Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Information Requirements for New Marine Compression Ignition Engines at or Above 30 Liters per Cylinder

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), “Information Requirements for New Marine Compression Ignition Engines at or Above 30 Liters per Cylinder” (EPA ICR No. 2345.04, OMB Control No. 2060-0641) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through November 30, 2016. 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.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before November 22, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing the Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0246, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by email to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.

EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nydia Yanira Reyes-Morales, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Mail Code 6405A, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-343-9264; fax number: 202-343-2804; email address: reyes-morales.nydia@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Supporting documents which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act, EPA is soliciting comments and information to enable it 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. EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB.

Abstract: For this ICR, EPA is seeking a revision to an existing package with a three year extension. Title II of the Clean Air Act, (42 U.S.C. 7521 et seq.; CAA), charges the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with issuing certificates of conformity for those engines that comply with applicable emission standards. Such a certificate must be issued before engines may be legally introduced into commerce. Under this ICR, EPA collects information necessary to (1) issue certificates of compliance with emission statements, and (2) verify compliance with various programs and regulatory provisions pertaining to marine compression-ignition engines with a specific engine displacement at or above 30 liters per cylinder, also referred to as Category 3 engines. To apply for a certificate of conformity, manufacturers are required to submit descriptions of their planned production engines, including detailed descriptions of emission control systems and test data. This information is organized by “engine family” groups expected to have similar emission characteristics. There are recordkeeping requirements of up to eight years. The Act also mandates EPA to verify that manufacturers have successfully translated their certified prototypes into mass produced engines, and that these engines comply with emission standards throughout their useful lives.

Under the Production Line Testing Program (“PLT Program”), manufacturers of Category 3 engines are required to test each engine at the sea trial of the vessel in which the engine is installed or within the first 300 hours of operation, whichever comes first. This self-audit program allows manufacturers to monitor compliance and minimize the cost of correcting errors through early detection. In addition, owners and operators of marine vessels with Category 3 engines must record certain information and send minimal annual notifications to EPA to show that engine maintenance and adjustments have not caused engines to be noncompliant. From time to time, EPA may test in-use engines to verify compliance with emission standards throughout the marine engine's useful life and may ask for information about the engine family to be tested.

The information requested is collected by the Diesel Engine Compliance Center (DECC), Compliance Division (CD), Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Office of Air and Radiation, EPA. Besides DECC and CD, this information could be used by the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and the Department of Justice for enforcement purposes.

Proprietary information is kept confidential in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), EPA regulations at 40 CFR parts 2 and 1042.915, and class determinations issued by EPA's Office of General Counsel. Non-confidential business information may be disclosed as requested under FOIA. That information may be used by trade associations, environmental groups, and the public. Most of the information is collected in electronic format and stored in CD's databases.

Form Numbers: 5900-90 (Annual Production Report); 5900-297 (PLT CumSum Report); 5900-298 (PLT Non-CumSum Report); 5900-124 (Application for Certification).

Respondents/Affected Entities: Respondents are manufacturers of marine compression-ignition engines above 30 liters per cylinder and the owners or operators of the vessels in which those engines are installed, within the following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes: 333618 (Other Engine Equipment Manufacturing), 336611 (Manufacturers of Marine Vessels); 811310 (Engine Repair and Maintenance); 483 (Water transportation, freight and passenger).

Respondent's Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain a benefit. Manufacturers must respond to this collection if they wish to sell and/or operate their Category 3 engines in the U.S., as prescribed by Section 206(a) of the CAA (42 U.S.C. 7521) and 40 CFR part 1042. Certification reporting is mandatory (Section 206(a) of CAA (42 U.S.C. 7521) and 40 CFR part 1042, subpart C). PLT reporting is mandatory (Section 206(b)(1) of CAA and 40 CFR part 1042, subpart D).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 201 (total, including engine manufacturers, owners and operators).

Frequency of Response: Quarterly, Annually, On Occasion, depending on the type of response.

Total Estimated Burden: 24,813 hours per year. Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).

Total Estimated Cost: $1,931,765 (per year), includes an estimated $734,588 annualized capital or maintenance and operational costs.

Changes in Estimates: To date, there are no changes in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB. However, EPA is evaluating information that may lead to a change in the estimates. After EPA has evaluated this information, burden estimates may slightly decrease due to the fact that EPA has received fewer applications for certification of Category 3 engine families than previously estimated. Cost estimates may increase due to inflation and labor rate changes.