Document ID: EPA-HQ-OLEM-2020-0521-0006
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Survey of State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs)
Posted Date: 2021-03-19T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 52 (Friday, March 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14909-14910]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05653]

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

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OLEM-2020-0521; FRL--10021-73-OMS]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Survey of State Emergency Response 
Commissions (SERCs)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), Survey of State Emergency 
Response Commissions (EPA ICR Number 2660.01, OMB Control Number 2050-
NEW) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a 
request for approval of a new collection. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register (on November 12, 2020 
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 April 19, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to EPA, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-
HQ-OLEM-2020-0521, 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. 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.
    Submit written comments and recommendations to OMB for the proposed 
information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sicy Jacob, Regulations Implementation 
Division, Office of Emergency Management, Mail Code 5104A, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-8019; email address: 
jacob.sicy@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 EPA's Office of Emergency Management is conducting a 
survey of the State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) in each 
state and territory of the U.S. The SERCs were created under the 
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986. The 
purpose of this survey is to gather information on how EPCRA is being 
implemented, best practices, challenges, and gaps in meeting the 
requirements. After the survey is completed, EPA is planning to publish 
the results of the survey, including success stories and lessons 
learned, to share with all states and territories.
    EPCRA established State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) and 
Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) and assigned implementation 
responsibilities to these state and local agencies. EPCRA required 
SERCs to appoint LEPCs within a few months after the enactment of EPCRA 
and to supervise their activities. Importantly, SERCs should ensure 
that LEPCs develop local emergency response plans for their community, 
review the plans, and make suggestions to coordinate the plans with 
neighboring LEPCs. In addition, SERCs are required to collect and 
manage hazardous chemical information from facilities and to provide 
access to the public on the presence of hazardous chemicals in the 
community.
    As part of the America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA), 
promulgated in October 2018, additional coordination and provision of 
information responsibilities were established for SERCs and LEPCs under 
EPCRA. Specifically, these EPCRA amendments establish notification and

[[Page 14910]]

information coordination with State Drinking Water Agency and Community 
Water Systems to ensure that these agencies prepare and protect the 
community from contamination of their water.
    The data collected in this survey will inform the Agency about how 
SERCs are fulfilling the requirements of the law, specifically in 
sharing key information among all appropriate State organizations and 
managing LEPCs and their activities. Additionally, the results of the 
survey will help to identify areas where SERCs are having difficulty 
meeting their requirements, the specific challenges they are facing, 
and will identify areas where EPA can better assist SERCs and LEPCs in 
implementing EPCRA and its amendments under AWIA.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: State Emergency Response 
Commissions.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 19 (total).
    Frequency of response: Once.
    Total estimated burden: 76 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 5 
CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $5,301.00 (per year), includes $0.00 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: This is a New ICR, so there is no change 
in burden.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2021-05653 Filed 3-18-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P