[Federal Register: December 21, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 245)]
[Notices]
[Page 72719-72720]
[DOCID:fr21de07-83]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8509-8; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-1145]

Draft Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen and
Sulfur-Environmental Criteria

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public comment period for draft Integrated Science
Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur--Environmental Criteria.

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SUMMARY: The EPA is announcing the public comment period for the draft
document titled, ``Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen
and Sulfur--Environmental Criteria; First External Review Draft'' (EPA/
600/R-07/145A). The draft document was prepared by the National Center
for Environmental Assessment within EPA's Office of Research and
Development as part of the Agency's review of the secondary (welfare-
based) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). EPA is
releasing this draft document solely for the purpose of seeking comment
from the public and the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee
(CASAC). The document is being distributed solely for the purpose of
pre-dissemination review under applicable information quality
guidelines. It does not represent and should not be construed to
represent any Agency policy, viewpoint, or determination. EPA will
consider any public comments submitted in accordance with this notice
when revising the document.

DATES: The public comment period begins on or about December 21, 2007.
Comments must be received on or before February 21, 2008.

ADDRESSES: The draft, ``Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of
Nitrogen and Sulfur--Environmental Criteria; First External Review
Draft,'' will be available primarily via the Internet on the National
Center for Environmental Assessment's home page under the Recent
Additions and Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea.

    A limited number of CD-ROM or paper copies will be available.
Contact Ms. Emily Lee by phone:<PHONE_NUMBER>, fax:<PHONE_NUMBER>, or e-
mail<EMAIL_ADDRESS>to request either of these, and please
provide your name, your mailing address, and the draft document title,
``Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur--
Environmental Criteria; First External Review Draft'' (EPA/600/R-07/
145A) to facilitate processing of your request. Comments may be
submitted electronically via http://www.regulations.gov, by mail, by

facsimile, or by hand delivery/courier. Please follow the detailed
instructions provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this
notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Emily Lee, NCEA; telephone: 919-
541-4169, facsimile:<PHONE_NUMBER>, or e-mail<EMAIL_ADDRESS>For
technical information, contact Tara Greaver, PhD, NCEA; telephone: 919-
541-2435; facsimile:<PHONE_NUMBER>; or e-mail<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About the Document

    Section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act directs the Administrator to
identify certain pollutants which ``may reasonably be anticipated to
endanger public health and welfare'' and to issue air quality criteria
for them. These air quality criteria are to ``accurately reflect the
latest scientific knowledge useful in indicating the kind and extent of
all identifiable effects on public health or welfare which may be
expected from the presence of [a] pollutant in the ambient air.''
    Under section 109 of the Act, EPA is then to establish national
ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for each pollutant for which EPA
has issued criteria. Section 109(d) of the Act subsequently requires
periodic review and, if appropriate, revision of existing air quality
criteria to reflect advances in scientific knowledge on the effects of
the pollutant on public health and welfare. EPA is also to revise the
NAAQS, if appropriate, based on the revised air quality criteria.
    Oxides of nitrogen and sulfur are two of six principal (or
``criteria'') pollutants for which EPA has established air quality
criteria and NAAQS. EPA periodically reviews the scientific basis for
these standards by preparing an Integrated Science Assessment (ISA)
(formerly called an Air Quality Criteria Document). The ISA and
supplementary annexes, in conjunction with additional technical and
policy assessments, provide the scientific basis for EPA decisions on
the adequacy of a current NAAQS and the appropriateness of new or
revised standards. The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC),
an independent science advisory committee established pursuant to
section 109 of the Clean Air Act and part of the EPA's Science Advisory
Board (SAB), provides

independent scientific advice on NAAQS matters, including advice on
EPA's draft ISAs.
    EPA formally initiated its current review of the criteria for
oxides of nitrogen and sulfur in December 2005 (70 FR 73236) and May
2006 (71 FR 28023) respectively, requesting the submission of recent
scientific information on specified topics. In the initial stages of
the criteria reviews, EPA recognized the merit of integrating the
science assessment for these two pollutants due to their combined
effects on atmospheric chemistry, deposition processes, and
environment-related public welfare effects. In July 2007 (72 FR 34004),
a workshop was held to discuss, with invited scientific experts,
initial draft materials prepared in the development of the ISA and
supplementary annexes for oxides of nitrogen and sulfur. EPA's ``Draft
Plan for Review of the Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards
for Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide'' was made available in
September 2007 for public comment and was discussed by the Clean Air
Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) via a publicly accessible
teleconference consultation on October 30, 2007 (72 FR 57568). The Plan
is being finalized and will be made available on EPA's Web site http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/no2so2sec/cr_pd.html
.

    The draft, ``Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen
and Sulfur--Environmental Criteria; First External Review Draft,'' will
be discussed by CASAC at a future public meeting; public comments that
have been received prior to the public meeting will be provided to the
CASAC review panel. A future Federal Register notice will inform the
public of the exact date and time of that CASAC meeting.

II. How To Submit Information to the Docket

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. Docket ID EPA-HQ-
OAR-2007-1145 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the online instructions

for submitting comments.
     E-mail<EMAIL_ADDRESS>     Fax:<PHONE_NUMBER>.
     Mail: Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket
(Mail Code: 2822T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-
566-1752.
     Hand Delivery: The OEI Docket is located in the EPA
Headquarters Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public
Reading Room is<PHONE_NUMBER>. Such deliveries are only accepted during
the docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should
be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    If you provide comments by mail or hand delivery, please submit one
unbound original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies of
the comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages
consecutively with the comments, and submit an unbound original and
three copies.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2007-1145. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the
specified comment period. Comments received after the closing date will
be marked ``late,'' and may only be considered if time permits. It is
EPA's policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket
without change and to make the comments available online at
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,

unless a comment includes information claimed to be confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to
be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail.

The http://www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system,

which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through http://www.regulations.gov,

your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available
on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends
that you include your name and other contact information in the body of
your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read
your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.

    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the
http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some

information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy.
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically
in http://www.regulations.gov or in hardcopy at the OEI Docket in the EPA

Headquarters Docket Center.

    Dated: December 17, 2007.
Rebecca Clark,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
 [FR Doc. E7-24906 Filed 12-20-07; 8:45 am]

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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34495-34496]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11398]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC23-12-000]

Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-521); Comment
Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission
or FERC) is soliciting public comment on FERC-521 (Payments for
Benefits from Headwater Improvements).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due July 31, 2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC23-12-
000) by one of the following methods:
     Electronic Filing (preferred): Documents must be filed in
acceptable native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or
picture format.
     For those unable to file electronically, comments may be
filed by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery.
    [cir] Mail via U.S. Postal Service: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426.
    [cir] Mail via any other service: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, MD 20852.
    Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in
accordance with submission guidelines at: https://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. For user assistance, contact FERC Online Support
by email at [email protected], or by phone at:<PHONE_NUMBER>
(toll-free), or<PHONE_NUMBER> for TTY.
    Docket: Users interested in receiving automatic notification of
activity in this docket or in viewing/downloading comments and
issuances in this docket may do so at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/docs-filing.asp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at
[email protected], telephone at<PHONE_NUMBER>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: FERC-521, Payments for Benefits from Headwater Improvements.
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0087.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-521 information
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
    Abstract: The purpose of FERC-521 is to implement information
collections pursuant to section 10(f) of the Federal Power Act
(FPA).\1\ Under Section 10(f) licensees of unlicensed non-Federal
hydroelectric power projects that are directly benefited by a headwater
project must pay an equitable portion of the annual costs of interest,
maintenance, and depreciation of the headwater project. This payment is
called the headwater benefit payment. The Commission requires basic
project information including location and storage capacity to be filed
by the owner of any headwater project constructed by the United States,
a licensee, or a pre-1920 permittee that is upstream from a non-Federal
hydroelectric project.
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    \1\ 16 U.S.C. 803.
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    Type of Respondents: There are two types of entities that respond,
Federal and Non-Federal storage and hydropower project owners. The
Federal entities that typically respond include the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation.
The Non-Federal entities may consist of any Municipal or Non-Municipal
hydropower project owner.
    Estimate of Annual Burden \2\ and cost:\3\ The Commission estimates
the total Public Reporting Burden for this information collection as:
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    \2\ Burden is defined as the total time, effort, or financial
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. For
further explanation of what is included in the information
collection burden, refer to 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
    \3\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the
2022 FERC average salary plus benefits of $188,922/year (or $91.00/
hour). Commission staff finds that the work done for this
information collection is typically done by wage categories similar
to those at FERC.

                                               FERC-521--Payments for Benefits From Headwater Improvements
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                                                  Annual  number                                                 Total annual burden
                                   Number of      of  responses   Total number of    Average burden &  cost     hours & total  annual        Cost per
                                  respondents    per  respondent     responses            per response                   cost             respondent ($)
                                           (1)              (2)   (1) * (2) = (3)  (4)......................  (3) * (4) = (5)..........       (5) / (1)
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Federal and Non-Federal                      3                1                3   40 hrs.; $3,640..........  120 hrs.; $10,920........          $3,640
 project owners.
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    The total estimated annual cost burden to each respondent is $3,640
[40 hours * $91.00/hour = $3,640].
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the Commission, including whether the information will have practical
utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden and
cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality,
utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are
to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.

    Dated: May 23, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-11398 Filed 5-26-23; 8:45 am]
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