Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Clean Water Act Section 404 State-Assumed Programs (Renewal)

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), Clean Water Act Section 404 State-Assumed Programs (EPA ICR Number 0220.14, OMB Control Number 2040-0168) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through July 31, 2021. Public comments were previously requested, via Federal Register during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the 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.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before June 28, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments to EPA, referencing Docket ID EPA-OW-2013-0610, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI), or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Submit written comments and recommendations to OMB for the proposed information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dolores Wesson, Oceans, Communities, and Wetlands Division, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW (4504T), Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-2755; email: wesson.dolores@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Supporting documents, which explain in detail the information that EPA will be collecting, are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744.

Abstract: Section 404(g) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA/CWA) authorizes States and Tribes to assume the section 404 permit program for discharges of dredged or fill material into certain waters of the United States. This ICR covers the collection of information EPA needs to perform its program approval and oversight responsibilities and the State or Tribe needs to implement its program.

Request to assume CWA section 404 permit program. States and Tribes must demonstrate that they meet the statutory and regulatory requirements at 40 CFR part 233 for an approvable program. Specified information and documents must be submitted by the State or Tribe to EPA to request assumption and must be sufficient to enable EPA to undertake an analysis of the State or tribal program. The information contained in the assumption request submission is provided to the other involved federal agencies (e.g., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service) and to the public for review and comment.

Permit application information. States and Tribes with assumed programs must be able to issue permits that assure compliance with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, including CWA section 404(b)(1) Guidelines. Sufficient information must be provided in the application so that States or Tribes and federal agencies reviewing the permit can evaluate, avoid, minimize, and compensate for any anticipated impacts resulting from the proposed project. EPA's assumption regulations at 40 CFR 233.30 establish required and recommended elements that should be included in the State or Tribe's permit application, so that sufficient information is available to make a thorough analysis of anticipated impacts. These minimum information requirements generally reflect the information that must be submitted when applying for a section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (CWA section 404(h); CWA section 404(j); 40 CFR 230.10, 233.20, 233.21, 233.34, and 233.50; 33 CFR 325)).

Annual report and program information. EPA has an oversight role for assumed section 404 permitting programs to ensure that State or tribal programs are in compliance with applicable requirements and that State or tribal permit decisions adequately consider, avoid, minimize, and compensate for anticipated impacts. States and tribes must evaluate their programs annually and submit the results in a report to EPA. EPA's assumption regulations at 40 CFR 233.52 establish minimum requirements for the annual report.

The information included in the State or Tribe's assumption request and the information included in a permit application is made available for public review and comment. The information included in the annual report to EPA is made available to the public. EPA does not make any assurances of confidentiality for this information.

Form Numbers: None.

Respondents/affected entities: States requesting assumption of the CWA section 404 permit program; States with approved assumed programs; and permit applicants for assumed State programs. No Tribes are expected to assume at this time.

Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain or retain a benefit (40 CFR 233).

Estimated number of respondents: Two States to request program assumption; 9,022 permit applicants; and four States with assumed programs.

Frequency of response: States will respond one time to request assumption; if the program is approved, they will respond annually for the annual report; permit applicants will respond one time when requesting a permit.

Total estimated burden: 218,836 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.3(b).

Total estimated cost: Costs to States for assumed section 404 permit programs will vary widely by State and permit; however, the total estimated costs for four programs is $5,641,625.21 and costs to permittees in State-assumed programs is $1,266,824.13. There are $0 capital or operation and maintenance costs.

Changes in estimates: There is an increase of 99,174 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB. There are several reasons for this increase: (1) A small increase in the estimated hours to assume a program based on information provided by Michigan and New Jersey; (2) recent changes to policy addressing endangered species and historic preservation requiring; (3) including burden to State-assumed programs of permit review and to permittees; and (4) a small increase in the estimated hours for permit review by Michigan and New Jersey and for completing the annual report by Michigan. The estimated number of permits per state has been reduced based on data provided by New Jersey and Michigan.