Proposed Information Collection Request; Revision; Changes to EPA's Natural Gas STAR Program, 48164-48165 [2024-12260]

Download as PDF khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES 48164 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 5, 2024 / Notices program and further cooperative federalism. At this time, the EPA is working to consolidate the two burden estimates of the activities that were previously split 50/50 between this WQS Regulation ICR and a separate NPDES Program ICR, OMB Control Number 2040–0004. These activities are the Great Lakes Antidegradation Demonstrations and Great Lakes Regulatory Relief Requests. The EPA anticipates that by the time this WQS Regulation ICR renewal is finalized, the full reporting burden for both activities would have been transferred and consolidated within the NPDES Program ICR. Therefore, the EPA is not reporting burden estimates for these two activities in this WQS Regulation ICR renewal. Furthermore, this WQS Regulation ICR does not include estimates for the burden and costs of activities related to the changes to protect Tribal Reserved Rights the EPA made to the Water Quality Standards Regulation, 40 CFR part 131, effective on June 3, 2024 (see 89 FR 35717, May 2, 2024). There is a separate ICR covering those additional activities to protect Tribal Reserved Rights, see OMB control number 2040– 0309, EPA ICR 2700.02.Given the uncertainties in the burden and costs estimates in that separate ICR, the EPA expects to revise the estimates based on experience gained from implementing the regulation changes to protect Tribal Reserved Rights. The EPA then expects to consolidate that revision of the burden and costs related to the additional activities to protect Tribal Reserved Rights into a future renewal of the WQS Regulation ICR. Therefore, in the future, the EPA anticipates having one WQS Regulation ICR that includes the current separate ICR for the additional activities to protect Tribal Reserved Rights. Form Numbers: None. Respondents/affected entities: Potential respondents to this ICR include: the 50 States, the District of Columbia, five territories, authorized Tribes with the EPA-approved water quality standards (49 Tribes as of May 2024), and a total of 18 additional Tribal respondents over the three-year duration of the ICR. The total number of potential respondents is thus 123. Respondent’s obligation to respond: Some collections in this ICR are mandatory, some are required to obtain or retain benefits pursuant to the WQS Regulation, and some are voluntary. Estimated number of respondents: 123. Frequency of response: Variable (once every three years, on occasion or as VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:50 Jun 04, 2024 Jkt 262001 necessary, or only once) depending on type of information collected. Total estimated burden: 484,322 hours per year. Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b). Total estimated cost: $24,773,070 in labor costs and $345,180 in operations and maintenance costs per year. There are no annualized capital costs. Change in estimates: An increase in 13,560 hours in estimated respondent burden compared with the currently approved ICR. The increase reflects the burden hours associated with the addition of three Tribal respondents for the information collections on ‘‘Administering State and Tribal WQS’’ and ‘‘Voluntary WQS Program Information’’. See Supporting Statement in the docket for more information. Deborah G. Nagle, Director, Office of Science and Technology, Office of Water. [FR Doc. 2024–12302 Filed 6–4–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA–HQ–OAR–2016–0731; FRL–11980–01– OAR] Proposed Information Collection Request; Revision; Changes to EPA’s Natural Gas STAR Program Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit a revision information collection request (ICR), ‘‘Changes to EPA’s Natural Gas STAR Program’’ (EPA ICR No. 2547.01, OMB Control No. 2060–0722) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. Specifically, EPA is proposing to remove all program partner reporting elements from the ICR, leaving the ‘‘Oil and Gas Equipment and Service Providers Directory’’ as the only component covered under this ICR. This revision is a proposed extension of the ICR titled ‘‘EPA’s Methane Challenge and Natural Gas STAR Programs,’’ which is currently approved through December 31, 2024. This notice allows for 60 days for public comments. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 5, 2024. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– OAR–2016–0731 online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by email to a-and-r-Docket@ epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. 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: Andrew Meluch, Office of Atmospheric Programs, Climate Change Division, (6207A), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564–4762; email address: meluch.andrew@epa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This revision is a proposed extension of the ICR titled ‘‘EPA’s Methane Challenge and Natural Gas STAR Programs,’’ which is currently approved through December 31, 2024. 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. This notice allows 60 days for public comments. 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 https://www.epa.gov/ dockets. Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 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 ADDRESSES: E:\FR\FM\05JNN1.SGM 05JNN1 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 5, 2024 / Notices who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate forms of information technology. 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. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB. Abstract: The Natural Gas STAR Program and Methane Challenge Partnership (‘‘Gas STAR Programs’’) are voluntary programs sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that have encouraged oil and natural gas companies to adopt cost effective technologies and practices that improve operational efficiency and reduce methane emissions. Methane is the primary component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas. The Programs have worked with oil and natural gas companies in the production, gathering & boosting, processing, transmission & storage, and distribution segments to remove barriers that inhibit the implementation of technologies and practices that reduce methane emissions. EPA has recently taken historic steps to tackle wasteful methane emissions from the oil and gas sector beyond voluntary action. The Inflation Reduction Act directed EPA to implement a suite of actions to swiftly reduce methane emissions through the creation of the Methane Emissions Reductions Program (MERP). On December 2, 2023, EPA announced final New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines (NSPS/EG) to regulate the oil and gas industry under the Clean Air Act, resulting in ambitious requirements to reduce methane from both new and existing sources. The Department of Transportation has also imposed requirements on the transmission segment including implementation of the PIPES Act of 2020. Based on the limited remaining potential for voluntary actions to reduce methane emissions, EPA will be sunsetting the Methane Challenge Partnership, and transitioning its outreach efforts to advance ambitious, sector-wide methane reductions through technical assistance and outreach under the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. This follows EPA’s sunsetting of the partnership agreements, implementation plans, and the reporting component of the Natural Gas STAR Program in 2022. Updating the ICR for the Methane Challenge Partnership and the Natural Gas STAR Program to reflect these programmatic changes is expected VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:50 Jun 04, 2024 Jkt 262001 to significantly decrease burden by removing all partner reporting and partnership related data sharing aspects. The sole programmatic element involving voluntary collection of information the EPA plans to retain is the Oil and Gas Equipment and Service Providers Directory. This directory’s purpose is to share information about service and technology providers that can facilitate methane emission reduction activities in the oil and gas sector. Form Numbers: The Natural Gas STAR Program’s Oil and Gas Equipment and Service Providers Directory collects information via a webform, Service Providers Directory: EPA Form No. 5900–502; located at the following URL: https://www.epa.gov/natural-gas-starprogram/forms/join-oil-and-gasequipment-and-service-providersdirectory. Respondents/affected entities: The Natural Gas STAR Program’s Oil and Gas Equipment and Service Providers Directory is open to companies that offer services, technologies, and/or equipment that can help oil and gas operators reduce their methane emissions. EPA does not specifically endorse any product, technology, equipment, or service listed in the Program’s Directory. Respondent’s obligation to respond: Voluntary. Estimated number of respondents: 50 vendors (total). Frequency of response: Semi-annual. Total estimated burden: 13 hours (per year) for the Natural Gas STAR Program. Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b). Total estimated cost: $3,549 (per year) for the Natural Gas STAR Program. There are no capital/start-up costs or O&M costs associated with this information collection. Changes in Estimates: EPA expects that the burden associated with the final ICR submission for the Natural Gas STAR Program will decrease significantly compared to its previous estimated burden due to modifying this ICR to remove all Methane Challenge partnership agreement forms, implementation plans, reporting forms, and fact sheets. Sharyn Lie, Director, Climate Change Division. [FR Doc. 2024–12260 Filed 6–4–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION Sunshine Act Meetings TIME AND DATE: 10 a.m., Thursday, June 13, 2024. PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 48165 You may observe this meeting in person at 1501 Farm Credit Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102–5090, or virtually. If you would like to observe, at least 24 hours in advance, visit FCA.gov, select ‘‘Newsroom,’’ then select ‘‘Events.’’ From there, access the linked ‘‘Instructions for board meeting visitors’’ and complete the described registration process. STATUS: This meeting will be open to the public. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: The following matters will be considered: • Approval of Minutes for May 9, 2024 • Quarterly Report on Economic Conditions and Farm Credit System Condition and Performance • Semiannual Report on Office of Examination Operations CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: If you need more information or assistance for accessibility reasons, or have questions, contact Ashley Waldron, Secretary to the Board. Telephone: 703–883–4009. TTY: 703– 883–4056. PLACE: Ashley Waldron, Secretary to the Board. [FR Doc. 2024–12462 Filed 6–3–24; 4:15 pm] BILLING CODE 6705–01–P DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Notice of Meeting Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announces a Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) meeting on ‘‘Evaluation and Coordinating Center for the AHRQ/ PCORI Learning Health System Embedded Scientist Training and Research Centers (U18)’’ DATES: July 9, 2024. ADDRESSES: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, (Video Assisted Review), 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenny Griffith, Committee Management Officer, Office of Extramural Research, Education and Priority Populations, Division of Policy, Coordination, and Analysis, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, (AHRQ), 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, Telephone: (301) 427–1557. SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\05JNN1.SGM 05JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 5, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48164-48165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-12260]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2016-0731; FRL-11980-01-OAR]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Revision; Changes to 
EPA's Natural Gas STAR Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit a revision information collection request (ICR), ``Changes to 
EPA's Natural Gas STAR Program'' (EPA ICR No. 2547.01, OMB Control No. 
2060-0722) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing 
so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the 
proposed information collection as described below. Specifically, EPA 
is proposing to remove all program partner reporting elements from the 
ICR, leaving the ``Oil and Gas Equipment and Service Providers 
Directory'' as the only component covered under this ICR. This revision 
is a proposed extension of the ICR titled ``EPA's Methane Challenge and 
Natural Gas STAR Programs,'' which is currently approved through 
December 31, 2024. This notice allows for 60 days for public comments.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 5, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2016-0731 online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by 
email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    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: Andrew Meluch, Office of Atmospheric 
Programs, Climate Change Division, (6207A), Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: (202) 564-4762; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This revision is a proposed extension of the 
ICR titled ``EPA's Methane Challenge and Natural Gas STAR Programs,'' 
which is currently approved through December 31, 2024. 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.
    This notice allows 60 days for public comments. 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 
https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
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

[[Page 48165]]

who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate forms of 
information technology. 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. At that time, EPA will issue 
another Federal Register notice to announce the submission of the ICR 
to OMB and the opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: The Natural Gas STAR Program and Methane Challenge 
Partnership (``Gas STAR Programs'') are voluntary programs sponsored by 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that have encouraged oil 
and natural gas companies to adopt cost effective technologies and 
practices that improve operational efficiency and reduce methane 
emissions. Methane is the primary component of natural gas and a potent 
greenhouse gas. The Programs have worked with oil and natural gas 
companies in the production, gathering & boosting, processing, 
transmission & storage, and distribution segments to remove barriers 
that inhibit the implementation of technologies and practices that 
reduce methane emissions. EPA has recently taken historic steps to 
tackle wasteful methane emissions from the oil and gas sector beyond 
voluntary action. The Inflation Reduction Act directed EPA to implement 
a suite of actions to swiftly reduce methane emissions through the 
creation of the Methane Emissions Reductions Program (MERP). On 
December 2, 2023, EPA announced final New Source Performance Standards 
and Emissions Guidelines (NSPS/EG) to regulate the oil and gas industry 
under the Clean Air Act, resulting in ambitious requirements to reduce 
methane from both new and existing sources. The Department of 
Transportation has also imposed requirements on the transmission 
segment including implementation of the PIPES Act of 2020. Based on the 
limited remaining potential for voluntary actions to reduce methane 
emissions, EPA will be sunsetting the Methane Challenge Partnership, 
and transitioning its outreach efforts to advance ambitious, sector-
wide methane reductions through technical assistance and outreach under 
the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. This follows EPA's sunsetting 
of the partnership agreements, implementation plans, and the reporting 
component of the Natural Gas STAR Program in 2022. Updating the ICR for 
the Methane Challenge Partnership and the Natural Gas STAR Program to 
reflect these programmatic changes is expected to significantly 
decrease burden by removing all partner reporting and partnership 
related data sharing aspects. The sole programmatic element involving 
voluntary collection of information the EPA plans to retain is the Oil 
and Gas Equipment and Service Providers Directory. This directory's 
purpose is to share information about service and technology providers 
that can facilitate methane emission reduction activities in the oil 
and gas sector.
    Form Numbers: The Natural Gas STAR Program's Oil and Gas Equipment 
and Service Providers Directory collects information via a webform, 
Service Providers Directory: EPA Form No. 5900-502; located at the 
following URL: https://www.epa.gov/natural-gas-star-program/forms/join-oil-and-gas-equipment-and-service-providers-directory.
    Respondents/affected entities: The Natural Gas STAR Program's Oil 
and Gas Equipment and Service Providers Directory is open to companies 
that offer services, technologies, and/or equipment that can help oil 
and gas operators reduce their methane emissions. EPA does not 
specifically endorse any product, technology, equipment, or service 
listed in the Program's Directory.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 50 vendors (total).
    Frequency of response: Semi-annual.
    Total estimated burden: 13 hours (per year) for the Natural Gas 
STAR Program. Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $3,549 (per year) for the Natural Gas STAR 
Program. There are no capital/start-up costs or O&M costs associated 
with this information collection.
    Changes in Estimates: EPA expects that the burden associated with 
the final ICR submission for the Natural Gas STAR Program will decrease 
significantly compared to its previous estimated burden due to 
modifying this ICR to remove all Methane Challenge partnership 
agreement forms, implementation plans, reporting forms, and fact 
sheets.

Sharyn Lie,
Director, Climate Change Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-12260 Filed 6-4-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


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