Document ID: EPA-HQ-OECA-2005-0062-0033
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Procedures for Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act and Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA Actions
Posted Date: 2016-10-26T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 207 (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74428-74429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25873]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OECA-2005-0062; FRL-9954-49-OEI]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Procedures for Implementing the National 
Environmental Policy Act and Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad 
of EPA Actions (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Procedures for Implementing the 
National Environmental Policy Act and Assessing the Environmental 
Effects Abroad of EPA Actions (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 2243.08, OMB 
Control No. 2020-0033) 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 extension of the ICR, which is 
currently approved through October 31, 2016. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register (81 FR 35762) on June 3, 
2016 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 25, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OECA-2005-0062, 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: Jessica Trice, Office of Federal 
Activities, NEPA Compliance Division, 2252A, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: (202) 564-6646; email address: trice.jessica@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 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 
U.S.C. 4321-4347, establishes a national policy for the environment. 
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) oversees the NEPA 
implementation. CEQ's Regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508 set 
the standard for NEPA compliance. They also require agencies to 
establish their own NEPA implementing procedures. EPA's procedures for 
implementing NEPA are found in 40 CFR part 6. Through this part, EPA 
adopted the CEQ Regulations and supplemented those regulations for 
actions by EPA that are subject to NEPA requirements. EPA actions 
subject to NEPA include the award of wastewater treatment construction 
grants under Title II of the Clean Water Act, EPA's issuance of new 
source National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits 
under section 402 of the Clean Water Act, certain research and 
development projects, development and issuance of regulations, EPA 
actions involving renovations or new construction of facilities, and 
certain grants awarded for projects authorized by Congress through the 
Agency's annual Appropriations Act. EPA is collecting information from 
certain applicants as part of the process of complying with either NEPA 
or Executive Order 12114 (``Environmental Effects Abroad of Major 
Federal Actions''). EPA's NEPA regulations apply to the actions of EPA 
that are subject to NEPA in order to ensure that environmental 
information is available to the Agency's decision-makers and the public 
before decisions are made and before actions are taken. When EPA 
conducts an environmental assessment pursuant to its Executive Order 
12114 procedures, the Agency generally follows its NEPA procedures. 
Compliance with the procedures is the responsibility of EPA's 
Responsible Officials, and for applicant proposed actions applicants 
may be required to provide environmental information to EPA as part of 
the environmental review process. For this Information Collection 
Request (ICR), applicant-proposed projects subject to either NEPA or 
Executive Order 12114 (and that are not addressed in other EPA 
programs' ICRs) are addressed through the NEPA process.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are certain grant or permit applicants who must submit 
environmental information documentation to EPA for their projects to 
comply with NEPA or Executive Order 12114, including Wastewater 
Treatment Construction Grants Program facilities, State and Tribal 
Assistance Grant recipients and new source National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System permittees.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 62 (total).
    Frequency of response: on occasion.
    Total estimated burden: 13,677 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $1,688,598 (per year), includes $2,145 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 23,848 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease is due to fewer NEPA documents being 
completed

[[Page 74429]]

following the elimination of awarding SAAP grants in 2010. This is 
further supported by information posted online in EPA's NEPA Compliance 
Database on NEPA documents for its own actions that require 
documentation.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2016-25873 Filed 10-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P