68 FR 59 pgs. 14973-14974 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of EPA ICR No. 1500.05 (OMB No. 2040-0138) to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request
Type: NOTICEVolume: 68Number: 59Pages: 14973 - 14974
Docket number: [OW-2003-0001; FRL-7473-9]
FR document: [FR Doc. 03-7369 Filed 3-26-03; 8:45 am]
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OW-2003-0001; FRL-7473-9]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission of EPA ICR No. 1500.05 (OMB No. 2040-0138) to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request
AGENCY:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ), this document announces that the following Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: National Estuary Program. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.
DATES:
Additional comments may be submitted on or before April 28, 2003.
ADDRESSES:
Follow the detailed instructions in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gregory Colianni, Oceans and Coastal Protection Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, mailcode 4504T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-1249; fax number: (202) 566-1336; e-mail address: colianni.gregory@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 29, 2002, (67 FR 65978), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments.
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. OW-2003-0001, which is available for public viewing at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., 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 Water Docket is (202) 566-2426. An electronic version of the public docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public 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 above.
Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice, and according to the following detailed instructions: (1) Submit your comments to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to OW-Docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) Mail your comments to OMB at: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.
EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
Title: National Estuary Program, (OMB Control Number 2040-0138, EPA ICR Number 1500.05). This is a request to renew an existing approved collection that is scheduled to expire on April 30, 2003. Under the OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB.
Abstract: Annual Workplans: The NEP involves collecting information from the State or local agency or nongovernmental organizations that receive funds under section 320 of the Clean Water Act. The regulation requiring this information is found at 40 CFR part 35. Prospective grant recipients seek funding to develop or oversee and coordinate implementation of CCMPs for estuaries of national significance. In order to receive funds, grantees must submit an annual workplan to EPA. The workplan consists of two parts: (a) Progress on projects funded previously; and (b) new projects proposed with dollar amounts and completion dates. The workplan is reviewed by EPA and also serves as the scope of work for the grant agreement. EPA also uses these workplans to track performance of each of the 28 estuary programs currently in the NEP.
Implementation Reviews
EPA provides funding to NEPs to support long-term implementation of CCMPs if such programs pass an implementation review process. Implementation reviews are used to determine progress each NEP is making in implementing its CCMP and achieving environmental results. In addition to evaluating progress, the results are used to identify areas of weakness each NEP should address for long-term success in protecting and restoring their estuaries. EPA will also compile successful tools and approaches as well as lessons learned from all implementation reviews to transfer to the NEPs and other watershed programs. For this ICR cycle, implementation reviews will be required for 9 programs in FY2004 and 19 programs in FY2005. No implementation reviews will be required in FY2003.
Government Performance Results Act (GPRA)
EPA requests that each of the 28 NEP receiving section 320 funds reports information that can be used in the GPRA reporting process. This reporting is done on an annual basis and is used to show environmental results that are being achieved within the overall NEP Program. This information is ultimately submitted to Congress along with GPRA information from other EPA programs.
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 are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR chapter 15, 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 100 hours per response for annual workplans, 250 hours per response for implementation reviews, and 35 hours per response for GPRA reporting. 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; 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 or local governments or nongovernmental organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 28.
Frequency of Response: annual workplans, triennial implementation reviews, annual GPRA reports.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 6,113 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $366,800, includes $0 annualized capital or OM costs.
Changes in the Estimates: An action notice from OMB increased the original burden request for the previous ICR by 40,800 hours.
This cycle will reduce the estimated burden by 40,654 to 6,113 annual respondent hours. These estimated hours are based on the experience of the NEP participants to date.
Dated: March 17, 2003.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-7369 Filed 3-26-03; 8:45 am]
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