Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Chesapeake Registry; EPA ICR No. 2365.02, OMB Control No. 2003-0001, 4066-4067 [2010-1467]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 26, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4066-4067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1467]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R03-CPB-2009-0500; FRL-9106-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Chesapeake Registry; EPA ICR No. 
2365.02, OMB Control No. 2003-0001

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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 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 February 25, 
2010.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-R03-
CBP-2009-0500, to both EPA and OMB. For EPA use one of the following 
three methods:
     https://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method). Follow 
the on-line instructions for submitting.
     Mail: EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Environmental Protection 
Agency, Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center, mail 
code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.
     E-mail: docket.oeca@epa.gov.
    For OMB 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: Marguerite Duffy, USEPA Region III--
Chesapeake Bay Program, Annapolis City Marina, 410 Severn Avenue Suite 
109 (3CB10), Annapolis, MD 21403; telephone number: (410) 267-5764; fax 
number: (410) 267-5777; e-mail address: duffy.marguerite@epa.gov; or 
Doreen Vetter, telephone number (410) 267-5780; e-mail address: 
vetter.doreen@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 October 23, 2009 (74 FR 54801), EPA sought comments on this 
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d) and 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-R03-CBP-2009-0500, which is available for online viewing at 
https://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at EPA Docket Center 
(EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, 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 Enforcement and Compliance Docket is 
(202) 566-1752.
    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,'' key in the docket ID number 
identified above, and hit the ``Submit'' icon. 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, confidential business 
information (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: Chesapeake Registry.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2365.02, OMB Control No. 2003-0001.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on February 28, 2010. 
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: In 2008, EPA's Region III Chesapeake Bay Program Office 
(CBPO) and its partners developed the Chesapeake Action Plan (CAP) to 
strengthen and expand partnerships in the watershed, enhance 
coordination of restoration activities, and increase the collective 
accountability for protecting the Chesapeake Bay. One component 
described in the CAP is a Web-enabled reporting system known as the 
Activity Integration Plan now titled Chesapeake Registry. Through this 
reporting system, participating organizations provide data about the 
activities in which they are currently engaged, or plan to be engaged 
in, to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. The 
ability to capture and account for Bay-wide implementation activities 
was developed in response to recommendations by the Government 
Accountability Office and directives of the Explanatory Statement of 
the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 110-
161). CBPO conducted its first activity data call in 2008 that included 
10 Federal agencies, 7 States, and 2 local organizations.
    The EPA, on behalf of the partnership, intends to expand the data 
call to more than 10 non-federal agencies and organizations to 
strengthen the information base on which to support implementation 
decisions and more recently, to support Executive Order (EO) 13508, 
signed by President Barack Obama on May 12, 2009. Section 203(d) of the 
EO directs EPA to identify the ``mechanisms that will assure that 
governmental and other activities, including data collection and 
distribution, are coordinated and effective, relying on existing 
mechanisms where appropriate.''
    Section 204 further directs that ``Federal actions to protect and 
restore the Chesapeake Bay are closely coordinated with actions by 
State and local agencies in the watershed and that the resources, 
authorities, and expertise of Federal, State, and local agencies are 
used as efficiently as possible.'' The Chesapeake Registry and 
associated data calls provide a mechanism for coordinated data 
collections among federal and nonfederal entities protecting and 
restoring the Bay and its watershed, and the information

[[Page 4067]]

necessary to adaptively manage the program in support of these 
mandates.
    The Chesapeake Registry includes detailed information about the 
activities and funding conducted and planned by partner and stakeholder 
organizations. The organizations provide project information on the 
nature of the activity, responsible organization, organizational point 
of contact, resource levels, geographic location, and major milestones 
on progress towards Chesapeake Bay protection and restoration efforts. 
Funds reported in the Chesapeake Registry are linked to an 
organization's own resource base so that data associated with a set of 
funds is entered only by the originator of the funding. The information 
is organized by programmatic goal and desired result, which aligns 
activities to the goals of the program and helps to provide an accurate 
depiction of restoration activities, progress, and results. The 
information collection, as envisioned, will be conducted annually. 
Summary level information from the Chesapeake Registry is available at 
https://cap.chesapeakebay.net.
    Each reporting organization is assigned a user ID and password. 
Security measures have been established to protect data that have been 
entered, including maintaining the data on a secure server on a secure 
network, and confirming the data with each reporting organization. 
Participants in the information collection are able to search the 
reporting system database application and view standard reports. 
Partners will use the enhanced and expanded data to update performance 
management dashboards that summarize and synthesize information so the 
program partners and stakeholders can understand, at a glance, the 
progress being made in key program areas. The dashboards include 
measures of progress, information about resources and strategic 
analyses of what needs to be done to improve implementation. In 
addition, EPA anticipates that some of the partners and stakeholders 
will use the reporting system as a tool for their own management and 
planning efforts.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 64.8 
hours per response for state and local government agencies and 11.5 
hours per response for non-government organizations. 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 and non-
government organizations within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 50 (30 State and local 
governments, 20 non-government organizations) initially but will likely 
increase over time.
    Frequency of Response: Annual.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,001.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $56,738.
    Changes in the Estimates: EPA anticipates an annual, gradual change 
in the total estimated respondent burden compared with that identified 
in the ICR currently approved by OMB.

    Dated: January 20, 2010.
John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-1467 Filed 1-25-10; 8:45 am]
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