Document ID: EPA-HQ-ORD-2003-0005-0001
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2003-07-29T04:00Z

1
REQUEST
FOR
INFORMATION
(
RFI)
FOR
THE
BIOREMEDIATION
FIELD
INITIATIVE
DATABASE
SYSTEM
INFORMATION
COLLECTION
REQUEST
1.
IDENTIFICATION
OF
THE
INFORMATION
COLLECTION
(
a)
Title
and
Number
of
the
Information
Collection
Request
for
Information
(
RFI)
for
the
Bioremediation
Field
Initiative
Database
System
(
b)
Short
Characterization
The
Bioremediation
Field
Initiative
(
the
Initiative),
a
cooperative
effort
of
the
Office
of
Research
and
Development
(
ORD)
and
the
Technology
Innovation
Office
(
110)
of
the
Office
of
Solid
Waste
and
Emergency
Response
(
OSWER),
is
planning
to
continue
a
voluntary
and
ongoing
request
for
information
(
RFI)
about
sites
where
biological
treatment
technologies
are
being
tested
or
implemented.

The
RFI
will
continue
an
ongoing
data
collection
effort,
which
originally
targeted
only
federal
employees,
to
include
information
from
representatives
of
state
and
local
government
agencies,
private
companies,
universities,
and
research
centers.
The
original
effort
was
exempt
from
information
collection
request
(
ICR)
requirements
under
the
Paperwork
Reduction
Act
(
PRA).
With
the
subsequent
inclusion
of
information
from
non­
federal
employees,
the
RFI
became
subject
to
ICR
requirements.
This
document
supports
EPA's
request
for
renewal
of
the
current
ICR.

The
impetus
for
this
RFI
is
the
Agency's
need
to
continue
to
collect
and
disseminate
information
on
the
design,
operation,
and
performance
of
biological
treatment
technologies.
The
information
collected
will
be
used
to
expand
the
Agency's
store
of
information
on
sites
where
bioremediation
is
being
tested
or
implemented.
This
information
allows
EPA
and
state
project
managers,
consulting
engineers,
and
industry
representatives
to
review
the
cost
and
performance
of
particular
technologies
under
various
site
conditions.
EPA
will
continue
to
request
information
on
an
ongoing
basis
in
order
to
keep
apprised
of
new
bioremediation
sites
and
developments
at
previously
identified
sites.
Through
the
Bioremediation
Action
Committee
(
BAC),
a
coalition
of
government,
the
private
sector,
and
academia,
industry
has
indicated
the
need
for
this
centralized
data
base.

The
RFI
will
collect
both
general
site
information
and
data
on
the
operation
of
specific
biological
technologies.
General
site
information
includes
the
location
of
the
site,
the
names
of
site
contacts,
the
predominant
site
contaminants,
and
the
legislative
authority
under
which
the
site
is
being
remediated.
Technology­
specific
information
will
include
the
stage
of
operation,
the
type
of
treatment
being
used,
the
wastes
and
media
being
treated,
the
cleanup
level
goals,
and
the
performance
and
cost
of
the
treatment.

The
Agency
has
included
the
existing
instructions
and
questionnaire
(
Attachment
1)
that
will
continue
to
be
used
to
collect
the
information.
EPA
originally
developed
this
questionnaire
to
2
collect
information
from
federal
employees
for
the
Initiative's
Bioremediation
in
the
Field
Bulletin.
Responses
to
the
questionnaire
must
be
handwritten
or
typed.
Also,
an
electronic
version
of
the
questionnaire
is
available,
which
allows
respondents
to
enter
information
directly
onto
a
diskette.

2.
NEED
FOR
AND
USE
OF
THE
COLLECTION
(
a)
Need/
Authority
for
the
Collection
The
Superfund
Amendments
and
Reauthorization
Act
(
SARA)
of
1986
encouraged
EPA
to
develop
innovative
technologies,
such
as
bioremediation,
to
provide
more
cost­
effective
and
permanent
solutions
at
Superfund
and
other
sites.
The
Resource
Conservation
and
Recovery
Act
(
RCRA),
Oil
Pollution
Act
(
OPA)
of
1990,
and
Toxic
Substances
Control
Act
(
TSCA)
also
call
for
EPA
to
support
research
on
innovative
technologies.
In
1990,
EPA
established
the
Initiative
as
part
of
its
overall
strategy
to
increase
the
use
of
bioremediation
to
treat
wastes
at
such
sites.
Recognizing
the
need
to
gather
data
on
the
many
different
waste
types
and
site
conditions
suitable
for
bioremediation,
EPA
created
the
Initiative
as
a
cooperative
effort
of
ORD,
OSWER,
Regional
Offices,
state
agencies,
other
federal
agencies,
academia,
and
industry.
Two
of
the
Initiative's
goals
are:
(
1)
to
more
fully
assess
and
document
the
performance
of
full­
scale
bioremediation
field
applications,
and
(
2)
to
create
a
data
base
of
current
field
data
on
progress
in
determining
the
treatability
of
contaminants.

The
Initiative
has
created
a
data
base
to
store
information
on
bioremediation
sites
managed
by
federal
employees.
Many
of
these
sites
are
undergoing
full­
scale
remediation
with
established
biological
treatment
technologies.
More
recently,
the
Initiative
began
to
identify
an
increasing
number
of
bioremediation
sites
overseen
by
individuals
from
state
and
local
government
agencies,
private
companies,
universities,
and
research
centers.
Many
of
these
sites
are
being
used
to
conduct
treatability
studies
of
emerging
biological
technologies.
The
Agency
believes
that
collecting
information
on
these
sites
is
necessary
to
document
the
full
range
of
bioremediation
field
applications.

The
Initiative
continually
identifies
new
sites
where
bioremediation
is
being
tested
or
implemented,
and
these
sites
can
progress
rapidly
through
the
laboratory­,
pilot­,
and
full­
scale
phases
of
operation.
Consequently,
the
Agency
believes
that
the
RFI
must
be
ongoing
and
regular
both
to
target
new
sites
and
to
keep
apprised
of
developments
at
previously
identified
sites.

Other
EPA
programs
that
collect
and
disseminate
information
on
the
use
of
innovative
treatments
are
not
providing
adequate
information
on
field
applications
of
bioremediation.
A
discussion
of
the
limitations
of
these
programs
appears
in
section
5(
a)
of
this
ICR.

EPA's
authority
for
requesting
information
on
sites
using
innovative
technologies,
such
as
bioremediation,
is
secured
by
several
statutes,
including
SARA,
RCRA,
OPA,
and
TSCA.

Section
311
of
SARA,
42
U.
S.
C.
§
9601
et
seq.
(
Attachment
2)
authorizes
EPA
to
collect
and
disseminate
information
related
to
the
use
of
innovative
treatment
technologies.
Specifically,
311(
b)(
8)
states
that:
3
...
the
Administrator
shall
conduct
a
technology
transfer
program
including
the
development,
collection,
evaluation,
coordination,
and
dissemination
of
information
relating
to
the
utilization
of
alternative
or
innovative
treatment
technologies
for
response
action.

Section
8003
of
RCRA,
42
U.
S.
C.
§
6901
et
seq.
(
Attachment
3)
authorizes
EPA
to
collect
and
disseminate
information
related
to
management
of
solid
waste.
Specifically,
8003(
a)(
2)
and
(
6)
state
that:

The
Administrator
shall
develop,
collect,
evaluate,
and
coordinate
information
on
(
2)
solid
waste
management
practices,
including
data
on
the
different
management
methods
and
the
cost,
operation,
and
maintenance
of
such
methods;
(
6)
hazardous
solid
waste,
including
incidents
of
damage
resulting
from
the
disposal
of
hazardous
solid
wastes;
inherently
and
potentially
hazardous
solid
wastes;
methods
of
neutralizing
or
properly
disposing
of
hazardous
solid
wastes;
and
facilities
that
properly
dispose
of
hazardous
wastes.

Section
7001
of
OPA
(
Attachment
4)
authorizes
EPA
to
conduct
research
to
support
the
use
of
biological
technologies
to
remediate
oil
pollution.
Specifically,
7000(
c)(
2)(
I)
states
that:

The
program
established
under
this
subsection
shall
provide
for
research,
developments,
and
demonstration
of
new
or
improved
technologies
which
are
effective
in
preventing
or
mitigating
oil
discharges
and
which
protect
the
environment,
includingC
(
I)
research
to
evaluate
the
relative
effectiveness
and
environmental
impacts
of
bioremediation
technologies
Section
10
of
TSCA,
7
U.
S.
C.
§
136
et
seq.
(
Attachment
5)
authorizes
EPA
to
collect
information
related
to
managing
toxic
substances.
Specifically,
10(
b)(
2)(
A)
states
that:

The
Administrator
shall,
in
consultation
and
cooperation
with
the
Secretary
of
Health
and
Human
Services
and
with
other
heads
of
appropriate
departments
and
agencies,
design,
establish,
and
coordinate
an
efficient
and
effective
system
for
the
retrieval
of
toxicological
and
other
scientific
data
which
could
be
useful
to
the
Administrator
in
carrying
out
the
purposes
of
this
Act.

(
b)
Use/
Users
of
the
Data
The
Agency
uses
the
data
collected
to
expand
its
data
base
on
the
field
applications
of
bioremediation
technologies.
The
data
are
used
by
site
managers
from
state
and
federal
government,
the
private
sector,
and
academia
who
are
assessing
remedial
technologies.
Information
in
the
data
base
permits
site
managers
to
review
cost
and
performance
data
for
biological
technologies
under
various
site
conditions.
4
3.
THE
RESPONDENTS
AND
THE
INFORMATION
REQUESTED
(
a)
Respondents/
SIC
Codes
Respondents
to
the
RFI
will
be
individuals
from
state
and
local
government
agencies,
private
companies,
universities,
and
research
centers
that
oversee
site
cleanups
using
biological
technologies.
Private
company
respondents
will
include
representatives
of
the
environmental
engineering
(
SIC
#
871),
chemical
manufacturing
(#
281,
#
286),
and
petroleum
refining
(#
291,
#
299)
industries,
as
well
as
electric
(#
491)
and
gas
(#
492)
utilities.
The
Agency
expects
that
respondents
from
universities
(#
822)
and
research
centers
(#
873)
will
submit
information
on
sites
at
which
laboratory­
or
pilot­
scale
treatability
studies
are
being
implemented.
Other
respondents
will
submit
information
on
laboratory­,
pilot­,
and
full­
scale
site
remediation
efforts.

(
b)
Information
Requested
(
i)
Data
Items
The
Agency
will
require
that
all
information
be
submitted
by
filling
out
the
questionnaire
provided
to
each
respondent.
This
requirement
will
ensure
that
all
data
may
be
incorporated
into
EPA's
data
base.
The
questionnaire
is
included
as
Attachment
1
to
this
ICR
The
questionnaire
consists
of
two
parts.
The
first
part
requests
information
on
the
site
itself,
including
the
location
of
the
site,
the
names
of
site
contacts,
the
predominant
contaminant
at
the
site,
and
the
legislative
authority
under
which
the
site
is
being
remediated.
The
second
part
requests
specific
information
on
the
design
and
operation
of
biological
treatment
technology
at
the
site,
including
the
current
stage
of
treatment,
the
wastes
and
media
being
remediated,
the
cleanup
level
goals,
the
type
of
treatment
being
used,
and
the
cost
and
performance
of
the
technology.

(
ii)
Respondent
Activities
Respondents
should
be
able
to
complete
the
first
part
of
the
questionnaire
by
relying
on
their
own
knowledge
of
the
site.
Completing
the
second
part
of
the
questionnaire
might
require
respondents
to
gather
information
on
the
design,
cost,
and
performance
of
the
biological
technology
at
the
site
from
several
sources.

The
Agency
encourages
respondents
to
update
and
verify
the
accuracy
of
previously
submitted
information
on
a
semi­
annual
schedule.
The
Agency
believes
a
semi­
annual
collection
is
necessary,
because
new
bioremediation
sites
continually
are
being
identified,
and
certain
sites
progress
rapidly
through
various
treatment
stages.
The
semi­
annual
update
will
require,
at
most,
a
review
of
previously
submitted
information
and
the
addition
or
substitution
of
more
current
data
on
the
site
status,
as
appropriate.
5
4.
THE
INFORMATION
COLLECTED:
AGENCY
ACTIVITIES,
COLLECTION
METHODOLOGY,
AND
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
(
a)
Agency
Activities
The
Agency
has
developed
a
questionnaire
for
collecting
information
from
bioremediation
site
contacts
and
has
developed
a
data
base
and
application
called
the
Bioremediation
in
the
Field
Search
System
(
BFSS)
to
store
and
access
this
information.
The
same
questionnaire
is
used
to
collect
information
from
federal,
state,
and
local
employees
as
well
as
universities,
research
centers,
and
private
companies.
Thus,
Agency
activities
associated
with
collecting
information
consist
only
of
distributing
the
questionnaires,
answering
respondents'
questions,
reviewing
the
data
submissions,
and
entering
the
submissions
into
the
data
base.

(
b)
Collection
Methodology
and
Management
The
questionnaire
is
the
means
for
collecting
information.
Responses
to
the
questionnaire
can
be
handwritten/
typed
or
they
can
be
input
to
an
electronic
version
of
the
questionnaire.
Both
approaches
allow
respondents
to
provide
original
responses
or
revise
existing
data.

Respondents
may
submit
completed
questionnaires
at
any
time
but
are
encouraged
to
provide
information
to
EPA
on
a
semi­
annual
schedule.
Questionnaires
distributed
to
respondents
who
have
completed
previous
questionnaires
include
all
previously
submitted
information,
thereby
eliminating
any
repetition
of
effort
for
respondents
in
updating
their
responses.

EPA
reviews
responses
to
each
questionnaire
for
clarity,
completeness,
and
adherence
to
instructions.
The
Agency
also
engages
recognized
experts
in
the
area
of
biological
treatment
technologies
to
review
the
data
for
accuracy
and
quality.
As
necessary,
the
Agency
makes
followup
contact
with
respondents
to
clarify
ambiguous
or
questionable
responses.

BFSS
was
initially
developed
to
run
on
most
IBM­
compatible
computers
(
i.
e.,
286­
AT
or
better
with
DOS
3.3)
and
made
available
for
download
by
the
public
from
EPA
computer
bulletin
boards.
EPA
recently
reengineered
this
software
into
a
Web­
enabled
application,
making
BFSS
available
to
the
public
on
the
Web.
(
For
its
initial
deployment,
the
search
system
is
located
at
http://
www.
ergweb.
com/
bfss.)
BFSS
users
can
search
for
site
information
by
location,
media/
contaminant
combinations,
and
treatment
technologies.
Also,
a
Web­
based
version
of
the
questionnaire
is
in
development.

(
c)
Small
Entity
Flexibility
The
Agency
does
not
believe
that
the
RFI
is
overly
burdensome
even
for
small
entities.
In
addition,
participation
is
completely
voluntary;
respondents
finding
participation
overly
burdensome
may
opt
not
to
respond.

(
d)
Collection
Schedule
The
anticipated
schedule
for
collecting
information
is
as
follows:
6
(
1)
Distribute
questionnaires
to
respondents
within
15
days
of
ICR
approval.
(
2)
Review
responses
and
enter
data
into
the
data
base
within
60
days
of
ICR
approval.

(
3)
Make
the
updated
data
base
of
information
publicly
available
within
90
days
of
ICR
approval.

5.
NONDUPLICATION,
CONSULTATIONS,
AND
OTHER
COLLECTION
CRITERIA
(
a)
Nonduplication
The
bioremediation
site
information
being
requested
does
not
duplicate
existing
Agency
data,
nor
is
it
available
from
other
sources.
The
Agency's
other
programs
to
promote
the
development
and
use
of
innovative
technologies
include
the
Alternative
Treatment
Technology
Information
Center
(
ATTIC)
data
base,
the
Superfund
Innovative
Technology
Evaluation
(
SITE)
program,
and
the
Vendor
Information
System
for
Innovative
Treatment
Technologies
(
VISITT)
data
base.

EPA's
Risk
Reduction
Engineering
Laboratory
(
RREL)
operates
ATTIC,
an
information
retrieval
network
that
provides
information
on
all
types
of
available
and
innovative
treatment
technologies.
ATTIC
consists
of
several
data
bases,
including
a
system
that
stores
abstracts
of
project­
specific
information
and
a
system
that
contains
information
on
vendors
that
offer
treatability
study
capabilities.
The
current
RFI
differs
from
the
ATTIC
information
collection
effort
in
two
ways:
(
1)
it
focuses
only
on
bioremedial
technologies
as
opposed
to
other
innovative
treatment
technologies,
and
(
2)
it
requests
more
detailed
information
on
technology
performance
at
actual
sites.

Through
the
SITE
program,
EPA
enters
into
cooperative
agreements
with
developers
of
innovative
technologies
to
conduct
demonstrations
of
these
technologies
at
Superfund
sites.
The
developer
usually
conducts
the
actual
demonstration;
EPA
then
samples
the
results
and
analyzes
the
data
to
assess
the
technology's
performance,
reliability,
and
cost.
Each
technology
evaluation
is
documented
in
a
report,
which
is
abstracted
in
ATTIC,
and
each
program
participant
is
described
in
an
annual
report.
The
current
RFI,
which
will
target
hundreds
of
sites,
represents
a
more
comprehensive
effort
to
monitor
bioremediation
applications
nationwide.

TIO
operates
the
VISITT
data
base,
which
stores
information
on
the
capabilities
of
technologies
offered
by
remedial
contractors.
The
BFSS
data
base
of
site
information
differs
from
the
VISITT
data
base
by
including
actual
performance
and
cost
data
from
sites
at
which
private
companies
are
operating
bioremediation,
rather
than
focusing
on
the
capabilities
and
availability
of
individual
technologies.
Similarly,
BFSS
focuses
on
sites,
rather
than
technologies,
and
targets
a
completely
different
set
of
respondent­
individuals
from
federal,
state,
and
local
government
agencies;
universities;
and
research
centers.
BFSS,
however,
is
compatible
with
VISITT,
so
the
user
is
able
to
locate
appropriate
vendors
through
VISITT
after
identifying
applicable
technologies
using
BFSS.
7
(
b)
Consultations
When
this
RFI
originally
was
developed,
it
underwent
review
by
personnel
at
ORD
and
selected
EPA
laboratories.
In
addition,
the
Agency
has
been
distributing
the
questionnaire
to
federal
site
contacts
for
over
7
years
and
to
non­
federal
site
contacts
for
over
4
years,
during
which
time
the
questionnaire
has
been
revised
to
improve
its
precision
and
scope
and
to
minimize
its
burden
on
respondents.
Respondents
have
shown
a
keen
interest
in
the
existing
data
base.
The
Federal
Register
Notice
was
published
on
March
15,
2000
(
Volume
65,
Number
51).
No
comments
were
received.

(
c)
Effects
of
Less
Frequent
Collection
The
Agency
continually
identifies
new
sites
that
are
planning
or
implementing
bioremediation.
In
addition,
sites
previously
identified
by
the
Agency
can
progress
rapidly
through
the
laboratory­,
pilot­,
and
full­
scale
stages
of
operation.
For
these
reasons,
the
Agency
believes
that
the
RFI
must
be
distributed
semi­
annually
to
incorporate
new
sites,
revise
existing
information,
and
purge
obsolete
information.

(
d)
General
Guidelines
EPA
has
reviewed
a
summary
of
OMB's
general
guidelines
and
does
not
believe
that
any
of
these
requirements
will
be
violated
by
this
RFI.

(
e)
Confidentiality
and
Sensitive
Questions
(
i)
Confidentiality
The
Agency
will
not
accept
any
information
in
confidence;
all
submitted
information
will
be
made
publicly
available.
Respondents
may
opt,
however,
not
to
respond
to
any
item
on
the
questionnaire.

(
ii)
Sensitive
Questions
The
questionnaire
contains
no
sensitive
questions.

6.
ESTIMATING
THE
BURDEN
AND
COST
OF
THE
COLLECTION
(
a)
and
(
b)
Estimating
Respondent
Burden
and
Cost
The
Agency
based
the
burden
hour
estimates
on
a
nonstatistical
sample
group
of
eight
federal
employee
respondents
who
have
been
participating
in
the
Initiative's
data
collection
efforts.
Individual
participation
in
this
effort
ranges
from
first­
time
participants
to
individuals
participating
for
2
years.
The
group
consisted
of
six
individuals
reporting
on
sites
that
have
one
bioremediation
process
and
two
individuals
reporting
on
sites
with
multiple
(
i.
e.,
3
and
4)
bioremediation
processes.
The
Agency
contacted
each
federal
employee
respondent
and
8
asked
the
respondent
to
estimate
the
time
it
took
him/
her
to
complete
the
bioremediation
RFI.
All
respondents
based
their
estimates
on
actual
time
required
to
fill
out
the
questionnaire.

The
Agency
has
estimated
respondent
burden
on
the
basis
of
conducting
two
collection
periods
annually.
Respondent
burden
is
expected
to
remain
relatively
constant
given
that
the
mix
of
first­
time
respondents,
semi­
annual
updates,
and
nonrespondents
is
not
anticipated
to
change
significantly.
Tables
6­
1
and
6­
2
present
the
annual
respondent
burden
in
the
first
and
second
data
collection
periods,
respectively.
Table
6­
3
presents
estimates
of
annual
time
and
cost
burden
for
respondents.

Respondents
will
spend
most
of
their
time
reading
instructions
and
any
collateral
information,
gathering
and
processing
information,
and
completing
the
questionnaire.
Significantly
less
time
is
required
to
update
previously
submitted
information.

EPA's
experience
indicates
that,
in
most
cases,
the
paperwork
burden
associated
with
completing
the
questionnaire
is
essentially
the
same
regardless
of
whether
a
respondent
is
using
the
paper
or
the
electronic
version.
The
most
significant
efficiencies
associated
with
use
of
the
electronic
version
would
accrue
to
the
relatively
small
percentage
of
respondents
who
provide
information
for
numerous
sites.
An
important
benefit
of
the
electronic
version
not
related
to
the
respondents'
burden
is
that
the
Agency
can
more
efficiently
add
collected
site
data
to
the
computer
database.

To
calculate
the
hourly
and
cost
burdens
for
respondents,
EPA
has
made
the
following
assumptions:

#
First­
time
respondents
will
take
a
maximum
of
5
hours
to
complete
a
questionnaire.
This
is
consistent
with
the
maximum
values
obtained
through
our
nonstatistical
test.
The
Agency
believes
that
this
is
a
conservative
estimate
and
that
most
of
the
respondents
will
take
a
maximum
of
3
hours
to
complete
a
questionnaire.
Respondents
who
are
updating
previously
submitted
questionnaires
will
take
a
maximum
of
1
hour
to
update
their
data.
The
Agency
believes
this
is
a
conservative
estimate
and
that
most
respondents
will
complete
their
updates
within
30
to
45
minutes.

#
EPA
anticipates
that
for
each
semi­
annual
period
there
will
be
50
new
first­
time
respondents.
In
addition,
the
Agency
anticipates
that
14
percent
of
the
questionnaire
respondents
who
have
previously
submitted
data
will
not
respond
at
all
and
that
18
percent
will
respond
by
checking
the
box
that
indicates
that
there
have
been
no
changes
since
the
questionnaire
was
last
submitted.
These
estimates
are
supported
by
the
percentages
of
responses
from
an
early
survey
mailing
to
117
federal
respondents.
Nonrespondents
will
take
0.25
hour
to
review
the
letter
and
questionnaire
and
decide
not
to
respond.
The
no­
change
respondents
will
take
0.5
hour
to
review
the
letter,
questionnaire,
and
their
current
data
and
determine
that
the
data
have
not
changed.
9
For
the
two
collection
periods
conducted
annually,
the
mix
of
respondents
is
projected
as
follows:

Respondents
Period
One
Period
Two
Yearly
First­
Time
Respondents
50
50
100
Update­
Respondents
449
482
931
No­
Change
Respondents
129
139
268
Nonrespondents
102
110
212
Total
730
781
1511
#
The
cost
per
hour
of
respondent
time
is
estimated
as
$
52
for
management
personnel,
$
45
for
technical
personnel,
and
$
32
for
clerical
personnel,
based
on
recent
labor
rates.

Annual
respondent
burdens
are
calculated
as
follows:

#
In
period
one
(
see
Table
6­
1),
up
to
730
respondents
will
be
sent
questionnaires.
Of
these,
50
first­
time
respondents
will
take
5
hours
each
to
complete
the
questionnaire.
All
of
the
578
previously
submitted
questionnaires
will
be
mailed
out
for
updates,
449
respondents
will
update
the
questionnaire
(
1
hour),
129
respondents
will
review
their
data
and
return
the
questionnaire
indicating
that
the
data
have
not
changed
(
0.5
hour),
and
102
respondents
will
not
return
the
questionnaire
(
0.25
hour).

#
In
period
two
(
see
Table
6­
2),
up
to
781
respondents
will
be
sent
questionnaires.
Of
these,
50
first­
time
respondents
will
take
5
hours
each
to
complete
the
questionnaire.
All
of
the
628
previously
submitted
questionnaires
will
be
mailed
out
for
updates,
482
respondents
will
update
the
questionnaire
(
1
hour),
139
respondents
will
review
their
data
and
return
the
questionnaire
indicating
that
the
data
have
not
changed
(
0.5
hour),
and
110
respondents
will
not
return
the
questionnaire
(
0.25
hour).

Based
on
the
data
presented
in
Tables
6­
1
to
6­
3,
the
annual
respondents'
burden
is
projected
as
follows:
10
Hours
Cost
Period
One
790
$
33,947
Period
Two
830
$
35,683
Total
1,620
$
69,630
(
c)
Estimating
Agency
Burden
and
Cost
Table
6­
4
provides
an
estimate
of
the
annual
burden
and
cost
to
the
Agency.
Hour
estimates
are
based
on
previous
data
collection,
review,
and
database
development
experience
with
bioremediation
sites
under
federal
oversight.

The
labor
rates
reflect
current
contractor
labor
rates
for
the
mix
of
personnel
that
are
expected
to
assist
EPA
with
the
data
collection,
entry,
and
database
refinement
work.
EPA
costs
were
calculated
on
an
average
hourly
cost
of
$
27.50.
This
rate
represents
a
mix
of
personnel
at
various
GS
levels
with
the
composite
representing
a
GS­
12
level.

(
d)
Burden
Statement
Public
reporting
burden
for
this
collection
of
information
is
estimated
to
average
5
hours
for
first
time
respondents
and
0.5
hours
for
respondents
updating
previous
responses.
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
EPA's
regulations
are
listed
in
40
CFR
Part
9
and
48
CFR
Chapter
15.

Send
comments
on
the
Agency's
need
for
this
information,
the
accuracy
of
the
provided
burden
estimates,
and
any
suggested
methods
for
minimizing
respondent
burden,
including
through
the
use
of
automated
collection
techniques
to
the
Director,
Collection
Strategies
Division,
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(
2822),
1200
Pennsylvania
Ave.,
NW,
Washington,
D.
C.
20460;
and
to
the
Office
of
Information
and
Regulatory
Affairs,
Office
of
Management
and
Budget,
725
17th
Street,
NW,
Washington,
DC
20503,
Attention:
Desk
Officer
for
EPA.
Include
the
EPA
ICR
number
and
OMB
control
number
in
any
correspondence.
11
12
Table
6­
1.
Semi­
Annual
Respondent
Burden/
Cost
Estimate:
Period
One
Burden
Hours
Collection
Activities
Required
Mgmt.
@
$
52
Tech.
@
$
45
Clerical
@
$
32
Hours
Costs
($)

1.
Read
Instructions
and
Any
Collateral
Information
First­
time
Respondents
Nonrespondents
Yes
0.25
0.125
0.25
0.125
0
0
0.50
0.25
24.25
12.13
2.
Receive
Training
No
0
0
0
0.00
0.00
3.
Plan
Activities
No
0
0
0
0.00
0.00
4.
Create
Information
No
0
0
0
0.00
0.00
5.
Process,
Compile,
and
Review
Information
for
Accuracy
and
Appropriateness
First­
time
Respondents
Nonrespondents
Yes
0.5
0
1.5
0
0.75
0
2.75
0.00
117.50
0.00
6.
Complete
Written
Form
Yes
0
1
0.25
1.25
53.00
7.
Substantiate
Claim
of
Confidential
Business
Information
No
0
0
0
0.00
0.00
8.
Record,
Disclose,
Display,
or
Report
the
Information
No
0
0
0
0.00
0.00
9.
Store,
File,
or
Maintain
the
Information
Yes
0
0
0.5
0.50
16.00
TOTALS
First­
time
Respondents
Nonrespondents
GRAND
TOTAL
5.00
210.75
0.25
12.13
5.25
222.88
Period
One
No.
of
First­
time
Respondents
=
50
No.
Updating
Respondents
=
449
No.
of
No­
Change
Respondents
=
129
No.
of
Nonrespondents
=
102
Total
=
730
PERIOD
BURDEN:
Hours
Total
*
No.
of
Respondents
First­
time
Respondents
5.00
*
50
=
250
No.
Updating
Respondents
1.00
*
449
=
449
No.
No
Change
Respondents
0.50
*
129
=
65
Nonrespondents
0.25
*
102
=
26
Total
Period
Burden
(
Hours)
790
13
Table
6­
1
(
continued)

PERIOD
COST:
Cost
Total
*
No.
of
Respondents
First­
time
Respondents
210.75
*
50
=
10,538
No.
Updating
Respondents
43.38
*
449
=
19,478
No.
No­
Change
Respondents
20.88
*
129
=
2,694
Nonrespondents
12.13
*
102
=
1,237
Total
Period
Cost
$
33,947
14
Table
6­
2.
Annual
Respondent
Burden/
Cost
Estimate:
Period
Two
Burden
Hours
Collection
Activities
Required
Mgmt.
@
$
52
Tech.
@
$
45
Clerical
@
$
32
Hours
Costs
($)

1.
Read
Instructions
and
Any
Collateral
Information
First­
time
Respondents
Updating
Respondents
No­
Change
Respondents
Nonrespondents
Yes
0.25
0
0
0.125
0.25
0.125
0.125
0.125
0
0
0
0
0.5
0.125
0.125
0.25
24.25
5.63
5.63
12.13
2.
Receive
Training
No
0
0
0
0
0.00
3.
Plan
Activities
No
0
0
0
0
0.00
4.
Create
Information
No
0
0
0
0
0.00
5.
Process,
Compile,
and
Review
Information
for
Accuracy
and
Appropriateness
First­
time
Respondents
Updating
Respondents
No­
Change
Respondents
Nonrespondents
Yes
0.5
0
0
0
1.5
0.25
0.25
0
0.75
0
0
0
2.75
0.25
0.25
0
117.50
11.25
11.25
0.00
6.
Complete
Written
Form
First­
time
Respondents
Updating
Respondents
Yes
0
0
1
0.5
0.25
0
1.25
0.5
53.00
22.50
7.
Substantiate
Claim
of
Confidential
Business
Information
No
0
0
0
0
0.00
8.
Record,
Disclose,
Display,
or
Report
the
Information
No
0
0
0
0
0.00
9.
Store,
File,
or
Maintain
the
Information
First­
time
Respondents
Updating
Respondents
No­
Change
Respondents
Yes
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.5
0.125
0.125
0.50
0.125
0.125
16.00
4.00
4.00
TOTALS
First­
time
Respondents
5.00
210.75
Updating
Respondents
1.00
43.38
No­
Change
Respondents
0.50
20.88
Nonrespondents
0.25
12.13
GRAND
TOTAL
6.75
287.13
15
Table
6­
2
(
continued)

Period
Two
No.
of
First­
time
Respondents
=
50
No.
of
Updating
Respondents
=
482
No.
of
No­
Change
Respondents
=
139
No.
of
Nonrespondents
=
110
Total
=
781
PERIOD
BURDEN:
Hours
Total
*
No.
of
Respondents
First­
time
Respondents
5.00
*
50
=
250
Updating
Respondents
1.00
*
482
=
482
No­
Change
Respondents
0.50
*
139
=
70
Nonrespondents
0.25
*
110
=
28
Total
Period
Burden
(
Hours)
830
PERIOD
COST:
Cost
Total
*
No.
of
Respondents
First­
time
Respondents
$
210.00
*
50
=
10,538
Updating
Respondents
43.38
*
482
=
20,909
No­
Change
Respondents
20.88
*
139
=
2,902
Nonrespondents
12.13
*
110
=
1,334
Total
Period
Cost
$
35,683
16
Table
6­
3.
Summary
Respondent
Burden/
Cost
Estimate
Annual
Hours
Cost
First­
time
Respondents
Updating
Respondents
No­
Change
Respondents
Nonrespondents
500
931
135
54
$
21,076
40,387
5,596
2,571
Total
1,620
$
69,630
17
Table
6­
4.
Annual
Agency
Burden/
Cost
Estimate
Collection
Activities
Burden
Hours
Hours
Costs
($)
Mgmt.
@
$
52
Tech.
@
$
35
Clerical
@
$
21
1.
Review/
Refine
Questionnaire
EPA*
Contractor**
40
40
0
60
0
80
40.00
180.00
1,100
5,860
2.
Refine
Master
Database
EPA*
Contractor**
40
80
0
400
0
100
40.00
580.00
1,100
20,260
3a.
Answer
Respondent
Questions
for
680
New
Respondents
EPA*
Contractor**
80
0.25
80
0.5
0
0.1
160.00
0.85
4,400
33
each
3b.
Answer
Respondent
Questions
for
416
Updating
Respondents
EPA*
Contractor
**
0
0.125
80
0.5
0
0.1
80.00
0.73
2,200
26
each
3c.
Answer
Respondent
Questions
for
120
No­
Change
Respondents
EPA*
Contractor**
16
0
100
0.1
0
0.1
116.00
0.20
3,190
6
each
4a.
Record/
Enter
Data
Submissions
for
680
New
Respondents
EPA*
Contractor**
0
0.25
0
0.5
0
0.1
0.00
0.85
0
33
each
4b.
Record/
Enter
Data
Submissions
for
416
Updating
Respondents
EPA*
Contractor**
0
0
0
0.25
0
0.1
0.00
0.35
0
11
each
4c.
Record/
Enter
Data
Submissions
for
120
No­
Change
Respondents
EPA*
Contractor**
0
0
0
0.1
0
0.1
0.00
0.20
0
6
each
5a.
Audit/
Review
Data
Submissions
for
680
New
Respondents
EPA*
Contractor**
50
0.5
0
2
0
0.1
50.00
2.60
1,375
98
each
5b.
Audit/
Review
Data
Submissions
for
416
Updating
Respondents
EPA*
Contractor**
40
0.1
0
0.5
0
0.1
40.00
0.70
1,100
25
each
5c.
Audit/
Review
Data
Submissions
for
120
No­
Change
Respondents
EPA*
Contractor**
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.00
0.00
0
0
each
Table
6­
4
(
continued)

18
6.
Analyze
Requests
for
Confidentiality
and
Provide
Appropriate
Protection
EPA*
Contractor**
10
0
0
0
0
0
10.00
0.00
275
0
7.
Reformat
and
Distribute
Data
EPA*
Contractor**
0
0
100
200
40
80
140.00
280.00
3,850
8,680
8.
Store
Data
EPA*
Contractor**
0
0
40
150
0
40
40.00
190.00
1,100
6,090
*
Use
Average
of
$
27.50.
**
These
values
represent
burden
for
each
survey
form;
all
other
values
represent
totals
for
the
survey.

First­
time
Respondents
=
680
Updating
Respondents
=
416
No­
Change
Respondents
=
120
Total
Number
of
Respondents
=
1,216
ANNUAL
BURDEN:
EPA
=
(
Add
1
through
8)
=
716
hours
Contract
=
#
of
New
Respondents
(
Items
3a
+
4a
+
5a)
+
#
of
Updating
Respondents
(
Items
3b
+
4b
+
5b)
+
#
of
No­
Change
=
680(.
85
+
.85
+
2.6)
+
416(.
73
+
.35
+
.7)
+
120(.
2
+
.2
+
0)
+
(
180
+
580
+
0
+
280
+
190)
=
4,942.48
Hours
ANNUAL
COST:
EPA
=
(
Add
1
through
8)
=
$
19,690
Contract
=
#
of
New
Respondents
(
Items
3a
+
4a
+
5a)
+
#
of
Updating
Respondents
(
Items
3b
+
4b
+
5b)
+
#
of
No­
Change
=
680(
33
+
33
+
98)
+
416(
26
+
11
+
25)
+
120(
6
+
6
+
0)
+
(
5,860
+
20,260
+
0
+
8,680
+
6,090)
=
$
179,642
19
ATTACHMENT
1
REQUEST
FOR
INFORMATION
ON
BIOREMEDIATION
FIELD
ACTIVITIES:
INSTRUCTIONS
AND
QUESTIONNAIRE
20
ATTACHMENT
2
EXCERPTS
FROM
THE
SUPERFUND
AMENDMENTS
AND
REAUTHORIZATION
ACT
(
42
U.
S.
C.
§
9601
ET
SEQ.)
21
ATTACHMENT
3
EXCERPTS
FROM
THE
RESOURCE
CONSERVATION
AND
RECOVERY
ACT
(
42
U.
S.
C.
§
6901
ET
SEQ.)
22
ATTACHMENT
4
EXCERPTS
FROM
THE
OIL
POLLUTION
ACT
23
ATTACHMENT
5
EXCERPTS
FROM
THE
TOXIC
SUBSTANCES
CONTROL
ACT
(
7
U.
S.
C.
§
136
ET
SEQ.)