UNITED ST ATE S E NVIRONME NTAL PROTE CTIO N AGENCY WASHINGTON, D
. C. 20460 

## OCT 2 3 2013

MEMORANDUM OFF I CE OF ENFORC EMENT A N D CO M PLIANCE ASS URANCE

SUBJECT: Extension of Comment Period for Proposed NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule I ;)

. / ,. FROM: John Dombrowski, Director (

### ~~**·** Enforcement Targeting and Data sion Office of Compliance TO: OECA Docket The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is extending the comment period for the NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule, published on July 30, 2013 (78 FR 46006). EPA is soliciting public comment on a new regulation that would require electronic reporting for current paper-based NPDES reports. This action will save time and resources for permittees, states, tribes, territories,
. and EPA while improving compliance and providing better protection ofthe Nation ' s waters. The proposed C lean Water Act regulation would require permittees and regulators to use existing, available information technology to e lectronica lly report information and data related to the NPDES permit program in li eu of filing written reports. In response to requests from s takeholders, this act ion extends the comment period for 45 days. EPA is publishing a separate Federal Register notice announcing this new due date. DATES: Comments on the preliminary plan will be accepted through December 12,20 1 3. Comments provided electronically will be considered timely if they are submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 12,2013. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA

- HQ

-OECA-2009- 0274 by one ofthe fo llowing methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Portal: http :// www.regulations
. gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. • E-mail: docket.oeca@epa
. gov, Attention Docket ID No
. EPA

-HQ

-OECA-2009

-0274. • Mail: Send the original and three copies of your comments to: U.S. E nvironmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, Enforcement and Compliance Docket, Mail Code 28221 T , 1200 Pennsylvania A venue, NW, Washington, DC 20460 , Attention Docket ID N o. E PA- HQ-OECA

-2009-0274. In addition, if applicable, please mail a copyof your comments on the information collection provisions to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attn: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th St. NW , Washington, DC 20503. • Hand Deliver: Deliver your comments to: EPA Docket Center, EPA West Bui lding , Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20004, Attention Docket ID No
. EPA-HQ-OECA

- 2009 -0274. Such deliveries are only accepted during the EPA Docket Center 's normal hours of operation and spec ial arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OECA

-2009 -02 74. EPA's policy is that all comments received by the deadline will be included in the public docket without charge, and may be made available online at www.regulations.gov, including any personal inf ormation provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information for which disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The www.regulations.gov website is an "anonymous access" system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it within the body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through 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, if applicable , with any disk or CDROM 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 and any form ofencryption, and be free ofany defects or viru ses. For additional information about EPA's public docket, please visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http: //

www.epa.gov /docke tsl Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information for which disclosure is restricted by statute. Certa in other material, such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard-copy. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically in www. regulations.gov or in hard-copy at the Enforcement and Compliance Docket in the EPA Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20004. The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30a.m. to 4:30p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Docket for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) is (202) 566-1752. Docket visitors are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA vis itor log
. A ll visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and are subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA visitor 's badge that must be visible at all times in the building and returned upon departure. The "User Guide to the Docket for the NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule [DCN 001 0]" is document that provides easy to follow instructions on how to access documents through www.regulations.gov. Page 2 of2