Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; NSPS for Stationary Gas Turbines

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5924-2]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB

Review; Comment Request; NSPS for Stationary Gas Turbines

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 following Information

Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: NSPS (Subpart GG) for

Stationary Gas Turbines; OMB Control Number 2060-0028; expiring 1/31/

98. 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 December 19, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For a copy of the ICR, call Sandy

Farmer at EPA, by phone at (202) 260-2740, by E-Mail at

Farmer.S[email protected] or download off the Internet at http://

www.epa.gov/icr/icr.htm, and refer to EPA ICR No. 1071.06.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: NSPS (Subpart GG) for Stationary Gas Turbines; OMB Control

Number 2060-0028; EPA ICR No. 1071.06; expiring 1/31/98. This is a

request for extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: NSPS for stationary gas turbines (GG) were promulgated on

September 10, 1979 to regulate the emissions of Nitrogen Oxide

(NOX) and Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) into the ambient

air supply. The EPA is charged under section 111 of the Clean Air Act

of 1990, as amended, to establish these standards for new stationary

sources that reflect application of the best demonstrated technology.

In addition, section 114(a) of the Clean Air Act provides for

monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements for these

standards.

Owner/operators of affected facilities must make one-time only

reports which include the following notifications: date of

construction/reconstruction; anticipated and actual dates of start-up;

any physical or operational change which may increase the

SO2 or NOX emission rates; commencement date for

the continuous monitoring system performance demonstration; and date

and results of the initial performance test. Plant owner/operators must

also provide semi-annual reports of excess emissions, as promulgated in

the December 13, 1990 Federal Register (55 FR 51378).

Owner/operators must maintain records of the occurrence and

duration of any start-up, shutdown, or malfunction in operations, or

any periods during which the monitoring system is inoperative.

Recordkeeping is also required to document process information

regarding the: sulfur and nitrogen content of the fuel; fuel:water

ratio; rate of fuel consumption; and ambient conditions. This latter

recordkeeping function involves daily measurements from the continuous

monitoring system to monitor ambient conditions, and to record the fuel

consumption and the ratio of water to fuel being fired in the turbine

only for plants which use water or steam injection to control

NOX emissions. There is generally no additional burden on

the owner/operator to provide this information because adequate

recordkeeping is required of plant operations.

It is important to note that if these data and reports are not

collected, the Agency has no means for ensuring that compliance with

the standards is being achieved and/or maintained by the new, modified,

or reconstructed sources which are subject to regulation. In the

absence of information collection requirements, compliance with the

standards could be ensured only through continuous on-site inspections

by regulatory agency personnel. Consequently, not collecting the

information would result in either greatly increased expenditures of

resources, or the inability to ensure compliance with the standards. In

addition to the purposes mentioned above, this kind of information is

used for targeting plants for inspections and as evidence when

compliance cases are taken to court.

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. Any

information submitted to the Agency for which a claim of

confidentiality is requested will be safeguarded according to the

Agency policies set forth in Title 40, chapter 1, part 2, subpart B:

Confidentiality of Business Information (see 40 CFR 2; 41 FR 36902,

September 1, 1976; amended by 43 FR 39999, September 8, 1978; FR

[[Page 61820]]

42251, September 28, 1978; 44 FR 17674, March 23, 1979). The Federal

Register notice required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on

this collection of information was published on 8/20/97; No comments

were received.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping

burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 51

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: Plant owner/operators of stationary

gas turbines.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 625

Frequency of Response: Annual notification reports, and semi-annual

emission reports.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 76,681.

Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: 0.

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. 1071.06 and OMB Control No. 2060-0028 in any

correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory

Information Division (2137), 401 M Street, SW, 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.

Dated: November 13, 1997.

Joseph Retzer,

Director, Regulatory Information Division.

[FR Doc. 97-30377 Filed 11-18-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P