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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 226 (Friday, November 22, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 92680-92681]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27396]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-0617; FRL-12434-01-OMS]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Mercury Inventory 
Reporting (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), TSCA Mercury Inventory Reporting, 
(EPA ICR Number 2567.05, OMB Control Number 2070-0207) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR 
which is currently approved through February 28, 2025. Public comments 
were previously requested via the Federal Register on May 2, 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 December 23, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OPPT-2020-0617, to EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection 
Agency, Mail Code 2821T, 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: Katherine Sleasman, Office of Program 
Support (7602M), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-1206; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed extension of the 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.
    Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register 
on May 2, 2024, during a 60-day comment period (89 FR 35821). 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 
https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: As directed under the Toxic Substances Control Act, EPA 
is required to assist in the preparation and publication in the Federal 
Register of an ``inventory of mercury supply, use, and trade in the 
United States'' (15 U.S.C. 2607(b)(10)(B) and (D)). Based on the 
inventory of information collected through this ICR, the Agency is 
directed to ``identify any manufacturing processes or products that 
intentionally add mercury'' and ``recommend actions, including proposed 
revisions of Federal law or regulations, to achieve further reductions 
in mercury use'' (15 U.S.C. 2607(b)(10)(C)).
    The primary purpose of this ICR is to support the development of 
that inventory. In turn, the inventory will help the Agency identify 
uses of mercury and recommend means to achieve further reductions of 
such uses in commerce. In addition, the Agency seeks to obtain the 
information necessary to achieve its goal to further reduce the use of 
mercury in products and certain manufacturing processes in order to 
prevent future releases to the environment, as well as assist the 
United States in reporting implementation under the Minamata

[[Page 92681]]

Convention. EPA seeks to enhance its current information on how much 
mercury is used, in which products and manufacturing processes, and 
whether certain products are manufactured domestically, imported, or 
exported.
    Reporting is required from any person who manufactures (including 
imports) mercury or mercury-added products, as well as any person who 
otherwise intentionally uses mercury in a manufacturing process under 
TSCA section 8(b). The Agency promulgated reporting requirements at 40 
CFR part 713. To avoid duplication, EPA coordinated the reporting with 
the Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC).
    Form number: 9600-024.
    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected are 
those that manufacture (including import) mercury, manufacture 
(including import) mercury containing products, and those who 
intentionally use mercury in a manufacturing process.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory, per TSCA section 
8(b) and 40 CFR 713.
    Estimated number of respondents: 105 (total).
    Frequency of response: Triennial.
    Total estimated burden: 2,573 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.3(b).
    Total estimated cost: $223,592 (per year), which includes $0 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 14,775 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease reflects a change in EPA's method of 
estimating the number of expected reports. In 2021, EPA amended the 
original final rule to effectuate the vacatur ordered by the Second 
Circuit Court. In this ICR, with data available from the Mercury 
Inventory and with no new changes to the rule itself, this ICR utilizes 
data from the Reporting Year 2021 of the Mercury Inventory. In the RY 
2021, there were 105 submissions (the previous ICR used an estimate of 
252). This ICR assumes each respondent completes the entire form. Wages 
were also updated to 2022 dollars. This change is an adjustment.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Information Engagement Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-27396 Filed 11-21-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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