Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Brownfields Program Revitalization Grantee Reporting, EPA ICR Number 2104.01, OMB Control Number 2050-0192, 60335-60336 [05-20707]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 199 (Monday, October 17, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60335-60336]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-20707]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[SFUND-2005-0003, FRL-7984-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Brownfields Program Revitalization Grantee Reporting, 
EPA ICR Number 2104.01, OMB Control Number 2050-0192

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a 
continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request to renew an existing 
approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on August 31, 
2006. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is 
soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information 
collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 16, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number SFUND-
2005-0003, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-
mail to superfund.docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, 
Environmental Protection Agency, OSWER Docket, 5202T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacy Swartwood, Office of Solid Waste 
and Emergency Response (OSWER), Office of Brownfields Cleanup and 
Redevelopment (OBCR) 5105T, U.S. EPA Headquarters, Ariel Rios Building, 
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 
(202) 566-1391; fax number: (202) 566-2757; e-mail address: 
swartwood.stacy@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this 
ICR under Docket ID number SFUND-2005-0003, which is available for 
public viewing at the OSWER Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), 
EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The 
EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone 
number for the Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number 
for the OSWER Docket is (202) 566-0276. An electronic version of the 
public docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at https://
www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to obtain a copy of the draft 
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those 
documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once 
in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number 
identified above.
    Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA within 
60 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether 
submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public 
viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the 
comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose 
public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a 
comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference 
to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in 
EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted 
material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified 
as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose 
disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the 
official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in 
EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's 
Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102 
(May 31, 2002), or go to www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
states, tribes, local governments, and certain non-governmental 
organizations that apply for and receive grants from EPA to support the 
assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties.
    Title: Brownfields Program--Grant Reporting Information Collection 
Request.
    Abstract: The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields 
Revitalization Act (Pub. L. 107-118) (``the Brownfields Amendments'') 
was signed into law on January 11, 2002. The Act amends the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
(CERCLA), as amended, and authorizes EPA to award grants to States, 
tribes, local governments, and other eligible entities to assess and 
clean up brownfields sites. Under the Brownfields Amendments, a 
brownfields site means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or 
reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence 
of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. For grant funding 
purposes, EPA uses the term ``brownfields property(ies)'' synonymously 
with the term ``brownfields sites.'' The Brownfields Amendments 
authorize EPA to award several types of grants to eligible entities on 
a competitive basis.
    Under subtitle A of the Small Business Liability Relief and 
Brownfields Revitalization Act, States, tribes, local governments, and 
other eligible entities can receive assessment grants to inventory, 
characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement 
related to brownfields properties; cleanup grants to carry out cleanup 
activities at brownfields properties; grants to capitalize revolving 
loan funds and provide subgrants for cleanup activities; and job 
training grants to support the creation and implementation of 
environmental job training and placement programs. Under subtitle C of 
the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, 
State and tribes can receive grants to establish and enhance their 
response programs. The grants support activities necessary to establish 
or enhance four elements of state and tribal response programs and to 
meet the public record requirements under the statute. The four 
elements include: (a) Timely survey and inventory of brownfield sites 
in the State or in the tribal land; (b) oversight and enforcement 
authorities or other mechanisms and resources; (c) mechanisms and 
resources to provide meaningful opportunities for public participation; 
and (d) mechanisms for approval of a cleanup plan and verification and 
certification that cleanup is complete. States and tribes that receive 
funding under subtitle C must establish a public record system during 
the grant funding period unless an adequate public record system is 
already established.
    Grant recipients have general reporting and record keeping 
requirements as a condition of their grant that result in burden. A 
portion of this reporting and record keeping burden is authorized under 
40 CFR parts 30 and 31 and identified in the EPA's general grants ICR 
(OMB Control Number 2030-0020). EPA requires Brownfields program grant 
recipients to

[[Page 60336]]

maintain and report additional information to EPA on the uses and 
accomplishments associated with the funded brownfields activities. EPA 
uses several forms to assist grantees in reporting the information and 
to ensure consistency of the information collected. EPA uses this 
information to meet Federal stewardship responsibilities to manage and 
track how program funds are being spent, to evaluate the performance of 
the Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment Program, to meet the Agency's 
reporting requirements under the Government Performance Results Act, 
and to report to Congress and other program stakeholders on the status 
and accomplishments of the grants program.
    This ICR addresses the burden imposed on grant recipients that are 
associated with those reporting and recordkeeping requirements that are 
specific to grants awarded under the Small Business Liability Relief 
and Brownfields Revitalization Act. This ICR renewal modifies the 
annual reporting and recordkeeping burden under the previous ICR. The 
modified burden reflects an increase in the number of respondents 
subject to the reporting and recordkeeping requirements, and 
improvements to the reporting forms based on EPA's experience 
implementing the grant program. Specifically, subtitle C grant 
recipients are now subject to the reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements previously established for subtitle A grant recipients. By 
using the same form to report information on grant activities, EPA is 
adopting a streamlined approach that avoids potential confusion among 
grant recipients and allows the Agency to collect and report program 
information consistently across all brownfields grants. EPA is also 
modifying the reporting form to simplify and clarify the reporting 
requirements, which will improve the accuracy of information reported 
and minimize the burden to grant recipients.
    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.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
    (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Burden Statement: The annual reporting and record keeping burden 
for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 hours per 
response for job training grant recipients. The annual reporting and 
record keeping burden for this collection of information is estimated 
to average 1.25 hours per response for subtitle A assessment, cleanup, 
and revolving loan fund grant recipients and subtitle C grant 
recipients.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 294.
    Frequency of Response: Bi-annual for subtitle C grant recipients; 
quarterly for subtitle A grant recipients.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 8,683.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $260,648
    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.

    Dated: September 13, 2005.
Linda Garczynski,
Director, Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment, Office of 
Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
[FR Doc. 05-20707 Filed 10-14-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P