Document ID: EPA-HQ-OARM-2014-0857-0003
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Background Checks for Contractor Employees (Renewal); Extension of the Comment Period
Posted Date: 2015-04-08T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18839-18840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08058]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OARM-2014-0857; 9925-40-OEI]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Background Checks for Contractor Employees 
(Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), Background Checks for Contractor 
Employees (Renewal)--EPA ICR No. 2159.06, OMB Control No. 2030-0043, to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 
This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved 
through April 30, 2015. Public comments were previously requested via 
the Federal Register (80 FR 6956) on February 9, 2015, 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 May 8, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OARM-2014-0857, to: (1) EPA, online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by email to

[[Page 18840]]

oei.docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; and (2) OMB, via email to 
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer for 
EPA.
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dianne Lyles, Policy Training and 
Oversight Division, Office of Acquisition Management (3802R), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-6111; fax number: 202-
565-2553; email address: lyles.dianne@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: EPA uses contractors to perform services throughout the 
nation with regard to environmental emergencies involving the release 
or threatened release of oil, radioactive materials or hazardous 
chemicals that may potentially affect communities and the surrounding 
environment. The Agency may request contractors responding to any of 
these types of incidents to conduct background checks and apply 
government-established suitability criteria in Title 5 of the CFR 
(Administrative Personnel), Sections 731.104 (Appointments Subject to 
Investigation), 732.201 (Sensitivity Level Designations and 
Investigative Requirements), and 736.102 (Notice to Investigative 
Sources), when determining whether employees are acceptable to perform 
on given sites or on specific projects. In addition to emergency 
response contractors, EPA may require background checks for contractor 
personnel working in sensitive sites or sensitive projects. The 
background checks and application of the government's suitability 
criteria must be completed prior to contract employee performance. The 
contractor shall maintain records associated with all background 
checks. Background checks cover citizenship or valid visa status, 
criminal convictions, weapons offenses, felony convictions, and parties 
prohibited from receiving federal contracts.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Private Contractors.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain or retain a 
benefit under 5 CFR 731.104, 732.201 and 736.102.
    Estimated number of respondents: 1,000.
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Total estimated burden: 1,000 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $190,900 (per year), which includes no 
annualized capital or operation and maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 450 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This is an adjustment to correct an error made when 
the current ICR was approved. While the currently approved supporting 
statement included 1,000 burden hours, this number was incorrectly 
entered into OMB's system as 450 hours. The correct hour burden, 1,000 
hours, has not changed.

Rebecca Moser,
Deputy Director, Office of Information Collection.
[FR Doc. 2015-08058 Filed 4-7-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P