18402 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 72 /Wednesday, April 15, 1998 / Notices

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5996–8]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Submission for OMB

Review; Comment Request; Facility

Ground-Water Monitoring

Requirements

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.), this notice announces that

the following Information Collection

Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for review and approval: Facility

Ground-Water Monitoring

Requirements, EPA ICR #959.10; OMB

Control Number 2050–0033; expiring 5/

31/98. The ICR describes the nature of

the information collection and its

expected burden and cost; where

appropriate, it includes the actual data

collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before May 15, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY:

Contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone

at (202) 260–2740, by email at

farmer.sandy@epamail.epa.gov, or

download off the Internet at http://

www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR

No. 959.10.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Facility Ground-Water

Monitoring Requirements, OMB Control

Number 2050–0033; EPA ICR #959.10;

expiring 5/31/98. This is a request for an

extension of a currently approved

collection.

Abstract: Subtitle C of the Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976

(RCRA) creates a comprehensive

program for the safe management of

hazardous waste. Section 3004 of RCRA

requires owners and operators of

facilities that treat, store, or dispose of

hazardous waste to comply with

standards established by EPA that are

‘‘necessary to protect human health and

the environment.’’ Section 3005

provides for implementation of these

standards under permits issued to

owners and operators by EPA or

authorized States. Section 3005 also

allows owners and operators of facilities

in existence when the regulations came

into effect to comply with applicable

notice requirements to operate until a

permit is issued or denied. This

statutory authorization to operate prior

to permit determination is commonly

known as ‘‘interim status.’’ Owners and

operators of interim status facilities also

must comply with standards set under

Section 3004.

EPA promulgated ground-water

monitoring standards for interim status

facilities in 1980 (45 FR 33154 May 19,

1980), codified in 40 CFR Part 265,

Subpart F, and for permitted facilities in

1982 (47 FR 32274 July 26, 1982),

codified in 40 CFR Part 264, Subpart F.

Both sets of standards establish

programs for protecting ground water

from releases of hazardous wastes from

land disposal facilities with regulated

units (these include surface

impoundments, waste piles, land

treatment units, and landfills).

The ground-water monitoring

requirements for regulated units follow

a tiered approach whereby releases of

hazardous contaminants are first

detected, then confirmed, and, if

necessary, are required to be cleaned up.

Each of these tiers requires collection

and analysis of groundwater samples.

Owners or operators that conduct

groundwater monitoring are required to

report information to the oversight

agencies on releases of contaminants

and to maintain records of ground-water

monitoring data at their facilities. The

goal of the ground-water monitoring

program is to prevent and quickly detect

releases of hazardous contaminants to

groundwater, and to establish a program

whereby any contamination is

expeditiously cleaned up. 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 are listed in 40 CFR

Part 9 and 48 CFR Chapter 15. The

Federal Register Notice required under

5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on

this collection of information was

published on 1/26/98 (63FR 3737); two

comments were received.

Burden Statement: The annual public

reporting burden for this collection of

information is estimated to average 11.1

hours per year, and the annual record

keeping burden is estimated at 23.6

hours per year; these estimates represent

the overall reporting and record keeping

burdens placed on permitted facilities,

regardless of whether they are

performing detection monitoring,

compliance monitoring or corrective

action. The specific burden estimates for

these activities include: (1) For facilities

performing detection monitoring,

average reporting burden of 5.2 hours

per year and an average record keeping

burden of 25.5 hours per year; (2) for

facilities performing compliance

monitoring, average reporting burden of

9.0 hours per year and an average record

keeping burden of 24.5 hours per year;

(3) for facilities performing corrective

action, average reporting burden of 20.0

hours per year and an average record

keeping burden of 20.5 hours per year.

Burden means the total time, effort, or

financial resources expended by persons

to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose

or provide information to or for a

Federal agency. This includes the time

needed to review instructions; develop,

acquire, install, and utilize technology

and systems for the purposes of

collecting, validating, and verifying

information, processing and

maintaining information, and disclosing

and providing information; adjust the

existing ways to comply with any

previously applicable instructions and

requirements; train personnel to be able

to respond to a collection of

information; search data sources;

complete and review the collection of

information; and transmit or otherwise

disclose the information.

Reasons for change in burden: The

burden estimates reflect a revised

analysis of burden that resulted from

better identification of (1) capital and (2)

operational and maintenance (O&M)

costs. The overall annual burden hour

estimate has decreased from 181,179

hours to 64,181 hours, a decrease of

116,998 hours per year. This burden

hour decrease is better attributed to

burden costs for the purchases of O&M

services in the amount of $80,106,000.

Respondents/Affected Entities:

Owners or operators of RCRA hazardous

waste facilities that treat, store, or

dispose of hazardous waste in regulated

units (these include surface

impoundments, waste piles, land

treatment units, and landfills).

Estimated Number of Respondents:

1,647.

Frequency of Response: Varies.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:

64,181 hours.

Estimated Total Annualized Cost

Burden: $80,106,000.

Send comments on the Agency’s need

for this information, the accuracy of the

provided burden estimates, and any

suggested methods for minimizing

respondent burden, including through

the use of automated collection

techniques to the following addresses.

Please refer to EPA ICR No. 959.10 and

OMB Control No. 2050–0033 in any

correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory

Information Division (2137), 401 M

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460.

(or E-mail

Farmer.Sandy@epamail.epa.gov)

and
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 72 /Wednesday, April 15, 1998 / Notices 18403

Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and

Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for

EPA, 725 17th Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20503.

Dated: April 9, 1998.

Joseph Retzer,

Director, Regulatory Information Division.

[FR Doc. 98–10008 Filed 4–14–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–U

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[AMS–FRL–5997–1]

California State Motor Vehicle

Pollution Control Standards; Waiver of

Federal Preemption—Notice of Waiver

Decision and Within the Scope

Determination; Notice of Correction

and Republication and Opportunity for

Public Hearing

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice Regarding Waiver of

Federal Preemption and Within the

Scope Determination and Opportunity

for Public Hearing.

SUMMARY: On February 6, 1998, EPA

published a Notice Regarding Waiver of

Federal Preemption and Within the

Scope Determination granting California

a waiver of Federal preemption for

certain motor vehicle emission

standards and determining that certain

amendments to its vehicle emission

warranty statute and regulations were

within the scope of previous waivers of

Federal preemption. (63 FR 6173,

February 6, 1998). Because of

administrative error, this Notice was

published before the Decision

Document was signed by the Assistant

Administrator for Air and Radiation,

and thus the effective dates listed in the

February 6 notice are incorrect. The

Decision Document has now been

signed, and EPA is announcing that

decision in this Federal Register notice.

EPA is granting California a waiver of

Federal preemption pursuant to section

209(b) of the Clean Air Act, as amended,

42 U.S.C. 7543(b) (Act), beginning in the

1998 model year to enforce amendments

to its motor vehicle pollution control

program which set new standards, and

certification and test procedures for

newly-established categories of ‘‘LowEmission’’ medium-duty vehicles

(MDVs). Additionally, EPA today has

determined that California’s

amendments to its warranty statute and

regulations for the 1994 and later model

years for various motor vehicles are

within the scope of previous waivers of

Federal preemption granted pursuant to

section 209(b) of the Act to adopt and

enforce its revised emission standards

and accompanying enforcement

procedures for 1979 and later model

year vehicles and engines. EPA received

a request for a hearing on our within the

scope determination contained in the

February 6 publication and will

consider that request as applying to

today’s notice as well. Although EPA is

not required by the Act to offer a

hearing on within the scope

determinations, after receiving this

hearing request, EPA has decided to

offer the opportunity for a hearing

regarding whether EPA should

reconsider its determination.

DATES: EPA has tentatively scheduled a

public hearing for May 8, 1998. Any

person who wishes to testify on the

record at the hearing must notify EPA in

writing by April 24, 1998 that he or she

will attend the hearing to present oral

testimony regarding EPA’s

determination. If EPA receives one or

more requests to testify, this hearing

will be held. If EPA does not receive any

requests to testify, this hearing will be

canceled. Anyone who plans to attend

the hearing should call Robert M. Doyle

at (202) 564–9258 to determine if this

hearing will be held. Regardless of

whether or not a hearing is held, any

party may submit written comments

regarding EPA’s determination by or

before June 5, 1998.

ADDRESSES: If EPA receives one or more

requests to testify, EPA will hold the

May 8, 1998 public hearing announced

above at EPA-Judiciary Square Building,

first floor conference room, 501 3rd

Street, NW., Washington, D.C. Any

requests to testify at the public hearing,

and/or any comments on the within the

scope findings described above should

be filed with Mr. Robert F. Montgomery,

Manager, Engine Compliance Programs

Group, Engine Programs and

Compliance Division (6403J), U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, 401

M Street, SW, Washington DC 20460.

The Agency’s decisions as well as all

documents relied upon in reaching

these decisions, including those

submitted by the California Air

Resources Board (CARB), are available

for public inspection in the Air and

Radiation Docket and Information

Center during the working hours of 8:00

a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Environmental

Protection Agency, Air Docket (6102),

Room M–1500, Waterside Mall, 401 M

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460. All

documents submitted in the Lowemission MDV waiver request can be

found in Docket A–91–71; all

documents submitted in the within the

scope request for the warranty

amendments, including the request for a

hearing recently received, can be found

in Docket A–91–16. Copies of the

Decision Document (which discusses

both the waiver and the within the

scope determination) can be obtained

from EPA’s Engine Programs and

Compliance Division by contacting

Robert M. Doyle, as noted below, or can

be accessed on the EPA Office of Mobile

Sources Internet Home Page, also noted

below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert M. Doyle, Attorney/Advisor,

Engine Programs and Compliance

Division (6403J), U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, 401 M Street SW.,

Washington, DC 20460. Telephone:

(202) 564–9258, FAX:(202) 565–2057, EMail:

Doyle.Robert@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Electronic Copies of

Documents

Electronic copies of this Notice and

the accompanying Decision Document

are available via the Internet on the

Office of Mobile Sources (OMS) Home

page (http://www.epa.gov/OMSWWW/).

Users can find these documents by

accessing the OMS Home Page and

looking at the path entitled

‘‘Regulations.’’ This service is free of

charge, except for any cost you already

incur for Internet connectivity. The

electronic Federal Register version of

the Notice is made available on the day

of publication on the primary Web site

(http://www.epa.gov/docs/fedrgstr/

EPA–AIR/).

Please note that due to differences

between the software used to develop

the documents and the software into

which the documents may be

downloaded, changes in format, page

length, etc., may occur.

II. Procedures for Public Participation

Any party desiring to make an oral

statement on the record at the

tentatively scheduled public hearing

should submit ten (10) copies, if

feasible, of the proposed testimony and

other relevant material to Mr. Robert F.

Montgomery at the address listed above

not later than May 1, 1998. In addition,

the party should submit 15 copies, if

feasible, of the planned statement to the

presiding officer at the time of the

hearing.

In recognition that a public hearing is

designed to give interested parties an

opportunity to participate in this

proceeding, there are no adverse parties

as such. Statements by participants will

not be subject to cross-examination by