ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ –OAR -2005-0161; FRL -]

Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) 

Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an information collection 

request (ICR), “Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) Program” (EPA ICR No. 2333.03, OMB Control No. 

2060 -0640) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance 

with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public 

comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a 

“RENEWAL” of the ICR, which is currently approved through June 31, 2013. 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.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before [insert date 60 days after publication in the 

Federal Register]. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0161 online 

using www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air Docket in the EPA Docket Center in 

Washington, DC (EPA/DC). The docket is located in the EPA West Building, 1301 Constitution 

Avenue, NW, Room 3334, and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday

through Friday, excluding legal holidays, 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: Geanetta Heard, Environmental Protection 

Specialist, Fuels Compliance Center, 6406J Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 

NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-343-9017 fax number: 202-343-2800; email 

address: heard.geanetta@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

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, EPA 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 automated electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 

permitting electronic submission of responses. 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 would like to continue to collect annual compliance reports from the obligated party, 

quarterly reports for all EMTS users, generation and assignment of RINs quarterly reports from 

biofuels producers and importers and third party disclosure reports from biofuel feedstock producers by

way of the Agency’s CDX. The recordkeeping and reporting of this regulation will allow EPA to 

monitor compliance with the RFS program. We inform respondents that they may assert claims of 

business confidentiality (CBI) for information they submit in accordance with 40 CFR § Part 2203. 

Form Numbers:

RFS0103: RFS2 Q1 2012 Activity Report

RFS0104: RFS2 Activity Report

RFS0201: RFS1 RIN Transaction Report (only if RFS1 RINs were bought, sold, retired, or reinstated)

RFS0600: RFS2 Renewable Fuel Producer Supplemental Report (if applicable)

RFS0701: RFS2 Renewable Fuel Producer Co-products Report

RFS0801: RFS2 Renewable Biomass Report

RFS0901: RFS2 Production Outlook Report

EMTS: RFS2 RIN Transaction Report

EMTS: RFS2 RIN Generation Report (Equivalent to RFS0400)

RFS0301: RFS2 2010 Annual Compliance Report

RFS0302: RFS2 2011 Annual Compliance Report

EMTS: RFS2 RIN Transaction Report

Respondents/affected entities: Producers of Renewable Fuels, Importers, Obligated Parties, Parties who 

own RINS (including foreign RIN owners) 

Respondent’s obligation to respond: mandatory Sections 114 and 208 of the Clean Air Act (CAA), 42 

U.S.C. §§ 7414 and 7542

Estimated number of respondents: 2,092,731

Frequency of response: Quarterly

Total estimated burden: 6,379,263 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b)

Total estimated cost: $60,459,623 (per year), includes $ 320 annualized capital or operation & 

maintenance costs.
Changes in Estimates: At the onset of the RFS2 program, EMTS for RINs were not a feature of RFS1. 

For the new EMTS system, all parties who owned RINs were required to re-submit their application, 

disclose feedstock sources, prepare quarterly reports on RIN activity and submit annual compliance 

reports (obligated party only). Re-submittal provisions are no longer required which will cause a 

decrease in total responses for this ICR. EMTS users will not be burdened to submit more reports in 

this information collection, unlike the previous. The total responses for industry dropped from 

4,525,625 to 2,092,731 a difference of 2,432894, now that the final rule is no longer requiring resubmissions or quarterly reports for certain party members. To date, biofuels producers and importers 

are required to submit quarterly reports along with their third party disclosure on feedstock producers

to EPA. All users of the EMTS system are required to submit quarterly RIN reports. 

The number of respondents or users of the EMTS system has more than doubled from 

1,059,326 to 2,092,731 an increase of 1,639,992, caused by the additional response burden for mapping 

foreign and domestic plantation/forest land owners and foreign biofuel feedstock producers which was 

not reflected in the previous ICR reporting period. With an increase of respondents, total burden 

hours have increased by more than 4 million costing the industry $60,459,623 a decreased of

$47,882,366. The reduction in the total cost for this renewal is due to the fact that the EMTS system’s 

automation structure helps users to prepare reports instantly, lessening the amount of time and cost 

needed to respond, even with more than a million added users. This notable factor increased the 

industry burden hours but, will lower the total cost of this information collection request if renewed. 

Dated: _____________________________________ 

 

___________________________________________

Byron Bunker, Director

Transportation and Regional Programs Division