Document ID: EPA-HQ-OECA-2009-0494-0007
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Tips and Complaints Regarding Environmental Violations; (Renewal)
Posted Date: 2016-02-17T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 17, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8063-8064]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03156]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OECA-2009-0494; FRL-9942-05-OEI]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Tips and Complaints Regarding Environmental 
Violations (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Tips and Complaints Regarding 
Environmental Violations (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 2219.05, OMB Control 
No. 2020-0032) 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, 2016. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register 80 FR 67400 on November 
2, 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 March 18, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OECA-2009-0494, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by email to docket.oeca@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: Michael LeDesma, Legal Counsel 
Division, Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics, and Training;

[[Page 8064]]

Environmental Protection Agency, Building 25, Box 25227, Denver Federal 
Center, Denver, CO 80025; telephone number: 303-462-9453 or fax number: 
303-462-9075; email address: mailto:ledesma.michael@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 Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) 
is responsible for administrative, civil and criminal enforcement of 
the environmental laws that EPA administers. EPA's criminal enforcement 
and civil enforcement programs are dependent on tips and complaints 
from concerned citizens and members of the regulated community. The 
OECA Tips & Complaints Web page provides a convenient means by which 
these individuals can voluntarily submit tips and complaints regarding 
suspected violations of environmental law. Tips or complaints received 
are used by civil and/or criminal enforcement personnel at EPA to 
determine whether an investigation is warranted into the suspected or 
alleged misconduct. In some cases, EPA may decide to refer tips or 
complaints for investigation to other federal agencies or to State or 
local authorities within whose jurisdiction the matter may 
appropriately fall. The OECA Tips and Complaints Web page does not 
replace or otherwise supplant other means of providing tips or 
complaints to EPA; it merely provides a convenient means by which to 
supply these tips or complaints. As with complaints provided by phone, 
fax, or electronic mail, we expect that tippers or complainants are 
already in the possession of information that leads them to suspect a 
violation of environmental law when they contact EPA to report the 
matter. Accordingly, EPA believes that the burden associated with the 
reporting is merely that arising from the need to read the instructions 
and type or select information into the appropriate fields.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Anyone wishing to file a tip or 
complaint.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 10,286 (total).
    Frequency of response: Occasionally.
    Total estimated burden: 5,143 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $102,242 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 542 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase reflects that tips and complaints are 
being filed at a higher rate, which is a strong indication of the 
success of this program.

Courtney Kerwin,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2016-03156 Filed 2-16-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P