Agency Information Collection Activities, Proposed Collections; Toxic Chemical Release Reporting; Request for Comments on Proposed Changes and the Renewal of Form R (EPA ICR No. 1363.15, OMB Control No. 2070-0093), 71403-71405 [E7-24369]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 241 / Monday, December 17, 2007 / Notices ebenthall on PROD1PC69 with NOTICES (known as the lowest additive concentration (LAC)), is blended into gasoline, and (3) only gasoline which contains a certified detergent at its LAC is delivered to the consumer. The EPA maintains a list of certified gasoline detergents, which is publicly available. As of June 2007 there were 393 certified detergents and 18 detergent manufacturers. Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3.2 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: Manufacturers, transferors and transferees, and blenders into gasoline or post-refinery component of detergent additives; Manufacturers, transferors, and transferees of gasoline or postrefinery components; and detergent additive researchers. Estimated Number of Respondents: 1368. Frequency of Response: 50.8 Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 220,608. Estimated Total Annual Cost: $15,547,566, includes $335,180 annualized capital or O&M costs. Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 1200 hours and an increase in total cost of $2,269,962 in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. These changes are due to a decrease in annual certification applications, from 30 to 10, and an update in labor costs. Dated: December 10, 2007. Sara Hisel-McCoy, Director, Collection Strategies Division. [FR Doc. E7–24351 Filed 12–14–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:28 Dec 14, 2007 Jkt 214001 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA–HQ–TRI–2007–0355; FRL–8507–5] Agency Information Collection Activities, Proposed Collections; Toxic Chemical Release Reporting; Request for Comments on Proposed Changes and the Renewal of Form R (EPA ICR No. 1363.15, OMB Control No. 2070– 0093) 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 make changes to and renew an existing approved collection. The ICR Supporting Statement, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection (including proposed minor form changes) and its estimated burden and cost. DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before January 16, 2008. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– TRI–2007–0355, to (1) EPA online using https://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by e-mail to oei.docket@epa.gov, or by mail to EPA Docket Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 2822T, 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. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cassandra Vail, Toxics Release Inventory Program Division, Office of Information Analysis and Access (2844T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number, 202–566–0753; fax number, 202–566–0740; e-mail address, vail.cassandra@epa.gov. EPA submitted an earlier version of the ICR Supporting Statement to OMB for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12. On July 11, 2007 (72 FR 37762), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received four SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 71403 comments during the comment period, which are addressed in the Response to Comments Document. Any additional comments on the revised ICR Supporting Statement should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice. EPA has established a public docket for the ICR described in this notice under Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–TRI– 2007–0355, which is available for online viewing at https://www.regulations.gov, or in person at the OEI Docket, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), U.S. EPA West Building, Room 3334, 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 OEI Docket is 202–566– 1752. Use EPA’s electronic docket and comment system at https:// www.regulations.gov to submit or view public comments, to 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 materials, Confidential Business Information (CBI,) or other information for which public disclosure is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov. Title: ICR Renewal and Proposed Changes to the TRI Form R, Information Collection Request Supporting Statement. ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1363.15, OMB Control No. 2070–0093. ICR Status: The current ICR is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2008. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. 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 and 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. E:\FR\FM\17DEN1.SGM 17DEN1 ebenthall on PROD1PC69 with NOTICES 71404 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 241 / Monday, December 17, 2007 / Notices Abstract: The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) section 313 requires owners and operators of certain facilities that manufacture, process, or otherwise use any of certain listed toxic chemicals and chemical categories in excess of applicable threshold quantities to report annually to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and to the states in which such facilities are located on their environmental releases and transfers of and other waste management activities for such chemicals. In addition, section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) requires facilities to provide information on the quantities of the toxic chemicals in waste streams and the efforts made to reduce or eliminate those quantities. Annual reporting under EPCRA section 313 of toxic chemical releases and other waste management information provides citizens with a useful picture of the total disposition of chemicals in their communities and helps focus industry’s attention on pollution prevention and source reduction opportunities. In accordance with the mission to protect the environment and human health, EPA believes that the public has a right to know about the disposition of chemicals within communities and the management of such chemicals by facilities in industries subject to EPCRA section 313 reporting. This reporting has been successful in providing communities with important information regarding the disposition of toxic chemicals and other waste management information of toxic chemicals from manufacturing facilities in their areas. EPA collects, processes, and makes available to the public all of the information collected that is not subject to trade secrecy claims. The information gathered under these authorities is stored in a database maintained at EPA and is available through the Internet. This information, commonly known as the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), is used extensively by both EPA and the public sector. Program offices within EPA use TRI data, along with other sources of data, to establish priorities, evaluate potential exposure scenarios, and undertake regulatory and enforcement activities. Environmental and public interest groups use the data in studies and reports, making the public more aware of releases of chemicals in their communities. Comprehensive publicly-available data about releases, transfers, and other waste management activities of toxic chemicals at the community level are generally not available, other than under VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:28 Dec 14, 2007 Jkt 214001 the reporting requirements of EPCRA section 313. Permit data are often difficult to obtain, are not cross-media, and provide only a limited perspective on a facility’s overall performance. With TRI, communities and governments know what toxic chemicals industrial facilities in their area release, transfer, or otherwise manage as waste. In addition, industries have an additional tool for evaluating their production efficiencies and for measuring progress on their pollution prevention goals. Responses to the collection of information are mandatory (see 40 CFR part 372). Respondents may claim trade secrecy for a chemical’s identity as described in section 322 of EPCRA and its implementing regulations in 40 CFR part 350. EPA will disclose information that is covered by a claim of trade secrecy only to the extent permitted by, and in accordance with, the procedures in 40 CFR part 350 and 40 CFR part 2. 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 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and are identified on the form and/or instrument, if applicable. Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 29.66 hours per form for a single listed Non-PBT chemical and 51.34 hours for a single listed PBT chemical. (All estimates incorporate proposed changes in the reporting burden.) 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: The reporting requirements found in EPCRA section 313 apply to owners and operators of facilities that have 10 or more full-time employees, manufacture or process more than 25,000 pounds or otherwise use more than 10,000 pounds PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 of a listed chemical, and are in the manufacturing sector or in any of seven additional industry sectors added to the TRI Program by EPA in 1997. Historically these sectors were identified by their Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes. Beginning with Reporting Year (RY) 2006, the TRI Program converted from SIC codes to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes (71 FR 32464, June 6, 2006). The full list of NAICS codes for facilities that must report to TRI (including exemptions and/or limitations) if all other threshold determinations are met can be found in Appendix F of the ICR Supporting Statement. Estimated Number of Responses: 66,751. Estimated Number of Respondents: 19,441. Frequency of Response: Once per year. Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 3,217,280. Estimated Total Annual Cost: $160,790,000, includes $0 annualized capital or O&M costs. Changes in the Estimates: In this ICR Renewal, the effect of the TRI final rule expanding Form A eligibility (71 FR 76932, December 22, 2006) is expected to reduce overall TRI reporting burden due to increased Form A eligibility (i.e., number of Form Rs decreased and number of Form As increased, yielding a net burden decrease) with total respondent burden of Form R reporting projected at 3,215,715 hours. Proposed Changes from the Last Approval: EPA proposes to make the following changes to the ICR for the TRI Form R: (1) Provide more specific ‘‘basis of estimate’’ codes (applies to Form R only.) Facilities may currently select among four codes to indicate how they calculate their release quantities: the use of monitoring data (code M), mass balance calculations (C), emission factors (E), and other approaches (O). The addition of more specific codes in the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions will allow reporting facilities to provide more detailed information on their basis of estimate. Collecting more specific ‘‘basis of estimate’’ data will help the TRI Program determine which methods are most often used and/or appropriate for use by particular industries for certain chemicals, as well as when new TRI guidance may be needed. Therefore, EPA will provide a more extensive list of codes for ‘‘basis of estimate’’ in the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions, including (M1) and (M2) for continuous and periodic/random monitoring, E:\FR\FM\17DEN1.SGM 17DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 241 / Monday, December 17, 2007 / Notices ebenthall on PROD1PC69 with NOTICES respectively; and (E1) and (E2) for published and site-specific emission factors, respectively. (Codes (C) and (O) will remain unchanged.) By using these codes, facilities will indicate the principal method used to determine the quantities reported to TRI. (2) Enhance Public Contact information (applies to Form and Form A.) EPA proposes to add a place on the form where a facility can provide the email address for the ‘‘Public Contact’’ on the Form R, in addition to the Public Contact name and telephone number which are already on the Form R. This should make it easier to contact the individual identified. (3) Add boxes for entering revision codes (applies to Form R and Form A.) The TRI Program currently receives many form revisions each year, but does not currently collect information on the reasons for the revisions. EPA proposes to add new revision codes that will help both the public and the TRI Program staff understand why a facility resubmitted a form. In addition, the TRI Program may be able to analyze the revision codes entered by facilities to identify and address recurring reporting issues that facilities may be facing, ultimately reducing errors and saving time for both the Agency and the reporting facilities. Facilities would be able to report up to two codes (listed and defined in the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions) indicating the main reason(s) that a form is being revised. (4) Provide a field for withdrawing a form and add boxes for entering withdrawal Codes (applies to Form R and Form A.) Currently, a facility that wishes to withdraw a previously submitted form must submit its request, including the rationale, as a hard copy memorandum to the TRI Data Processing Center. Adding a ‘‘Withdrawal’’ field and associated code boxes for reasons for withdrawal to Form R will (1) streamline the withdrawal process for facilities, (2) make it easier for EPA to automate the withdrawal process, and (3) improve the Agency’s ability to analyze the reasons for withdrawals. Notes 1. EPA also proposed other changes (72 FR 37762; July 11, 2007) but has since concluded those changes are not necessary. 2. Additional changes were made to adjust estimates for ‘‘Number of Responses’’ and ‘‘Burden Hours’’ to reflect the most recent conditions of RY2005. In the last ICR, RY2002 was the base year; in the last OMB Action, RY2004 was the base year. Over this period of time, the total number of Form R submissions declined. VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:28 Dec 14, 2007 Jkt 214001 Dated: December 11, 2007. Sara Hisel-McCoy, Director, Collection Strategies Division. [FR Doc. E7–24369 Filed 12–14–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA–HQ–OECA–2007–0468; FRL–8507–6] Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Environmental Impact Assessment of Nongovernmental Activities in Antarctica (Renewal); EPA ICR No. 1808.05, OMB Control No. 2020–0007 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 January 16, 2008. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– OECA–2007–0468, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by email to docket.oeca@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Enforcement and Compliance Docket; Environmental Protection Agency; Mailcode: 2822T, 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. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aimee Hessert, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities, (Mail Code 2252A), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564–0993; fax number: (202) 564–0072; e-mail address: hessert.aimee@epa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB for review and approval according to the PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 71405 procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12. On June 12, 2007 (72 FR 32292), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received 1 comment during the comment period, which is addressed in the ICR. 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–OECA–2007–0468, which is available for online viewing at www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Enforcement and Compliance Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 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 Enforcement and Compliance Docket is 202–564–7152. Use EPA’s electronic docket and comment system at 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 www.regulations.gov as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, Confidential Business Information (CBI), or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic docket, go to www.regulations.gov. Title: Environmental Impact Assessment of Nongovernmental Activities in Antarctica (Renewal). ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1808.05, OMB Control No. 2020–0007. ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2007. 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 E:\FR\FM\17DEN1.SGM 17DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 241 (Monday, December 17, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71403-71405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24369]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-TRI-2007-0355; FRL-8507-5]


Agency Information Collection Activities, Proposed Collections; 
Toxic Chemical Release Reporting; Request for Comments on Proposed 
Changes and the Renewal of Form R (EPA ICR No. 1363.15, OMB Control No. 
2070-0093)

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 make 
changes to and renew an existing approved collection. The ICR 
Supporting Statement, which is abstracted below, describes the nature 
of the information collection (including proposed minor form changes) 
and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before January 16, 
2008.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-TRI-
2007-0355, to (1) EPA online using https://www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by e-mail to oei.docket@epa.gov, or by mail to EPA 
Docket Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 2822T, 
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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cassandra Vail, Toxics Release 
Inventory Program Division, Office of Information Analysis and Access 
(2844T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number, 202-566-0753; fax number, 202-
566-0740; e-mail address, vail.cassandra@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA submitted an earlier version of the ICR 
Supporting Statement to OMB for review and approval according to the 
procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12. On July 11, 2007 (72 FR 37762), 
EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA 
received four comments during the comment period, which are addressed 
in the Response to Comments Document. Any additional comments on the 
revised ICR Supporting Statement should be submitted to EPA and OMB 
within 30 days of this notice.
    EPA has established a public docket for the ICR described in this 
notice under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-TRI-2007-0355, which is available for 
online viewing at https://www.regulations.gov, or in person at the OEI 
Docket, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), U.S. EPA West Building, Room 3334, 
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 OEI Docket is 202-566-1752.
    Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at https://
www.regulations.gov to submit or view public comments, to 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 materials, Confidential Business Information (CBI,) or 
other information for which public disclosure is restricted by statute. 
For further information about the electronic docket, go to https://
www.regulations.gov.
    Title: ICR Renewal and Proposed Changes to the TRI Form R, 
Information Collection Request Supporting Statement.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1363.15, OMB Control No. 2070-0093.
    ICR Status: The current ICR is scheduled to expire on January 31, 
2008. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or 
sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending 
at OMB. 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 and 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.

[[Page 71404]]

    Abstract: The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act 
(EPCRA) section 313 requires owners and operators of certain facilities 
that manufacture, process, or otherwise use any of certain listed toxic 
chemicals and chemical categories in excess of applicable threshold 
quantities to report annually to the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency and to the states in which such facilities are located on their 
environmental releases and transfers of and other waste management 
activities for such chemicals. In addition, section 6607 of the 
Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) requires facilities to provide 
information on the quantities of the toxic chemicals in waste streams 
and the efforts made to reduce or eliminate those quantities. Annual 
reporting under EPCRA section 313 of toxic chemical releases and other 
waste management information provides citizens with a useful picture of 
the total disposition of chemicals in their communities and helps focus 
industry's attention on pollution prevention and source reduction 
opportunities.
    In accordance with the mission to protect the environment and human 
health, EPA believes that the public has a right to know about the 
disposition of chemicals within communities and the management of such 
chemicals by facilities in industries subject to EPCRA section 313 
reporting. This reporting has been successful in providing communities 
with important information regarding the disposition of toxic chemicals 
and other waste management information of toxic chemicals from 
manufacturing facilities in their areas. EPA collects, processes, and 
makes available to the public all of the information collected that is 
not subject to trade secrecy claims. The information gathered under 
these authorities is stored in a database maintained at EPA and is 
available through the Internet.
    This information, commonly known as the Toxics Release Inventory 
(TRI), is used extensively by both EPA and the public sector. Program 
offices within EPA use TRI data, along with other sources of data, to 
establish priorities, evaluate potential exposure scenarios, and 
undertake regulatory and enforcement activities. Environmental and 
public interest groups use the data in studies and reports, making the 
public more aware of releases of chemicals in their communities. 
Comprehensive publicly-available data about releases, transfers, and 
other waste management activities of toxic chemicals at the community 
level are generally not available, other than under the reporting 
requirements of EPCRA section 313. Permit data are often difficult to 
obtain, are not cross-media, and provide only a limited perspective on 
a facility's overall performance. With TRI, communities and governments 
know what toxic chemicals industrial facilities in their area release, 
transfer, or otherwise manage as waste. In addition, industries have an 
additional tool for evaluating their production efficiencies and for 
measuring progress on their pollution prevention goals.
    Responses to the collection of information are mandatory (see 40 
CFR part 372). Respondents may claim trade secrecy for a chemical's 
identity as described in section 322 of EPCRA and its implementing 
regulations in 40 CFR part 350. EPA will disclose information that is 
covered by a claim of trade secrecy only to the extent permitted by, 
and in accordance with, the procedures in 40 CFR part 350 and 40 CFR 
part 2. 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 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and are identified on 
the form and/or instrument, if applicable.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 29.66 
hours per form for a single listed Non-PBT chemical and 51.34 hours for 
a single listed PBT chemical. (All estimates incorporate proposed 
changes in the reporting burden.) 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: The reporting requirements found in 
EPCRA section 313 apply to owners and operators of facilities that have 
10 or more full-time employees, manufacture or process more than 25,000 
pounds or otherwise use more than 10,000 pounds of a listed chemical, 
and are in the manufacturing sector or in any of seven additional 
industry sectors added to the TRI Program by EPA in 1997. Historically 
these sectors were identified by their Standard Industrial 
Classification (SIC) codes. Beginning with Reporting Year (RY) 2006, 
the TRI Program converted from SIC codes to North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS) codes (71 FR 32464, June 6, 2006). The 
full list of NAICS codes for facilities that must report to TRI 
(including exemptions and/or limitations) if all other threshold 
determinations are met can be found in Appendix F of the ICR Supporting 
Statement.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 66,751.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 19,441.
    Frequency of Response: Once per year.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 3,217,280.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $160,790,000, includes $0 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: In this ICR Renewal, the effect of the 
TRI final rule expanding Form A eligibility (71 FR 76932, December 22, 
2006) is expected to reduce overall TRI reporting burden due to 
increased Form A eligibility (i.e., number of Form Rs decreased and 
number of Form As increased, yielding a net burden decrease) with total 
respondent burden of Form R reporting projected at 3,215,715 hours.
    Proposed Changes from the Last Approval: EPA proposes to make the 
following changes to the ICR for the TRI Form R:
    (1) Provide more specific ``basis of estimate'' codes (applies to 
Form R only.) Facilities may currently select among four codes to 
indicate how they calculate their release quantities: the use of 
monitoring data (code M), mass balance calculations (C), emission 
factors (E), and other approaches (O). The addition of more specific 
codes in the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions will allow reporting 
facilities to provide more detailed information on their basis of 
estimate. Collecting more specific ``basis of estimate'' data will help 
the TRI Program determine which methods are most often used and/or 
appropriate for use by particular industries for certain chemicals, as 
well as when new TRI guidance may be needed. Therefore, EPA will 
provide a more extensive list of codes for ``basis of estimate'' in the 
TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions, including (M1) and (M2) for 
continuous and periodic/random monitoring,

[[Page 71405]]

respectively; and (E1) and (E2) for published and site-specific 
emission factors, respectively. (Codes (C) and (O) will remain 
unchanged.) By using these codes, facilities will indicate the 
principal method used to determine the quantities reported to TRI.
    (2) Enhance Public Contact information (applies to Form and Form 
A.) EPA proposes to add a place on the form where a facility can 
provide the e-mail address for the ``Public Contact'' on the Form R, in 
addition to the Public Contact name and telephone number which are 
already on the Form R. This should make it easier to contact the 
individual identified.
    (3) Add boxes for entering revision codes (applies to Form R and 
Form A.) The TRI Program currently receives many form revisions each 
year, but does not currently collect information on the reasons for the 
revisions. EPA proposes to add new revision codes that will help both 
the public and the TRI Program staff understand why a facility 
resubmitted a form. In addition, the TRI Program may be able to analyze 
the revision codes entered by facilities to identify and address 
recurring reporting issues that facilities may be facing, ultimately 
reducing errors and saving time for both the Agency and the reporting 
facilities. Facilities would be able to report up to two codes (listed 
and defined in the TRI Reporting Forms and Instructions) indicating the 
main reason(s) that a form is being revised.
    (4) Provide a field for withdrawing a form and add boxes for 
entering withdrawal Codes (applies to Form R and Form A.) Currently, a 
facility that wishes to withdraw a previously submitted form must 
submit its request, including the rationale, as a hard copy memorandum 
to the TRI Data Processing Center. Adding a ``Withdrawal'' field and 
associated code boxes for reasons for withdrawal to Form R will (1) 
streamline the withdrawal process for facilities, (2) make it easier 
for EPA to automate the withdrawal process, and (3) improve the 
Agency's ability to analyze the reasons for withdrawals.

    Notes 
    1. EPA also proposed other changes (72 FR 37762; July 11, 2007) 
but has since concluded those changes are not necessary.
    2. Additional changes were made to adjust estimates for ``Number 
of Responses'' and ``Burden Hours'' to reflect the most recent 
conditions of RY2005. In the last ICR, RY2002 was the base year; in 
the last OMB Action, RY2004 was the base year. Over this period of 
time, the total number of Form R submissions declined.


    Dated: December 11, 2007.
Sara Hisel-McCoy,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. E7-24369 Filed 12-14-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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