Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; EPA's Natural Gas STAR Program (Renewal)

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (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. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before August 25, 2011.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2004-0082, to (1) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) online using http://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by e-mail to a-and-r-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Air and Radiation Docket, Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB by mail to: 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:

Jerome Blackman, Office of Atmospheric Programs, Climate Change Division, (6207J), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-343-9630; fax number: 202-343-2202; e-mail address: blackman.jerome@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12. On February 4, 2011 (76 FR 6460), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any additional comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2004-0082, which is available for online viewing at http://www.regulations.gov,, or in person viewing at the Air and Radiation Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC 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 Air and Radiation Docket is 202-566-1742.

Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov,, to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select “docket search,” then key in the docket ID number identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, confidential business information (CBI), or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov .

Title: EPA's Natural Gas STAR Program.

ICR Numbers: EPA ICR No. 1736.06, OMB Control No. 2060-0328.

ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on 7/31/2011. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. 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 title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed either by publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such as on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable. The display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.

Abstract: Natural Gas STAR is an EPA-sponsored, voluntary program that encourages oil and natural gas companies to adopt cost-effective technologies and practices for reducing methane emissions. By joining, Natural Gas STAR partners agree to implement cost-effective technologies and practices to reduce methane emissions, which will save money, improve operational efficiency, increase natural gas supply, and improve environmental quality. EPA needs to collect information to monitor Program participation and to obtain general information on new Natural Gas STAR partners. EPA also uses the information collected to evaluate a partner's progress and performance, assess overall Program accomplishments, and develop additional technical guidance documents to benefit the industry. Information collection is accomplished through the use of an annual reporting process that allows partner companies to report their accomplishments in either a traditional hard-copy format or electronically. Natural Gas STAR partners may designate information submitted under this ICR as CBI. EPA will treat all such information as CBI and will not make the company or agency-specific information collected under this ICR available to the general public. 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.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 35 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 which have subsequently changed; 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: The gathering and processing, production, transmission, and distribution sectors of the natural gas industry.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 149.

Frequency of Response: 149.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 5,201.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $477,657, includes $0 annualized capital or O&M costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 409 hours in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is attributed to the Program's maturity and decrease in number of new Program partners.