Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Under EPA's WasteWise Program

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that EPA is planning to submit the following continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Under EPA's WasteWise Program; EPA ICR No. 1698.04; and OMB Control No. 2050-0139, expiring 7/31/00. This is a request for extension of a currently approved information collection EPA ICR No. 1698.03. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before May 1, 2000.

ADDRESSES:

Commenters must send an original and two copies of their comments referencing docket number F-2000-WRIP-FFFFF to: (1) If using regular US Postal Service mail: RCRA Docket Information Center, Office of Solid Waste (5305G), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters (EPA, HQ), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460-0002, or (2) if using special delivery, such as overnight express service: RCRA Docket Information Center (RIC), Crystal Gateway One, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, First Floor, Arlington, VA 22202. Comments may also be submitted electronically through the Internet to: rcra-docket@epa.gov. Comments in electronic format should also be identified by the docket number F-2000-WRIP-FFFFF and must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption.

Commenters should not submit electronically any confidential business information (CBI). An original and two copies of CBI must be submitted under separate cover to: RCRA CBI Document Control Officer, Office of Solid Waste (5305W), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-0002.

Public comments and supporting materials are available for viewing in the RCRA Information Center (RIC), located at Crystal Gateway I, First Floor, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA. The RIC is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. To review docket materials, it is recommended that the public make an appointment by calling 703-603-9230. The public may copy a maximum of 100 pages from any regulatory docket at no charge. Additional copies cost $0.15/page.

The ICR is available on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/wastewise/icr.htm.

The official record for this action will be kept in paper form. Accordingly, EPA will transfer all comments received electronically into paper form and place them in the official record, which will also include all comments submitted directly in writing. EPA responses to comments, whether the comments are written or electronic, will be in a notice in the Federal Register. EPA will not immediately reply to commenters electronically other than to seek clarification of electronic comments that may be garbled in transmission or during conversion to paper form, as discussed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For general information, contact the RCRA Hotline at 800-424-9346 or TDD 800-553-7672 (hearing impaired). In the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, call 703-412-9810 or TDD 703-412-3323. For more detailed information on specific aspects of this rulemaking, contact Barbara A. Nichols, Office of Solid Waste (5306W), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460-0002, 703-308-8659, nichols.barbaraa@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are those businesses, institutions, and government agencies that voluntarily sign up to participate in EPA's WasteWise program.

Title: Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Under EPA's WasteWise Program (OMB No. 2050-0139; EPA ICR No. 1698.04), expiring July 31, 2000.

Abstract: EPA's voluntary WasteWise program encourages businesses and other organizations to reduce solid waste through waste prevention, recycling, and the purchase or manufacture of recycled-content products. WasteWise participants include partners, which commit to implementing waste reduction activities of their choice, and endorsers, which choose to promote the WasteWise program and waste reduction to their members. Endorsers, which are typically trade associations or other membership-based associations, are asked to submit only a one-page form, the Endorser Registration Form, either electronically or in hard copy. This form identifies the organization, the principal contact, and the activities to which the Endorser commits. Partners are asked to fill out three forms as follows. The Partner Registration Form identifies the organization and the facilities that will participate in WasteWise, and includes the signature of a senior official that can commit the organization to the program. This form can be submitted either electronically or in hard copy. Each partner develops its own waste reduction goals and submits a one-page Goals Identification Form to EPA every three years, either electronically or in hard copy. Partners also report annually on the progress made toward achieving these goals in the Annual Reporting Form, estimating amounts of waste prevented and recyclables collected, and describing buying or manufacturing recycled-content products, either electronically or in hard copy.

The EPA WasteWise program uses the voluntarily-submitted information to: (1) Identify and recognize outstanding waste reduction achievements by individual organizations, (2) compile aggregate results that indicate overall accomplishments of WasteWise partners, (3) identify cost-effective waste reduction strategies to share with other organizations, and (4) identify topics on which to develop assistance and information efforts.

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.

The EPA would like to solicit comments 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 who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Burden Statement: The respondent burden for this collection is estimated to average 16 hours per response for the Endorser Registration Form; 16 hours per response for the Partner Registration Form; 25 hours per response for the Goals Identification Form; and 45 hours per response for the Annual Reporting Form. This results in an estimated one-time respondent burden of 16 hours for Endorsers, and an annual Partner respondent burden of 41 hours for new partners and 70 hours for current partners needing to reset 3 year goals and 45 hours for current partners not needing to reset goals. The estimated number of respondents is 1,120 in year 1; 1,270 in year 2; and 1,430 in year 3. Estimated total annual burden on all respondents is 57,510 hours in year 1; 64,260 hours in year 2; and 71,010 hours in year 3.

Burden estimates include 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.