Notice2026-19523
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Establishing No-Discharge Zones (NDZs) Under Clean Water Act Section 312 (Renewal)
Primary source
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Published
September 24, 2026
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), Establishing No-Discharge Zones (NDZs) Under Clean Water Act Section 312 (EPA ICR Number 1791.10, OMB Control Number 2040-0187), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through September 30, 2026. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on April 6, 2026, 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 91 Issue 184 (Thursday, September 24, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 184 (Thursday, September 24, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60620-60621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-19523]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0150; FRL-13648-01-OFA]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; 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) has submitted an
information collection request (ICR), Establishing No-Discharge Zones
(NDZs) Under Clean Water Act Section 312 (EPA ICR Number 1791.10, OMB
Control Number 2040-0187), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act.
This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved
through September 30, 2026. Public comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on April 6, 2026, 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 26, 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.
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: 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#9af8e8fbfee3b4f9fbeef2ffe8f3f4ffdaffeafbb4fdf5ec"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4e2c3c2f2a37602d2f3a262b3c27202b0e2b3e2f60292138">[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.
Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register
on April 6, 2026, during a 60-day comment period (91 FR 17272). 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: 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. This ICR covers
the information collection activities associated with CWA section
312(f) and 312(n).
(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
[[Page 60621]]
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 a 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 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, as well as the burden
on EPA to review the petitions. EPA cannot require state respondents to
provide additional information as part of the petition processes beyond
what is enumerated in the regulations. 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.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities: States.
Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain or retain a
benefit (CWA section 312(f)) and CWA section 312(n)).
Estimated number of respondents: 8 (total).
Frequency of response: One time.
Total estimated burden: 458 hours (per year). Burden is defined at
5 CFR 1320.03(b).
Total estimated cost: $33,823.53 (per year), which includes $400
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 118.7 hours in the
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently
approved by OMB. The decrease is due to an adjustment to the number of
expected respondents, with the EPA expecting fewer applications
submitted pursuant to CWA section 312(f)(3) during this renewal cycle.
The EPA increased the burden hours for some aspects of petition
development based on input from consultations.
Courtney Kerwin,
Deputy Director, Data and Enterprise Programs Division.
[FR Doc. 2026-19523 Filed 9-23-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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