Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Clean Water Act State Revolving Fund Program

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5954-9]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB

Review; Comment Request; Clean Water Act State Revolving Fund Program

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 document announces that the following Information

Collection Request (ICR) has been for-warded to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Clean Water Act

State Revolving Fund Program, OMB Control Number 2040-0118, and

expiration date of 02/28/98. 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 February 27, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone

at (202) 260-2740, by email at [email protected], or

download off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA

ICR No. 1391.04.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Clean Water Act State Revolving Fund Program; OMB Control

No. 2040-0118; EPA ICR No. 1391.04; expiring on 02 /28/98. This is a

request for an extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: The Clean Water Act, as amended by ``The Water Quality

Act of 1987'' (U.S.C. 1381-1387 et seq.), created a Title VI which

authorizes grants to States for the establishment of State Water

Pollution Control Revolving Funds (SRFs). The information activities

are pursuant to section 606 of the Act, and SRF Interim Final Rule

(March 1990).

The 1987 Act declares that water pollution control revolving loan

funds shall be administered by an instrumentality of the State subject

to the requirements of the Act. This means that each State has a

general

[[Page 4251]]

responsibility for administering its revolving fund and must take on

certain specific responsibilities in carrying out its administrative

duties. The information collection activities will occur primarily at

the program level through the Capitalization Grant Application and

Agreement / Intended Use Plan, Annual Report, State Audit, and

Financial Assistance Application Review.

The State must prepare a Capitalization Grant Application and

Agreement that includes an Intended Use Plan (IUP) outlining in detail

how it will use the program funds. The agree-ment is an instrument by

which the State commits to manage its revolving fund program.

The State must agree to complete and submit an Annual Report on the

uses of the fund. The report will indicate how activities financed will

contribute toward meeting the goals and objectives and provides

information on loan recipients, loan amounts, loan terms and project

categories of eligible costs.

The State will conduct or have conducted a financial audit of its

CWSRF program. The audit report will contain an opinion on the

financial statements of the CWSRF, a report on its internal controls,

and a report on whether the compliance requirements have been met.

Since the States provide assistance to local applicants, the States

will review completed loan applications and verify that proposed

projects meet all applicable Federal and State requirements.

EPA will use the Capitalization Grant Agreement and Application /

Intended Use Plan, Annual Report, and Annual Audit to conduct its

oversight responsibilities as mandated by the CWA.

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. The

Federal Register document required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting

comments on this collection of information was published on 11/21/97

(FRL-5926-1); no comments were received.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and record keeping

burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1,915

hours per State response and 60 hours per local community 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: Fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the

recipients of assistance in these jurisdictions.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,530.

Frequency of Response: Annually.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 186,405 hours.

Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $3,573,740.

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. 1391.04 and OMB Control No. 2040-0118 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: January 22, 1998.

Joseph Retzer,

Director, Regulatory Information Division.

[FR Doc. 98-2086 Filed 1-27-98; 8:45 am]

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