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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 220 (Thursday, November 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89995-89996]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26404]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2024-0482; FRL-12390-01-OW]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information 
Collection Request; Comment Request; 2022 National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit (CGP) for 
Stormwater Discharges From Construction Activities (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit an information collection request (ICR), 2022 National Pollutant 
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit (CGP) 
for Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities (Renewal) (EPA 
ICR Number 2686.03, OMB Control Number 2040-0305) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting 
public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information 
collection as described below. This is a proposed renewal of the 
current ICR, which is currently approved through February 28, 2025. 
This notice allows for 60 days for public comments.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 13, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2024-0482 to EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method) 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Schaner, Water Permits Division, 
Office of Wastewater Management, Office of Water at telephone number: 
(202) 564-0721 or email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed renewal of the current 
ICR, which is currently approved through February 28, 2025. 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.
    This notice allows 60 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.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
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 forms of information technology. 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. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice 
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to 
submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: EPA issued the 2022 National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES) general permit for stormwater discharges 
from construction activities, also referred to as the ``2022 
Construction General Permit,'' or the ``2022 CGP,'' on February 17, 
2022. The 2022 CGP is issued for five (5) years to provide permit 
coverage to eligible construction operators in all areas of the country 
where EPA is the NPDES permitting authority.
    The current ICR for the 2022 CGP expires on February 28, 2025. This 
proposed ICR will renew the existing ICR prior to expiration. The 
proposed ICR renewal will further EPA's specific needs to collect data 
related to the 2022 CGP, which include the following:
     To provide information supporting operator eligibility to 
be covered by the permit;
     To provide information to EPA and states to prioritize 
permit activities;
     To provide information on the quality of dewatering 
discharges to sensitive waters;
     To determine whether operators are in compliance with 
permit conditions; and
     To provide information to EPA to determine the need for 
and develop permit conditions.
    The burden and costs associated with the entire NPDES program, 
including the administration of the 2017 CGP, are accounted for in the 
2017 NPDES Program ICR (EPA ICR number 0229.23 OMB control no. 2040-
0004). Certain changes in the 2022 CGP required revisions to the NPDES 
Program ICR to

[[Page 89996]]

reflect changes to the information collection requirements. Consistent 
with the past approach of changes to the NPDES Program, EPA reflected 
the paperwork burden and costs associated with the difference between 
the 2022 CGP and the 2017 CGP instead of revising the NPDES Program 
ICR. EPA will consolidate the burden and costs into the NPDES Program 
ICR (and discontinue this ICR) in a future reissuance of the NPDES 
Program ICR.
    The information collection changes between the 2017 CGP and the 
2022 CGP that is captured in the current ICR are associated with the 
following:
     New notice of intent (NOI) questions;
     New notice of termination (NOT) documentation 
requirements;
     New dewatering inspection requirements;
     New turbidity benchmark monitoring requirements for sites 
discharging dewatering water to sensitive waters; and
     Changes to Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) 
requirements, related to new and modified permit requirements.
    Form Numbers: Notice of Intent (NPDES Form 3510-9), Notice of 
Termination (NPDES Form 3510-13), Turbidity Monitoring Reporting Form 
(NPDES Form 6100-065), Suggested Cationic Treatment Chemicals Form 
(NPDES Form 6100-066).
    Respondents/affected entities: Coverage under the 2022 CGP is 
available to ``operators'' of construction activities in areas where 
EPA is the permitting authority and where the general permit is 
available for use. A list of eligible areas is included in appendix B 
of the 2022 CGP. The majority of construction activities will be 
carried out by builders, local developers, and contractors. Relevant 
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes include the following: 
1531, 1541, 1542, 1611, 1622, 1623, and 1629.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory under NPDES permits 
issued pursuant to Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1342(p) et seq.
    Estimated number of respondents: EPA estimates that for the 
duration of the three-year ICR period approximately 10,893 operators 
will obtain coverage under the 2022 CGP, or 3,631 operators per year.
    Frequency of response: Response frequencies in the 2022 CGP vary 
from once per permit term to quarterly.
    Total estimated burden: EPA estimates that the information 
collection burden of the 2022 CGP is 200,383 hours per year. Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: EPA estimates that the final information 
collection cost of the 2022 CGP is $15,610,581 per year.
    Changes in the Estimates: The change in estimated burden between 
the current and renewal ICRs are attributable to the change in the 
number of respondents from 2,600 to 3,631 operators per year, which is 
based on the more accurate information EPA now has on the number of 
permitted operators from the first two years of the 2022 CGP. The 
change in the number of estimated respondents led to an increase in 
burden hours of 57,872 hours per year. Additionally, the labor rates 
used to calculate the estimated costs increased from $62.77 per hour 
from the current ICR to $73.47 per hour for the renewal ICR, which, 
combined with the increase in number of respondents, is the reason for 
the increase in total estimated cost of $5,973,563 per year (i.e., the 
difference between the estimated total cost of the renewal ICR of 
$15,610,581 and the current ICR of $9,637,018).

Andrew D. Sawyers,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management, U.S. EPA.
[FR Doc. 2024-26404 Filed 11-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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