Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2014-0359-0005
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program (Renewal)
Posted Date: 2014-12-29T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 248 (Monday, December 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 78087]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30254]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2014-0359; FRL 9920-75-OEI]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program 
(Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Underground Injection Control 
(UIC) Program (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 0370.25, OMB Control No. 2040-
0042) 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 revision of the ICR, which is currently 
approved through December 31, 2014. EPA requested public comments via 
the Federal Register (79 FR 46437) on August 8, 2014, for a 60-day 
comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments. A fuller description of the ICR is provided in this request, 
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 January 28, 
2015.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2014-0359, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), 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: Robert E. Smith, Office of Ground 
Water and Drinking Water/Drinking Water Protection Division, 4606M, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-3895; fax number: 202-
564-3756; email address: smith.robert-eu@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 www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: The UIC program under The Safe Drinking Water Act 
established a federal and state regulatory system to protect 
underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) from contamination by 
injected fluids. Injected fluids include trillions of gallons of 
various types of fluids each year, such as hazardous waste; oil field 
brines or produced water; mineral processing fluids; various types of 
industrial fluids; automotive, sanitary and other wastes; and carbon 
dioxide injected for enhanced recovery or geologic sequestration. 
Owners or operators of underground injection wells must obtain permits, 
conduct environmental monitoring, maintain records and report results 
to the EPA or the state UIC primacy (primary enforcement) agency. 
States must report to EPA on permittee compliance and related 
information. Primacy agencies report mandatory information using 
standardized forms and annual reports. UIC authorities use data to 
ensure the protection of USDWs.
    Form Numbers: The forms are 7520-1, 7520-2A, 7520-2B, 7520-3, 7520-
4, 7520-6, 7520-7, 7520-8, 7520-9, 7520-10, 7520-11, 7520-12, 7520-14, 
7520-16 and 7520-17.
    Respondents/affected entities: Owners or operators of underground 
injection wells and state UIC primacy agencies.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (40 CFR parts 144 
through 148).
    Estimated number of respondents: 45,811 (total).
    Frequency of response: Annual, semi-annual and quarterly.
    Total estimated burden: 1,714,046 hours (per year). Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $250,332,398 (per year), includes 
$173,230,258 annualized capital or operation and maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 700,646 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase is due to adjustments associated with an 
increase in the injection well inventory, primarily the number of Class 
II permit applications expected to be approved, as well as increases in 
the Class I and Class III inventories and the deployment of Class VI 
(geologic sequestration) activities. These increases are offset by 
burden reductions associated with decreases in the number Class V well 
operators submitting inventory information, continued implementation of 
electronic reporting by states and reduced state reporting frequencies.

Courtney Kerwin,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2014-30254 Filed 12-24-14; 8:45 am]
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