Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0719-0008
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Information Collection Request for Cooling Water Intake Structures at Phase III Facilities (Renewal), EPA ICR No. 2169.02, OMB Control No. 2040-0268
Posted Date: 2009-02-25T05:00Z

[Federal Register: February 25, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 36)]
[Notices]               
[Page 8527-8529]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25fe09-43]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0719, FRL-8776-8]

 
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Information Collection Request for Cooling Water 
Intake Structures at Phase III Facilities (Renewal), EPA ICR No. 
2169.02, OMB Control No. 2040-0268

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to 
submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection 
Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is 
scheduled to expire on May 31, 2009. Before submitting the ICR to OMB 
for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects 
of the proposed information collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 27, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2008-0719, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the online instructions 
for submitting comments.
     E-mail: ow-docket@epa.gov (Identify Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OW-2008-0719, in the subject line).
     Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mailcode: 4203M, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. 
Please include a total of three copies.
     Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room B102, 
1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. Such deliveries are only 
accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special 
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments identified by the Docket ID No. 
EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0719. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be 
included in the public docket without change and may be made available 
online at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed 
to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit

[[Page 8528]]

information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through 
http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://www.regulations.gov 
Web site is an ''anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not 
know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the 
body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA 
without going through http://www.regulations.gov, your e-mail address 
will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that 
is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If 
you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your 
name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with 
any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses. For additional information about EPA's public 
docket, visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/
epahome/dockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amelia Letnes, State and Regional 
Branch, Water Permits Division, OWM Mail Code: 4203M, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 564-5627; e-mail address: 
letnes.amelia@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

How Can I Access the Docket and/or Submit Comments?

    EPA has established a public docket for the ICR identified in this 
document (ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0719), which is available for online 
viewing at http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the 
Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 
1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading 
Room is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding 
legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is 202-566-
1744, and the telephone number for the Water Docket is 202-566-2426.
    Use http://www.regulations.gov to obtain a copy of the existing 
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those 
documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once 
in the system, select ''search,'' then key in the docket ID number 
identified in this document.

What Information Is EPA Particularly Interested in?

    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA specifically 
solicits comments and information to enable it to:
    (i) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the 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 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. 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.

What Should I Consider When I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific 
examples.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide copies of technical information/data you used that 
support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
    6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified 
under DATES.
    7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket 
ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first page 
of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal 
Register citation.

What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Apply to?

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action 
include new offshore oil and gas extraction facilities meeting the 
applicability criteria of the 316(b) Phase III Facilities at 40 CFR 
125.131.
    Title: Cooling Water Intake Structures at Phase III Facilities 
(Renewal)
    ICR Numbers: EPA ICR No. 2169.02, OMB Control No. 2040-0268
    ICR Status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on May 31, 
2009. 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 CFR, after appearing in the Federal 
Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR Part 9, and 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 in certain EPA 
regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR Part 9.
    Abstract: The section 316(b) regulation for Phase III facilities 
requires the collection of information from new offshore oil and gas 
extraction facilities which use a cooling water intake structure(s) 
that uses at least 25 percent of the water it withdraws for cooling 
purposes, and have design intake flows greater than 2 MGD. Section 
316(b) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that any standard 
established under section 301 or 306 of the CWA and applicable to a 
point source must require that the location, design, construction and 
capacity of cooling water intake structure(s) at that facility reflect 
the best technology available for minimizing adverse environmental 
impact. Such impact occurs as a result of impingement (where fish and 
other aquatic life are trapped on technologies at the entrance to 
cooling water intake structures) and entrainment (where aquatic 
organisms, eggs, and larvae are taken into the cooling system, passed 
through the heat exchanger, and then pumped back out with the discharge 
from the facility). The rule contains requirements applicable to the 
location, design, construction, and capacity of cooling water intake 
structures at new offshore oil and gas extraction facilities. These 
requirements seek to establish the best technology available for 
minimizing adverse environmental impact associated with the use of 
cooling water intake structure(s).
    Burden Statement: The annual average reporting and record keeping 
burden for the existing collection of information by facilities 
responding to the section 316(b) Phase III Facilities is estimated to 
be 511 hours per facility

[[Page 8529]]

respondent (i.e., an annual average of 11,238 hours of burden divided 
among an annual average of 22 facilities). For new offshore oil and gas 
extraction facilities, the permitting process is handled directly by 
EPA Regions 4, 6, and 10. Since this burden is incurred by the Federal 
Government rather than the States, it is not included as part of the 
burden statement for State Directors.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate 
for the existing ICR, which is only briefly summarized here:
    Estimated Total Number of Potential Respondents: 22 facilities.
    Frequency of Response: Every five years.
    Estimated Total Average Number of Responses for Each Respondent: 
22.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 11,238 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Costs: $1,157,139. This includes an 
estimated labor burden cost of $581,714 and an estimated cost of 
$575,425 for capital investment or maintenance and operational costs.
    The revised ICR is expected to have burden change related to 
universe fluctuations and increased labor rates.

What Is the Next Step in the Process for This ICR?

    EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as 
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for 
review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. At that time, EPA will 
issue another Federal Register notice pursuant to 5 CFR 
1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the 
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB. If you have any 
questions about this ICR or the approval process, please contact the 
technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Dated: February 6, 2009.
James A. Hanlon,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. E9-4006 Filed 2-24-09; 8:45 am]

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