Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Background Checks for Contractor Employees (Renewal), EPA ICR Number 2159.02, OMB Control Number 2030-0043

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on 09/30/2005. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments must be submitted on or before October 21, 2005.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OEI-2005-0003, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to oei.docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Information Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB at: 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:

Paul Schaffer, U.S. EPA, Office of Acquisition Management, Mail Code 3802R, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-4366; fax number: (202) 565-2475; e-mail address: schaffer.paul@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB for review and approval according to procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12. On June 10, 2005 (70 FR 33898), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID number OEI-2005-0003, which is available for public viewing in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OEI Docket is (202) 566-1752. An electronic version of the public docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket . Use EDOCKET to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, obtain a copy of the draft collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select “search,” then key in the docket ID number identified above.

Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA within 30 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket .

Titles: Background Checks for Contractor Employees (Renewal).

Abstract: EPA uses contractors to perform services throughout the nation with regard to environmental emergencies involving the release, or threatened release, of oil, radioactive materials or hazardous chemicals that may potentially affect communities and the surrounding environment. Releases may be accidental, deliberate, or may be caused by natural disasters. Emergency responders are available 24 hours-a-day to an incident, and respond with necessary personnel and equipment to eliminate dangers to the public and environment. Contractors responding to any of these types of incidents are responsible for conducting background checks and applying Government-established suitability criteria in determining whether employees are acceptable to perform on given sites or on specific projects prior to contract employee performance. The information to be collected under the ICR for Background Checks for Contractor Employees covers citizenship or valid visa, criminal convictions, weapons offenses, felony convictions, parties prohibited from receiving federal contracts. The Contractor shall maintain records of all background checks.

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 in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and are identified on the form and/or instrument, if applicable.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour 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: Entities potentially affected by this action are contractors involved with Emergency Response that have significant security concerns, as determined by the Contracting Officer on a case-by-case basis, to provide qualified personnel that meet the background check requirements developed by EPA.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,000.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,000.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $179,000, which includes $0 annual capital/startup and O&M costs, and $179,000 annual labor costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is a no change in the number of hours in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens.