Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements Regarding the Sulfur Content of Motor Vehicle Gasoline Under the Tier 2 Rule, EPA ICR No.1907.04, OMB Control No. 2060-0437, 69558-69559 [E6-20352]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 231 (Friday, December 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69558-69559]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20352]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0171, FRL-8250-2]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements Regarding the 
Sulfur Content of Motor Vehicle Gasoline Under the Tier 2 Rule, EPA ICR 
No.1907.04, OMB Control No. 2060-0437

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to 
submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection 
Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is 
scheduled to expire on 4/30/07. 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 January 30, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
2003-0171, by one of the following methods:
     https://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: a-and-r-docket@epa.gov
     Mail: Office of Air and Radiation Docket, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Mailcode: 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: Air and Radiation Docket in the EPA Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 3334 Constitution Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460. Such deliveries are only accepted during the 
Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be 
made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-2003-
0171. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in 
the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through https://
www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The https://www.regulations.gov Web site 
is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through https://www.regulations.gov your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses. For additional information about EPA's public 
docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at https://www.epa.gov/
epahome/dockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marilyn Bennett, Office of 
Transportation and Air Quality, Mail Code 6406J, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 343-9624; fax number: (202) 343-2803; e-mail 
address: bennett.marilyn@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

How Can I Access the Docket and/or Submit Comments?

    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-2003-0171, which is available for online viewing at https://
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air and Radiation 
Docket 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, is 
202-566-1742.
    Use https://www.regulations.gov to obtain a copy of the draft 
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the 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 in this document.

What Information Is EPA Particularly Interested in?

    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA specifically 
solicits comments and information to enable it 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. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from 
very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of 
specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork 
burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.

What Should I Consider When I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific 
examples.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.

[[Page 69559]]

    3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used 
that support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
    6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified 
under DATES.
    7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket 
ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first page 
of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal 
Register citation.

What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Apply to?

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
those who manufacture, import, distribute and sell gasoline.
    Title: Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements Regarding the 
Sulfur Content of Motor Vehicle Gasoline Under the Tier 2 Rule.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No.1907.04, Control No. 2060-0437.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on 4/30/07. 
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: The requirements covered under this ICR are included in 
the final Tier 2 rule, published on the February 10, 2000 (65 FR 6698). 
A minor additional ICR requirement was added to the Tier 2 rule on June 
12, 2002 (67 FR 40169).
    The scope of the recordkeeping and reporting requirements for each 
type of party in the gasoline distribution system, and therefore the 
cost to that party, reflects the party's opportunity to create, control 
or alter the sulfur content of gasoline. As a result, refiners and 
importers have significant requirements, which are necessary both for 
their own tracking and that of downstream parties, and for EPA 
enforcement, while parties downstream from the gasoline production or 
import point, such as distributors and pipelines, have minimal burdens 
under the rule. Many of the reporting and recordkeeping requirements 
for refiners and importers regarding the sulfur content of gasoline on 
which the Tier 2 sulfur program relies currently exist under EPA's 
reformulated gasoline (RFG) and conventional gasoline (CG) anti-dumping 
programs. The ICR for the RFG/CG programs covered the majority of the 
start-up costs associated with the reporting of gasoline sulfur 
content. Consequently, much of the cost associated with the sulfur-
control requirements under the sulfur program has already been 
accounted for under the ICR for the RFG/CG programs.
    The information under this ICR will be collected by EPA's 
Transportation and Regional Programs Division, Office of Transportation 
and Air Quality, Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), and by EPA's Air 
Enforcement Division, Office of Regulatory Enforcement, Office of 
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA). The information collected 
will be used by EPA to evaluate compliance with the gasoline sulfur 
control requirements under the Tier 2 rule. This oversight by EPA is 
necessary to ensure attainment of the air quality goals of the Tier 2 
program. Proprietary information will be submitted by refiners and 
importers for demonstrating compliance with the sulfur standards. 
Confidentiality is handled in accordance with the Freedom of 
Information Act and EPA regulations at 40 CFR Part 2.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.024 
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.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate, 
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 80 refiners; 39 
importers; 1200 terminals; 60 pipelines.
    Frequency of response: Annual and periodic.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 
405 per refiner; 27 per importer; 3 per terminal; 12 per pipeline.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 38,742 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $2,405,185. There are no capital 
investment or maintenance and operational costs associated with this 
rule.

Are There Changes in the Estimates from the Last Approval?

    EPA does not anticipate any changes in the estimates from the last 
ICR approval.

What is the Next Step in the Process for this ICR?

    EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as 
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for 
review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. At that time, EPA will 
issue another Federal Register notice pursuant to 5 CFR 
1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the 
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB. If you have any 
questions about this ICR or the approval process, please contact the 
technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Dated: November 27, 2006.
Margo Tsirigotis Oge,
Director, Office of Transportation and Air Quality.
 [FR Doc. E6-20352 Filed 11-30-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P