Programs, Climate Change Division, (6207A), Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: (202) 564-4762; email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1c717970697f74327d72786e796b5c796c7d327b736a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="422f272e37212a6c232c26302735022732236c252d34">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed revision of the ICR, 
which is currently approved through December 31, 2024. 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.
    Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register 
on June 5, 2024, during a 60-day comment period (89 FR 48164). This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. Supporting 
documents, which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be 
collecting, are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket 
can be viewed online at www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA 
Docket Center, WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-
1744. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit 
http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: This ICR revision proposes to significantly pare down the 
information reported to EPA's Natural Gas STAR and Methane Challenge 
Programs. Specifically, it proposes to remove all of the partnership-
specific reporting elements, based on the Programs' changes to sunset 
the ``Partnership'' aspects of the programs. EPA proposes to retain one 
key element of the ICR, the Service Provider Directory.
    The oil and natural gas industry is the second largest source of 
anthropogenic methane emissions in the U.S., according to the Inventory 
of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022. Since 1993, the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Natural Gas STAR Program 
has encouraged oil and natural gas companies to adopt cost-saving 
technologies and practices that improve operational efficiency and 
reduce methane emissions. In 2016, EPA launched the Methane Challenge 
Program, which created a mechanism for oil and natural gas companies to 
make ambitious, voluntary commitments to reduce their methane 
emissions.
    EPA has recently taken historic steps to tackle wasteful methane 
emissions from the oil and gas sector beyond voluntary action. The 
Inflation Reduction Act directed EPA to implement a suite of actions to 
swiftly reduce methane emissions through the creation of the Methane 
Emissions Reduction Program (MERP). On December 2, 2023, EPA announced 
final New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines (NSPS/
EG) to regulate the oil and gas industry under the Clean Air Act, 
resulting in ambitious requirements to reduce methane from both new and 
existing sources.
    In 2022, EPA announced the sunsetting of the Natural Gas STAR 
Program partnership agreements, implementation plans, and annual 
reporting. Based on the limited remaining potential for voluntary 
actions to reduce methane emissions, EPA will also be sunsetting the 
Methane Challenge Partnership at the end of 2024. EPA will be 
transitioning the Natural Gas STAR Program outreach efforts to advance 
ambitious, sector-wide methane reductions through technical assistance 
and outreach under the Methane Emissions Reduction Program.
    Therefore, based on these significantly reduced programmatic 
elements, for this revision of the program ICR, EPA proposes to remove 
all partnership reporting data elements and partnership-related 
information collection forms for both programs. This includes the 
removal of annual reporting forms, partnership agreements, and 
implementation plans. The sole programmatic element involving voluntary 
information collection that EPA plans to retain is the Service 
Providers Directory. This directory's purpose is to share information 
about service and technology providers that can facilitate methane 
emission reduction activities in the oil and gas sector. These changes 
will result in a significant overall decrease in burden for this ICR.
    Form Numbers: 5900-502.
    Respondents/affected entities: Stakeholders seeking to join the 
Service Provider Directory.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 50 per year (total).
    Frequency of response: Respondents may fill out the Service 
Provider Directory form any time.
    Total estimated burden: 12.5 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 
5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $1,394 (per year), which includes $0 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 4,846 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease is due to the removal of all previous 
forms associated with the Natural Gas STAR and Methane Challenge 
Programs, maintaining only the Service Provider Directory form.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Information Engagement Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-22296 Filed 9-27-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>