11426 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 40 / Tuesday, March 1, 2022 / Notices 

Form Numbers: None. 

Respondents/affected entities: State 

and local agencies and the public. 

Respondent’s obligation to respond: 

Required to obtain or retain a benefit (40 

CFR 1400). 

Estimated number of respondents: 

315 (total). 

Frequency of response: As necessary. 

Total estimated burden: 367 hours 

(per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR 

1320.03(b). 

Total estimated cost: $16,252 (per 

year), includes $23 annualized capital 

or operation & maintenance costs. 

Changes in the Estimates: Any change 

in burden or cost resulting from the 60- 

day OMB review period will be 

described and explained in this section 

when the updated ICR Supporting 

Statement is completed. 

Donna Salyer, 

Director, Office of Emergency Management. 

[FR Doc. 2022–04210 Filed 2–28–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OPPT–2014–0838; FRL–9117–01– 

OCSPP] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Reinstatement of 

an Existing Collection and Request for 

Comment; Assessment of 

Environmental Performance Standards 

and Ecolabels for Federal Procurement 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), this 

document announces that EPA is 

planning to submit an Information 

Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

entitled: ‘‘Assessment of Environmental 

Performance Standards and Ecolabels 

for Federal Procurement’’ and identified 

by EPA ICR No. 2516.04 and OMB 

Control No. 2070–0199. This is a request 

to reinstate a previously approved ICR 

as revised in order to allow the 

information collection to implement the 

Framework for the Assessment of 

Environmental Performance Standards 

and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing 

(Framework). Before submitting the ICR 

to OMB for review and approval under 

the PRA, EPA is soliciting comments on 

specific aspects of the proposed 

information collection that is 

summarized in this document. The ICR 

and accompanying material are 

available in the docket for public review 

and comment. 

DATES: Comments on the proposed ICR 

must be received on or before May 2, 

2022. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on 

the proposed ICR identified by docket 

identification (ID) number EPA–HQ– 

OPPT–2014–0838, though the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal at http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Do not submit electronically any 

information you consider to be 

Confidential Business Information (CBI) 

or other information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. Additional 

instructions on commenting or visiting 

the docket, along with more information 

about dockets generally, is available at 

http://www.epa.gov/dockets. 

Due to the public health concerns 

related to COVID–19, the EPA Docket 

Center (EPA/DC) and Reading Room is 

opened to visitors by appointment only. 

For the latest status information on 

EPA/DC and docket access, visit https:// 

www.epa.gov/dockets. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general information contact: Katherine 

Sleasman, Regulatory Support Branch 

(7101M), Office of Chemical Safety and 

Pollution Prevention, Environmental 

Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 

Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460–0001; 

telephone number: (202) 566–1204; 

email address: sleasman.katherine@

epa.gov. 

For technical information contact: 

Alison Kinn Bennett, Data Gathering 

and Analysis Division (7406M), Office 

of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 

Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 

20460–0001; telephone number: (202) 

564–8859; kinn.alison@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. What information is EPA particularly 

interested in? 

Pursuant to PRA section 3506(c)(2)(A) 

(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), EPA 

specifically solicits comments and 

information to enable it to: 

1. 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. 

2. Evaluate the accuracy of the 

Agency’s estimates of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used. 

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected. 

4. 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/ 

organizations (those that employ less 

than 25) on examples of specific 

additional efforts that EPA could make 

to reduce the paperwork burden for very 

small businesses/organizations affected 

by this collection. 

II. What information collection activity 

or ICR does this action apply to? 

Title: Assessment of Environmental 

Performance Standards and Ecolabels 

for Federal Procurement. 

ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2516.04; 

OMB Control No. 2070–0199. 

ICR status: This ICR is a 

reinstatement. 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 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR), after 

appearing in the Federal Register when 

approved, 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 for certain EPA 

regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR 

part 9. 

Abstract: This ICR covers the 

information that will be requested to be 

submitted to the Agency to evaluate 

private sector standards and ecolabels 

under the updated Framework for the 

Assessment of Environmental 

Performance Standards and Ecolabels 

for Federal Purchasing. EPA’s goal in 

developing this Framework is to create 

a transparent, fair, and consistent 

approach to evaluate product 

environmental performance standards 

and ecolabels for inclusion in EPA’s 

Recommendations of Specifications, 

Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal 

Purchasing (‘‘Recommendations’’). The 

Recommendations help federal 

purchasers identify and procure 

environmentally preferable products 

and services which in turn, help to meet 

their sustainability goals and 

requirements. 

EPA is engaging in this collection 

pursuant to the authority in the 

Pollution Prevention Act (42 U.S.C.A. 

section 13103(b)(11) which requires 

EPA to ‘‘Identify opportunities to use 

Federal procurement to encourage 

source reduction’’ and section 12(d) of 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 40 / Tuesday, March 1, 2022 / Notices 11427 

the ‘‘National Technology Transfer and 

Advancement Act of 1995’’ (15 U.S.C. 

3701), which requires Federal agencies 

to ‘‘use technical standards that are 

developed or adopted by voluntary 

consensus standards bodies, using such 

technical standards as a means to carry 

out policy objectives or activities.’’ In 

addition, OMB Circular A–119 (titled 

‘‘Federal Participation in the 

Development and Use of Voluntary 

Consensus Standards and in Conformity 

Assessment Activities’’) reaffirms 

Federal agency use of private sector 

standards in procurement and the 

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 

Part 23.703(b)(1) directs Federal 

agencies to ‘‘Maximize the utilization of 

environmentally preferable products 

and services (based on EPA-issued 

guidance)’’. On December 8, 2021, 

Executive Order 14057, titled 

‘‘Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and 

Jobs through Federal Sustainability’’ 

was issued (86 FR 70935, December 8, 

2021). Pursuant to section 510(a) of the 

Executive Order, a memorandum was 

issued by the Director of the OMB, in 

coordination with the Chair of the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ) and the National Climate Advisor 

that provides direction on immediate 

actions and further requirements to 

meet the policies and goals of the 

Executive Order available here at: 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2021/12/M-22-06.pdf. 

The memorandum establishes EPA 

Recommendations of Specifications, 

Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal 

Purchasing as a program that identifies 

sustainable products and services for 

purposes of meeting the Executive 

Order goals and requirements available 

here at: https://www.epa.gov/greener

products/recommendationsspecifications-standards-and-ecolabelsfederal-purchasing. 

The fundamental aim of this 

Framework is to establish a cross-sector 

approach to be used in recognizing 

private sector environmental standards 

(and consequently, environmentally 

preferable products and services 

meeting these standards) for use in 

federal purchasing. The Framework 

includes scoping questions and four 

sections: 

• Criteria for the Process for 

Developing Standards refers to the 

procedures used to develop, maintain, 

and update an environmental 

performance standard. 

• Criteria for the Environmental 

Effectiveness of the Standards refers to 

the criteria in the environmental 

performance standard or ecolabel that 

support the claim of environmental 

preferability. 

• Criteria for Conformity Assessment 

refers to the procedures and practices by 

which products are assessed for 

conformity to the requirements 

specified by standards and ecolabeling 

programs. 

• Criteria for Management of 

Ecolabeling Programs refers to the 

organizational and management 

practices of an ecolabeling program. 

In 2016, EPA conducted a pilot to test 

the original set of criteria within the 

Framework against standards and 

ecolabels in the flooring, furniture, and 

paints/coatings categories. EPA has 

made several edits to the Framework 

based on lessons learned from the pilot 

and the desire to address a broader 

range of sectors with a more streamlined 

set of criteria. In this next phase of 

work, EPA intends to expand its 

recommendations by assessing 

standards and ecolabels in purchase 

categories that support Executive Order 

14057 and Executive Order 14008, 

entitled: ‘‘Tackling the Climate Crisis at 

Home and Abroad’’ (86 FR 7619, 

February 1, 2021). 

The ICR, which is available in the 

docket along with other related 

materials, provides a detailed 

explanation of the collection activities 

and the burden estimate that is only 

briefly summarized here. 

Burden statement: The annual public 

reporting and recordkeeping burden for 

this collection of information is 

estimated to be 8.5 hours per response 

on average. Burden is defined in 5 CFR 

1320.3(b). 

Respondents/Affected Entities: You 

may be potentially affected by this 

action if you develop, manage, or certify 

products/services to environmental 

performance standards and ecolabels. 

Respondent’s obligation to respond: 

Voluntary. See 15 U.S.C. 3701 and 42 

U.S.C. 13103(b)(11). 

Estimated total number of potential 

respondents: 100. 

Frequency of response: On occasion. 

Estimated total average number of 

responses for each respondent: 2. 

Estimated total annual burden hours: 

707 hours. 

Estimated total annual costs: $45,322, 

which includes an estimated cost of $0 

for capital investment or maintenance 

and operational costs. 

III. Are there changes in the estimates 

from the last approval? 

This is a request to reinstate an ICR 

approval that is currently not active. 

That means that there is currently no 

approved burden hours or costs, and 

this ICR will therefore be treated as 

resulting in increased burden of 707 

hours. 

IV. 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 will 

then be submitted to OMB for review 

and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 

1320.12. EPA will issue another Federal 

Register document 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 person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

(Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) 

Dated: February 23, 2022. 

Michal Freedhoff, 

Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical 

Safety and Pollution Prevention. 

[FR Doc. 2022–04237 Filed 2–28–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OPP–2021–0749; FRL–9181–01– 

OCSP] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Renewal of an 

Existing Collection and Request for 

Comment; Foreign Purchaser 

Acknowledgement Statement 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), this 

document announces the availability of 

and solicits public comment on an 

Information Collection Request (ICR) 

that EPA is planning to submit to the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB). The ICR, entitled: ‘‘Foreign 

Purchaser Acknowledgement 

Statement’’ and identified by EPA ICR 

No. 0161.16 and OMB Control No. 

2070–0027, represents the renewal of an 

existing ICR that is scheduled to expire 

on December 31, 2022. Before 

submitting the ICR to OMB for review 

and approval under the PRA, EPA is 

soliciting comments on specific aspects 

of the information collection that is 

summarized in this document. The ICR 

and accompanying material are 

available in the docket for public review 

and comment. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before May 2, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by docket identification (ID) 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with NOTICES1