Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Hazardous Waste Generator Standards (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 June 20, 2011.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2010-0833, to (1) EPA, either online using http://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or by e-mail to rcra-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: RCRA Docket (28221T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 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:

Jim O'Leary, Office of Solid Waste, Mail Code 5304P, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (703) 308-8827; fax number: (703) 308-0514; e-mail address: oleary.jim@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 December 29, 2010 (75 FR 82005), 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-RCRA-2010-0833, which is available for online viewing at http://www.regulations.gov,, or in person viewing at the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 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 RCRA Docket is (202) 566-0270.

Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at 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: Hazardous Waste Generator Standards (Renewal).

ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 0820.11, OMB Control No. 2050-0035.

ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on May 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: Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as amended, Congress directed EPA to implement a comprehensive program for the safe management of hazardous waste. The core of the national waste management program is the regulation of hazardous waste from generation to transport to treatment and eventual disposal, or from “cradle to grave.” Section 3001(d) of RCRA requires EPA to develop standards for small quantity generators. Section 3002 of RCRA states, among other things, that EPA shall establish requirements for hazardous waste generators regarding recordkeeping practices. Section 3002 also requires EPA to establish standards on appropriate use of containers by generators. Finally, Section 3017 of RCRA specifies requirements for individuals exporting hazardous waste from the United States, including a notification of the intent to export, and an annual report summarizing the types, quantities, frequency, and ultimate destination of all exported hazardous waste.

This ICR addresses the following categories of informational requirements in part 262: pre-transport requirements for both large (LQG) and small (SQG) quantity generators; storage requirements in tanks, containment buildings and drip pads; air emission standards requirements for LQGs (referenced in 40 CFR Part 265, Subparts AA and BB); recordkeeping and reporting requirements for LQGs and SQGs; and export requirements for LQGs and SQGs (i.e., notification of intent to export and annual reporting). This collection of information is necessary to help generators and EPA: (1) Identify and understand the waste streams being generated and the hazards associated with them; (2) determine whether employees have acquired the necessary expertise to perform their jobs; and (3) determine whether LQGs have developed adequate procedures to respond to unplanned sudden or non-sudden releases of hazardous waste or hazardous constituents to air, soil, or surface water. This information is also needed to help EPA determine whether tank systems are operated in a manner that is fully protective of human health and the environment and to ensure that releases to the environment are managed quickly and efficiently. Additionally, this information contributes to EPA's goal of preventing contamination of the environment from hazardous waste accumulation practices, including contamination from equipment leaks and process vents. Export information is needed to ensure that: (1) Foreign governments consent to U.S. exported wastes; (2) exported waste is actually managed at facilities listed in the original notifications; and (3) documents are available for compliance audits and enforcement actions.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 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: Entities potentially affected by this action are private business or other for-profit.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 88,921

Frequency of Response: Occasionally and biennially

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 266,384

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $15,040,973, includes $14,992,809 annualized labor costs and $48,164 annualized capital or O&M costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 20,482 hours in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease results from a decrease of 12,586 facilities, or 12.4 percent in the estimated universe of small and large quantity generators.