[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 235 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62842-62844]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-29840]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5341-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities under OMB Review

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request 
(ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature 
of the information collection collection and its expected cost and 
burden; where appropriate, it includes the actual data collection 
instrument. Pursuant to new requirements under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act, a notice was published in the Federal Register on August 29, 1995 
announcing the renewal of this ICR and requesting comment on the 
renewal.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 8, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY CALL:
Sandy Farmer at EPA, (202) 260-2740, and refer to EPA ICR No. 1617.02.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Surviving of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners.
    OMB Control No: 2060-0247.
    EPA ICER No: 1617.02.
    This is a request for an extension of a currently approved 
collection. Within the next few months, EPA intends to propose and 
finalize an amendment to the regulations implementing section 609. This 
amendment will, pursuant to a statutory mandate, establish standards 
for the recycling of any refrigerant in a motor vehicle air conditioner 
that substitutes for a class I or class II(ie., CFC or HCFC) 
refrigerant. This amendment will not affect the current recordkeeping 
or reporting requirements under section 609.
    Abstract: In 1992, EPA developed regulations under Section 609 of 
the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 (Act) for the recycling of CFC's in 
motor vehicle air conditioners. These regulations were published in 57 
FR 31240, and are codified at 40 CFR Subpart B (Sec. 82.30 et seq.). 
The reasons the information is being collected, the way the information 
is to be used, and whether the requirements are mandatory, voluntary, 
or required to obtain a benefit, are described below. The ICR renewal 
will not include any burden for third-party or public disclosures not 
previously reviewed and approved by OMB.
    Technician training and certification. According to Section 
609(b)(4) of the Act, automotive technicians are required to be 
certified in the proper use of recycling equipment for servicing motor 
vehicle air conditioners. Certification programs must meet EPA 
standards. The Stratospheric Protection Division requires that 
certification programs send their training and testing materials to EPA 
for approval. The information requested is used by the Stratospheric 
Protection Division to guarantee a degree of uniformity in the testing 
programs for motor vehicle service technicians in addition to proper 
and valid certification.
    Approved independent standards testing organizations. In addition, 
Section 609(b) (2)(A) of the Act requires independent laboratory 
testing of recycling equipment to be certified by EPA. The 
Stratospheric Protection Division requires independent laboratories to 
submit an application that proves their general capacity to certify 
equipment to meet the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J standards 
for recycled refrigerant. The information requested is used by the 
Stratospheric Protection division to approve independent laboratories 
that can assure and industry accepted standard of quality in recycling 
and recovery equipment.
    Substantially identical equipment. Section 609(b)(2)(B) of the Act 
allows equipment that was purchased before the proposal of the 
regulations to be approved by EPA if it is substantially identical to 
equipment that has been certified by an EPA approved independent 
laboratory. This measure is designed to incorporate or ``grandfather'' 
older equipment that has not been submitted to an independent 
laboratory for testing. The equipment manufacturer or owners may submit 
the following to the Stratospheric Protection Division: an application 
and supporting documents that includes process flow sheets, a list of 
equipment components and any other information that would indicate that 
the equipment is capable of recovering and/or cleaning the refrigerant 
to standards set forth in the appropriate appendix to the regulations. 
The information provided allows EPA to determine if the equipment is 
substantially identical to certified equipment.
    Certification, reporting and recordkeeping. To facilitate 
enforcement under Section 609, EPA has developed several recordkeeping 
requirements. The information is used by the Stratospheric Protection 
Division to verify compliance with Section 609 of the Act. First, an 
establishment that owns recover-only equipment must maintain records of 
the name and address of the facility that is reclaiming its 
refrigerant. Second, any person who owns approved refrigerant recovery 
or recycling equipment must retain records demonstrating that all 
persons authorized to operate the equipment are currently certified 
technicians. Last, any person who sells or distributes refrigerant that 
is in a container of less than 20 pounds must verify that the purchaser 
is a certified technician, unless the purchase of small containers is 
for resale only. In that case, the seller must obtain a written 
statement from the purchaser that the containers are for resale only 
and must indicate the purchaser's name and business address.
    In addition, section 609(d)(3)-(4) of the Act requires that by 
January 1, 1992, all entities that service motor vehicle air containers 
for consideration must have acquired approved refrigerant recycling 
equipment. The establishment must have submitted to the Administrator 
on a one-time basis a certificate that provides the following 
information: the name of the equipment owner, the address of the 
service establishment where the equipment will be used, and the make, 
model, year, and serial number of the equipment. Note that this 
reporting requirement is contained in the statute itself and was not 
developed by EPA.
    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. The Federal Register Notice 
with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of 
information was published on August 29, 1995.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average .13 
hours per response. This estimate 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 

[[Page 62844]]
information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
    Affected entities: Entities affected by this action are new and 
used motor vehicle dealers, gasoline service stations, truck rental and 
leasing facilities without drivers, passenger car rental facilities, 
top, body, upholstery repair and paint shops, general automotive repair 
shops, and automotive repair shops not elsewhere classified. Clean Air 
Act Section 609 automotive air-conditioning technician certification 
programs, and approved independent standards testing organizations, 
will also be affected.
    Estimated No. of Respondents: 16,039.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 8,923 hours.
    Frequency of Collection: Most requirements require collection on a 
one-time only basis.
    This renewal shows a significant reduction in burden from the 
original information collection request. This reduction is due 
primarily to revisions in the estimates of the number of service 
facilities that must complete certifications for the equipment they 
have purchased. EPA estimates that over 250,000 pieces of equipment 
have been purchased in the United States. As a result, the Agency 
estimates that no more than 10,000 existing facilities, plus 4,000 new 
facilities, will need to complete the certification forms in any year. 
In addition, the reduction in burden hours from the original ICR is due 
in part to a revision in the estimate of the time it takes for a 
service facility manager to fill out the certification form. EPA 
believes that the original estimate of one half-hour was inaccurate. 
This time was halved, from one half-hour to one quarter-hour. Certain 
other changes to the ICR have been made in order to reflect the current 
size of the sectors affected by the ICR. For example, there are now 
approximately 25 organizations that certify automotive service 
technicians to work with recover/recycle equipment. This revised number 
of organizations is reflected in the cost and burden hour totals.
    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. 1617.02 and OMB Control No. 2060-0247 in any 
correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory 
Information Division (2136), 401 M Street, SW., Washington DC 20460

      and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: November 28, 1995.
Joseph Retzer,
Director, Information Division.
[FR Doc. 95-29840 Filed 12-6-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-M