Notice2024-22296
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; EPA's Methane Challenge and Natural Gas STAR Programs (Renewal)
Primary source
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Published
September 30, 2024
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), EPA's Methane Challenge and Natural Gas STAR Programs (EPA ICR Number 2547.03, OMB Control Number 2060-0722) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed revision of the current ICR, which is currently approved through December 31, 2024. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on June 5, 2024 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 189 (Monday, September 30, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 189 (Monday, September 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79584-79585]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-22296]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2016-0731; FRL-12299-01-OMS]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; EPA's Methane Challenge and Natural Gas STAR Programs
(Renewal)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an
information collection request (ICR), EPA's Methane Challenge and
Natural Gas STAR Programs (EPA ICR Number 2547.03, OMB Control Number
2060-0722) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a
proposed revision of the current ICR, which is currently approved
through December 31, 2024. Public comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on June 5, 2024 during a 60-day comment
period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public
comments.
DATES: Comments may be submitted on or before October 30, 2024.
[[Page 79585]]
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OAR-2016-0731, to EPA online using <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> (our preferred
method), by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#90f1bdf1fef4bde2bdd4fff3fbf5e4d0f5e0f1bef7ffe6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="39581458575d144b147d565a525c4d795c4958175e564f">[email protected]</span></a> 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
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. 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: Andrew Meluch, Office of Atmospheric
Programs, Climate Change Division, (6207A), Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone
number: (202) 564-4762; email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1c717970697f74327d72786e796b5c796c7d327b736a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="422f272e37212a6c232c26302735022732236c252d34">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed revision of the ICR,
which is currently approved through December 31, 2024. 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.
Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register
on June 5, 2024, during a 60-day comment period (89 FR 48164). This
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. Supporting
documents, which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be
collecting, are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket
can be viewed online at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> 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. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit
<a href="http://www.epa.gov/dockets">http://www.epa.gov/dockets</a>.
Abstract: This ICR revision proposes to significantly pare down the
information reported to EPA's Natural Gas STAR and Methane Challenge
Programs. Specifically, it proposes to remove all of the partnership-
specific reporting elements, based on the Programs' changes to sunset
the ``Partnership'' aspects of the programs. EPA proposes to retain one
key element of the ICR, the Service Provider Directory.
The oil and natural gas industry is the second largest source of
anthropogenic methane emissions in the U.S., according to the Inventory
of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022. Since 1993, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Natural Gas STAR Program
has encouraged oil and natural gas companies to adopt cost-saving
technologies and practices that improve operational efficiency and
reduce methane emissions. In 2016, EPA launched the Methane Challenge
Program, which created a mechanism for oil and natural gas companies to
make ambitious, voluntary commitments to reduce their methane
emissions.
EPA has recently taken historic steps to tackle wasteful methane
emissions from the oil and gas sector beyond voluntary action. The
Inflation Reduction Act directed EPA to implement a suite of actions to
swiftly reduce methane emissions through the creation of the Methane
Emissions Reduction Program (MERP). On December 2, 2023, EPA announced
final New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines (NSPS/
EG) to regulate the oil and gas industry under the Clean Air Act,
resulting in ambitious requirements to reduce methane from both new and
existing sources.
In 2022, EPA announced the sunsetting of the Natural Gas STAR
Program partnership agreements, implementation plans, and annual
reporting. Based on the limited remaining potential for voluntary
actions to reduce methane emissions, EPA will also be sunsetting the
Methane Challenge Partnership at the end of 2024. EPA will be
transitioning the Natural Gas STAR Program outreach efforts to advance
ambitious, sector-wide methane reductions through technical assistance
and outreach under the Methane Emissions Reduction Program.
Therefore, based on these significantly reduced programmatic
elements, for this revision of the program ICR, EPA proposes to remove
all partnership reporting data elements and partnership-related
information collection forms for both programs. This includes the
removal of annual reporting forms, partnership agreements, and
implementation plans. The sole programmatic element involving voluntary
information collection that EPA plans to retain is the Service
Providers Directory. This directory's purpose is to share information
about service and technology providers that can facilitate methane
emission reduction activities in the oil and gas sector. These changes
will result in a significant overall decrease in burden for this ICR.
Form Numbers: 5900-502.
Respondents/affected entities: Stakeholders seeking to join the
Service Provider Directory.
Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
Estimated number of respondents: 50 per year (total).
Frequency of response: Respondents may fill out the Service
Provider Directory form any time.
Total estimated burden: 12.5 hours (per year). Burden is defined at
5 CFR 1320.03(b).
Total estimated cost: $1,394 (per year), which includes $0
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 4,846 hours in the
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently
approved by OMB. This decrease is due to the removal of all previous
forms associated with the Natural Gas STAR and Methane Challenge
Programs, maintaining only the Service Provider Directory form.
Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Information Engagement Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-22296 Filed 9-27-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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