Notice2024-26404
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 2022 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit (CGP) for Stormwater Discharges From Construction Activities (Renewal)
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 14, 2024
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), 2022 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit (CGP) for Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities (Renewal) (EPA ICR Number 2686.03, OMB Control Number 2040-0305) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a proposed renewal of the current ICR, which is currently approved through February 28, 2025. This notice allows for 60 days for public comments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 220 (Thursday, November 14, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 220 (Thursday, November 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89995-89996]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26404]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OW-2024-0482; FRL-12390-01-OW]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information
Collection Request; Comment Request; 2022 National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit (CGP) for
Stormwater Discharges From Construction Activities (Renewal)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to
submit an information collection request (ICR), 2022 National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit (CGP)
for Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities (Renewal) (EPA
ICR Number 2686.03, OMB Control Number 2040-0305) to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting
public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information
collection as described below. This is a proposed renewal of the
current ICR, which is currently approved through February 28, 2025.
This notice allows for 60 days for public comments.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 13, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2024-0482 to EPA online using <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> (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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Schaner, Water Permits Division,
Office of Wastewater Management, Office of Water at telephone number:
(202) 564-0721 or email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b9cadad1d8d7dccb97decbdcdef9dcc9d897ded6cf"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9be8f8f3faf5fee9b5fce9fefcdbfeebfab5fcf4ed">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed renewal of the current
ICR, which is currently approved through February 28, 2025. 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.
This notice allows 60 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>.
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting
comments and information to enable it to: (i) evaluate whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of
the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (iv) minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate forms of information technology. EPA
will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate.
The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and
approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to
submit additional comments to OMB.
Abstract: EPA issued the 2022 National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) general permit for stormwater discharges
from construction activities, also referred to as the ``2022
Construction General Permit,'' or the ``2022 CGP,'' on February 17,
2022. The 2022 CGP is issued for five (5) years to provide permit
coverage to eligible construction operators in all areas of the country
where EPA is the NPDES permitting authority.
The current ICR for the 2022 CGP expires on February 28, 2025. This
proposed ICR will renew the existing ICR prior to expiration. The
proposed ICR renewal will further EPA's specific needs to collect data
related to the 2022 CGP, which include the following:
<bullet> To provide information supporting operator eligibility to
be covered by the permit;
<bullet> To provide information to EPA and states to prioritize
permit activities;
<bullet> To provide information on the quality of dewatering
discharges to sensitive waters;
<bullet> To determine whether operators are in compliance with
permit conditions; and
<bullet> To provide information to EPA to determine the need for
and develop permit conditions.
The burden and costs associated with the entire NPDES program,
including the administration of the 2017 CGP, are accounted for in the
2017 NPDES Program ICR (EPA ICR number 0229.23 OMB control no. 2040-
0004). Certain changes in the 2022 CGP required revisions to the NPDES
Program ICR to
[[Page 89996]]
reflect changes to the information collection requirements. Consistent
with the past approach of changes to the NPDES Program, EPA reflected
the paperwork burden and costs associated with the difference between
the 2022 CGP and the 2017 CGP instead of revising the NPDES Program
ICR. EPA will consolidate the burden and costs into the NPDES Program
ICR (and discontinue this ICR) in a future reissuance of the NPDES
Program ICR.
The information collection changes between the 2017 CGP and the
2022 CGP that is captured in the current ICR are associated with the
following:
<bullet> New notice of intent (NOI) questions;
<bullet> New notice of termination (NOT) documentation
requirements;
<bullet> New dewatering inspection requirements;
<bullet> New turbidity benchmark monitoring requirements for sites
discharging dewatering water to sensitive waters; and
<bullet> Changes to Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)
requirements, related to new and modified permit requirements.
Form Numbers: Notice of Intent (NPDES Form 3510-9), Notice of
Termination (NPDES Form 3510-13), Turbidity Monitoring Reporting Form
(NPDES Form 6100-065), Suggested Cationic Treatment Chemicals Form
(NPDES Form 6100-066).
Respondents/affected entities: Coverage under the 2022 CGP is
available to ``operators'' of construction activities in areas where
EPA is the permitting authority and where the general permit is
available for use. A list of eligible areas is included in appendix B
of the 2022 CGP. The majority of construction activities will be
carried out by builders, local developers, and contractors. Relevant
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes include the following:
1531, 1541, 1542, 1611, 1622, 1623, and 1629.
Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory under NPDES permits
issued pursuant to Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1342(p) et seq.
Estimated number of respondents: EPA estimates that for the
duration of the three-year ICR period approximately 10,893 operators
will obtain coverage under the 2022 CGP, or 3,631 operators per year.
Frequency of response: Response frequencies in the 2022 CGP vary
from once per permit term to quarterly.
Total estimated burden: EPA estimates that the information
collection burden of the 2022 CGP is 200,383 hours per year. Burden is
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
Total estimated cost: EPA estimates that the final information
collection cost of the 2022 CGP is $15,610,581 per year.
Changes in the Estimates: The change in estimated burden between
the current and renewal ICRs are attributable to the change in the
number of respondents from 2,600 to 3,631 operators per year, which is
based on the more accurate information EPA now has on the number of
permitted operators from the first two years of the 2022 CGP. The
change in the number of estimated respondents led to an increase in
burden hours of 57,872 hours per year. Additionally, the labor rates
used to calculate the estimated costs increased from $62.77 per hour
from the current ICR to $73.47 per hour for the renewal ICR, which,
combined with the increase in number of respondents, is the reason for
the increase in total estimated cost of $5,973,563 per year (i.e., the
difference between the estimated total cost of the renewal ICR of
$15,610,581 and the current ICR of $9,637,018).
Andrew D. Sawyers,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management, U.S. EPA.
[FR Doc. 2024-26404 Filed 11-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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