Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; NESHAP for Halogenated Solvent Cleaners/Halogenated Air Pollution (HAP)

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit the following continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Subpart T, National Emission Standards for hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Halogenated Solvent Cleaning, OMB number 2060-0273, expires May 31, 2001. 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, 2001.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments, referencing ICR No. 1652.04 and OMB Control No. 2060-0273 to the following addresses: Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Collection Strategies Division (Mail Code 2822), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; and to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For a copy of the ICR contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone at (202) 260-2740, by E-mail at Farmer.sandy@epa.gov, or download off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR No. 1652.04. For technical questions about the ICR contact Acquanetta Delaney at (202) 564-7061.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: NESHAP for Halogenated Solvent Cleaners/Halogenated Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP), (OMB Control No. 2060-0273; EPA ICR No. 1652.04) expiring May 31, 2001. This is a request for extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: This ICR contains recordkeeping and reporting requirements that are mandatory for compliance with 40 CFR 63.460, et seq., Subpart T, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Halogenated Solvent Cleaning. This information notifies EPA when a source becomes subject to the regulations, informs the Agency if a source is in compliance when it begins operation, and informs the Agency if the source remained in compliance during any period of operation. In the Administrator's judgment, emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from halogenated solvent cleaners may cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. Therefore, NESHAP standards were promulgated for this source category, as required under section 112 of the Clean Air Act. HAP emissions from halogenated solvent cleaners are the result of inadequate equipment design and work practices.

These standards rely on the proper design and operation of halogenated solvent cleaners such as working-mode covers, freeboard ratio of 1.0, and reduced room draft to reduce solvent emissions from halogenated solvent cleaners. Certain records and reports are necessary to enable EPA to identify sources subject to the standards and to ensure that the standards are being achieved. Owners/operators of halogenated solvent cleaners must provide EPA with an initial notification of existing or new solvent cleaning machines, initial statement of compliance, an annual control device monitoring report (owners/operators of batch vapor and in-line cleaning machines), an annual solvent emission report (owners/operators of batch vapor and in-line cleaning machines complying with the alternative standard), and exceedance of monitoring parameters or emissions. The records that the facilities maintain indicate to EPA whether they are operating and maintaining the halogenated solvent cleaners properly to control emissions. In order to ensure compliance with the standards promulgated to protect public health, adequate reporting and recordkeeping is necessary. In the absence of such information enforcement personnel would be unable to determine whether the standards are being met on a continuous basis, as required by the Clean Air Act.

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 August 17, 2000 (65 FR 50196); no comments were received.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and record keeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 4 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: Owners/Operators of solvent cleaning machines.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,821.

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

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 45,207 hours.

Estimated Total Annualized Capital, O&M Cost Burden: $4,091.

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 addresses listed about. Please refer to EPA ICR No. 1652.04 and OMB Control No. 2060-0273 in any correspondence.