Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 110 /Tuesday, June 9, 1998 / Notices 31461

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Project No. 2232–346]

Duke Energy Corporation; Notice of

Availability of Environmental

Assessment

June 3, 1998.

An environmental assessment (EA) is

available for public review. The EA was

prepared for an application filed on May

30 1997, by the Duke Energy

Corporation, licensee for the CatawbaWateree Hydroelectric Project. In its

application, the licensee requests

permission from the Commission to

allow Crescent Resources, Inc.

(Crescent) to dredge a 0.69 acre area of

lake bottom to improve boat access to

previously approved, yet unconstructed,

boat slips. About 7,500 cubic yards of

lake bottom would be removed. By

order dated September 7, 1996, the

Commission granted the licensee

permission to allow Crescent to

construct a boat ramp and 191 boat slips

at the subject site to accommodate the

residents of Harbour Subdivision. After

further evaluation, Crescent determined

that dredging is needed to provide

adequate boat access to some of the

slips. The EA considers the

environmental effects of constructing

and using the floating slips as well as

the proposed dredging activity.

The EA finds that the proposed action

would not constitute a major Federal

action significantly affecting the quality

of the human environment.

The EA was written by staff in the

Office of Hydropower Licensing,

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Copies of the EA can be obtained by

calling the Commission’s Public

Reference Room at (202) 208–1371.

David P. Boergers,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–15218 Filed 6–8–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6109–4]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request; National Pollutant

Discharge Elimination System and

Sewage Sludge Management State

Programs

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.), this document announces

that EPA is planning to submit the

following continuing Information

Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB):

National Pollutant Discharge

Elimination System and Sewage Sludge

Management State Programs, EPA ICR

No. 0168.07, and OMB Control No.

2040–0057, expires August 31, 1998.

Before submitting the ICR to OMB for

review and approval, EPA is soliciting

comments on specific aspects of the

proposed information collection as

described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before August 10, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Angela Lee, U.S.EPA,

Permits Division, Mail Code 4203, 401

M. Street SW, Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Angela Lee, Phone: (202) 260–6814, Fax:

(202) 260–9544, E-mail:

lee.angela@epamail.epa.gov. A copy of

the ICR can be obtained by writing to

the preceding address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Affected entities: Entities potentially

affected by this action are State and

Tribal governments and governments of

U.S. Territories.

Title: National Pollutant Discharge

Elimination System (NPDES) and

Sewage Sludge Management State

Programs, (OMB Control No. 2040–

0057; EPA ICR No. 0168.07) expiring 8/

31/98.

Abstract: Under the NPDES program,

States, Federally Recognized Indian

Tribes, and U.S. Territories, hereafter

referred to as States, may acquire the

authority to issue permits. States that

administer NPDES programs are also

required to obtain pretreatment

authority (authority to require publicly

owned treatment works (POTWs) to

establish pretreatment programs and to

require that indirect dischargers meet

pretreatment standards) and authority to

issue permits to federal facilities. These

governments have the option of

acquiring authority to issue general

permits (permits that cover a category or

categories of similar discharges). States

with existing NPDES programs must

submit requests for program

modifications to add pretreatment,

Federal facilities, or general permit

authority. In addition, as federal statutes

and regulations are modified, States

must submit program modifications to

ensure that their program continues to

meet Federal requirements.

States have the option of obtaining a

sludge management program. This

program may be a component of a State

NPDES Program, or it may be

administered as a separate program. To

obtain a NPDES or sludge program, a

State must submit an application that

includes a program description, an

Attorney General’s Statement, draft

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)

with the EPA Region, and copies of the

State’s statutes and regulations.

Once a State obtains authority for an

NPDES or sludge program, it becomes

responsible for implementing the

program in that jurisdiction. The State

must retain records on the permittees

and perform inspections. In addition,

when a State obtains NPDES or sludge

authority, EPA must oversee the

program. Thus, States must submit

permit information and compliance

reports to the EPA.

When EPA issues a permit in an

unauthorized State, that State must

certify that the permit requirements

comply with State water laws.

According to the Clean Water Act

(CWA) (section 510), States may adopt

discharge requirements that are equal to

or more stringent than requirements in

the CWA or Federal regulations.

The purpose of this ICR is to revise

and extend the current recordkeeping

and reporting requirements associated

with State NPDES and sludge programs.

There are three categories of reporting

requirements that are covered by this

ICR. The first category, ‘‘State Program

Requests,’’ includes the activities States

must complete to request a new NPDES

or sludge program, or to modify an

existing program. The second category,

‘‘State Program Implementation,’’

includes the activities that approved

States must complete to implement an

existing program, such as certification of

EPA-issued permits by non-NPDES

States. The third category, ‘‘State

Program Oversight,’’ includes activities

required of NPDES States so that EPA

may satisfy its statutory requirements

for state program oversight.

The information collected by EPA is

used to evaluate the adequacy of States’

NPDES or sludge program and to

provide EPA with the information

necessary to fulfill its statutory

oversight functions over State program

performance and individual permit

actions. EPA will use this information to

evaluate States’ requests for full or

partial program approval and program

modifications. In order to evaluate the

adequacy of a State’s proposed program,

appropriate information must be

provided to ensure that proper

procedures, regulations, and statutes are

in place and consistent with the CWA

requirements.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor, and a person is not required to