Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Cooling Water Intake Structures New Facility Final Rule (Renewal), 80767 [2015-32611]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 248 (Monday, December 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 80767]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32611]



[[Page 80767]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0719; FRL 9940-56-OEI]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Cooling Water Intake Structures New Facility 
Final Rule (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Cooling Water Intake Structures 
New Facility Final Rule (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 1973.06, OMB Control 
No. 2040-0241) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.). This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is 
currently approved through December 31, 2015. Public comments were 
previously requested via the Federal Register (80 FR 60142) on October 
5, 2015 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an 
additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR 
is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. 
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.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before January 27, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2008-0719, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by email to ow-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA 
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB via email to 
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer for 
EPA.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amelia Letnes, Office of Wastewater 
Management, Mail Code 4203M, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-
5627; email address: letnes.amelia@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the 
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) provides that 
``[a]ny standard established pursuant to [CWA section 301] or [CWA 
section 306] and applicable to a point source shall require that the 
location, design, construction, and capacity of cooling water intake 
structures reflect the best technology available for minimizing adverse 
environmental impact.''
    The section 316(b) New Facility Rule (66 FR 65256; December 18, 
2001) and minor amendments (68 FR 36749; June 19, 2003) implement 
section 316(b) of the CWA as it applies to new facilities that use 
cooling water intake structures (CWISs). The rule requires new 
facilities to submit several distinct types of information as part of 
their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit 
application. In addition, the rule requires new facilities to maintain 
monitoring and reporting data as outlined by the Director in their 
NPDES permits. The information requirements in this Information 
Collection Request (ICR) are necessary to ensure that new facilities 
are complying with the rule's provisions, and thereby minimizing 
adverse environmental impact resulting from impingement and entrainment 
losses due to the withdrawal of cooling water.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: State Governments, Private Entities
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory per Clean Water Act 
(CWA) section 316(b).
    Estimated number of respondents: 145 (total).
    Frequency of response: Annually, on occasion
    Total estimated burden: 151,789 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b)
    Total estimated cost: $11,817,460 (per year), includes $2,267,728 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 13,368 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase is due to expected growth in the number 
of permitted facilities over the next three years.

Courtney Kerwin,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2015-32611 Filed 12-24-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P