Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2020-0403-0007
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Radon Emissions From Operating Mill Tailings
Posted Date: 2021-01-11T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 6 (Monday, January 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1965-1966]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00242]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2020-0403; FRL-10018-71-OMS]

Information Collection Request; Comment Request; National 
Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Radon 
Emissions From Operating Mill Tailings (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), NESHAP for Radon Emissions from 
Operating Mill Tailings (EPA ICR Number 2464.03, OMB Control Number 
2060-0706) 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 
December 31, 2020. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on August 20, 2020 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 February 10, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to EPA, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-

[[Page 1966]]

HQ-OAR-2020-0403, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to a-and-r-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: Jonathan P. Walsh, Radiation 
Protection Division, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, Mail Code 
6608T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-343-9238; fax number: 202-
343-2304; email address: walsh.jonathan@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: On January 17, 2017, EPA issued final revisions to the 
NESHAP for Radon Emissions from Operating Mill Tailings, codified at 40 
CFR part 61, subpart W. These revisions were promulgated as part of a 
review of pre-1990 NESHAPs pursuant to Clean Air Act Section 112(q)(1). 
Included in the final revisions was a requirement that owners and 
operators of uranium recovery facilities maintain specific records 
pertaining to the design, construction and operation of the uranium 
tailings impoundments, both conventional and non-conventional, and heap 
leach piles. These records are to be retained at the facility and 
contain information regarding the approved design of the impoundments 
and/or heap leach pile, including but not limited to, all tests 
performed that prove the liner is compatible with the material(s) being 
placed on the liner. For non-conventional impoundments this requirement 
also includes written and digital photographic records showing 
compliance with the requirement to maintain liquid in the impoundment 
such that any solid materials in the impoundment are not visible above 
the liquid level. Both the retention of design documents required for 
all impoundments and the records generated during inspections to meet 
the liquid retention requirement for non-conventional impoundments were 
new requirements for collection of information that is not covered 
under the already existing ICR for radionuclide NESHAPs, EPA Number 
1100.16, OMB Number 2060-0191.
    Information collected is used by EPA to ensure that public health 
continues to be protected from the hazards of airborne radionuclides by 
compliance with these standards. Compliance is demonstrated through 
inspection. All facilities are required to maintain their records for 
the operational lifetime of the facility. In some cases, they also 
report their results to EPA.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: The North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS) codes of facilities associated with the 
activity of the respondents are: Uranium-Radium-Vanadium Ore Mining--
212291.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (CAA, Sec, 112; 40 
CFR part 61).
    Estimated number of respondents: 9 (total).
    Frequency of response: Reporting (submission of digital 
photographs) at least monthly; more frequent or one-time collection of 
records, depending on activity.
    Total estimated burden: 1,806 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $115,812 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 5,347 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease is mainly attributable to a reduction in 
the number of estimated respondents. The initial ICR identified a 
larger universe of respondents that could potentially be subject to the 
newly defined requirements, many of which were (and remain) in the 
process of licensing and development. It is estimated that no 
additional facilities will become subject to these requirements in the 
next few years. The Agency has also made a minor adjustment, based on 
consultations and public comments received, in the estimated number of 
hours to read and become familiar with the requirements resulting from 
the transition of the SWIPR system from a start-up to an operations-
and-maintenance mode.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2021-00242 Filed 1-8-21; 8:45 am]
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