Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives, Gasoline Volatility Rule

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6141-7]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB

Review; Comment Request; Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives,

Gasoline Volatility Rule

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 forwarded to the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Regulation of Fuels and Fuel

Additives, Gasoline Volatility Rule; OMB Control Number 2060-0178,

expiration date 8/31/98. 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 September 10, 1998.

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. 1367.05.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives, Gasoline Volatility

Rule, OMB Control Number 2060-0178, EPA ICR Number 1367.05, expiration

date 8/31/98. This is a request for extension of a currently approved

collection.

Abstract: Section 211(h) of the Clean Air Act (Act), 42 U.S.C.

7545(h), required the Administrator to promulgate regulations

prohibiting the supply or sale of gasoline exceeding certain volatility

standards during the high ozone season. The Act provides that for

gasoline blends containing 10% ethanol the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP)

may be one pound per square inch (psi) greater than the applicable RVP

standard for gasoline not containing 10% ethanol. Parties receiving

gasoline (e.g., retailers), must know whether the gasoline contains

ethanol. Otherwise gasoline not containing ethanol may be commingled

with gasoline containing ethanol, resulting in gasoline exceeding the

applicable non-ethanol RVP standard due to the presence of ethanol, but

not at the 10% concentration required for the 1 psi exemption, in

violation of the Act and regulations. Therefore, EPA requires, at 40

CFR 80.27(d)(3), that the customary business practice (CBP) transfer

documents accompanying shipments of gasoline containing ethanol must

state that the gasoline contains ethanol and the percentage

concentration (by volume) of ethanol. The statement can be in brief

code and it can be preprinted or automatically printed. There is no

mandatory retention period or maintenance requirement. There is no

reporting requirement or periodic recordkeeping requirement. All

responses (print the information and submit to transferee of gasoline)

are mandatory. EPA has authority to require this information under

section 211 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7545, section 114 of the Act, 42

U.S.C. 7414 and section 208 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7542. Confidentiality

of information obtained from parties is protected under 40 CFR part 2.

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 2/26/98 (63

FR 9791); May 5, 1998, no comments were received. Therefore, the ICR

supporting statement does not summarize comments or EPA's actions taken

in response to comments. However, EPA did consult industry persons by

telephone and parties contacted indicated the paperwork requirement has

virtually no measurable burden for those distributors whose CBP

transfer documents are computer printed or pre-printed. Parties who are

not automated use a few seconds per transaction to stamp or write their

code on the CBP transfer document.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping

burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.15

hour per year for all gasoline distributors handling gasoline

containing ethanol and the average burden for non automated parties is

0.3 hour per year (and 0 hour per year for automated parties). Burden

means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by

persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or

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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: Distributors of gasoline containing

ethanol.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 8,792 gasoline distributors, only

4,396 of which have a measurable annual hourly burden.

Frequency of Response: 307 business transactions per year per

respondent with paperwork required on the occasion of the transactions;

approximately 2,706,000 total annual responses.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,319 hours.

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. 1367.05 and OMB Control No. 2060-0178 in any

correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of

Policy, 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: August 5, 1998.

Stephen T. Vineski,

Regulatory Information Division.

[FR Doc. 98-21524 Filed 8-10-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P