Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0162-0015
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Regional Haze Regulations
Posted Date: 2015-09-29T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 188 (Tuesday, September 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58473-58474]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24332]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0162; FRL-9934-62-OAR]

Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Regional Haze Regulations (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit an information collection request (ICR), ``Renewal of the ICR 
for the Regional Haze Regulations'' (EPA ICR No. 1813.09, OMB Control 
No. 2060.0421) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 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

[[Page 58474]]

currently approved through March 31, 2016. 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 30, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2003-0162, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or withdrawn. The 
EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not 
submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must 
be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered 
the official comment and should include discussion of all points you 
wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment 
contents located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web, 
cloud, or other file sharing system). For additional submission 
methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or 
multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective 
comments, please visit http://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Werner, Air Quality Policy 
Division, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, C539-04, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; 
telephone number: (919) 541-5133; fax number: (919) 541-5315; email 
address: werner.christopher@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting document(s) 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., 
allowing 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 notice to announce 
the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to submit 
additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: This ICR is for activities related to the implementation 
of the EPA's regional haze rule, for the time period between March 31, 
2016, and March 31, 2019, and renews the previous ICR. The regional 
haze rule codified at 40 CFR parts 308 and 309, as authorized by 
sections 169A and 169B of the Clean Air Act, requires states to develop 
implementation plans to protect visibility in 156 federally-protected 
Class I areas. Tribes may choose to develop implementation plans. For 
this time period, states will primarily be developing and submitting 
periodic comprehensive implementation plan revisions (or initial 
implementation plans) and progress reports to comply with the 
regulations.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are state, local and tribal air quality agencies, regional 
planning organizations and facilities potentially regulated under the 
regional haze rule.
    Title: Regional Haze Regulations; EPA ICR No. 1813.09, OMB Control 
No. 2060.0421.
    Respondent's Obligation To Respond: Mandatory [see 40 CFR 
51.308(b), (f) and (g) and 40 CFR 51.309(d)(10)].
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 52 (total); 52 state agencies.
    Frequency of Response: Approximately every 5 years.
    Total Estimated Burden: 10,307 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total Estimated Cost: $510,489 (per year). There are no annualized 
capital or operation and maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is an increase of 4,259 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase is due to this ICR renewal period 
covering different task elements than the previous renewal (EPA ICR No. 
1813.08). These differences reflect the requirements of the current 
regional haze rule with respect to the scheduled events and activities 
in the implementation process. The last collection request anticipated 
the program consisting mainly of submission of 5-year progress reports. 
The change in burden reflects changes in labor rates and changes in the 
activities conducted due to the normal progression of the program, 
especially the fact that states will be working on and submitting 
periodic comprehensive State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions (or 
initial SIPs).

    Dated: September 15, 2015.
Stephen D. Page,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2015-24332 Filed 9-28-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P