Notice2026-06588
Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Establishing No-Discharge Zones (NDZs) Under Clean Water Act Section 312 (Renewal)
Primary source
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Published
April 6, 2026
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), Establishing No- Discharge Zones (NDZs) Under Clean Water Act Section 312 (Renewal) (EPA ICR Number 1937.10, OMB Control Number 2040-0187) 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 extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through September 30, 2026. This notice allows for 60 days for public comments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 65 (Monday, April 6, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 65 (Monday, April 6, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17272-17273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06588]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0150; FRL-13241-01-OW]
Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request;
Establishing No-Discharge Zones (NDZs) Under Clean Water Act Section
312 (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), Establishing No-
Discharge Zones (NDZs) Under Clean Water Act Section 312 (Renewal) (EPA
ICR Number 1937.10, OMB Control Number 2040-0187) 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 extension of the ICR,
which is currently approved through September 30, 2026. This notice
allows for 60 days for public comments.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 5, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OW-2008-0150, 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: Catherine Brady, Oceans, Wetlands and
Communities Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, 4504T,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington,
DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-2424; email address:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#492b3b282d30672a283d212c3b20272c092c3928672e263f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="22405043465b0c4143564a47504b4c47624752430c454d54">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed extension of the ICR,
which is currently approved through September 30, 2026. 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: Pursuant to Clean Water Act (CWA) section 312, states are
authorized to petition EPA for more stringent requirements to apply
within state waters for sewage discharges from all vessels, as well as
certain discharges from vessels of the Armed Forces.
(A) Sewage No-Discharge Zones: CWA section 312(f) and the
implementing regulations in 40 CFR part 140 identify the information
that must be included in a state's application to EPA to establish a
no-discharge zone (NDZ) for vessel sewage for some or all of the
state's waters. In designated vessel sewage NDZs, the discharge of both
treated and untreated sewage from vessels is prohibited.
(B) Uniform National Discharge Standards NDZs and Review of
Discharge Determination or Standards: CWA section 312(n), the Uniform
National Discharge Standards (UNDS), requires EPA and the Department of
War to establish uniform national discharge standards to control
discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel of the Armed
Forces. CWA section 312(n)(7) and the implementing regulations in 40
CFR part 1700 identify the information that a state must submit to EPA
in the state's application to establish an NDZ for one or more UNDS
discharges. A state may seek an NDZ designation for any UNDS discharge
for which EPA and the Department of War have promulgated national
standards of performance and corresponding implementing regulations,
respectively. Additionally, CWA section 312(n)(5) provides that the
governor of any state may petition EPA and the Department of War to
review any discharge determination or standard promulgated under CWA
section 312(n) if there is significant new information that could
reasonably result in a change to the discharge determination or
standard.
The proposed collection of information is intended to capture the
burden on state respondents to develop petitions that include the
required information, as well as the burden on EPA to review the
petitions. This ICR is necessary to fulfill EPA's obligations under the
statute to receive and respond to state petitions; however, development
and submission of a petition by a state is not required. Instead, a
state must develop and submit a petition only when the state wishes to
designate an NDZ either for sewage or for an UNDS discharge, or to
request a review of an UNDS discharge determination or standard. The
information collection activities discussed in this ICR do not require
the submission of any confidential information.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities: States.
Respondent's obligation to respond: Responses to this collection of
information are required to obtain the benefit of a vessel sewage NDZ
(CWA section 312(f)), an UNDS NDZ (CWA section 312(n)(7)(A)-(B)) or a
review of an UNDS discharge determination or standard (CWA section
312(n)(5)(D)).
Estimated number of respondents: 8 (total).
Frequency of response: One time.
Total estimated burden: 408 hours (per year). Burden is defined at
5 CFR 1320.03(b).
Total estimated cost: $28,910 (per year), which includes $400
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 169 hours in the
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently
approved by
[[Page 17273]]
OMB. This decrease is due to an adjustment to the number of petitions
EPA expects to receive pursuant to CWA section 312(f), as EPA
overestimated in the last renewal. The current estimate is also
informed by information available to EPA regarding the number of states
that are considering, or are in the process of, developing petitions.
Brian Frazer,
Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds.
[FR Doc. 2026-06588 Filed 4-3-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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