Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0178-0027
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: EPA Application Materials for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act
Posted Date: 2019-10-30T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 210 (Wednesday, October 30, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58153-58154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23621]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0178; FRL-9999-99-OMS]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; EPA Application Materials for the Water 
Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), EPA Application Materials for the 
Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (EPA ICR Number 
2549.02, OMB Control Number 2040-0292) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is 
currently approved through December 31, 2019. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register on April 23, 2019 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 November 29, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2016-0178, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental

[[Page 58154]]

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: Arielle Gerstein, Water Infrastructure 
Division, Office of Wastewater Management, 4201-T, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: 202-566-1868; email address: 
gerstein.arielle@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 collection of information is necessary in order to 
receive applications for credit assistance pursuant to section 5024 of 
the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) of 2014, 33 
U.S.C. 3903. The purpose of the WIFIA program is to provide Federal 
credit assistance in the form of direct loans and loan guarantees to 
eligible water infrastructure projects.
    WIFIA requires that an eligible entity submit to the Administrator 
an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information, as the Secretary or the Administrator may require to 
receive assistance under WIFIA. In order to satisfy these requirements, 
EPA must collect an application from prospective borrowers seeking 
funding. The Letters of Interest and Applications collected from 
prospective borrowers through this solicitation will be used by the 
EPA, WIFIA program staff, and reviewers to evaluate applications for 
credit assistance under the WIFIA eligibility requirements and 
selection criteria.
    Form Numbers: SWIFIA Application--6100-030; SWIFIA Letter of 
Interest--6100-031; WIFIA Application--6100-032; WIFIA Letter of 
Interest--6100-033.
    Respondents/affected entities: Corporations, partnerships, joint 
ventures, trusts, federal, state, or local government entities, tribal 
governments or a consortium of tribal governments, and state 
infrastructure finance authorities.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: The collection is required to 
obtain credit assistance pursuant to section 5024 of WIFIA, 33 U.S.C. 
3903.
    Estimated number of respondents: 100 per year (total).
    Frequency of response: Once.
    Total estimated burden: 10,825 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $14,946,754 (per year), which includes 
14,500,000 annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 9,325 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase is due to EPA receiving more Letters of 
Interest and applications than it originally estimated during program 
inception. Initially, EPA estimated the program would receive 20 LOIs 
and 5 applications. This was based on the amount of budget authority 
initially authorized for WIFIA. However, in 2017, the program received 
43 LOIs and invited 12 prospective borrowers to apply. In 2018, the 
program received 62 LOIs and invited 39 prospective borrowers to apply. 
In addition, EPA is including the newly authorized State Revolving Fund 
WIFIA (SWIFIA) program as part of this ICR renewal. EPA estimates that 
WIFIA will receive 5 LOIs and 5 applications through SWIFIA.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2019-23621 Filed 10-29-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P