Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRC-4856-7]

Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501

et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request

(ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature

of the information collection and its expected cost and burden; where

appropriate, it includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 2, 1994.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandy Farmer at ETA, (202) 260-2740

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response

Title: Notification of Episodic Releases of Oil and Hazardous

Substances, EPA ICR # 1049.07. This ICR requests renewal of a

currently approved collection (OMB #2050-0046).

Abstract: The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation,

and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) establishes broad Federal authority

to respond to releases of hazardous substances from vessels and

facilities. A ``hazardous substance'' is defined in section 101(14) of

CERCLA by reference to other environmental statutes, including Clean

Water Act (CWA) section 311 and 307; Clean Air Act (CAA) section 112;

the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) section 3001; the

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) section 7; and CERCLA section

102(a). There are currently about 793 CERCLA hazardous substances,

another 1,500 radionuclides, and an unspecified number of unlisted RCRA

hazardous wastes that are also considered CERCLA hazardous substances.

When the CAA Amendments were enacted on November 15, 1990, 190 air

pollutants were listed as hazardous under section 112(b) of the CAA.

While the majority of those pollutants were already CERCLA hazardous

substances with established Reportable Quantities (RQs), those not

previously listed were assigned the statutory RQ of one pound. The

Agency has proposed RQ adjustments for 47 of the individual substances

in an October 22, 1993, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM 58 FR

54836).

CERCLA section 103 reporting requirements are triggered following

the release of a hazardous substance to the environment that is above

its assigned RQ. The person in charge of a facility must immediately

notify the National Response Center (NRC) about the release and provide

general background information, such as the location of the incident

and the name and address of the discharger, as well as more detailed

information about the circumstances surrounding the release, including

the type of material(s) released, environmental medium(a) affected, and

cause(s) and source(s) of the release. Notification under CERCLA

section 103(a) is intended to ensure that Federal authorities receive

prompt notification of hazardous substance releases for which a timely

response may be necessary to protect public health, welfare or the

environment.

Burden Statement: The estimated annual public reporting burden for

this collection of information is estimated to average 4.1 hours per

release, including time for reviewing regulatory requirements,

gathering the required release information, contacting the NRC about

the release, and keeping a log.

Respondents: Anyone in charge of a facility or vessel from which a

hazardous substance was spilled or released into the environment in

quantities greater than its RQ.

Estimated No. of Respondents: 29,844 release reports.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 122,360 hours.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion--as a release occurs.

Send comments regarding the burden estimate, or any other aspect of

this information collection, including suggestions for reducing the

burden, to:

Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Information

Policy Branch (Mail Code: 2136), 401 M Street SW., Washington, DC

20460;

and

Tim Hunt, Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20530.

Dated: March 24, 1994.

Paul Lapsley,

Director, Regulatory Management Division.

[FR Doc. 94-7853 Filed 3-31-94; 8:45 am]

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