Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2016-0027-0007
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2016-07-29T04:00Z

Supporting Statement
for
Information Collection Request

          On-Highway Motorcycle Certification and Compliance Program
                            EPA ICR Number 2535.01
                                       
                                       
                                       
                                       
                                   May, 2016
                                       
                              Compliance Division
                   Office of Transportation and Air Quality
                          Office of Air and Radiation
                     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                       

                      Part A of the Supporting Statement

Section 1: Identification of the Information Collection
1(a) Title and Number of the Information Collection
"Information Collection Request (ICR) for On-Highway Motorcycle (HMC) Certification and Compliance Program"; The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tracking number for this information collection request (ICR) is Number 2535.01. The Office of Management and budget (OMB) Control Number is 2060-NEW. This is a new collection.

1(b) Short Characterization/Abstract

Under the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7521 et seq.) manufacturers and importers of on-highway motorcycles must have a certificate of conformity issued by the EPA covering any vehicle they intend to offer for sale in the United States. A certificate of conformity represents to the prospective purchaser that the respective vehicle conforms to all applicable emissions requirements. In issuing a certificate of conformity, the EPA reviews vehicle information and emissions test data to determine if the required testing has been performed by the certificate applicant and the required emissions levels have been demonstrated. After a certificate of conformity has been issued, the Agency may request additional information to verify that the product continues to meet its certified emissions standards throughout its useful life. 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. The OMB control numbers for the EPA's regulations in Title 40 of Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) are listed in 40 CFR part 9. 

The HMC program was previously included under the current ICR for light-duty vehicle emissions certification and in-use testing [EPA ICR No. 0783.62, OMB Control No. 2060-0104]. The new HMC ICR covers the application for a certificate of conformity (and supporting test results) submitted by HMC certification applicants prior to introduction into US commerce as well as various reports and information during and after production, including the defect information report (DR) and voluntary emissions recall report (VERR) that covers HMCs. The EPA's processing of this information is conducted by the Compliance Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Office of Air and Radiation, US EPA. While this is a new ICR notice, there are no additional aspects of the on-highway motorcycle program that have been added to the program since the 2013 renewal of the previous ICR. However, the EPA has developed several templates that manufacturers may use to meet their reporting obligations and made improvements to our compliance information system for which we request feedback from the reporting community. 

The EPA would like to solicit comments 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.

Information collected for the purposes listed above consists of descriptions of on-highway motorcycles (with emphasis on emission control systems), test results, defect and recall reports, and sales information. These data are reviewed to verify that the necessary tests have been performed and the manufacturer's product line meets emission standards. 

All reporting covered by this ICR can now done electronically via the EPA's web-based vehicle and engine compliance information system, Verify, with the exception of defect reports and voluntary emissions recall reports (DR/VERR) which must still be mailed to the Agency in hardcopy. Subject to confidentiality claims, this information is made available to interested parties upon request. Emission test information and some recall notifications is available on the internet.

Approximately 74 motorcycle manufacturers currently submit applications each year to certify their products. The on-highway motorcycle program will impose a cost of about $386,088 annually on the regulated industry respondents: $151,150 in operation and maintenance costs, $113,834 in capital and startup costs, and $168,614 in labor costs.

Additional details on the coverage of this ICR are given in Section 2(b), below.

Section 2: Need For and Use of the Collection 

2(a) Need/Authority for the Collection 

Under Title II of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7521 et seq.), the EPA is charged with issuing certificates of conformity for motor vehicle designs that comply with applicable emission standards set under section 202(a)(1) of the Act, such as those for Carbon Monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbons (HC) and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx). (This authority was clarified in the Supreme Court's decision State of Massachusetts v. EPA, 127 S. Ct. 1438 (2007)). Section 202(a)(1) states that "the Administrator shall by regulation prescribe (and from time to time revise) [...] standards applicable to the emission of any air pollutant from any class or classes of new motor vehicles [...], which in his judgment cause, or contribute to, air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare." Under Section 206(a) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7525) "... The Administrator shall test ... any new motor vehicle ... submitted by a manufacturer ... If such vehicle ... conforms ... the Administrator shall issue a certificate of conformity."  While the EPA has delegated a substantial portion of the process of calculating and reporting emissions and fuel economy results to the manufacturers, the test results upon which labels are based are subject to EPA confirmatory testing. Such confirmation testing makes sure that results from different manufacturers can be accurately used for comparison. 

Relevant portions of the above statutes can be found online at https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview/title-ii-emission-standards-moving-sources. The regulations dealing with on-highway motorcycle emission control can be found in 40 CFR Parts 85 and 86. These regulations are not attached to this statement due to their length and technical nature but may also be found on-line at www.ecfr.gov.

2(b) Practical Utility/Users of the Data

The discussion in this section outlines the major features of the program covered by this ICR as well as summarizing some of the recent historical and ongoing developments that have a bearing on the information burden.

Highway Motorcycles Certification and Compliance

Federal standards for HMCs have been in effect since the 1978 model year. On January 15, 2004, the EPA finalized the first revision to these standards, as well as included for the first time engines with displacements of less than 50cc and added new standards that require the use of low permeability fuel tanks and fuel hoses. These provisions were effective with the 2006 model year.
Manufacturers group vehicles/engines into engine families, conduct emissions tests to demonstrate compliance with exhaust emissions standards, calculate durability factors for useful-life compliance, and submit an application for certification along with an application fee. The EPA issues a certificate, possibly after confirmatory testing. Manufacturers are potentially subject to production vehicle testing for EPA in-use compliance investigations (40 CFR 86.415-78). 

Defect Reports and Voluntary Emissions Recall Reports

A reporting component of the on-highway motorcycle program may require filing of defect reports, voluntary emissions recall reports, and voluntary recall quarterly reports by manufacturers for in-use vehicles. This ICR 2535.01disaggregates the DR/VERR reporting requirements for on-highway motorcycles from the light-duty vehicle program (EPA ICR 0783.62, OMB 2060-0104). Manufacturers file these reports using templates recommended by the EPA to streamline the reporting process and either mailed or emailed to the EPA.  The reporting recording keeping burden estimates are included in this ICR.

 Investigation into Possible Noncompliance of HMCs

The HMC emissions compliance program includes pre-production, production, and in-use components. HMCs are evaluated as prototypes prior to production, and those designs that meet applicable criteria are certified for introduction into commerce. The EPA also has discretion to conduct production vehicle testing. This has become an important compliance tool for the EPA. While the EPA retains the statutory and regulatory authority to conduct production tests for on-highway motorcycles no significant burden is assigned to this activity in this ICR due to the very limited nature in which this tool is used. Finally, in addition to the manufacturer voluntary recall program, the EPA will follow up on information shared with the agency by other administrative and state agencies, such as California's Air Resources Board and Environment Canada, to investigate vehicle compliance. 

Verify

Electronic submission by manufactures to the EPA's engine and vehicle compliance information system known as Verify began to be implemented for on-highway motorcycles in 2005.  . The Verify system features a web interface for the submission of manufacturer certification information. The savings from this, along with other features, including improved coordination with California's certification process and improved manufacturer capacity to self-correct submissions, were not included in the prior baseline and are now reflected in this ICR. For this reason, the reporting burden estimates associated with submitting information to the EPA in this ICR are considered to be more accurate than our previous ICR estimates. Feedback from the highway motorcycle manufacturers questioned for this ICR continues to be largely positive.

Averaging Program for HC+NOx

To provide flexibility in meeting the on-highway motorcycle emissions standards, we adopted an emission credit program that provided an early incentive for HMC manufacturers to bank credits for use in future model years while retaining the ability to average emissions across engine families. Under the averaging program, manufacturers are able to balance the certified emissions of their motorcycles so that the sales-weighted emissions level meets the applicable standard. This means that some engine families may have emissions below the standards, while others have emissions higher than the standards. For enforcement purposes, manufacturers are required to specify a certification limit, or ``Family Emission Limit'' (FEL) for each engine family. The FEL is the emission level that a particular engine family is certified as meeting and, in effect, becomes the standard for the individual family. The FEL may be above or below the applicable standard as long as the manufacturer's sales-weighted emissions level meets the applicable standard. Manufacturers participating in the averaging program (promulgated under 40 CFR 86.449), must certify each participating family to an FEL in its application for certification. In its application, participants must also project an average emission level for all families participating in the program. At the end of the model year, each participant must submit an end-of-year report accounting for the actual production volume, calculated to final average to demonstrate compliance with the standard. This report must be received by the EPA within 120 days of the end of the model year. This reporting requirement is a necessary component of the averaging program.

Section 3: Non-duplication, Consultations, and Other Collection Criteria 

3(a) Non-duplication

Efforts have been made to eliminate duplication in this information collection. As mentioned above, the EPA's implementation of the Verify system, under which the manufacturer submission process occurs should further help minimize duplication in submissions. 

Because of the specialized nature of HMC manufacturing and the fact that product plans and emission performance information may be submitted to the EPA prior to the introduction of production vehicles into US commerce, this information is not available from any source other than the manufacturer. Therefore, this information is not likely to be collected by any other governmental agency for this or related purposes.
 
3(b) Public Notice 

EPA issued a Federal Register Notice on February 12, 2016 9 (81 FR 7536).  No comments were received. 

3(c) Consultations

In preparing this ICR submission, the EPA has consulted with the following individuals working in the regulated industries:

	
Name	
Firm
Telephone
Pat Proctor

Harley-Davidson Motor Company

Phone: 414-465-6058

Eric Barnes

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

(310) 783-3864
Larry Keller
Polaris Industries Inc.
(651) 408-7253

These individuals have experience with the reporting aspects of the EPA's current programs. Comments received have been reflected in the burden estimates discussed below. 

3(d) Effects of Less Frequent Collection

As required by the Clean Air Act (42 USC 7525(a)), emission information is submitted on a yearly basis coinciding with the manufacturer's "model year." The EPA allows applicants to define their own "model year", within limits, thus granting some flexibility in this regard. Major product changes typically occur at the start of a model year. For these reasons, a collection frequency longer than a model year is not possible. However, when a vehicle design is "carried over" to a subsequent model year, the amount of new information required is substantially reduced. 

3(e) General Guidelines

Manufacturers are required to keep some records for periods longer than three years. This requirement stems from the statutory requirement that manufacturers warrant some items for periods longer than three years. Manufacturers must also recall vehicle classes failing to meet emission standards during their useful life, typically five to eight years depending on vehicle type. In order to satisfy these obligations, manufacturers must retain product information, with particular emphasis on the emission control systems. This information is vital in assuring that repairs and replacement parts properly function during the life of the warranty and that emissions limitations are met during the full useful lives. The EPA believes that this recordkeeping requirement does not impose an unreasonable burden given the warranty and recall obligations. In fact, manufacturers would probably retain this information to support their normal business of supplying replacement parts.

This information collection activity complies with the remaining guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.

3(f) Confidentiality

Information submitted by manufacturers is held as confidential until the specific vehicle to which it pertains is available for purchase. After vehicles are available, most information associated with the manufacturer/importer's application is available to the public. Under section 208 of the Clean Air Act (42 USC 7542(c)) all information, other than trade secret processes or methods, must be publicly available. Proprietary information is granted confidentiality in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, EPA regulations at 40 CFR Part 2, and class determinations issued by the EPA's Office of General Counsel.

3(g) Sensitive Questions

No sensitive questions are asked in this information collection. This collection complies with the Privacy Act and OMB Circular A-108.

Section 4: Respondents and Information Requested

4(a) Respondents/NAICS Codes

The respondents are involved in the industries shown in the following table:

Category
NAICS Codes [A]
Examples of Potentially Regulated Entities
Industry
336991
Motorcycle and motorcycle parts manufacturers
Industry
336310
Motor Vehicle Gasoline Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing
A North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
 
4(b) Information Requested

(i) Data items

Manufacturers of on-highway motorcycles are required to submit descriptions of their planned product line, including detailed descriptions of the emission control system, test data, and demonstrations of compliance with other requirements, such as methods for determining deterioration factors for durability. Manufacturers supply test data to verify that their products will comply with the emission standards. They are also required to notify the EPA of in-use defects experienced by their vehicles and reports of voluntary recalls. Other major data items include submission of technical service bulletins; copies of warranties; and averaging and banking calculations. Given the diversity of vehicles produced and the complicated nature of the regulations, in certain instances manufacturers may also find it advantageous to request variances from standard EPA procedures.

A list of detailed information requirements and their corresponding regulation citations appears in Appendix II.

(ii) Respondent Activities

While there is no "typical" respondent, all manufacturers must describe their product and supply test data and other information to verify compliance. The biggest burden in this ICR comes from the cost of test facilities and the costs and labor hours of running tests to generate the data that must be reported to the EPA. The EPA will conduct a limited number of "confirmatory tests" to monitor manufacturer results. This generally requires that emissions test vehicle(s) be shipped to the EPA's designated testing laboratory. Manufacturers must also retain records. These tasks are repeated for each model year, although typically previous data and information can be "carried over" when no significant changes have occurred. If, during the course of a model year a product change is made (an "amendment" to an application or certified configuration), the EPA must be notified. Under some circumstances additional test data may be required.

Manufacturers must also submit reports concerning defects that are discovered and voluntary recalls that are conducted; they may also be requested to submit to production vehicle testing that the EPA may elect to conduct.

Section 5: The Information Collected -- Agency Activities, Collection Methodology, and Information Management

 Agency Activities

A significant portion of the EPA's emission compliance activity is spent reviewing applications to verify that the correct vehicle tests have been conducted and necessary information submitted. Amendments to applications must also be selectively reviewed for possible emissions impacts and manufacturers' evaluations thereof. A part of this process involves determining if "carry over" of data from a previous model year or "carry-across" data from testing of similar vehicles and engines is appropriate or if new testing will be required. The EPA also selects a number of tests for confirmation at the EPA's own designated laboratory. The EPA maintains the relevant reporting systems and records and analyzes relevant data for regulatory and oversight purposes.

The EPA prepares annual reports of emission test results submitted by the manufacturers. These and other reports, data and information are now available on the EPA's website.at https://www3.epa.gov/otaq/crttst.htm.

5(b) Collection Methodology and Management

All routine information (test results, vehicle descriptions, and all aspects of certification applications) is electronically transmitted directly from the manufacturers through the Verify system. DR/VERR submissions are not yet part of the Verify system. 

All information received by the EPA is subject to review. Data submitted electronically is in some cases automatically screened; for example, on-highway motorcycle test results that are close to emission standard(s) are flagged for a more detailed review. Descriptions of the proposed product line are checked to verify that the appropriate vehicles have been tested. (The emission program relies on a combination of "worst case" and representative data to accomplish its goals.) 

5(c) Small Entity Flexibility

The EPA has special procedures for small-volume on-highway motorcycle manufacturer certifications; i.e., those whose total sales are less than 10,000 units per year. These special procedures allow the small-volume manufacturer to submit a simplified application for certification with respect to durability demonstrations. These manufacturers also have reduced testing and reporting requirements. Further, by the very nature of their size, small volume manufacturers typically have very limited product lines. This characteristic both reduces the amount of information which must be submitted and also simplifies the process of selecting the correct test vehicle(s). There are also several special provisions to reduce the regulatory burden on small highway motorcycle manufacturers: in addition to hardship exemptions and program delays, manufacturers with sales less than 3000 units per year and 500 employees may use broader definitions of engine categories. 

5(d) Collection Schedule

Manufacturers must submit information for each "model year" that it intends to build (or import) vehicles. Submission is by "engine family." A "model year" approximates when a product is produced. Engines and vehicles can be designated the next model-year if manufactured by January 2 of the preceding calendar-year. For instance, a 2016 model year engine or vehicle can be produced from January 2, 2015 through December 31, 2016. If a product is unchanged between model years, much of the information can be "carried over." The collection frequency and burden are determined to a large extent by the manufacturer's marketing and production plans. However, as required by law, some submission is required for each model year's production. Other information collections listed in Appendix II are conducted according to schedules that were determined in rulemakings.

Section 6: Estimating the Burden and Cost of the Collection

6(a) Estimating Respondent Burden 

The burden estimates below consider the HMC program, and the DR/VERR requirements, all described above in section 2(b). 

In agreement with this ICR, each manufacturer's activities toward certification or a related reporting requirement is counted as a "response". As explained in support of that action, this is by far the most logical and tractable unit of activity for burden accounting.

Within the HMC program, the estimation of respondent burden hours and respondent costs essentially breaks down as testing costs, which constitute the majority of Operations and Maintenance; testing facilities costs, which constitute the majority of Startup and Capital; the labor hours to conduct the tests; and additional costs and hours associated with other reporting and recordkeeping burdens. In addition, some features are specific to particular programs (notably permeation testing). The DR/VERR burden is entirely reporting and recordkeeping for HMC manufacturers. 

The changes in this ICR from ICR 0783.62 reflect changes in the estimated numbers of mandatory tests performed, due to estimates of the number of engine families certified and tested, rather than changes in regulation. The number of tests have been updated to reflect computer query results for model year 2014. Model Year 2015 data are not yet available. 

The present burden estimate continues the process of updating based on a renewed examination of the burdens, consultations with industry, and consultations with program administrators within the EPA. 

Whereas manufacturers develop their products within the context of compliance with all the requirements of the Clean Air Act, we understand the Paperwork Reduction Act to be centrally concerned with reporting and recordkeeping burdens. Thus, we start with the burden of submitting information to the EPA and keeping copies of that information. From there we go on to consider the costs of developing the information that has to be reported. Consequently, this ICR has traditionally included the burden of conducting tests that have to be reported to support the EPA's oversight of compliance with the Clean Air Act. We take the cost of conducting the tests to include the capital costs of building the facilities to run the tests and the associated operations and maintenance costs, such as mileage accumulation for durability determinations, and labor costs. 

Estimated Respondent Burden Hours:
Program/Activity
Engine Families/Year
Burden/
Response
(hours)
Total
(hours)
Highway Motorcycles
288
18.1
3,594

6(b) Estimating Respondent Costs
 Estimating labor costs

The labor costs in this ICR reflect the May 2015 BLS National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm). With a 130% overhead multiplier, also based on the BLS benefits adjustment factor of 30% for 2015, the categories are $83.80 manager, $38.50 technical, and $28.58 administrative. The resulting overall average for the highway motorcycle emissions IC becomes $38.64 per hour. Use of these rates represents a small reduction in the rates previously used for the on-highway motorcycle burden adjustment (ICR 0783.52).

Information technology specialists for analysis and coding and label redesign are priced at $100 per hour. These are considered one-time startup costs and are not included in the labor burden. 
We have estimated labor costs for these three categories for each labor item. Applied to the total of 3,594 hours, the annual respondent labor burden is $168,614. 

 Estimating Operations and Maintenance Costs
      
Program/Activity
Number
of Engine Families
Burden/
Response
($)
Total
($)
Highway Motorcycles
                                                                            288
                                                                        $524.83
                                                                       $151,150

Operations and Maintenance (O&M) costs are very largely those associated with running tests; there are also small cost elements associated with other reporting and recordkeeping activities. O&M costs in this ICR are therefore highly dependent on the fluctuations in the size of the industries and do not reflect new program changes. 

O&M test costs here reflect a decrease in the number of HMC engine families being certified. A change in the O&M costs comes from inclusion of testing estimates for model years 2015. 

 Estimating Capital Costs

Annualized Capital and Startup Costs: 

Program/Activity
Number
Engine Families/Year
Total
($)
Highway Motorcycles
288
$113,834

To perform the required testing, a combination of "environmental" (exhaust and evaporative emissions) test cells are required. A significant change in this ICR is made for evaporative emissions testing, which was not fully anticipated in the previous ICR estimates. Our estimates now reflect two changes in information; 1) data of the evaporative program since the 2008 calendar year, and 2) estimates of evaporative testing from commercial test facilities. 

These capital costs have long been treated as ongoing costs rather than start-up costs in the 0783 series. In effect, this allows a capital cost to be attributed on a per-test basis. Because of the wide variety of circumstances among manufacturers (land availability, capital assets, lending terms, labor shifts) and the continuing changes in the numbers of vehicles and engines being certified from year to year, this is the best method of counting facilities capital costs and one which allows continuity of treatment from one collection request to another. This also has the result, as with O&M costs, that collection requests can reflect changes in the information burden due to market forces in the industry that are much too complicated to model. The changes in this estimate from the last renewal reflect re-estimations and changes in the industry, not program changes by the EPA and we will not depart from past practice in this on-highway motorcycle ICR. 

The annualized depreciated costs of these facilities using the standard assumptions of 7% interest yearly over ten years is $4,600.520. This is regarded as a permanent capital cost item; that is, we regard the capital stock as being continuously depreciated and replaced.

6(c) Estimating Agency Burden

The Agency burden consists of 1.00 of a GS-13 technical worker and 1.0 for administrative assistance ($175,000.00 combined wage including overhead). 

6(d) Estimating the Respondent Universe and Total Burden and Costs

From the above discussion the following total burden and cost estimates can be calculated. Due to the diverse nature of the HMC industry, there is no typical or average respondent. Respondents can be large manufacturers with many products such as Honda Motors, or they can be small businesses with a single product line. In addition, HWC's can also be small importers of a few specialized motorcycles per year that are manufactured abroad. The total burden and cost figures below are estimates on the basis of report data from production and end-of-year reports as well as estimates from EPA personnel.

6(e) Bottom Line Burden Hours and Cost

(i)  Respondent Tally

RESPONDENTS
74
BURDEN HOURS
3594
LABOR COST
$168,614
OPERATING COST
$151,150 
CAPITALIZED COST
$113,834

(ii)  Agency Tally

EMPLOYEES (2): 
$175,000.00
CONTRACT LABOR COST:
$120,000.00
COST
$295,000

6(f) Reasons for change in burden

The change in burden since the previous ICR renewal (ICR No. 0783.62) is due to the changes in cost methodology and coverage outlined above in 6(a) combined with new counts of the numbers of tests performed including evaporative testing. The EPA has not made any program changes (other than approved rulemakings) since the previous ICR renewal. The effect of these changes can be summarized as follows:

Labor hours:  The currently approved ICR has estimated 5,482 hours annually. This renewal estimates 3,594 hours. This change is the result of corrections to the hours used to file applications, conduct exhaust and evaporative testing, and file an application under the Verify system. This reduction 1888 hours reflects the improved efficiencies experienced through our comprehensive web-based approach to certification and a reduction in the number of certification applications we process.

Labor costs:  As stated above, this request uses BLS labor costs with a 130% multiplier, which captures the BLS estimate of overhead and medical care cost not reflected in the wage estimates. In addition, the labor cost estimate reflects changes in the number of vehicle certification applications to meet exhaust and evaporative emissions requirements. 

6(g) Burden Statement

The table in Section 6(e) presents the total estimated burden for the HMC exhaust and evaporative emissions compliance programs; approximately 3,594 hours per year. Annual operating and capitalized costs are approximately $151,150 and $113,834 respectively. Because the universe of vehicle manufacturers is quite diverse, there is no "typical" respondent. However, the burden estimates for the various individual activities in section 6(a) can be used to estimate the burden for a particular respondent (about $524.83). These estimates include time to review applicable regulations and guidance documents, generate and gather the necessary information, and submit documents.

Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information. 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. The OMB control numbers for the EPA's regulations are listed in 40 CFR Part 9 and 48 CFR Chapter 15.

To comment on the Agency's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including the use of automated collection techniques, the EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OAR - 2016 - 0027, which is available for online viewing at regulations.gov.

This site can be used to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. When in the system, select "search," then key in the Docket ID Number identified above. EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode 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. 

Comments can also be sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20503, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA. Please include the EPA Docket ID EPA-HQ-OAR-2016-0027 and OMB Control Number 2060-NEW in any correspondence.