Agency Information Collection Activity: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Questionnaire for Nominees for the Annual National Clean Water Act Recognition Awards Program, EPA ICR 1287.07, OMB Control Number 2040-0101

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 continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. 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 burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before April 2, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2003-0064, to (1) 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, Water Docket, MC 4101T, 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 OR CONTACT:

Maria E. Campbell, Office of Wastewater Management, Mail Code 4204-M, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-0628; fax number 202-501-2396; e-mail address campbell.maria@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 August 14, 2003 (68 FR 48606), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). No comments were received.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. OW-2003-0064, 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 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 http://www.epa.gov/edocket .

Title: Questionnaire for Nominees for the Annual National Clean Water Act Recognition Awards Program

Abstract: This ICR requests re-approval of an existing approval to collect data from EPA's National Clean Water Act Recognition Awards nominees. The awards are for the following program categories: Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Excellence, Biosolids (Biosolids) Management Excellence, Combined Sewer Overflow Control (CSO) Program Excellence and Storm Water (SW) Management Excellence.

Note:

Information collection approval for the Pretreatment awards Program is included in the National Pretreatment Program ICR (OMB No. 2040-0009, EPA ICR No. 0002.09), approved through November 30, 2006. The National Clean Water Act Recognition Awards Program is managed by EPA's Office of Wastewater Management (OWM). The Awards Program is authorized under Section 501(e) of the Clean Water Act, as amended. The Awards Program is intended to provide recognition to municipalities and industries which have demonstrated outstanding technological achievements, innovative processes, devices or other outstanding methods in their waste treatment and pollution abatement programs. Over 40 awards are presented annually. The achievements of these award winners are summarized in reports, news articles, national publications, and Federal Register notice.

Submission of information on behalf of the respondents is voluntary. No confidential information is requested. The Agency only collects information from award nominees under 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.

An agency may 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 record keeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 8 hours (per respondents) and 6 hours (per State) per response. Burden means the total time, effort or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 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 information.

Respondents/Affected Entities: Officials at public wastewater treatment plants, municipalities, States and manufacturing sites.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 195.

Frequency of Response: Annually.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 2030.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $94,975, includes $0 annualized capital or O&M costs.

Changes in Estimates: The burden estimated in this supporting statement changes OMB's inventory as a result of a decrease in the estimated number of respondents (from 200 respondents to 195 respondents), changes to review time and reporting estimates (from 2800 burden hours to 2030 hours) and adjustments made to estimated personnel costs. The change reflects a decrease of 5 respondents and 770 burden hours in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB inventory of approved ICR burdens.