2820 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 19 / Monday, January 29, 1996 / Notices

VI. Review Under the Regulatory

Flexibility Act

The Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5

U.S.C. 601 et seq., requires Federal

agencies to perform a regulatory

flexibility analysis if a proposed

regulation is likely to have a significant

economic impact on a substantial

number of small entities. Western has

determined that (1) this rulemaking

relates to services offered by Western,

and, therefore, is not a rule within the

purview of the Act, and (2) the impacts

of an allocation from Western would not

cause an adverse economic impact on a

substantial number of such entities. The

requirements of this Act can be waived

if the head of the agency certifies that

the rule will not, if promulgated, have

a significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small entities. By

his execution of this Federal Register

notice, Western’s Administrator certifies

that no significant economic impact on

a substantial number of small entities

will occur.

VII. Review Under the Paperwork

Reduction Act

In accordance with the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1980, 44 U.S.C. 3501–

3520, Western has received approval

from the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) for the collection of

customer information in this rule, under

control number 1910–1200.

VIII. Review Under the National

Environmental Policy Act

Western has completed an

environmental impact statement on the

Program, pursuant to the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969

(NEPA). The Record of Decision was

published in the Federal Register on

October 12, 1995 (60 FR 53181).

Western’s NEPA review will assure all

environmental effects related to these

procedures have been analyzed.

IX. Determination Under Executive

Order 12866

DOE has determined that this is not

a significant regulatory action because it

does not meet the criteria of Executive

Order 12866, 58 FR 51735. Western has

an exemption from centralized

regulatory review under Executive

Order 12866; accordingly, no clearance

of this notice by OMB is required.

Issued in Golden, Colorado, January 19,

1996.

J.M. Shafer,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 96–1394 Filed 1–26–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL 5408–1]

Agency Information Collection

Activities Under OMB Review;

Measures of Success for Compliance

Assistance Reporting Form

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: None.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.), this notice announces that

the Information Collection Request (ICR)

Measures of Success for Compliance

Assistance Reporting Form 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

and its expected cost and burden; where

appropriate, it includes the actual data

collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before February 28, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY

CALL: Sandy Farmer at EPA, 202–260–

2740, and refer to EPA ICR. No. 1758.02.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Measures of Success for

Compliance Assistance Reporting Form.

(OMB Control No. XXXX–XXXX: EPA

ICR No. 1758.02) This is a new

collection.

Abstract: This will be a voluntary

collection of program information on

the accomplishments of state and

regional compliance assistance

programs. The information will be

collected so that EPA can better

understand the effectiveness of

compliance assistance programs vis a

vis enforcement programs and so that

success stories can be shared between

state programs. This is a voluntary

information collection request. This

information will be used by EPA’s

Office of Enforcement and Compliance

Assurance (OECA) in order to evaluate

the effectiveness of regional and state

compliance assistance programs as a

supplementary tool to traditional

enforcement methods. EPA regions and

state programs will also use the

information to learn about other

compliance assistance programs. 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 November 7, 1995, FR

56,148.

Burden Statement: The annual public

reporting and record keeping burden for

this collection of information for states

is estimated to average 2 hours per

response and for third-party

respondents it will average 1 hour per

response. This estimate includes the

time needed to review instructions;

develop, acquire, install, and utilize

technology and systems for 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

respond to a collection of information;

search existing data sources; complete

and review the collection of

information; and transmit or otherwise

disclose the information. No person is

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 displayed in 40 CFR Part

9.

Respondents/Affected Entities: state and

small businesses

Estimated No. of Respondents: 3,286

Estimated Total Annual Burden of

Respondents: 5,830

Frequency of Collection: Annually

Send comments regarding the burden

estimate, or any other aspect of the

information collection, including

suggestions for reducing the burden, to

the following addresses. Please refer to

EPA ICR No. 1758.02 and OMB Control

No. XXXX–XXXX in any

correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Information Policy

Branch (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 St, NW., Washington,

DC 20503.

Dated: January 11, 1996.

Joseph Retzer,

Regulatory Information Division.

[FR Doc. 96–1556 Filed 1–26–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–M

[FRL–5409–2]

Acid Rain Program: Notice of Final

Permits

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 19 / Monday, January 29, 1996 / Notices 2821

ACTION: Notice of permits.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) is approving 5-

year Phase I Acid Rain permits or

permit modifications including sulfur

dioxide (SO2) and/or nitrogen oxides

(NOX) compliance plans in accordance

with the Acid Rain Program regulations

(40 CFR parts 72 and 76), for the

following 21 utility plants: E C Gaston,

Gadsden, Gorgas, and J.H. Miller in

Alabama; Big Bend, Crist, Jack Watson,

Lansing Smith, Scholz, and Victor J.

Daniel in Florida; Arkwright, Harllee

Branch, McIntosh, Mitchell, Port

Wentworth, and Scherer in Georgia;

Dunkirk and Roseton in New York; and

Harrison, Rivesville, and Willow Island

in West Virginia.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact the following persons for more

information about a permit listed in this

notice: for plants in Alabama, Florida,

and Georgia, call Scott Davis, (404) 347–

5014; for plants in New York, call Gerry

DeGaetano, (212) 637–4020; and for

plants in West Virginia, call Linda

Miller, (215) 597–7547.

Dated: January 23, 1996.

Brian J. McLean,

Director, Acid Rain Division, Office of

Atmospheric Programs, Office of Air and

Radiation.

[FR Doc. 96–1547 Filed 1–26–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[FRL–5409–3]

Clean Air Act; Acid Rain Provisions

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of the 1996 EPA SO2

Allowance Auctions.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Title IV of the

Clean Air Act and 40 CFR Part 73, the

EPA is responsible for implementing a

program to reduce emissions of sulfur

dioxide (SO2), a precursor of acid rain.

The centerpiece of the SO2 control

program is the allocation of transferable

allowances, or authorizations to emit

SO2, which are distributed in limited

quantities for existing utility units and

which eventually must be held by

virtually all utility units to cover their

SO2 emissions. These allowances may

be transferred among polluting sources

and others, so that market forces may

govern their ultimate use and

distribution, resulting in the most costeffective sharing of the emissions

control burden. In addition, EPA is

directed under Section 416 of the Act to

conduct annual sales and auctions of a

small portion of allowances (2.8%)

withheld from the total allowances

allocated to utilities each year. Sales

and auctions are expected to stimulate

and support such a market in

allowances and to provide a public

source of allowances, particularly to

new units for which no allowances are

allocated. Today, the Acid Rain Division

is giving notice of the fourth annual SO2

allowance auctions. The regulations

governing the auctions and sales were

promulgated on December 17, 1991 (40

CFR Part 73, Subpart E).

EPA has delegated the administration

of the EPA allowance auctions to the

Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). The

auctions will be conducted under the

regulations cited above. Anyone can

participate in the EPA auctions and

bidders are not restricted as to the

quantity or price of their bid.

Allowances sold at the auctions will be

sold to the highest bidder until no

allowances remain. The 1996 auctions

will consist of one ‘‘spot’’ auction and

two ‘‘advance’’ auctions. Allowances

sold in the spot auction are useable for

compliance beginning in 1996.

Allowances sold in the 6-year advance

auction are useable for compliance

beginning in 2002; allowances sold in

the 7-year advance auction are useable

for compliance beginning in 2003.

25,000 allowances—the unsold

allowances from the 1995 direct sale—

will be sold in the 6-year advance

auction, 150,000 allowances will be sold

in the spot auction and 100,000

allowances will be sold in the 7-year

advance auction. Bid Forms for the 1996

auctions must be received by the CBOT

by the close of business on March 19,

1996. The auctions themselves will be

conducted on March 25, 1996, with the

results announced the next day.

All bids in previous auctions were

required to be in whole dollars.

Beginning with the March 1996

auctions, bids will be accepted in

increments of $0.01.

CBOT will also sell in the 1996

auctions any spot, 6-year advance, or 7-

year advance allowances that are offered

by others holding allowances in EPA’s

Allowance Tracking System. However,

offered allowances will be sold after the

allowances that were withheld from the

utilities, so offered allowances will

consequently be sold at a lower price

than the withheld allowances. Owners

of offered allowances may set a

minimum price for their allowances.

However, under 40 CFR § 73.70, such

offered allowances must have a

minimum price in whole dollars. To

offer allowances in the EPA auctions,

owners of allowances must submit a

SO2 Allowance Offer Form to EPA by

the close of business on March 1, 1996.

The auction and sale regulations require

that offer forms be received by EPA no

later than 15 business days prior to the

date of the auctions.

ADDRESSES:

U.S. EPA Acid Rain Division (6204J),

Attn: Auctions and Sales, 401 M St.,

S.W., Washington, DC 20460.

Chicago Board of Trade, Attn: EPA

Auctions, 141 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite

2240, Chicago, IL 60604.

Forms needed to participate in the

EPA auctions are available from the

Acid Rain Division. To obtain forms,

call the Acid Rain Hotline at (202) 233–

9620.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Information

on bidding in the 1996 EPA auctions

can be found in the brochure ‘‘How to

Bid in the EPA SO2 Allowance

Auctions, Fourth Annual Auctions—

March 25, 1996;’’ general information

on the EPA auctions can be found in the

‘‘Acid Rain Program Allowance

Auctions and Direct Sales’’ fact sheet.

These publications can be obtained by

calling the Acid Rain Hotline, by

writing to EPA at the address listed

above, or by accessing the Acid Rain

Program home page on the Internet at

http://www.epa.gov/docs/acidrain/

ardhome.html where additional

information on the Acid Rain Program

is also available.

Dated: January 19, 1996.

Brian J. McLean,

Director, Acid Rain Division.

[FR Doc. 96–1548 Filed 1–26–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[FRL–5408–4]

Notice of Rechartering of the Local

Government Advisory Committee

The Environmental Protection

Agency’s (EPA) Local Government

Advisory Committee (LGAC) has been

rechartered through December 31, 1997,

as a necessary committee which is in

the public interest, and in accordance

with the provisions of the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The

purpose of the LGAC is to provide

authoritative analysis and advice to the

EPA Administrator regarding how to

achieve more effective and efficient

implementation of Federal

environmental programs by local

governments. The Committee

membership is balanced with

representation from Local and State

government officials, Congressional

staff, environmental interest groups, and

labor unions.