Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program Final Rulemaking Under Title VI of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990

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: Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program Final Rulemaking under Title VI of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, OMB Control No. 2060-0226, ICR No. 1596.05, expiration date 7/31/2000. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden and cost; where appropriate, it includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before May 17, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For a copy of the ICR contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone at (202) 260-2740, by email at farmer.sandy@epamail.epa.gov, or download off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR No. 1596.05. For technical questions about the ICR, contact Ms. Kelly Davis at (202)564-2303, fax:(202)565-2096 or email: davis.kelly@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program Final Rulemaking Under Title VI of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (OMB Control No. 2060-0226; EPA ICR No. 1596.05) expiring 7/31/00. This is a request for extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: Information collected under this rulemaking is necessary to implement the requirements of the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP)program for evaluating and regulating substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals being phased out under the stratospheric ozone protection provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA). Under CAA section 612, EPA is authorized to identify and restrict the use of substitutes for class I and class II ozone-depleting substances where EPA determines other alternatives exist that reduce overall risk to human health and the environment. The SNAP program, based on information collected from the manufacturers, formulators, and/or sellers of such substitutes, identifies acceptable substitutes. Responses to the collection of information are mandatory under Section 612 for anyone who sells or, in certain cases, uses substitutes for an ozone-depleting substance after April 18, 1994, the effective date of the final rule. Under CAA section 114(c), emissions information may not be claimed as confidential. 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 Federal Register document required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on this collection of information, was published on January 26, 2000, at 65 FR 4243. No comments were received.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection is estimated to average 30 hours per response. 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: manufacturers, importers, formulators and processors of substitutes for ozone-depleting substances.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 330.

Frequency of Response: Once.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 10,363 hours.

Estimated Total Annualized Capital and Operating & Maintenance Cost Burden: $44,452.

Send comments on the Agency's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of automated collection techniques to the following addresses. Please refer to EPA ICR No.1596.05 and OMB Control No. 2060-0226 in any correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Collection Strategies Division (2822), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20460;

  and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503.