Document ID: EPA-HQ-OA-2019-0296-0001
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act and Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA Actions (Renewal)
Posted Date: 2019-09-24T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 24, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50032-50033]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20645]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OA-2019-0296; FRL-9046-9]

Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Procedures for Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act and 
Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA Actions (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Procedures for Implementing the 
National Environmental Policy Act and Assessing the Environmental 
Effects Abroad of EPA Actions'' (EPA ICR No. 2243.08, OMB Control No. 
2020-0033) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing 
so, the EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the 
proposed information collection as described below. This is a proposed 
extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through January 31, 
2020. 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: Comments must be submitted on or before November 25, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-
2019-0296, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method) or 
by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    The 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: Candi Schaedle, NEPA Compliance 
Division, Office of Federal Activities, Mail Code 2203A, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: 202-564-6121; fax number: 202-564-0070; email 
address: schaedle.candi@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 the EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, the EPA is soliciting 
comments and information to enable it to: (i) 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; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of 
the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 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. The 
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. At that time, the EPA will issue another Federal 
Register

[[Page 50033]]

notice to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity 
to submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 
U.S.C. 4321-4347 establishes a national policy for the environment. The 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) oversees the NEPA 
implementation. CEQ's Regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508 set 
the standard for NEPA compliance. They also require agencies to 
establish their own NEPA implementing procedures. The EPA's procedures 
for implementing NEPA are found in 40 CFR part 6. Through this part, 
the EPA adopted the CEQ Regulations and supplemented those regulations 
for actions proposed by the EPA that are subject to NEPA requirements. 
The EPA actions subject to NEPA include the award of wastewater 
treatment construction grants under Title II of the Clean Water Act, 
the EPA's issuance of new source National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES) permits under section 402 of the Clean Water 
Act, certain research and development projects, development and 
issuance of regulations, the EPA actions involving renovations or new 
construction of EPA facilities, and certain grants awarded for projects 
authorized by Congress through the agency's annual appropriations act. 
The EPA is collecting information from certain applicants as part of 
the process of complying with either NEPA or Executive Order 12114 
(``Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions''). The EPA's 
NEPA regulations apply to actions of the EPA that are subject to NEPA 
in order to ensure that environmental information is available to the 
agency's decision-makers and the public before decisions are made and 
before actions are taken. When the EPA conducts an environmental 
assessment pursuant to its Executive Order 12114 procedures, the agency 
generally follows its NEPA procedures. Compliance with the procedures 
is the responsibility of the EPA's Responsible Officials, and for 
applicant proposed actions applicants may be required to provide 
environmental information to the EPA as part of the environmental 
review process. For this ICR, applicant-proposed projects subject to 
either NEPA or Executive Order 12114 (and that are not addressed in 
other EPA programs' ICRs) are addressed through the NEPA process.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are certain grant or permit applicants who must submit 
environmental information documentation to the EPA for their projects 
to comply with NEPA or Executive Order 12114, including Wastewater 
Treatment Construction Grants Program facilities, State and Tribal 
Assistance Grant recipients, and new source National Pollutant 
Discharge Elimination System permittees.
    Respondent's Obligation to Respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 26 (total).
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Burden: 4,720 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total Estimated Cost: $394,461 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is a decrease of 8,957 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease is due to an adjustment change in the 
size of the respondent universe.

    Dated: September 19, 2019.
Robert Tomiak,
Director, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 2019-20645 Filed 9-23-19; 8:45 am]
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