Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 23, 2017 / Notices 39993 

all formal issuances and submittals in 

specific dockets, the Commission offers 

a free service called eSubscription. This 

can reduce the amount of time you 

spend researching proceedings by 

automatically providing you with 

notification of these filings, document 

summaries, and direct links to the 

documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/esubscription.asp. 

Additional information about the 

Project is available from the 

Commission’s Office of External Affairs 

at (866) 208–FERC or on the FERC Web 

site (www.ferc.gov). Using the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link, select ‘‘General Search’’ 

from the eLibrary menu, enter the 

selected date range and Docket Number 

excluding the last three digits (i.e., 

CP17–26 and CP15–499), and follow the 

instructions. For assistance with access 

to eLibrary, the helpline can be reached 

at (866) 208–3676, TTY (202) 502–8659, 

or at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. The 

eLibrary link on the FERC Web site also 

provides access to the texts of formal 

documents issued by the Commission, 

such as orders, notices, and rule 

makings. 

Dated: August 17, 2017. 

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2017–17847 Filed 8–22–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OAR–2017–0430; FRL–9966–07– 

OAR] 

Notice of Intent To Establish Voluntary 

Criteria for Radon Credentialing 

Organizations 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of availability; opening 

of a 60-day public comment period. 

SUMMARY: Since 1988, the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

has administered a statutorily-mandated 

program under the Indoor Radon 

Abatement Act to reduce exposure to 

indoor radon by promoting awareness, 

testing, installation of radon mitigation 

systems in existing homes, and use of 

radon-resistant new construction 

techniques. EPA works with state 

programs, industry and the public to 

reduce human exposure to radon and 

thereby reduce deaths due to lung 

cancer. Access to quality service 

providers responsible for measuring 

indoor radon levels and conducting 

mitigation when necessary is essential 

to this mission. Historically, EPA 

operated a program, the Radon 

Proficiency Program (RPP), to identify 

qualified radon service providers, a 

service to assist consumers and states 

receiving indoor radon grants. Upon its 

discontinuation, two organizations 

qualified to be designated as responsible 

parties for credentialing radon service 

providers in the absence of a state-run 

process established under a state’s 

regulatory requirements. Since that 

time, there has not been an ongoing and 

open evaluation process for 

organizations wanting to credential 

radon service providers. As the Federal 

agency responsible for implementing 

the national radon program, and in 

response to the needs of our state and 

private partners, EPA intends to 

establish voluntary criteria outlining a 

standard of competence for 

organizations that credential radon 

service providers. This notice provides 

interested parties with an opportunity to 

provide feedback on the Agency’s 

proposed approach. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before October 23, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– 

OAR–2017–0430, to the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal: http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Once submitted, comments cannot be 

edited or withdrawn. The EPA may 

publish any comment received to its 

public docket. Do not submit 

electronically any information you 

consider to be Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) or other information 

whose disclosure is restricted by statute. 

Multimedia submissions (audio, video, 

etc.) must be accompanied by a written 

comment. The written comment is 

considered the official comment and 

should include discussion of all points 

you wish to make. The EPA will 

generally not consider comments or 

comment contents located outside of the 

primary submission (i.e. on the web, 

cloud, or other file sharing system). For 

additional submission methods, the full 

EPA public comment policy, 

information about CBI or multimedia 

submissions, and general guidance on 

making effective comments, please visit 

http://www2.epa.gov/dockets/ 

commenting-epa-dockets. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Katrin Kral, Indoor Environments 

Division, Office of Radiation and Indoor 

Air 6609T, Environmental Protection 

Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue 

NW., Washington, DC 20460; 202–343– 

9454; kral.katrin@epa.gov. 

I. General Information 

A. Does this action apply to me? 

This notice is directed to stakeholders 

working to reduce exposure to indoor 

radon. It may, however, be of particular 

interest to those involved with 

promoting and/or conducting testing 

and installation of radon mitigation 

systems, including, but not limited to: 

• Organizations credentialing radon 

service providers and other building 

construction and/or maintenance 

related providers. 

• Radon service providers. 

• Organizations who provide thirdparty accreditation to the ISO/IEC 

17024:2012. 

• Organizations representing state 

health and environmental programs, 

green building initiatives, and the radon 

services industry. 

• State radon programs. 

• Federal agencies who own, 

influence or control housing. 

B. What should I consider as I prepare 

my comments for EPA? 

1. Tips for Preparing Your Comments. 

When submitting comments, remember 

to: 

• Identify the notice by docket 

number, subject heading, Federal 

Register date and page number. 

• Follow directions—EPA may ask 

you to respond to specific questions or 

organize comments by including a 

specific reference. 

• Explain why you agree or disagree; 

suggest alternatives and substitute 

language for your requested changes. 

• Describe any assumptions and 

provide any technical information and/ 

or data that you used. 

• If you estimate potential costs or 

burdens, explain how you arrived at 

your estimate in sufficient detail to 

allow it to be reproduced. 

• Illustrate your concerns with 

specific examples and suggest 

alternatives. 

• Explain your views as clearly as 

possible, avoiding the use of profanity 

or personal threats. 

• Make sure to submit your 

comments by the comment period 

deadline identified. 

C. How can I learn more about this? 

To learn more, please visit 

www.epa.gov/radon. Depending on 

interest and questions received, EPA 

may host a question and answer session 

via webinar during the comment period. 

Please visit the Web site regularly for 

updates. 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
39994 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 23, 2017 / Notices 

D. Description of Terms Used in This 

Notice 

Accreditation: Third party validation 

that a conformity assessment body 

complies with established standards. 

Under the International Organization for 

Standardization (ISO), accreditation 

refers to the formal recognition by an 

independent body, generally known as 

an accreditation body, that a conformity 

assessment body operates according to 

international standards. 

Accreditation Body/Organization: 

Authoritative body that performs 

accreditation. 

Certification: The provision by an 

independent body of written assurance 

(a certificate) that the product, 

personnel, service or system in question 

meets specific requirements. 

Certification Scheme: Component of 

ISO/IEC 17024:2012 that outlines 

competence and other requirements 

related to specific occupational or 

skilled categories of persons including a 

scope of certification, job and task 

description (JTA), abilities (when 

applicable), prerequisites (when 

applicable), and a code of conduct 

(when applicable). Criteria for the initial 

certification and recertification must be 

part of the scheme and includes a 

description of the assessment methods, 

and the criteria for suspending and 

withdrawing the certification. 

Competence: Ability to apply 

knowledge and skills to achieve 

intended results. 

Conference of Radiation Control 

Program Directors (CRCPD): 501(c)(3) 

nonprofit non-governmental 

professional organization dedicated to 

radiation protection. CRCPD’s primary 

membership is made up of radiation 

professionals in state and local 

government that regulate the use of 

radiation sources. 

Credential: Recognition of 

qualification or competence issued to a 

person by an organization. 

Credentialing: Term applied to 

processes used to designate that an 

individual, program, institution or 

product have met established standards 

set by an agent (governmental or nongovernmental) recognized as qualified to 

carry out this task. Licensure, 

registration, accreditation, approval, 

certification, recognition or 

endorsement may be used to describe 

different credentialing processes. 

Credentialing Organization, 

Certification Body: Third-party 

conformity assessment body operating 

certification schemes for persons under 

ISO/IEC 17024:2012. A certification 

body can be non-governmental or 

governmental with or without 

regulatory authority. 

EPA Proficiency Program: Voluntary 

program established under 15 U.S.C. 

2665(a)(2) and run by EPA that assessed 

the proficiency of individuals and 

organizations and granted them a listing 

according to their measurement or 

mitigation service capabilities. The 

Radon Measurement Proficiency (RMP) 

Program was established in 1986, 

followed by the Radon Contractor 

Proficiency (RCP) Program in 1989. 

These two programs were consolidated 

into the Radon Proficiency Program 

(RPP) in 1995. 

Guidance on Federal Conformity 

Assessment (15 CFR part 287): Provides 

guidance for each Federal agency to use 

in evaluating the efficacy and efficiency 

of its conformity assessment activities. 

Each agency should coordinate its 

conformity assessment activities with 

those of other appropriate government 

agencies and with those of the private 

sector to reduce unnecessary 

duplication. The guidance is intended 

to help Federal agencies improve the 

management and coordination of their 

own conformity assessment activities 

with respect to other government 

entities and the private sector. 

International Electrotechnical 

Commission (IEC): International 

organization that prepares and 

publishes international standards for all 

electrical, electronic and related 

technologies. 

Indoor Radon Abatement Act (IRAA; 

1988): Subchapter III of the Toxic 

Substances Control Act, or TSCA. 

Provides the authority for EPA’s indoor 

radon activities. 

International Organization for 

Standardization (ISO): Independent, 

non-governmental international 

organization with a membership of 161 

national standards bodies. Through its 

members, it brings together experts to 

share knowledge and develop voluntary, 

consensus-based, market relevant 

international standards that support 

innovation and provide solutions to 

global challenges. 

ISO/IEC: Joint technical committee of 

the International Organization for 

Standardization (ISO) and the 

International Electrotechnical 

Commission (IEC). Its purpose is to 

develop, maintain and promote 

voluntary consensus standards. 

ISO/IEC 17024:2012, Conformity 

assessment: General requirements for 

bodies operating certification of 

persons: Voluntary international 

consensus standard containing 

principles and requirements for a body 

certifying persons against specific 

requirements, and includes the 

development and maintenance of a 

certification scheme for persons. 

Job Task Analysis: Foundational 

requirement of ISO/IEC 17024:2012, 

included with the certification scheme. 

Helps to identify the core knowledge 

areas, critical work functions, and/or 

skills that are common across the 

representative sampling of current 

practitioners. 

License: An official document that 

gives you permission to own, do, or use 

something. 

The National Technology Transfer 

and Advancement Act (NTTAA): Directs 

Federal agencies with respect to their 

use of and participation in the 

development of voluntary consensus 

standards. The Act directs Federal 

agencies to adopt voluntary consensus 

standards, wherever possible, in lieu of 

creating proprietary, non-consensus 

standards. The Act also directs the 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) to coordinate the 

conformity assessment activities of 

Federal agencies, as well as state and 

local governments with the private 

sector in order to reduce unnecessary 

duplication and complexity of 

conformity assessment schemes. 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–119 (OMB A–119): 

Establishes policies on Federal use and 

development of voluntary consensus 

standards and on conformity assessment 

activities. 

Personnel Certification: Voluntary 

process by which a non-governmental 

entity grants a time-limited recognition 

and use of a credential to an individual 

after verifying that he or she has met 

predetermined and standardized 

criteria. 

Radon Service Providers (also referred 

to as ‘‘radon providers’’ or ‘‘providers’’): 

Individuals who perform measurement 

and/or mitigation of radon. 

State Indoor Radon Grant (SIRG, also 

referred to as ‘‘indoor radon grants’’): 

States and tribes receive grant funds 

from EPA that help finance their radon 

risk reduction programs; recipients must 

provide a minimum of 40% in matching 

funds. The Indoor Radon Abatement Act 

provides statutory authority for EPA to 

run the grant program under 15 U.S.C. 

2666 (a–j). 

Voluntary Consensus Standards 

(VCS): Standard developed or adopted 

by voluntary consensus standards 

bodies, through the use of a voluntary 

consensus standards development 

process, as defined in OMB A–119. 

II. Background 

A. What authority does EPA have to 

establish voluntary criteria for radon 

credentialing organizations? 

The 1988 Indoor Radon Abatement 

Act (See Toxic Substances Control Act, 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 23, 2017 / Notices 39995 

Title III; 15 U.S.C. 2661–2671) addresses 

risks associated with indoor radon 

levels and establishes provisions that 

focus on voluntary activities, including 

education and grant and technical 

assistance to states for radon programs. 

Under 15 U.S.C. 2665(a)(2), EPA was 

granted authority to operate a voluntary 

proficiency program for rating, among 

other things, the effectiveness of radon 

measurement and mitigation devices 

and methods, and ‘‘the effectiveness of 

private firms and individuals offering 

radon-related architecture, design, 

engineering, measurement, and 

mitigation services.’’ Pursuant to 15 

U.S.C. 2666(h)(3), state grant recipients 

are required to maintain, and make 

available to the public, a list of firms 

and individuals receiving a passing 

rating under such a program. 

B. What is the history of EPA’s voluntary 

Radon Proficiency Program for radon 

service providers? 

In February 1986, EPA established the 

Radon Measurement Proficiency (RMP) 

Program to assist consumers in 

identifying organizations capable of 

providing reliable radon measurement 

analysis services. The Radon Contractor 

Proficiency (RCP) Program was 

established in 1989 to evaluate the 

proficiency of radon mitigators in 

residences and provide information to 

the public on proficient mitigators. In 

1994, EPA began working to consolidate 

the RMP and RCP into one streamlined 

program to better meet industry needs 

and reduce costs. The consolidated 

program officially became the Radon 

Proficiency Program (RPP) in October 

1995. 

In response to stakeholder feedback as 

part of the RPP development-process, 

the Agency also began investigating the 

feasibility of transitioning oversight of 

the proficiency program away from 

EPA. The Agency tasked the Conference 

of Radiation Control Program Directors 

(CRCPD) with drafting a document 

containing the necessary components of 

a proficiency program. As part of this 

effort, a series of stakeholder meetings 

were held in 1997. Feedback was 

collected in five key areas critical to 

discontinuation of the EPA’s RPP: (1) 

Radon tester; (2) radon mitigator; (3) 

approval and accreditation requirements 

for radon and radon decay product 

measurement devices, radon chambers, 

and radon laboratories; (4) the 

operational board and committees; and 

(5) the transition to private proficiency 

programs. 

Ultimately, CRCPD developed a final 

document outlining a plan for 

transitioning oversight of the 

proficiency program outside of the 

Federal government, entitled: ‘‘Criteria 

for Certification of Radon Service 

Providers, the Accreditation of Radon 

Chambers and Laboratories, and the 

Approval of Measurement Devices.’’ 

This plan was used to conduct a onetime evaluation and identify two 

organizations that sufficiently addressed 

components of EPA’s RPP in the early 

2000s. These two organizations—the 

National Radon Proficiency Program 

(NRPP; initially affiliated with the 

National Environmental Health 

Association and currently affiliated with 

the American Association of Radon 

Scientists and Technologists, or 

AARST) and the National Radon Safety 

Board (NRSB)—became responsible for 

credentialing radon service providers in 

the absence of a state run process 

established under a state’s regulatory 

requirements. This service assisted 

consumers by identifying qualified 

radon providers. In addition, it assisted 

states receiving indoor radon grants, 

which are required to maintain and 

make available a list of qualified service 

providers to the public. Since the 

discontinuation of the RPP, the Agency 

has relied on NRPP, NRSB and state run 

certification programs to provide the 

national proficiency platform in the 

radon marketplace. 

C. What is the framework for EPA’s 

consideration of voluntary consensus 

standards and conformity assessment 

activities? 

Taken together, the National 

Technology Transfer and Advancement 

Act (NTTAA, Pub. L. 104–113), Office of 

Management and Budget Circular A–119 

(OMB A–119) and Guidance on Federal 

Conformity Assessment (15 CFR part 

287) direct Federal agencies to use 

voluntary consensus standards (VCS) 

wherever possible as the basis of 

regulation and other programs, to 

participate in the development of VCS, 

and to coordinate conformity 

assessment activities (testing, 

certification, etc.) with the private sector 

to avoid duplication. OMB A–119 

outlines considerations Federal agencies 

should make when addressing the need 

for conformity assessment, and 

considerations agencies should take into 

account when designing conformity 

assessment programs. 

Personnel certification has become an 

important element of verifying the 

competence of an increasingly mobile 

and global workforce. In response to this 

growing need, a joint technical 

committee of the International 

Organization for Standardization and 

the International Electrotechnical 

Commission (the ISO/IEC) developed an 

international standard to establish 

uniform procedures for certifying the 

competence of personnel in different 

occupations or professions. The ISO/IEC 

17024:2012 standard is designed to help 

ensure that personnel certification 

programs run by credentialing 

organizations (also referred to as a 

certifying body) operate in a consistent, 

comparable, impartial and reliable 

manner. In addition to ensuring the 

validity of individual certification 

programs, the ISO/IEC standard is 

intended to help ensure competence 

and quality of a workforce and promote 

consumer and public confidence. Key 

areas addressed in the standard include: 

The structure and governance of the 

certifying body and the characteristics 

of the certification program as it relates 

specifically to a job type (e.g., a 

certification scheme) and the 

assessment and recertification 

requirements. 

To verify compliance with ISO/IEC 

standard 17024:2012, credentialing 

organizations may seek accreditation 

from a third party. An organization 

accredited by a third party demonstrates 

ongoing compliance with a set of 

business standards and the necessary 

core competencies to perform the 

certification of persons and/or training 

functions. As a requirement of 

continuous accreditation recognition, an 

organization must demonstrate ongoing 

compliance with ISO/IEC standard 

17024:2012 by periodically maintaining 

accreditation. 

III. Subject and Purpose of This Notice 

Radon exposure causes approximately 

21,000 lung cancer deaths every year 

and is the leading environmental cause 

of cancer deaths. Many state programs 

and private industry stakeholders have, 

for years, asserted their belief that EPA 

should maintain a standard of 

competence for organizations 

credentialing radon service providers 

that reflect current industry standards 

and best practices. There is no current 

formal process to assess quality and 

competence of organizations wanting to 

credential radon service providers. The 

Agency believes it is necessary to 

establish an ongoing and open 

evaluation process moving forward and 

anticipates that it will take two to four 

years to establish a process and ensure 

ample opportunities for stakeholder 

involvement. Criteria establishing a 

standard of competence for 

organizations credentialing radon 

service provides will help ensure 

continued and sustained access to a 

qualified workforce. 

EPA recently issued a special term 

and condition to SIRG grantees 

clarifying guidance in the State and 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
39996 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 23, 2017 / Notices 

Tribal Indoor Radon Grants Program 

Guidance and Handbook https://

www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/ 

2014-08/documents/guidance_and_

handbook.pdf related to satisfying 

requirements for 15 U.S.C. 2666(h)(3). 

Specifically, the Agency clarified that, 

to remain in compliance with 15 U.S.C. 

2666(h)(3) requirements, states receiving 

SIRG funding must maintain and 

provide the public with a list of only 

those radon service providers who are 

credentialed either through: 

(1) An existing state-run process 

established under a state’s regulatory 

requirements for credentialing radon 

service providers (e.g., state license), or 

(2) one of the two currentlyrecognized national radon proficiency 

programs (i.e., NRPP or NRSB). 

The term and condition will remain 

in effect until the Agency issues 

voluntary criteria, at which time, states 

receiving SIRG funding would list only 

those radon service providers 

credentialed by organizations meeting 

the criteria. 

A. What specific comments are being 

sought? 

While all comments regarding any 

aspect related to the development of 

voluntary criteria for radon 

credentialing organizations are 

welcomed, comments on the following 

key areas are specifically requested. 

1. Overall Approach 

While EPA cannot require that radon 

credentialing bodies take any particular 

action in order to conduct business, 

EPA does have authority to require that 

states receiving indoor radon grants list 

only providers who meet certain 

standards of competence. By 

establishing criteria for organizations 

credentialing radon service providers, 

EPA would help states ensure highquality radon services are available to 

their citizens. States receiving SIRG 

funding would be required to list only 

radon service providers who are 

certified by organizations meeting these 

criteria (possibly including state-run 

credentialing programs). 

To satisfy the criteria, organizations 

that credential radon service providers 

would need to demonstrate and 

maintain compliance with ISO/IEC 

standard 17024:2012 through 

independent, third party accreditation. 

The voluntary criteria would specify a 

timeframe for organizations to 

demonstrate compliance with ISO/IEC 

17024:2012 through third party 

accreditation. 

As a condition of continuous 

accreditation recognition, an 

organization would need to demonstrate 

ongoing compliance with ISO/IEC 

17024:2012 by periodically reapplying 

and earning accreditation. 

Credentialing organizations 

accredited to ISO/IEC 17024:2012 have 

to ensure that certificate holders meet 

requirements outlined in the 

certification scheme. The credentialing 

organization may use recertification to 

bring those who do not meet the current 

requirements into compliance. In this 

case, recertification may be required for 

service providers previously 

credentialed by one of the two national 

credentialing organizations. 

EPA is seeking comments on the 

overall feasibility, appropriateness and 

potential impacts of these criteria, in 

particular as they relate to: Time-frame 

for demonstrating compliance through 

third-party accreditation and options for 

a phased-in approach, maintaining 

continuous accreditation, and 

recertification as a means to bring 

existing certificate holders into 

compliance. 

2. Application of Voluntary Criteria to 

State-Run Programs 

Currently, approximately twentythree states have regulatory 

requirements in place for credentialing 

of radon service providers and 

implement a process accordingly (e.g., 

state license). While some of these states 

require certification by one of the two 

currently recognized national 

credentialing organizations (i.e., NRPP 

and/or NRSB), there are states operating 

processes that do not require this 

certification. 

EPA is seeking comments on the 

feasibility, appropriateness and 

potential impacts of requiring states that 

operate independent programs (i.e., 

currently do not require certification by 

one of two recognized national 

credentialing organizations) to meet the 

criteria if receiving SIRG funding. 

3. Requirements for Accreditation 

Organizations 

Organizations providing independent, 

third party accreditation may be 

required to demonstrate compliance 

with ISO/IEC 17011:2004 as a signatory 

of the International Accreditation 

Forum’s Multilateral Recognition 

Agreement, or MRA. 

EPA is seeking feedback on the value 

of including conditions for 

organizations providing independent, 

third party accreditation. 

4. Development of ISO/IEC 17024:2012 

Program-Related Components 

To help reduce the burden to 

credentialing organizations seeking 

accreditation to the ISO/IEC 17024:2012 

and to standardize competency and 

testing requirements for radon service 

providers, EPA recognizes that there 

may be value in the Agency supporting 

development of the certification 

scheme, a requirement of ISO/IEC 

17024:2012. It should be noted that the 

choice of what role EPA plays 

ultimately will depend on both what the 

community needs and what resources 

the Agency can sustainably support. 

EPA is seeking comments on the 

feasibility, appropriateness, and 

potential impacts of each possible 

scenario presented below: 

(a) EPA develops basic framework for 

credentialing organizations to follow. 

EPA would define parameters for the 

certification scheme (e.g., scope(s) of 

practice, use of existing American 

National Standards Institute/American 

Association of Radon Scientists and 

Technologists (ANSI/AARST) 

measurement and mitigation voluntary 

consensus standards when developing 

the job task analysis (JTA), 

recertification requirements). 

Credentialing organizations might 

enter into a Memorandum of 

Understanding with EPA committing to 

develop and maintain a certification 

scheme in compliance with specified 

parameters. 

(b) EPA supports development of 

initial certification scheme. 

EPA would support development of 

the initial certification scheme and then 

would transfer ownership of the scheme 

to a third party or individual 

credentialing organization(s) after a 

specified time-frame (e.g., five years). In 

this case, new scheme owners might 

sign a licensing agreement transferring 

ownership of the certification scheme 

and stipulating conditions for use and 

maintenance of the scheme. For 

example, the licensing agreement may 

specify that the scheme owner may only 

make changes to the scheme that are 

deemed more stringent. 

(c) EPA supports development and 

maintenance of certification scheme. 

EPA would retain ownership of the 

certification scheme, including 

development and maintenance. 

Organizations seeking accreditation to 

ISO/IEC 17024:2012 might enter into a 

licensing agreement with the Agency 

which would specify requirements for 

use of the certification scheme. 

5. Scope of This Effort 

EPA’s RPP addressed labs and devices 

in addition to radon testing and 

mitigation service providers. The 

proposed approach outlined above does 

not directly address labs and devices. If 

the Agency were to address labs, a 

different ISO/IEC standard would apply 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 23, 2017 / Notices 39997 

(17025) and would require an 

independent process. Device 

requirements for certified radon service 

providers will be incorporated within 

the scope of this effort. (e.g., device 

must have demonstrated compliance 

with the voluntary consensus standard 

MS–PC 2015, Performance 

Specifications for Instrumentation 

Systems Designed to Measure Radon 

Gas in Air). 

EPA is seeking comments on the 

proposed scope for this effort, including 

the planned approach for including 

devices. Comments are also welcomed 

on job titles and scopes that should be 

included for radon testing and 

mitigation providers. 

Dated: August 3, 2017. 

David Rowson, 

Director, Indoor Environments Division. 

[FR Doc. 2017–17860 Filed 8–22–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OPP–2016–0109; FRL–9944–78] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Renewal of an 

Existing Collection (EPA ICR No. 

2288.03); Comment Request 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), this 

document announces that EPA is 

planning to submit an Information 

Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) and 

provides an opportunity for public 

comment. The ICR, entitled: ‘‘Pesticide 

Data Call-in Program’’ and identified by 

EPA ICR No. 2288.03 and OMB Control 

No. 2070–0174, represents the renewal 

of an existing ICR that is scheduled to 

expire on August 31, 2017. Before 

submitting the ICR to OMB for review 

and approval, EPA is soliciting 

comments on specific aspects of the 

proposed information collection that is 

summarized in this document. The ICR 

and accompanying material are 

available in the docket for public review 

and comment. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before October 23, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by docket identification (ID) 

number EPA–HQ–OPP–2016–0109, by 

one of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Do not submit electronically any 

information you consider to be 

Confidential Business Information (CBI) 

or other information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. 

• Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental 

Protection Agency Docket Center (EPA/ 

DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. 

NW., Washington, DC 20460–0001. 

• Hand Delivery: To make special 

arrangements for hand delivery or 

delivery of boxed information, please 

follow the instructions at http://

www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html. 

Additional instructions on 

commenting or visiting the docket, 

along with more information about 

dockets generally, is available at http:// 

www.epa.gov/dockets. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cameo Smoot, Field and External 

Affairs Division (7506P), Office of 

Pesticide Programs, Environmental 

Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 

Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460–0001; 

telephone number: (703) 305–5454, mail 

address: smoot.cameo@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. What information is EPA particularly 

interested in? 

Pursuant to PRA section 3506(c)(2)(A) 

(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), EPA 

specifically solicits comments and 

information to enable it to: 

1. 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. 

2. Evaluate the accuracy of the 

Agency’s estimates of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used. 

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected. 

4. 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. In 

particular, EPA is requesting comments 

from very small businesses (those that 

employ less than 25) on examples of 

specific additional efforts that EPA 

could make to reduce the paperwork 

burden for very small businesses 

affected by this collection. 

II. What information collection activity 

or ICR does this action apply to? 

Title: Pesticide Data Call-in Program. 

ICR Number: EPA ICR No. 2288.03. 

OMB control number: OMB Control 

No. 2070–0174. 

ICR Status: This ICR is currently 

scheduled to expire on August 31, 2017. 

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 in title 40 of the Code 

of Federal Regulations (CFR), after 

appearing in the Federal Register when 

approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, 

are displayed either by publication in 

the Federal Register or by other 

appropriate means, such as on the 

related collection instrument or form, if 

applicable. The display of OMB control 

numbers for certain EPA regulations is 

consolidated in 40 CFR part 9. 

Abstract: This ICR covers the 

information collection activities 

associated with the issuance of datacall-ins (DCIs) under section 3(c)(2)(B) 

of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, 

and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). 

Burden Statement: The annual public 

reporting and recordkeeping burden for 

this collection of information is 

estimated to average between 20 hours 

and 8,182 hours per response. Burden is 

defined in 5 CFR 1320.3(b). The ICR, 

which is available in the docket along 

with other related materials, provides a 

detailed explanation of the collection 

activities and the burden estimate that 

is only briefly summarized here: 

Respondents/Affected Entities: 

Entities potentially affected by this ICR 

are pesticide registrant and are 

identified by the North American 

Industrial Classification System 

(NAICS) code 325320 (Pesticide and 

Other Agricultural Chemical 

Manufacturing). 

Estimated Total Number of Potential 

Respondents: 122. 

Frequency of Response: On occasion. 

Estimated Total Average Number of 

Responses for Each Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 615,447 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Costs: 

$43,792,523. 

There are no capital investment or 

maintenance and operational costs 

associated with this collection. 

III. Are there changes in the estimates 

from the last approval? 

There is an increase of 353,146 hours 

in the total estimated respondent 

burden compared with that identified in 

the ICR currently approved by OMB. 

This increase is a result of the program 

implementing new methodologies to 

calculate respondent burden, the 

inclusion of a new IC group— 


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