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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 29, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64435-64436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-25577]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 122, 123, 127, 403, 501, and 503

[EPA-HQ-OECA-2009-0274; FRL-9902-11-OECA]

Extension of Comment Period for the NPDES Electronic Reporting 
Rule

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is extending the 
comment period for the NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule, published on 
July 30, 2013. 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 of the Nation's waters. The proposed Clean 
Water Act regulation would require permittees and regulators to use 
existing, available information technology to electronically report 
information and data related to the NPDES permit program in lieu of 
filing written reports. In response to requests from stakeholders, this 
action extends the comment period for 45 days.

DATES: Comments on the preliminary plan published on July 30, 2013 (78 
FR 46006), will be accepted through December 12, 2013. 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 of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov: 
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.

[[Page 64436]]

     Email: 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. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, 
Enforcement and Compliance Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OECA-
2009-0274. In addition, if applicable, please mail a copy of 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 Building, 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 special arrangements should be made for 
deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OECA-
2009-0274. 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 
information 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 email. The www.regulations.gov Web site 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 email comment directly to EPA without 
going through www.regulations.gov, your email 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 CD-ROM 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 of 
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, please visit the EPA Docket 
Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/.
    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. Certain 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 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.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 visitor log. All 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 0010]'' is document that provides easy 
to follow instructions on how to access documents through 
www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please 
contact John Dombrowski, Director, Enforcement Targeting and Data 
Division, Office of Compliance (mail code 2222A), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC, 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 566-0742; email address: 
dombrowski.john@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 30, 2013 (78 FR 46006), EPA 
published the proposed NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule. This proposed 
rule describes EPA's approach to substitute electronic reporting for 
paper-based reports, which will over the long term save time and 
resources for permittees, states, tribes, territories, and EPA while 
improving compliance and better protecting the Nation's waters. The 
proposed rule would require permittees and regulators to use existing, 
available information technology to electronically report information 
and data related to the NPDES permit program in lieu of filing written 
reports.
    The original comment deadline was October 28, 2013. Numerous 
stakeholders have requested an extension to the comment period in order 
to adequately understand and comment on the preliminary plan. This 
action extends the comment period for 45 days.

    Dated: September 30, 2013.
Lisa Lund,
Director, Office of Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2013-25577 Filed 10-28-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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