Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2006-0369-0017
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: National Estuary Program
Posted Date: 2020-07-31T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 148 (Friday, July 31, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46086-46087]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16575]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2006-0369; FRL-10013-08-OMS]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; National Estuary Program (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), National Estuary Program (EPA ICR 
Number 1500.10, OMB Control Number 2040-0138) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, 
which is currently approved through September 30, 2020. Public comments 
were previously requested via the Federal Register on December 26, 2019 
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 unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before August 31, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to EPA, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-
HQ-OW-2006-0369, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to OW-Docket@epa.gov, 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vince Bacalan, Oceans, Wetlands, and 
Communities Division; Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, Mail 
Code 4504T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-0930; fax number: 202-
566-1336; email address: bacalan.vince@epa.gov.

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: The National Estuary Program (NEP) involves collecting 
information from the state or local agency or nongovernmental 
organizations that receive funds under Sec. 320 of the Clean Water Act 
(CWA). The regulation requiring this information is found at 40 CFR 
part 35.
    Prospective grant recipients seek funding to develop or oversee and 
coordinate implementation of Comprehensive Conservation Management 
Plans (CCMPs) for estuaries of national significance. In order to 
receive funds, grantees must submit an annual workplan to EPA which are 
used to track performance of each of the 28 estuary programs currently 
in the NEP. EPA provides funding to NEPs to support long-term 
implementation of CCMPs if such programs pass a program evaluation 
process. The primary purpose of the program evaluation process is to 
help EPA determine whether the 28 programs included in the National 
Estuary Program (NEP) are making adequate progress implementing their 
CCMPs and therefore merit continued funding under Sec. 320 of the Clean 
Water Act. EPA also requests that each of the 28 NEPs receiving Sec. 
320 funds report information that can be used in the GPRA reporting 
process. This reporting is done on an annual basis and is used to show 
environmental results that are being achieved within the overall 
National Estuary Program. This information is ultimately submitted to 
Congress along with GPRA information from other EPA programs.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: State or local agencies or 
nongovernmental

[[Page 46087]]

organizations in the National Estuary Program (NEP) that receive grants 
under Section 320 of the Clean Water Act.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain or retain a 
benefit (Section 320 of the Clean Water Act).
    Estimated number of respondents: 28 (total).
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Total estimated burden: 5,360 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $319,724 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 240 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease is due to program evaluations taking 
place for two out of the next three years, according to the evaluation 
cycle schedule in the current Program Evaluation Guidance.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.

[FR Doc. 2020-16575 Filed 7-30-20; 8:45 am]
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