Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Voluntary Cover Sheet for TSCA Submissions, EPA ICR No. 1780.03, OMB No. 2070-0156

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: Voluntary Cover Sheet for TSCA Submission (EPA ICR #1780.03; OMB #2070-0156). This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on February 29, 2004. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before March 15, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID Number OPPT-2003-0017, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to oppt.ncic@epa.gov or by mail to: Document Control Office (DCO), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 7407T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barbara Cunningham, Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 7408, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-554-1404; e-mail address: TSCA-Hotline@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 April 18, 2003, EPA sought comments on this renewal ICR (68 FR 19203). EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received one comment and has addressed the comment received.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. OPPT-2003-0017, which is available for public viewing at the OPPT 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 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 Pollution Prevention and Toxics Docket is 202-566-0280. 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.

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 to www.epa.gov/edocket.

Title: Voluntary Cover Sheet for TSCA Submissions.

Abstract: The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires industry to submit information and studies for existing chemical substances under sections 4, 6, and 8. Under normal reporting conditions, EPA receives thousands of submissions each year; each submission represents on average three studies. In addition, specific data call-ins can be imposed on industry.

As a follow-up to industry experience with a 1994 TSCA data call-in, the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA, now known as the American Chemistry Council (ACC)), the Specialty Organics Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA), and the Chemical Industry Data Exchange (CIDX), in cooperation with EPA, took an interest in pursuing electronic transfer of TSCA summary data and of full submissions to EPA. In particular, ACC developed a standardized cover sheet for voluntary use by industry as a first step to an electronic future and to begin familiarizing companies with standard requirements and concepts of electronic transfer.

This form is designed for voluntary use as a cover sheet for submissions of information under TSCA sections 4, 8(d) and 8(e). The cover sheet facilitates submission of information by displaying certain basic data elements, permitting EPA more easily to identify, log, track, distribute, review and index submissions, and to make information publicly available more rapidly and at reduced cost, to the mutual benefit of both the respondents and EPA.

Responses to the collection of information are voluntary. Respondents may claim all or part of a notice as CBI. EPA will disclose information that is covered by a CBI claim only to the extent permitted by, and in accordance with, the procedures in 40 CFR part 2.

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 in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 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 0.5 hour 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: Companies that manufacture, process, use, import or distribute in commerce chemical substances that are subject to reporting requirements under sections 4, 8(d) or 8(e) of TSCA.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Estimated No. of Respondents: 964.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 9,136 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Costs: $703,435.

Changes in Burden Estimates: There is an increase of 8,221 hours (from 915 hours to 9,136 hours) in the total estimated respondent burden compared with that identified in the information collection request most recently approved by OMB. This change reflects a net increase in the estimated number of submissions under TSCA sections 4, 8(d) and 8(e) for which the Voluntary TSCA Cover Sheet could be used, in particular a substantial increase in the estimated number of TSCA section 4 submissions. Since the use of the Voluntary TSCA Cover Sheet is a direct reflection of the number of submissions received under TSCA sections 4, 8(d) and 8(e), any change in the estimated numbers of submissions under those requirements will result in a parallel change in the burden hours associated with this information collection. This increase represents an adjustment.