Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 115 / Thursday, June 13, 1996 / Notices 30061

Compressor Station, because there has

been a significant drop in the gas

volumes. Applicant states that there is

insufficient supply at the Moss

Compressor Station to operate both

compressors. Applicant states that one

compressor at the station will remain in

service. Applicant states that after

approval of abandonment, it will retain

the abandoned Compressor for future

use.

Comment date: June 26, 1996, in

accordance with Standard Paragraph F

at the end of this notice.

Standard Paragraphs

F. Any person desiring to be heard or

make any protest with reference to said

filing should on or before the comment

date file with the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, 888 First

Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, a

motion to intervene or a protest in

accordance with the requirements of the

Commission’s Rules of Practice and

Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and

385.214) and the Regulations under the

Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.10). All

protests filed with the Commission will

be considered by it in determining the

appropriate action to be taken but will

not serve to make the protestants parties

to the proceeding. Any person wishing

to become a party to a proceeding or to

participate as a party in any hearing

therein must file a motion to intervene

in accordance with the Commission’s

Rules.

Take further notice that, pursuant to

the authority contained in and subject to

jurisdiction conferred upon the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission by

Sections 7 and 15 of the Natural Gas Act

and the Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure, a hearing will be held

without further notice before the

Commission or its designee on this

filing if no motion to intervene is filed

within the time required herein, if the

Commission on its own review of the

matter finds that a grant of the

certificate is required by the public

convenience and necessity. If a motion

for leave to intervene is timely filed, or

if the Commission on its own motion

believes that a formal hearing is

required, further notice of such hearing

will be duly given.

Under the procedure herein provided

for, unless otherwise advised, it will be

unnecessary for the applicant to appear

or be represented at the hearing.

G. Any person or the Commission’s

staff may, within 45 days after the

issuance of the instant notice by the

Commission, file pursuant to Rule 214

of the Commission’s Procedural Rules

(18 CFR 385.214) a motion to intervene

or notice of intervention and pursuant

to Section 157.205 of the Regulations

under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR

157.205) a protest to the request. If no

protest is filed within the time allowed

therefore, the proposed activity shall be

deemed to be authorized effective the

day after the time allowed for filing a

protest. If a protest is filed and not

withdrawn within 30 days after the time

allowed for filing a protest, the instant

request shall be treated as an

application for authorization pursuant

to Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–15021 Filed 6–12–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5520–7]

Operating Permits Program; Agency

Information Collection Activities:

Comment Request

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

EPA is planning to submit the following

proposed Information Collection

Request (ICR) to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB): Clean

Air Act Title V—Operating Permits

Regulations, EPA ICR Number 1587.05,

OMB Control Number 2060–0234,

expiring September 30, 1996. Before

submitting the ICR to OMB for review

and approval, EPA is soliciting

comments on changes to the previously

proposed information collection

(August 31, 1995, 60 FR 45563) as

described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before August 12, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the changes

to the proposed ICR must be mailed to:

Roger Powell at the address indicated

below. Copies of the previously

proposed ICR may be obtained from:

EPA Air Docket (LE–131), Room M–

1500, Waterside Mall, 401 M Street SW.,

Washington, DC 20460 (telephone 202–

260–7548). Ask for item number III–B–

2 in Docket Number A–93–50.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Roger Powell (telephone: 919–541–

5331, facsimile number: 919–541–5509,

internet address:

powell.roger@epamail.epa.gov), Mail

Drop 12, U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning

and Standards, Research Triangle Park,

North Carolina 27711.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

Affected entities: Entities potentially

affected by this action are those which

must apply for and obtain an operating

permit under title V of the Clean Air Act

(Act).

Title: Clean Air Act Title V—

Operating Permits Regulations, OMB

Control Number 2060–0234, expiring

September 30, 1996.

Abstract: In implementing title V of

the Act and EPA’s part 70 operating

permits regulations, State and local

agencies must develop programs and

submit them to EPA for approval

(section 502(d)), and sources subject to

the program must develop operating

permit applications and submit them to

the permitting authority within 1 year

after program approval (section 503).

Permitting authorities will then issue

permits (section 503(c)) and thereafter

enforce, revise, and renew those permits

at 5-year intervals (section 502(d)).

Permit applications and proposed

permits will be provided to, and are

subject to review by, EPA (section

505(a)). All information submitted by a

source and the issued permit shall also

be available for public review except for

confidential information which will be

protected from disclosure (section

503(e)). Sources will semiannually

submit compliance monitoring reports

to the permitting authorities (section

504(a)). The EPA has the responsibility

to oversee implementation of the

program and to administer a Federal

operating permits program in the event

a program is not approved for a State

(section 502(d)(3)), or if EPA determines

the permitting authority is not

adequately administering its approved

program (section 502(i)(4)). The

activities to carry out these tasks are

considered mandatory and necessary for

implementation of title V and the proper

operation of the operating permits

program. This notice provides updated

burden estimates from a previously

proposed ICR (60 FR 45563).

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 EPA would like to solicit

comments to:

(i) Evaluate whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the
30062 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 115 / Thursday, June 13, 1996 / Notices

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,

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.

II. Proposed Changes to Draft ICR

A. Period of Coverage

The EPA wishes to make

modifications to the August 1995

proposed draft ICR to make it

correspond more closely to the timing

specified in title V for the operating

permits program. The EPA proposes, in

an attempt to get the ICR more closely

on track with the timetable of title V, to

modify the draft ICR to correspond to

the 3 years of November 15, 1996

through November 15, 1999. The ICR as

proposed would cover title V’s dates for

a 3-year period of years 6, 7, and 8 of

the program.

According to the title V timeframe,

year 6 would be the last year of permit

issuance. However, the timing of the

program varies for the 100 plus

permitting authorities. Today’s

proposed revisions to the August 1995

draft ICR, therefore, includes estimates

of the burden associated with permit

application preparation and submittal

and permit issuance that will be

occurring during the proposed new 3-

year period that would be covered by

the ICR. Three years from now, after

expiration of this proposed ICR covering

years 6, 7, and 8, all permits will have

been issued, the program will be more

homogeneous, and all subsequent ICR

renewals will be approximately on track

with the title V timeframe.

B. Source Mix

The source population in the original

ICR and the draft ICR proposed August

1995 is 34,324 sources. At this stage of

implementation of the operating permits

program by most agencies, better

estimates of the number of sources

subject to the program are available. The

current estimate by permitting

authorities is a source population of

25,547 sources. The changes proposed

today include this new source mix of

9,160 large major sources with over 100

tons per year emissions, 15,110 small

major sources emitting below 100 tons

per year, and 1,277 sources able to be

covered by general permits.

C. Burden Estimates

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. For the

operating permits program, burden

includes all the activities associated

with implementing the program.

1. Effect of White Paper Number 2

On March 5, 1996, EPA issued its

second White Paper guidance document

which primarily addresses more

efficient methods of developing

operating permits and complying with

applicable requirements. The effect of

White Paper Number 2 is to reduce the

burden on sources associated with

permit application development by

approximately 6 percent and the burden

on permitting authorities associated

with issuing permits by approximately 1

percent. The proposed changes to the

ICR would include these adjustments to

the burden estimates.

One provision in the second White

Paper (i.e., streamlining) would allow

sources to comply with the more

stringent standard for an emissions unit

and demonstrate that compliance with

this standard would provide for

assuring compliance with less stringent

requirements on that emissions unit.

This would allow burden savings with

respect to monitoring and reporting for

these less stringent requirements in that

only the more stringent standard would

be monitored. However, preparing the

demonstration that the more stringent

standard would provide for compliance

with other less stringent standards

would require an approximate average

of 60 burden hours per source. This

burden is proposed to be added to the

draft ICR for the estimated 15 percent of

sources that would utilize this

streamlining approach. The total

additional burden incurred to

implement the streamlining provisions

are 60 burden hours times 3,832

sources, or 229,920 hours. Once

streamlining is implemented, sources

will be able to eliminate monitoring and

reporting for subsumed applicable

requirements for an ongoing resource

savings that will far exceed the one-time

burden of adopting streamlining. That

burden savings from reduced

monitoring and reporting has not yet

been calculated and is not available at

this time since the burden for

monitoring the various applicable

requirements is not in the part 70

program baseline.

2. Revised Burden Estimates

As previously noted, the August 1995

proposed ICR included program changes

associated with promulgation of

proposed revisions to part 70. Today’s

proposal would adjust some of the

burden estimates associated with permit

revisions under the proposed part 70

revisions. The burden for sources and

permitting authorities associated with

operating permit revisions for a change

which is merged during its processing

with a State program which requires

prior public and EPA review and for a

less environmentally significant permit

revision are increased. The burden for

participating in a public hearing for a

permit revision for sources and for

permitting authorities is decreased. In

addition, Table A–2 is proposed to be

revised to add a burden for permitting

authorities to issue a general permit.

These changes are felt by the Agency

to more realistically reflect the burden

associated with these activities.

III. Revised Total Burden Estimates

The burden estimates resulting from

these proposed changes would be

slightly above 8 million burden hours

both for sources and for permitting

authorities over the proposed 3-year

period covered by the ICR. Annualized

burden would be just under 3 million

burden hours per year for each. Total

burden for both together would be

approximately 16.5 total burden hours

over 3 years, and the annualized burden

hours would be approximately 5.5

million.

The Agency notes that more sources

are taking limits to make themselves

nonmajor and therefore not subject to

the program. When final proposed

changes are made to the ICR prior to its

submittal to OMB, the updated numbers

of sources will be used in the

calculations of burden. Also, at that

time, a better estimate of the number of

sources intending to use the

streamlining provisions of the Agency’s
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 115 / Thursday, June 13, 1996 / Notices 30063

second White Paper will be available

and used.

Dated: June 6, 1996.

Robert G. Kellam,

Acting Director, Information Transfer and

Program Integration Division.

[FR Doc. 96–15035 Filed 6–12–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[FRL–5520–6]

Request for Public Comment on the

Border Environment Cooperation

Commission (BECC) Guidelines for

Project Submission and Criteria for

Project Certification Document

AGENCY: Border Environment

Cooperation Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability and

request for public comment.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

availability of the BECC Guidelines for

Project Submission and Criteria for

Project Certification document for

public review and comment.

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted to the BECC on or before July

10, 1996. Oral comments may be

received on July 18, 1996 at the BECC

Board of Directors Public Meeting in

San Diego, California.

ADDRESSES: To mail comments, receive

a copy of the document, or for further

information contact:

Ms. April Lander, MEM, Program

Manager—Environment, Border

Environment Cooperation

Commission, P.O. Box 221648, El

Paso, TX 79913, Telephone: 011–52

(16) 29–23–95, Fax: 011–52 (16) 29–

23–97, Email:

alander@cocef.interjuarez.com

H. Roger Frauenfelder, General

Manager, Border Environment

Cooperation Commission, P.O. Box

221648, El Paso, TX 79913.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Border Environment Cooperation

Commission (BECC) is a binational

organization, created through an

agreement between the United States

and Mexican governments via an

environmental side agreement to

NAFTA. The BECC assists communities

and other sponsors in coordinating and

implementing environmental

infrastructure projects to help resolve

environmental and human health issues

on both sides of the U.S./Mexican

border. Projects certified by the BECC

may be considered for North American

Development Bank (NADBank)

financing and/or other sources of

financing.

Prior to certifying environment

infrastructure projects, and with

extensive public review and comment,

the BECC Board of Directors adopted the

BECC Guidelines for Project Submission

and Criteria for Project Certification

document (Criteria document) at its

Regular Public Meeting, August 31,

1995 in El Paso, TX. The Criteria

document provides guidelines for

submission of projects using a two step

process and indicates the eight

fundamental areas of criteria for project

certification, including: (1) General

project description, (2) environment and

human health, (3) technical feasibility,

(4) economic and financial feasibility,

(5) social issues, (6) community

participation, (7) operations and

maintenance, and (8) sustainable

development. At the August 31, 1995

BECC Public Meeting, the Board of

Directors decided to provide the public

another opportunity to review and

comment on the Criteria document after

one year of application.

The BECC encourages public

comments to be annotated directly on

the Criteria document. The document

may be found on the BECC Home Page

at http://cocef.interjuarez.com and may

be requested on computer diskette, via

Email, or through the mail.

The BECC is particularly interested in

receiving comments in the areas of

small community assistance and

sustainable development. Public

comments may be submitted to the

BECC in writing on or before July 10,

1996. Oral comments may be received at

the July 18, 1996 BECC Board of

Directors Public Meeting in San Diego,

California. The Criteria document will

be revised following a review and

synthesis of the written and oral

comments made by the public. It is

anticipated that a final draft document

will be available for public review in

August. Furthermore, it is expected that

the BECC Board of Directors will

consider the final document for

approval at its fall public meeting

scheduled for October 24, 1996.

Dated: June 4, 1996.

H. Roger Frauenfelder,

General Manager.

[FR Doc. 96–15038 Filed 6–12–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[OPPTS–00189; FRL–5375–7]

Notice of Availability of FY 1996

Multimedia Environmental Justice

Through Pollution Prevention Grant

Funds

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: EPA is soliciting grant

proposals under the Environmental

Justice Through Pollution Prevention

(EJP2) grant program. EPA anticipates

that between $750,000 and $1.5 million

will be available. The purpose of this

program is to support pollution

prevention approaches that address

environmental justice concerns. The

grant funds will support national or

regional environmental or

environmental justice organizations that

will provide financial or technical

assistance to community-based, grassroots groups, or Tribal organizations for

projects that use pollution prevention

approaches to address environmental

justice concerns.

DATES: Applications must be

postmarked by July 31, 1996, and

received by EPA’s Pollution Prevention

Division office in Washington, DC by

August 5, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To

obtain copies of the EJP2 grant program

guidance and application package, or to

obtain more information regarding the

EJP2 grant program, please contact Chen

Wen at (202) 260-4109, or Pamela

Moseley at (202) 260-2722. You may

also forward your requests and

questions via the Internet, by writing to:

wen.chen@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scope and Purpose of the EJP2 Grant

Program

The purpose of the FY 1996 EJP2

grants program is to fund national or

regional environmental organizations

that will in turn support community

organizations in using pollution

prevention solutions to address the

environmental problems of minority

and low-income communities and

tribes. This grant program is designed to

fund projects which have a direct

impact on affected communities. This

approach complements last year’s

Environmental Justice Through

Pollution Prevention grant program,

where grants were provided directly to

grass-roots and community

organizations. Funds awarded must be

used to support pollution prevention

programs in minority and low-income

communities or Tribal lands.

EPA is particularly interested in

innovative approaches which will result

in activities and products that can be

applied to other communities. The

Agency strongly encourages cooperative

efforts between communities, business

and industry to address common

pollution prevention goals. Projects

funded under this grant may involve

public education, training,

demonstrations, research,