Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Ambient Air Quality Surveillance

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6336-1]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB

Review; Comment Request; Ambient Air Quality Surveillance

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: Ambient Air Quality

Surveillance, OMB Number 2060-0084, EPA ICR 0940.16, expiration date

June 30, 1999. 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 June 4, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone at (202)

260-2740, by E-Mail at Farmer.S[email protected] or download a copy

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

ICR No. 0940.16.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Ambient Air Quality Surveillance, [OMB Number (2060-0084),

EPA ICR # 0940.16] expiring June 30, 1999. This is a request for

extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: The general authority for the collection of ambient air

quality data is contained in sections 110 and 319 of the Clean Air Act

(42 U.S.C. 1857). Section 110 makes it clear that State generated air

quality data are central to the air quality management process through

a system of State implementation plans (SIP). Section 319 was added via

the 1977 Amendments to the Act and spells out the key elements of an

acceptable monitoring and reporting scheme. To a large extent, the

requirements of section 319 had already been anticipated in the

detailed strategy document prepared by EPA's Standing Air Monitoring

Work Group (SAMWG). The regulatory provisions to implement these

recommendations were developed through close consultation with the

State and local agency representatives serving on SAMWG and through

reviews by ad-hoc panels from the State and Territorial Air Pollution

Program Administrators and the Association of

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Local Air Pollution Control Officials. These modifications to the

previous regulations were issued as final rules on May, 10, 1979 (44 FR

27558) and are contained in 40 CFR part 58.

Major amendments which affect the hourly burdens were made in 1983

for lead, 1987 for PM-10, 1993 for enhanced monitoring for ozone, and

1997 for PM2.5. The specific required activities for the

burden include establishing and operating ambient air monitors and

samplers, conducting sample analyses for all pollutants for which a

national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) has been established,

preparing, editing, and quality assuring the data, and submitting the

ambient air quality data and quality assurance data to EPA.

Some of the major uses of the data are for judging attainment of

the NAAQS, evaluating progress in achieving/maintaining the NAAQS or

State/local standards, developing or revising SIP's, evaluating control

strategies, developing or revising national control policies, providing

data for model development and validation, supporting enforcement

actions, documenting episodes and initiating episode controls,

documenting population exposure, and providing information to the

public and other interested parties.

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 the collection of information was published on August 3,

1998 (63 FR 41251); no comments were received.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping

burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 4,624

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: State and local air pollution

control agencies.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 130.

Frequency of Response: Quarterly, Semi-Annually, Annually.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 2,404,606 hours.

Estimated Total Annualized Capital, O&M Cost Burden: $73,643,000.

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. 0940.16 and OMB Control No. 2060-0084 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: April 29, 1999.

Richard T. Westlund,

Acting Director, Regulatory Information Division.

[FR Doc. 99-11273 Filed 5-4-99; 8:45 am]

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