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[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 249 (Wednesday, December 28, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81491-81493]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33262]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2004-0501; FRL-9612-2]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Reporting Requirements Under EPA's Green Power 
Partnership and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Partnership, EPA ICR 
Number 2173.02 (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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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 June 30, 2012. 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 27, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2004-0501 by one of the following methods:
    www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     Email: a-and-r-docket@epamail.epa.gov.
     Fax: (202) 566-9744.
     Mail: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Air and Radiation Docket, Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460
     Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center--Public Reading Room, EPA 
West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20004. Such deliveries are accepted only during the Docket's normal 
hours of operation, and special arrangements

[[Page 81492]]

should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2004-0501. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
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 www.regulations.gov or email. The 
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 email comment 
directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov your email 
address will be captured automatically 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: Mollie Lemon, Climate Protection 
Partnerships Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, MC 6202J, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 343-9859; fax number: 
(202) 343-2208; email address: lemon.mollie@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-OAR-2004-0501, which is available for online viewing at 
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air and Radiation 
Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 
Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC, 20004. 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 Air and Radiation 
Docket is (202) 566-1742.
    Use 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 fewer 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.

To what information collection activity or ICR does this apply?

Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2004-0501

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
company, institutional, and public sector organizations that 
voluntarily participate in the EPA's Green Power Partnership (GPP) or 
Combined Heat and Power Partnership (CHPP). These include service and 
goods providing industries, educational institutions and non-
governmental organizations, commercial and industrial organizations, 
and local, state, or federal level government agencies.
    Title: Reporting requirements Under EPA's Green Power Partnership 
and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Partnership.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2173.02, OMB Control No. 2060-0532.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on June 30, 
2012. 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: In 2001, EPA launched two new partnership programs with 
industry and other stakeholders: the Green Power Partnership (GPP) and 
the Combined Heat and Power Partnership (CHPP). These voluntary 
partnership programs encourage organizations to invest in clean, 
efficient energy technologies, including renewable energy and combined 
heat and power. To continue to be successful, it is critical that EPA 
collect information from GPP and CHPP Partners to ensure these 
organizations are meeting their renewable energy and CHP goals and to 
assure the credibility

[[Page 81493]]

of these voluntary partnership programs.
    EPA has developed this ICR to obtain authorization to collect 
information from organizations participating in the GPP and CHPP. 
Organizations that join these programs voluntarily agree to the 
following respective actions: (1) Designating a Green Power or CHP 
liaison and filling out a Partnership Agreement or Letter of Intent 
(LOI) respectively, (2) for the GPP, reporting to EPA, on an annual 
basis, their progress toward their green power commitment via a 3-page 
reporting form; (3) for the CHP Partnership, reporting to EPA 
information on their existing CHP projects, new project development, 
and other CHP-related activities via a one-page reporting form (for 
projects) or via an informal email or phone call (for other CHP-related 
activities). EPA uses the data obtained from its Partners to assess the 
success of these programs in achieving their national energy and 
greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals. Partners are organizational 
entities that have volunteered to participate in either Partnership 
program.
    Burden Statement: Please note that the following burden hour and 
labor rates may change in the final ICR, pending the application of 
survey results of Partners. The annual public reporting and 
recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to 
equal 10,407 hours for submission and processing and to average 4.79 
hours per year per respondent. The average number of annual burden 
hours on first-year Partners for each type of one-time response is: 4.4 
hours for a Partnership Agreement (a one-time burden for GPP Partners) 
and 2.5 hours for a Letter of Intent (a one-time burden for CHPP 
Partners). Annual burden hours on existing Partners for yearly reports 
are estimated at 2.6 hours for the Partner Yearly Report for the GPP 
and 3.5 hours for the Partner Yearly Report for the CHPP.
    Partners from both programs may also submit voluntary updates of 
simple information, such as contact information or company profiles, 
via the EPA Web site. These updates would take from 15 minutes to 0.5 
hours each. A subset of Partners may participate in brief (i.e., 15 
minute) telephone calls with EPA to clarify questions pertaining to the 
Partnership Agreement or LOI, GPP Yearly Report or CHPP Partner project 
reporting. All of these activities are included in the annual burden 
estimate.
    The estimated number of annual respondents averaged over three (3) 
years is 2,174 which include an average of 1,660 for the GPP and 514 
respondents for the CHPP.
    There are no capital or start-up costs associated with this 
information collection. The average annual operation and maintenance 
cost resulting for this collection of information is $3 per respondent. 
The average annual labor cost is $152.09 per respondent, pending the 
application of survey results of Partners. The resulting total annual 
cost for Partners averaged over the three year period is $337,166. In 
the previous ICR the total cost averaged over the 3-year period was 
$521,937. The total cost estimate decrease for Partners is due to a 
corrected downward adjustment in the labor rates used to calculate 
respondent burden, partially offset by an increase in the number of 
Partners.
    Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 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:
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,174.
    Frequency of Response: Annually, on Occasion, One time.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 10,407.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost (including Partner, EPA, and contractor 
costs): $473,979, which includes $0 annualized Capital Startup costs, 
$6,522 annualized Operating and Maintenance (O&M) costs and $467,457 
annualized Labor costs.

Are there changes in the estimates from the last approval?

    Since the last ICR renewal, both the GPP and CHPP have introduced 
program efficiencies to reduce program burden by encouraging the 
electronic submission of documents directly to the program support 
contractors. The average number of hours per Partner remained the same, 
at 3.24 hours, pending a partner survey to determine the results of 
these efficiencies. The total hourly burden increased due to an 
increase in the number of Partners. For perspective on the magnitude of 
partner growth, the number of Partners at the end of 2008 was 1,286, 
whereas by the end of 2011 there will be an estimated 1,725. The total 
cost estimate over the 3-year period for this renewal ICR is 
$1,421,937, or an average of $473,979 per year, of which $6,522 is O&M 
costs. The total cost to GPP and CHPP Partners is $1,011,498 ($19,566 
is O&M), or $337,166 ($6,522 is O&M) per year. In the previous 2008 ICR 
renewal, the total cost over the 3-year period was $1,991,978. The 
total cost estimate decrease for Partners is due to a corrected 
downward adjustment in the labor rates for respondents, partially 
offset by an increase in the number of Partners.

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 then will 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: December 21, 2011.
Elizabeth Craig,
Director, Climate Protection Partnerships Division.
[FR Doc. 2011-33262 Filed 12-27-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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