Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Information Collection Activities Associated With EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 1772.04, OMB Control No. 2060-0347, 64521-64523 [E6-18497]
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<![CDATA[
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 212 / Thursday, November 2, 2006 / Notices
appearing in the Federal Register when
approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9,
are displayed either by publication in
the Federal Register or by other
appropriate means, such as on the
related collection instrument or form, if
applicable. The display of OMB control
numbers in certain EPA regulations is
consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
Abstract: The Safe Drinking Water Act
(SDWA) Amendments of 1996 (Pub. L.
104–182) authorized the creation of the
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
(DWSRF) program in each State and
Puerto Rico to assist public water
systems in financing the costs of
infrastructure needed to achieve or
maintain compliance with SDWA
requirements and to protect public
health. Section 1452 authorizes the
Administrator of EPA to award
capitalization grants to the States and
Puerto Rico which, in turn, provide lowcost loans and other types of assistance
to eligible drinking water systems.
States can also reserve a portion of their
grants to conduct various set-aside
activities. The information collection
activities will occur primarily at the
program level through the (1)
Capitalization Grant Application and
Agreement/State Intended Use Plan; (2)
Biennial Report; (3) Annual Audit; and
(4) Assistance Application Review.
Information collected is needed for
input into the DWSRF National
Information Management System.
(1) Capitalization Grant Application
and Agreement/State Intended Use
Plan: The State must prepare a
Capitalization Grant Application that
includes an Intended Use Plan (IUP),
outlining in detail how it will use all the
funds covered by the capitalization
grant. The State may, as an alternative,
develop the IUP in a two part process
with one part identifying the
distribution and uses of the funds
among the various set-asides in the
DWSRF program and the other part
dealing with project assistance from the
Fund.
(2) Biennial Report: The State must
agree to complete and submit a Biennial
Report on the uses of the capitalization
grant. The scope of the report must
cover assistance provided by the
DWSRF Fund and all other set-aside
activities included under the Capital
Grant Agreement. States, which jointly
administer DWSRF and Clean Water
State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
programs, in accordance with section
1452(g)(1), may submit reports
(according to the schedule specified for
each program) that cover both programs.
(3) Annual Audit: A State must
comply with the provisions of the
Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996.
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14:49 Nov 01, 2006
Jkt 211001
Best management practices suggest and
EPA recommends that a State conduct
an annual independent audit of its
DWSRF program. The scope of the
report must cover the DWSRF Fund and
all other set-aside activities included in
the Capitalization Grant Agreement.
States which jointly administer DWSRF
and CWSRF programs, in accordance
with section 1452(g)(1), may submit
audits that cover both programs but
which report financial information for
each program separately.
(4) Assistance Application Review:
Local applicants seeking financial
assistance must prepare and submit
DWSRF loan applications. States then
review completed loan applications and
verify that proposed projects will
comply with applicable Federal and
State requirements.
Burden Statement: The annual public
reporting and recordkeeping burden for
this collection of information is
estimated to average 131 hours per
response. 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 which have subsequently
changed; 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.
Respondents/Affected Entities: State
and local governments, businesses, and
non-profit institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
1505 respondents per year.
Frequency of Response: Annual for
State Grant Applications and Audit
reports, Biennial for State Annual
Reports, once per loan applications for
loan applicants.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:
196,870 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost:
$6,862,452, which includes $0 capital
and O&M.
Changes in the Estimates: There is an
increase of 1,935 hours in the total
estimated burden currently identified in
the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR
Burdens. This increase reflects EPA’s
calculation of burden for Biennial
Reports.
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64521
Dated: October 26, 2006.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. E6–18495 Filed 11–1–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OAR–2006–0407; FRL–8238–5]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Information Collection
Activities Associated With EPA’s
ENERGY STAR Program in the
Commercial and Industrial Sectors
(Renewal); EPA ICR No. 1772.04, OMB
Control No. 2060–0347
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document
announces that an Information
Collection Request (ICR) has been
forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and
approval. This is a request to renew an
existing approved collection. The ICR,
which is abstracted below, describes the
nature of the information collection and
its estimated burden and cost.
DATES: Additional comments may be
submitted on or before December 4,
2006.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–
OAR–2006–0407, to: (1) EPA online
using https://www.regulations.gov (our
preferred method), by e-mail to a-andr-Docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA
Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Air and Radiation
Docket and Information Center,
Mailcode: 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and
(2) OMB by mail to: Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA,
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC
20503.
Note: The EPA Docket Center suffered
damage due to flooding during the last week
of June 2006. The Docket Center is
continuing to operate. However, during the
cleanup, there will be temporary changes to
Docket Center telephone numbers, addresses,
and hours of operation for people who wish
to make hand deliveries or visit the Public
Reading Room to view documents. Consult
EPA’s Federal Register notice at 71 FR 38147
(July 5, 2006) or the EPA Web site at https://
www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm for
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64522
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 212 / Thursday, November 2, 2006 / Notices
current information on docket operations,
locations and telephone numbers. The
Docket Center’s mailing address for U.S. mail
and the procedure for submitting comments
to https://www.regulations.gov are not affected
by the flooding and will remain the same.
mstockstill on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mary Susan Bailey, Climate Protection
Partnerships Division, Mailcode: 6202J,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,
DC 20460; telephone number: 202–343–
9014; fax number: 202–343–2204; e-mail
address: bailey.marysusan@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has
submitted the following ICR to OMB for
review and approval according to the
procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12.
On June 1, 2006 (71 FR 31179), EPA
sought comments on this ICR pursuant
to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no
comments. Any additional comments on
this ICR should be submitted to EPA
and OMB within 30 days of this notice.
EPA has established a public docket
for this ICR under Docket ID No. EPA–
HQ–OAR–2006–0407, which is
available for online viewing at https://
www.regulations.gov, or in person
viewing at the Air and Radiation Docket
and Information Center in the EPA
Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West,
Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave.,
NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC
Public Reading Room is open from 8
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 Air and Radiation
Docket and Information Center is 202–
566–1742.
Use EPA’s electronic docket and
comment system at https://
www.regulations.gov, to submit or view
public comments, access the index
listing of the contents of the docket, and
to access those documents in the docket
that are available electronically. Once in
the system, select ‘‘docket search,’’ then
key in the docket ID number identified
above. Please note that EPA’s policy is
that public comments, whether
submitted electronically or in paper,
will be made available for public
viewing at https://www.regulations.gov
as EPA receives them and without
change, unless the comment contains
copyrighted material, CBI, or other
information whose public disclosure is
restricted by statute. For further
information about the electronic docket,
go to https://www.regulations.gov.
Title: Information Collection
Activities Associated with EPA’s
ENERGY STAR Program in the
Commercial and Industrial Sectors
(Renewal).
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:49 Nov 01, 2006
Jkt 211001
ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1772.04,
OMB Control No. 2060–0347.
ICR Status: This ICR is currently
scheduled to expire on November 30,
2006. Under OMB regulations, the
Agency may continue to conduct or
sponsor the collection of information
while this submission is pending at
OMB. 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 in title 40
of the CFR, after appearing in the
Federal Register when approved, are
listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed
either by publication in the Federal
Register or by other appropriate means,
such as on the related collection
instrument or form, if applicable. The
display of OMB control numbers in
certain EPA regulations is consolidated
in 40 CFR part 9.
Abstract: ENERGY STAR is a
voluntary program helping businesses
and individuals protect the environment
through superior energy efficiency. The
Program focuses on reducing utilitygenerated emissions by reducing the
demand for energy. In 1991, EPA
launched the Green Lights program to
encourage corporations, State and local
governments, colleges and universities,
and other organizations to adopt energyefficient lighting as a profitable means
of preventing pollution and improving
lighting quality. Since then, EPA has
rolled Green Lights into ENERGY STAR
and expanded ENERGY STAR to
encompass organization-wide energy
performance improvement, such as
building technology upgrades, product
purchasing initiatives, and employee
training. At the same time, EPA has
streamlined the reporting requirements
of ENERGY STAR and focused on
providing incentives for improvements
(e.g., ENERGY STAR Awards Program).
EPA also makes tools and other
resources available over the Web to help
the public overcome the barriers to
evaluating their energy performance and
investing in profitable improvements.
To join ENERGY STAR, organizations
are asked to complete a Partnership
Letter or Agreement that establishes
their commitment to energy efficiency.
Partners agree to undertake efforts such
as baselining, tracking, and
benchmarking their organization’s
energy performance by using tools such
as those offered by ENERGY STAR;
developing and implementing a plan to
improve energy performance in their
facilities and operations by following
the energy management strategy
provided by ENERGY STAR; and
educating staff and the public about
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their Partnership with ENERGY STAR,
and highlighting achievements with the
ENERGY STAR, where available.
Partners also may be asked to
periodically submit information to EPA
as needed to assist in program
implementation. For example, EPA
maintains the Service and Product
Provider Directory to provide the public
with easy access to energy efficiency
services and products that can help
companies lower operating costs and
increase their bottom line. Businesses
wishing to appear in this directory are
asked to submit a completed profile that
details their services and products.
Partnership in ENERGY STAR is
voluntary and can be terminated by
Partners or EPA at any time. EPA does
not expect organizations to join the
program unless they expect
participation to be cost-effective and
otherwise beneficial for them.
In addition, Partners and any other
interested party can help EPA promote
energy-efficient technologies by
evaluating the efficiency of their
buildings using EPA’s on-line tools (e.g.,
Portfolio Manager) and applying for
recognition.
If a claim of confidential business
information (CBI) is asserted, EPA will
manage that information in accordance
with EPA’s provisions on
confidentiality.
Burden Statement: The annual public
recordkeeping and reporting burden for
joining the ENERGY STAR program and
related activities is expected to vary
depending on the type of Partner. The
burden per Partner is expected to range
from about 2 hours for a Commercial
and Industrial Sector Partner to prepare/
submit a Partnership Letter to 7 hours
for an Energy Efficiency Program
Sponsor to prepare/submit a Partnership
Agreement and related information (e.g.,
a brief plan outlining the key activities
it intends to undertake to cooperatively
promote ENERGY STAR in the
commercial and/or industrial markets).
These burden estimates include the time
for reading the instructions and
requirements, gathering information,
and preparing/submitting the
information to EPA. The burden for
benchmarking in Portfolio Manager is
estimated to vary depending on the type
of benchmarking method. The burden
per respondent for manual
benchmarking is estimated to be 30
minutes to read Portfolio Manager
instructions, 5 hours to gather and enter
building data for a new benchmark, and
1.5 hours to perform a repeat
benchmark. The burden per respondent
for the import tool is estimated to be 30
minutes for reading the Portfolio
Manager instructions and 1 hour for
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collecting building data, downloading it
into the tool, and emailing it to EPA.
The burden per respondent for ENERGY
STAR Exchange Services is estimated to
be 20 hours for the host to set up its
account and automated process, 2 hours
to collect building data and set up each
customer, and 15 minutes per month to
submit customer information to EPA
and retrieve/relay scores to customers.
The burden for entering information
into the ENERGY STAR Energy
Performance Indicator (EPI) is estimated
to range from 10 to 15 minutes per
plant. This includes time for reading the
EPI’s instructions and entering data in
order to generate a score. Finally, the
burden per respondent for applying to
EPA for recognition is estimated to vary
depending on the type of recognition.
The burden per respondent is estimated
to range from 15 minutes for preparing/
submitting a plant’s energy efficiency
score to EPA for recognition (e.g., for
EPA permission to display a banner or
plant flag) to 26.5 hours for preparing/
submitting an application to EPA for an
ENERGY STAR Award.
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 which have subsequently
changed; 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.
Respondents/Affected Entities:
Organizations participating in ENERGY
STAR in the Commercial and Industrial
Sectors.
Approximate Number of
Respondents: 6,000.
Frequency of Response: One-time, on
occasion, monthly, annually, and/or
periodically, depending on the type of
respondent and collection.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:
54,500.
Estimated Total Annual Cost:
$5,436,710, including $3,574,491 in
labor costs and $1,862,219 in O&M
costs. There are no capital/start-up costs
to respondents.
Changes in the Estimates: There is a
decrease of 28,843 hours in the total
estimated annual burden hours
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14:49 Nov 01, 2006
Jkt 211001
currently identified in the OMB
Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens.
The majority of this decrease occurred
because EPA adjusted the number of
respondents and the burden for some
activities based on improved and
updated data and analysis. The burden
estimates in ICR 1772.04 reflect EPA’s
program experience gained over the past
three years. In addition, EPA modified
some of its information collections to
address EPA and stakeholder needs.
Dated: October 28, 2006.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. E6–18497 Filed 11–1–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OPPT–2003–0004;FRL–8101–6]
Access to Confidential Business
Information by ASRC Management
Services, Incorporated
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: EPA has authorized ASRC
Management Services, Incorporated
access to information which has been
submitted to EPA under all sections of
the Toxic Substances Control Act
(TSCA). Some of the information may be
claimed or determined to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI).
DATES: Access to the confidential data
will occur no sooner than November 9,
2006.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
generalinformation contact: Colby
Lintner, Regulatory Coordinator,
Environmental Assistance Division
(7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention
and Toxics, Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone
number: (202) 554–1404; e-mail address:
TSCA-Hotline@.epa.gov.
For technical information contact:
Scott M. Sherlock, TSCA Security Staff,
Environmental Assistance Division
(7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention
and Toxics, Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone
number: (202) 564–8257; e-mail address:
sherlock.scott@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Notice Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the public
in general. This action may, however, be
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Fmt 4703
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64523
of interest to those persons who are or
may be required to conduct testing of
chemical substances under TSCA. Since
other entities may also be interested, the
Agency has not attempted to describe all
the specific entities that may be affected
by this action. If you have any questions
regarding the applicability of this action
to a particular entity, consult the
technical person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. How Can I Get Copies of this
Document and Other Related
Documents?
1. Docket. EPA has established an
official public docket for this action
under docket identification (ID) number
EPA–HQ–OPPT–2003–0004. The
official public docket consists of the
documents specifically referenced in
this action, any public comments
received, and other information related
to this action. Although a part of the
official docket, the public docket does
not include CBI or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
The official public docket is the
collection of materials that is available
for public viewing at the EPA Docket
Center, EPA West, Infoterra Room,
Room 3334,1301 Constitution Ave.,
NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket
Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding
legal holidays. The EPA Docket Center
Reading Room telephone number is
(202) 566–1744, and the telephone
number for the OPPT Docket, which is
located in the EPA Docket Center, is
(202) 566–0280.
2. Electronic access. You may access
this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA Internet
under the ‘‘Federal Register’’ listings
athttps://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
II. What Action is the Agency Taking?
Under Contract Number EP–W–05–
052, ASRC of 6303 Ivy Lane, Suite 300,
Greenbelt, MD, will assist EPA in
managing the Non-confidential
Information Center (NCIC). ASRC will
provide current and historical reports
on all TSCA non-CBI submissions
received in compliance with TSCA;
organize, distribute and prepare records
for permanent storage; and handle all
docket-related records for OPPT, in
accordance with the TSCA Security
Manual.
In accordance with 40 CFR 2.306(j),
EPA has determined that under Contract
Number EP–W–05–052, ASRC will
require access to CBI submitted to EPA
under all sections of TSCA, to perform
successfully the duties specified under
this contract.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 212 (Thursday, November 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64521-64523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-18497]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0407; FRL-8238-5]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Information Collection Activities
Associated With EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and
Industrial Sectors (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 1772.04, OMB Control No.
2060-0347
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an
existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below,
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated
burden and cost.
DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before December 4,
2006.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2006-0407, to: (1) EPA online using https://www.regulations.gov (our
preferred method), by e-mail to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov, or by mail to:
EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Air and Radiation
Docket and Information Center, Mailcode: 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave.,
NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB by mail to: Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20503.
Note: The EPA Docket Center suffered damage due to flooding
during the last week of June 2006. The Docket Center is continuing
to operate. However, during the cleanup, there will be temporary
changes to Docket Center telephone numbers, addresses, and hours of
operation for people who wish to make hand deliveries or visit the
Public Reading Room to view documents. Consult EPA's Federal
Register notice at 71 FR 38147 (July 5, 2006) or the EPA Web site at
https://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm for
[[Page 64522]]
current information on docket operations, locations and telephone
numbers. The Docket Center's mailing address for U.S. mail and the
procedure for submitting comments to https://www.regulations.gov are
not affected by the flooding and will remain the same.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Susan Bailey, Climate Protection
Partnerships Division, Mailcode: 6202J, Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone
number: 202-343-9014; fax number: 202-343-2204; e-mail address:
bailey.marysusan@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR
1320.12. On June 1, 2006 (71 FR 31179), EPA sought comments on this ICR
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any additional
comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days
of this notice.
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0407, which is available for online viewing at
https://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air and
Radiation Docket and Information Center in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/
DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC.
The EPA/DC Public Reading Room is open from 8 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 Air and
Radiation Docket and Information Center is 202-566-1742.
Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at https://
www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made
available for public viewing at https://www.regulations.gov as EPA
receives them and without change, unless the comment contains
copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure
is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic
docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov.
Title: Information Collection Activities Associated with EPA's
ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors (Renewal).
ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1772.04, OMB Control No. 2060-0347.
ICR Status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on November
30, 2006. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or
sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending
at OMB. 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 in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal
Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed
either by publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate
means, such as on the related collection instrument or form, if
applicable. The display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA
regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
Abstract: ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program helping businesses and
individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.
The Program focuses on reducing utility-generated emissions by reducing
the demand for energy. In 1991, EPA launched the Green Lights program
to encourage corporations, State and local governments, colleges and
universities, and other organizations to adopt energy-efficient
lighting as a profitable means of preventing pollution and improving
lighting quality. Since then, EPA has rolled Green Lights into ENERGY
STAR and expanded ENERGY STAR to encompass organization-wide energy
performance improvement, such as building technology upgrades, product
purchasing initiatives, and employee training. At the same time, EPA
has streamlined the reporting requirements of ENERGY STAR and focused
on providing incentives for improvements (e.g., ENERGY STAR Awards
Program). EPA also makes tools and other resources available over the
Web to help the public overcome the barriers to evaluating their energy
performance and investing in profitable improvements.
To join ENERGY STAR, organizations are asked to complete a
Partnership Letter or Agreement that establishes their commitment to
energy efficiency. Partners agree to undertake efforts such as
baselining, tracking, and benchmarking their organization's energy
performance by using tools such as those offered by ENERGY STAR;
developing and implementing a plan to improve energy performance in
their facilities and operations by following the energy management
strategy provided by ENERGY STAR; and educating staff and the public
about their Partnership with ENERGY STAR, and highlighting achievements
with the ENERGY STAR, where available.
Partners also may be asked to periodically submit information to
EPA as needed to assist in program implementation. For example, EPA
maintains the Service and Product Provider Directory to provide the
public with easy access to energy efficiency services and products that
can help companies lower operating costs and increase their bottom
line. Businesses wishing to appear in this directory are asked to
submit a completed profile that details their services and products.
Partnership in ENERGY STAR is voluntary and can be terminated by
Partners or EPA at any time. EPA does not expect organizations to join
the program unless they expect participation to be cost-effective and
otherwise beneficial for them.
In addition, Partners and any other interested party can help EPA
promote energy-efficient technologies by evaluating the efficiency of
their buildings using EPA's on-line tools (e.g., Portfolio Manager) and
applying for recognition.
If a claim of confidential business information (CBI) is asserted,
EPA will manage that information in accordance with EPA's provisions on
confidentiality.
Burden Statement: The annual public recordkeeping and reporting
burden for joining the ENERGY STAR program and related activities is
expected to vary depending on the type of Partner. The burden per
Partner is expected to range from about 2 hours for a Commercial and
Industrial Sector Partner to prepare/submit a Partnership Letter to 7
hours for an Energy Efficiency Program Sponsor to prepare/submit a
Partnership Agreement and related information (e.g., a brief plan
outlining the key activities it intends to undertake to cooperatively
promote ENERGY STAR in the commercial and/or industrial markets). These
burden estimates include the time for reading the instructions and
requirements, gathering information, and preparing/submitting the
information to EPA. The burden for benchmarking in Portfolio Manager is
estimated to vary depending on the type of benchmarking method. The
burden per respondent for manual benchmarking is estimated to be 30
minutes to read Portfolio Manager instructions, 5 hours to gather and
enter building data for a new benchmark, and 1.5 hours to perform a
repeat benchmark. The burden per respondent for the import tool is
estimated to be 30 minutes for reading the Portfolio Manager
instructions and 1 hour for
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collecting building data, downloading it into the tool, and emailing it
to EPA. The burden per respondent for ENERGY STAR Exchange Services is
estimated to be 20 hours for the host to set up its account and
automated process, 2 hours to collect building data and set up each
customer, and 15 minutes per month to submit customer information to
EPA and retrieve/relay scores to customers. The burden for entering
information into the ENERGY STAR Energy Performance Indicator (EPI) is
estimated to range from 10 to 15 minutes per plant. This includes time
for reading the EPI's instructions and entering data in order to
generate a score. Finally, the burden per respondent for applying to
EPA for recognition is estimated to vary depending on the type of
recognition. The burden per respondent is estimated to range from 15
minutes for preparing/submitting a plant's energy efficiency score to
EPA for recognition (e.g., for EPA permission to display a banner or
plant flag) to 26.5 hours for preparing/submitting an application to
EPA for an ENERGY STAR Award.
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
which have subsequently changed; 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.
Respondents/Affected Entities: Organizations participating in
ENERGY STAR in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors.
Approximate Number of Respondents: 6,000.
Frequency of Response: One-time, on occasion, monthly, annually,
and/or periodically, depending on the type of respondent and
collection.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 54,500.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $5,436,710, including $3,574,491 in
labor costs and $1,862,219 in O&M costs. There are no capital/start-up
costs to respondents.
Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 28,843 hours in
the total estimated annual burden hours currently identified in the OMB
Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. The majority of this decrease
occurred because EPA adjusted the number of respondents and the burden
for some activities based on improved and updated data and analysis.
The burden estimates in ICR 1772.04 reflect EPA's program experience
gained over the past three years. In addition, EPA modified some of its
information collections to address EPA and stakeholder needs.
Dated: October 28, 2006.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. E6-18497 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
