Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0736-0006
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Meat and Poultry Products Industry Data Collection
Posted Date: 2022-03-16T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14848-14849]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-05490]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0736; FRL-9659-01-OMS]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Meat and Poultry Products Industry Data 
Collection

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Meat and Poultry Products 
Industry Data Collection'' (EPA ICR No. 2701.01, OMB Control No. 2040-
NEW) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a 
request for approval of a new collection. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register on November 19, 2021, 
during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 
days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given 
below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. An agency 
may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a 
collection of information addressed to ten or more entities unless it 
displays a currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before April 15, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to EPA, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-
HQ-OW-2021-0736, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. EPA's policy is that all 
comments received will be included in the public docket without change 
including any personal information provided, unless the comment 
includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI), or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute.
    Submit written comments and recommendations to OMB for the proposed 
information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

[[Page 14849]]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen Whitlock, Engineering and 
Analysis Division, Office of Science and Technology, 4303T, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-1541; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the 
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: Under the Clean Water Act (CWA), EPA develops effluent 
limitations guidelines (ELGs) to limit pollutants discharged from 
industrial point source categories. EPA initially promulgated ELGs for 
the Meat and Poultry Products (MPP) category in 1974 and amended the 
regulations in 2004. The current regulation covers wastewater directly 
discharged by meat and poultry slaughterhouses and further processors 
as well as independent renderers. Small poultry facilities and indirect 
dischargers are not included in the current rule.
    In EPA's review of nutrients in industrial wastewater, the MPP 
category ranked among the top two industrial categories discharging 
nutrients based on 2018 data, and EPA announced a detailed study of the 
MPP category in 2020. During the study, EPA collected publicly 
available data and met with industry trade associations. EPA found that 
there are existing, affordable technologies that can reduce nutrient 
concentrations in MPP wastewater, and that pretreatment standards may 
be needed as publicly available data shows pollutants from MPP 
facilities may passthrough and cause interference for some publicly 
owned treatment works (POTWs).
    Publicly available data on MPP facilities that is needed to support 
a rulemaking is limited. To identify the base population of 
approximately 7,000 MPP facilities, EPA collected data from the US 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). 
Using this base population, EPA attempted to find data on MPP 
wastewater, effluent limits, and treatment technologies by collecting 
publicly available facility permits and consulting the Integrated 
Compliance Information System (ICIS) dataset. Available data was 
limited to only those facilities directly discharging wastewater or to 
facilities discharging indirectly through POTWS in individual states 
that require pretreatment permits to be reported, leaving a large data 
gap. Thus, a survey of the current MPP industry will be an essential 
portion of the rulemaking process, necessary for EPA to determine 
appropriateness of current regulations.
    The data collection activities described in this Information 
Collection Request (ICR) are designed to obtain a robust dataset that 
characterizes wastewater generation, treatment, and discharge from MPP 
facilities. A short questionnaire will be administered as an industry 
census to confirm general information on the type and size (both 
production and employees) of the facility and gather information on 
wastewater generation and treatment. To reduce burden on the industry, 
a statistically representative subset of MPP facilities will complete a 
detailed survey collecting additional details on processing operations, 
types and amount of wastewater generated by operation, wastewater 
treatment details, and economic data. A small number of MPP facilities 
will also be asked to collect and analyze wastewater samples to 
characterize raw waste streams, wastewater treatment systems, and 
treated effluent for pollutants of interest.
    The current rule contains 12 subparts, reflecting that the industry 
engages in a wide range of activities. Facilities range in size from 
very small (less than 10 employees) to large (over 500 employees). For 
EPA to complete the detailed technical and economic analysis for the 
entire industry necessary for the rulemaking process, the short 
questionnaire, detailed questionnaire, and sampling activities are 
essential.
    Confidential Business Information (CBI) may be collected. In 
accordance with 40 CFR part 2, subpart B, section 2.203, the MPP 
Surveys inform respondents of their right to claim information as 
confidential. Each survey provides instructions for claiming 
confidentiality and informs respondents of the terms and rules 
governing the protection of CBI under the CWA and 40 CFR 2.203. Survey 
respondents are requested to mark any claimed confidential responses as 
CBI. EPA and its contractors will follow EAD's existing procedures to 
protect data labeled as CBI.
    Form Numbers: 6100-074, 6100-075.
    Respondents/affected entities: All Meat and Poultry Products 
facilities in the U.S.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (Clean Water Act 
section 308).
    Estimated number of respondents: 7,000 (total).
    Frequency of response: One-time data collection.
    Total estimated burden: 70,807 hours. Burden is defined at 5 CFR 
1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $3,219,484, which includes $85,708 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: This is a new data collection request and 
is a one-time temporary increase to the Agency's burden.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2022-05490 Filed 3-15-22; 8:45 am]
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