Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 122 / Monday, June 25, 2001 / Notices 33679

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6997–2]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request; Facility Groundwater 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 document announces

that EPA is planning to submit the

following continuing Information

Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB):

‘‘Reporting and Recordkeeping

Requirements for Facility Ground-water

Monitoring Requirements, ‘‘ EPA ICR

Number 959.11, OMB Control Number

2050–0033, Expiration Date 11/30/2001.

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 24, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Commenters must send an

original and two copies of their

comments referencing Docket Number

F–2001–FGMP–FFFFF to RCRA Docket

Information Center, Office of Solid

Waste (5305W) United States

Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel

Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC, 20460.

Hand deliveries of comments should be

made to the Arlington, VA address

listed below. Comments may also be

submitted electronically by sending

electronic mail through the Internet to:

rcra-docket@epamail.gov. Comments in

electronic format should also be

identified by the Docket Number F–

2001–FGMP–FFFFF. All electronic

comments must be submitted as an

ASCII file avoiding the use of special

characters and any form of encryption.

The official record for this action will

be kept in paper form. Accordingly, EPA

will transfer all comments received

electronically into paper form and place

them in the official record, which will

also include all comments submitted

directly in writing. The official record is

the paper record maintained in the

RCRA Information Center (the RIC

address is listed above in this section).

Commenters should not submit any

confidential business information (CBI)

electronically. An original and two

copies of CBI must be submitted under

separate cover to: RCRA CBI Document

Control Officer, Office of Solid Waste

(5303W), United States Environmental

Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building,

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,

Mailcode 5303W, Washington, DC,

20460.

Public comments and supporting

materials are available for viewing in

the RCRA Information Center (RIC),

located at Crystal Gateway, First Floor,

1235 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, VA. The RIC is open from

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through

Friday, excluding federal holidays. To

review docket materials, it is

recommended that the public make an

appointment by calling (703) 603–9230.

The public may copy a maximum of 100

pages from any regulatory docket at no

charge. Additional copies are $0.15/

page.

This notice and the supporting

documents that detail the Reporting and

Record keeping Requirements for

Facility Ground-water Monitoring

Requirements ICR are also available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general information, contact the RCRA

Hotline at 800 424–9346 or TDD 800

553–7672 (hearing impaired). In the

Washington, DC, metropolitan area, call

703 412–9810 or TDD 703 412–3323.

For more detailed information on

specific aspects of this rulemaking

contact Sara Rasmussen by phone at

(703) 308–8399, by facsimile at (703)

308–8638, by mail at the Office of Solid

Waste (5303W), United States

Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel

Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania

Avenue, NW., Mailcode 5303W,

Washington, DC, 20460 or e-mail at

rasmussen.sara@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Affected entities: Entities potentially

affected by this action are those which

own or operate surface impoundments,

waste piles, land treatment units, and

landfills which manage hazardous waste

regulated under the Resource

Conversation and Recovery Act.

Title: Facility Ground-Water

Monitoring Requirements, EPA ICR

#959.11; OMB Control Number 2050–

0033; expiration date: 11/30/01.

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 (detection monitoring), then

confirmed (compliance monitoring),

and, if necessary, are required to be

cleaned up (corrective action). Each of

these tiers requires collection and

analysis of ground-water samples.

Owners or operators that conduct

ground-water 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 as necessary

to protect human health and

environment.

The 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 EPA would like to solicit

comments 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,

33680 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 122 / Monday, June 25, 2001 / Notices

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.

Burden Statement: For both permitted

and interim status land disposal

facilities, the estimated total annual

hour burden for this information

collection is 380,938 hours. The

estimated total annual cost burden for

this information collection is

$51,402,078, which includes labor,

capital, operations and maintenance,

and purchased service costs. For 393

permitted land disposal facilities, the

annual reporting hour burden is

estimated to average 130 hours per

response, and the annual recordkeeping

hour burden is estimated to average 400

hours per year response, which includes

time for reading the regulations,

implementing a ground-water

monitoring system, performing and

keeping records of ground-water

monitoring and maintaining records.

These estimates represent the overall

reporting and recordkeeping burdens

placed on permitted facilities, regardless

of whether they are performing

detection monitoring, compliance

monitoring, or corrective action. For 431

interim status land disposal facilities,

the annual reporting hour burden is

estimated to average 45 hours per year,

which includes time for developing and

submitting notifications, reports, and

demonstrations, and the annual record

keeping hour burden is estimated to

average 355 hours per year, which

includes time for reading the

regulations, implementing a groundwater monitoring system, performing

and keeping records of ground-water

monitoring and maintaining records.

The burden hour estimates are

dramatically higher than presented in

the 1998 ICR. This is due to a change

in methodology: Hours that were

attributed to contractors and counted as

‘‘costs’’ in 1998 have been converted to

respondent hours.

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.

Matthew Hale,

Acting Director, Office of Solid Waste.

[FR Doc. 01–15878 Filed 6–22–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6997–3]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request; Reporting and

Recordkeeping Activities Associated

With EPA’s PFC Emission Reduction

Partnership for the Semiconductor

Industry

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 proposed Information

Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB):

Reporting and Recordkeeping Activities

Associated with EPA’s PFC Emission

Reduction Partnership for the

Semiconductor Industry, EPA ICR No.

1823.02. 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 24, 2001.

ADDRESSES: To obtain a free copy of the

proposed ICR, contact Scott Bartos, U.S.

EPA 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,

(6205J), Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Scott Bartos, Program Manager Tel.:

(202) 564–9167, Fax: (202) 565–2155,

E-mail: bartos.scott@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Affected entities: Entities potentially

affected by this action are those which

produce semiconductor devices in the

United States.

Title: Reporting and Recordkeeping

Activities Associated with EPA’s PFC

Emission Reduction Partnership for the

Semiconductor Industry (EPA ICR No.

1823.02).

Abstract: Following the 1993

introduction of the Climate Change

Action Plan, U.S. EPA’s Office of

Atmospheric Programs launched the

PFC Emission Reduction Partnership for

the Semiconductor Industry. This

important voluntary program

contributes to the country’s overall

reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Like Energy Star Buildings and the

Voluntary Aluminum Industrial

Partnership, the PFC Emission

Reduction Partnership for the

Semiconductor Industry is a voluntary

effort aimed at preventing pollution

before it is generated. These voluntary

programs all focus on reducing

greenhouse gas emissions and tracking

progress by collecting information from

partners on a periodic basis. The PFC

Emissions Reduction Partnership for the

Semiconductor Industry is a voluntary,

non-regulatory program that supports

the industry’s efforts to reduce

perfluorocompound (PFC) emissions.

PFCs are the most potent greenhouse

gases known with atmospheric lifetimes

of up to 50,000 years. These unique

chemical compounds are required

during two delicate semiconductor

manufacturing steps, plasma etching

and CVD chamber cleaning. EPA’s

semiconductor industry partners share

information on available cost-effective

emission reduction technologies and

EPA tracks successful emission

reduction efforts. EPA also recognizes

companies for their success in reducing

PFC emissions through certificates,

awards, and assistance in

communicating their achievements with

the public.

All semiconductor manufacturers

operating in the U.S. are invited to join

the partnership. Participation in the

program begins by completing a

Memorandum of Understanding that

defines a voluntary agreement between

the company and EPA. By joining the

partnership, a company agrees to track

and report an estimate of its PFC

emissions to EPA annually. A

designated third party assembles the

reported data and protects any

confidential or sensitive information

prior to EPA review. The partner

companies’ annual reports will provide

an estimate of total PFC emissions and

a description of the estimating method.

The partnership will track progress as a

group using the aggregate annual PFC

emissions estimate.

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