[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 129 (Friday, July 7, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31644-31648]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14240]

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-81060; File No. SR-MSRB-2017-04]

Self-Regulatory Organizations; Municipal Securities Rulemaking
Board; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change To Amend MSRB Rule G-
21(e), on Municipal Fund Security Product Advertisements

June 30, 2017.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(the

``Exchange Act'' or ``Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice
is hereby given that on June 22, 2017 the Municipal Securities
Rulemaking Board (the ``MSRB'' or ``Board'') filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the ``SEC'' or ``Commission'') the proposed
rule change as described in Items I, II, and III below, which Items
have been prepared by the MSRB. The Commission is publishing this
notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested
persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change

    The MSRB filed with the Commission a proposed rule change to amend
MSRB Rule G-21(e), on municipal fund security product advertisements,
to address important regulatory developments and to enhance investor
protection in connection with municipal fund securities (``proposed
rule change''). The MSRB requests that the proposed rule change be
approved with an implementation date three months after the Commission
approval date for all changes.
    The text of the proposed rule change is available on the MSRB's Web
site at www.msrb.org/Rules-and-Interpretations/SEC-Filings/2017-Filings.aspx, at the MSRB's principal office, and at the Commission's
Public Reference Room.

II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, the MSRB included statements
concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and
discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The
text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in
Item IV below. The MSRB has prepared summaries, set forth in Sections
A, B, and C below, of the most significant aspects of such statements.

A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose

Background

    For over 40 years, Section 15B of the Exchange Act has granted the
Board with rulemaking authority over the municipal securities
transactions effected by brokers, dealers, and municipal securities
dealers (collectively, ``dealers''). However, following the financial
crisis of 2008, Congress expanded that authority with its enactment of
the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the
``Dodd-Frank Act'').\3\ The Dodd-Frank Act amended Section 15B of the
Exchange Act to establish a new federal regulatory regime requiring
municipal advisors to register with the Commission, deeming them to owe
a fiduciary duty to their municipal entity clients and granting the
MSRB rulemaking authority over them.\4\ The MSRB, in the exercise of
that rulemaking authority, has been developing a comprehensive
regulatory framework for municipal advisors and their associated
persons.
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    \3\ Pub. Law No. 111-203, 124 Stat. 1376 (2010).
    \4\ See 15 U.S.C. 78o-4.
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    In the context of developing a rule to address advertising by
municipal advisors, the Board undertook a holistic review of its
advertising rules, and determined to draft amendments to Rule G-21 as
well as to develop new draft Rule G-40, on advertising by municipal
advisors. The Board sought public comment on the draft amendments to
Rule G-21 and new draft Rule G-40,\5\ and, in response, received 11
comment letters.\6\
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    \5\ MSRB Notice 2017-04 (Feb. 16, 2017) (the ``Request for
Comment'').
    \6\ Letter from Noreen P. White, Co-President and Kim M. Whelan,
Co-President, Acacia Financial Group, Inc., dated April 7, 2017;
Letter from Mike Nicholas, Chief Executive Officer, Bond Dealers of
America, dated March 24, 2017; Letter from Norman L. Ashkenas, Chief
Compliance Officer, Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC, Richard J.
O'Brien, Chief Compliance Officer, National Financial Services, LLC,
and Jason Linde, Chief Compliance Officer, Fidelity Investments
Institutional Services Company, LLC, dated March 24, 2017
(``Fidelity''); Letter from David T. Bellaire, Esq., Executive Vice
President & General Counsel, Financial Services Institute, dated
March 24, 2017 (``FSI''); Letter from Laura D. Lewis, Principal,
Lewis Young Robertson & Burningham, Inc., dated March 24, 2017;
Letter from Susan Gaffney, Executive Director, National Association
of Municipal Advisors, dated March 24, 2017; Letter from Leo
Karwejna, Chief Compliance Officer, Cheryl Maddox, General Counsel,
and Catherine Humphrey-Bennett, Municipal Advisory Compliance
Officer, Public Financial Management, Inc. and PFM Financial
Advisors LLC, dated March 23, 2017; Letter from Leslie M. Norwood,
Managing Director and Associate General Counsel, Securities Industry
and Financial Markets Association, dated March 24, 2017 (``SIFMA'');
Letter from Paul Curley, Director of College Savings Research,
Strategic Insight, dated May 16, 2017 (``SI''); Letter from Donna
DiMaria, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chair of the 3PM
Regulatory Committee, Third Party Marketers Association, dated March
23, 2017; and Letter from Robert J. McCarthy, Director, Regulatory
Policy, Wells Fargo Advisors, dated March 24, 2017.
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    While the Board is considering the comments it received in response
to that Request for Comment on various other potential changes to
advertising regulations, the Board has concluded to separately propose
rule changes to Rule G-21(e) alone to address important regulatory
developments and to enhance investor protection in connection with
municipal fund securities.\7\
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    \7\ The proposed amendments to Rule G-21(e) have no substantive
connection with the draft amendments to the other provisions of Rule
G-21 or with draft Rule G-40.
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Proposed Rule Change

    In summary, the proposed rule change would amend Rule G-21(e) to:
     Reflect relevant regulatory developments;
     enhance the ``out-of-state disclosure obligation'' \8\
about the potential other benefits an investor may be provided by
investing in a 529 college savings plan offered by the home state of
the investor or of the designated beneficiary;
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    \8\ See Interpretation on Customer Protection Obligations
Relating to the Marketing of 529 College Savings Plans (Aug. 7,
2006) (discussing point-of-sale disclosure obligations under Rule G-
17 and defining ``out-of-state disclosure obligation'').
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     clarify that certain advertisements that contain
performance data may include a hyperlink to a Web site that contains
more recent performance data; and
     include several revisions that are designed to promote
understanding of and compliance with the rule.
    A detailed discussion about the proposed rule change's enhancements
to Rule G-21(e) follows.

A. Regulatory Developments

    The proposed rule change would amend Rule G-21(e) to reflect two
regulatory developments--the SEC's money market reforms and the
formation of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.
(``FINRA'').
    Rule G-21(e)(i)(A)(2)(c) requires that a municipal fund security
advertisement of an investment option that the issuer holds out as
having the characteristics of a money market fund include certain
disclosures. The Board designed those disclosures to protect investors
by alerting them to the potential risks of investing in that investment
option, and modeled the disclosures on the disclosures required for
money market fund advertisements by Rule 482(b)(4) \9\ under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ``1933 Act'').\10\
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    \9\ 17 CFR 230.482(b)(4).
    \10\ 15 U.S.C. 77a; see File No. SR-MSRB-2004-09 (Dec. 16,
2004); Exchange Act Release No. 50919 (Dec. 22, 2004).
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    The proposed rule change would require that a municipal fund
security advertisement of an investment option that has the
characteristics of a money market fund include enhanced

disclosure about the risks associated with investing in that investment
option. Money market funds generally invest in short-term obligations
and have a principal investment objective of maintaining a net asset
value of $1.00 per share.\11\ However, during the financial crisis of
2008, money market funds experienced high redemption rates that caused
a money market fund to ``break the buck'' (i.e., maintain a net asset
value of less than $1.00 per share).\12\ Following the financial
crisis, the SEC adopted amendments that were designed, among other
things, to make money market funds more resilient to certain short-term
market risks and to provide greater protections for investors.\13\
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    \11\ Net asset value is the mutual fund's total assets minus its
total liabilities. See Fast answers available at https://www.sec.gov/fast-answers/answersnavhtm.html.
    \12\ On September 16, 2008, the Reserve Fund announced that its
Primary Fund would ``break the buck.'' See Investment Company Act
Rel. No. 28807 (June 30, 2009), 74 FR 32688 (July 8, 2009), note 44.
    \13\ See Securities Act Release No. 9616 (July 23, 2014), 79 FR
47736 (Aug. 14, 2014) (adopting money market reforms); Investment
Company Act Rel. No. 28807 (June 30, 2009), 74 FR 32688 (July 8,
2009) (proposing money market reforms).
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    The disclosure that would be required by the proposed rule change
reflects the SEC's money market reforms. The Board tailored the
proposed disclosure for each of the three categories of money market
funds in which a municipal fund security investment option could
invest. Those categories are: (i) Money market funds that are not
government money market funds or retail money market funds with
floating net asset values that may impose liquidity fees and that may
temporarily suspend redemptions; (ii) money market funds that are
government money market funds or retail money market funds that
maintain stable net asset values that may impose liquidity fees or that
may temporarily suspend redemptions; and (iii) money market funds that
are government money market funds that maintain stable net asset values
and that have elected not to impose liquidity fees or to temporarily
suspend redemptions. The proposed rule change to Rule G-
21(e)(i)(A)(2)(c) is substantially similar to the SEC's amendments to
Rule 482(b)(4) under the 1933 Act,\14\ as modified to reflect the
differences in the characteristics between municipal fund securities
and money market funds.\15\
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    \14\ 17 CFR 230.482(b)(4).
    \15\ Specifically, an interest in a 529 college savings plan is
an interest in an account (a ``unit''). The account, in turn, may
invest in mutual funds such as a money market fund. An investor does
not receive shares of the mutual fund; the investor receives units
and only indirectly invests in the mutual fund through the units of
the account. However, this is not the case with a mutual fund
investment. A mutual fund investor directly receives shares in a
mutual fund. Therefore, the proposed rule change, unlike Rule
482(b)(4)'s disclosure for mutual funds, refers to an investment in
an investment option and an investor only indirectly investing in a
money market fund through an underlying mutual fund offered by an
investment option. The proposed rule change does not refer to direct
investments in a mutual fund.
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    Specifically, the current disclosure required by Rule G-
21(e)(i)(A)(2)(c) alerts a 529 college savings plan investor that an
investment option that the issuer holds out as having the
characteristics of a money market fund (i) is not insured or guaranteed
by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency (unless such guarantee is provided by or on behalf of such
issuer) and (ii) if the money market fund is held out as maintaining a
stable net asset value, that although the issuer seeks to preserve the
value of the investment at $1.00 per share or such other applicable
fixed share price, it is possible to lose money by investing in the
investment option. In addition to the current disclosure, the proposed
rule change would require enhanced disclosure to alert the investor
that, as applicable, the underlying mutual fund may impose a liquidity
fee or suspend redemptions and that the investor should not expect the
underlying fund sponsor to provide financial support to the underlying
mutual fund.
    The proposed rule change also would update Rule G-21(e)(ii)(F) and
Rule G-21(e)(vi) to substitute FINRA for references to the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (``NASD'').

B. Out-of-State Disclosure Obligation

    The proposed rule change would enhance the out-of-state disclosure
required by Rule G-21(e)(i)(A)(2)(b). Under Rule G-21(e)(i)(A)(2)(b),
certain advertisements for a 529 college savings plan must provide
disclosure that an investor should consider, before investing, whether
the investor's or the designated beneficiary's home state offers any
state tax or other benefits that are only available for investment in
such state's 529 college savings plan. To assist an investor's
understanding of what those other state benefits may include, the
proposed rule change would require disclosure that those other state
benefits may include financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection
from creditors.

C. Performance Data

    The proposed rule change would provide two clarifications to the
legend that must be provided in an advertisement of performance data by
a municipal fund security. Rule G-21(e)(i)(A)(3)(a) requires that a
municipal fund security's advertisement of performance data include a
legend that discloses that the performance data set forth in the
advertisement represents past performance; that past performance does
not guarantee future results; that the investment return and the value
of the investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when
redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost; and that
current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data
included in the advertisement. The proposed rule change would clarify
that an investment option that invests in a government money market
fund or a retail money market fund may omit the disclosure required by
the legend about principal value fluctuation. That clarification is
consistent with Rule 482(b)(3) under the 1933 Act that permits
government money market funds and retail money market funds to omit
that disclosure.\16\
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    \16\ 17 CFR 230.482(b)(3) (``[a]n advertisement for a money
market fund that is a government money market fund, as defined in
Sec.  270.2a-7(a)(16) of this chapter, or a retail money market
fund, as defined in Sec.  270.2a-7(a)(25) of this chapter may omit
the disclosure about principal value fluctuation'').
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    Further, Rule G-21(e)(i)(A)(3)(a) requires that the legend in a
municipal fund security's advertisement of performance data that is not
current to the most recent month ended seven business days before the
date of any use of the advertisement, also must disclose where the
investor may obtain more current performance data. The legend must
include a toll-free number or a Web site where the investor may obtain
that information. The proposed rule change would clarify that the
advertisement may provide a hyperlink to the Web site where the
investor may obtain total return quotations current to most recent
month end for which such total return information is available. The
Board believes that the use of the hyperlink to a Web site will assist
investors in obtaining more current performance data. Further, the use
of a hyperlink to provide certain data is consistent with the rules of
other financial regulators.\17\
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    \17\ See, e.g., FINRA Rule 2213(c)(1)(C) on requirements for the
use of bond mutual fund volatility ratings requiring a ``link to, or
Web site address for, a Web site that includes the criteria and
methodologies used to determine the rating.''
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D. Enhancements to Terms Used in Rule G-21(e)

    To assist the reader's understanding of the disclosure and to
assist with a dealer's compliance with the rule, the proposed rule
change would make

certain revisions to the provisions of Rule G-21(e). The proposed rule
change would amend Rule G-21(e) to use terms more commonly used with
municipal fund securities and that are used with the MSRB's other rules
applicable to municipal fund securities (e.g., the term ``investment
option''), such as Rule G-45, on reporting of information on municipal
fund securities. The proposed rule change also would amend Rule G-
21(e)(i)(A)(2)(c) and Rule G-21(e)(i)(A)(3)(c) to clarify that a
municipal fund security offers investment options and that those
investment options, in turn, may invest in mutual funds. Proposed
paragraph .01 of the Supplementary Material would clarify that the term
``investment option'' shall have the same meaning as defined in Rule G-
45(d)(vi). Proposed paragraph .02 of the Supplementary Material would
clarify that under Rule G-21(e)(i)(A)(2)(c), a dealer may omit the last
sentence of the required disclosure if that disclosure is not
applicable to the underlying fund according to Rule 482(b)(4) under the
1933 Act.\18\ The proposed rule change also would amend Rule G-
21(e)(i)(A)(3)(a) to clarify that an investor receives units in the
municipal fund security.
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    \18\ 17 CFR 230.482(b)(4).
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2. Statutory Basis
    Section 15B(b)(2) of the Exchange Act \19\ provides that
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    \19\ 15 U.S.C. 78o-4(b)(2).

    [t]he Board shall propose and adopt rules to effect the purposes
of this title with respect to transactions in municipal securities
effected by brokers, dealers, and municipal securities dealers and
advice provided to or on behalf of municipal entities or obligated
persons by brokers, dealers, municipal securities dealers, and
municipal advisors with respect to municipal financial products, the
issuance of municipal securities, and solicitations of municipal
entities or obligated persons undertaken by brokers, dealers,
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municipal securities dealers, and municipal advisors.

    Section 15B(b)(2)(C) of the Exchange Act \20\ provides that the
MSRB's rules shall
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    \20\ 15 U.S.C. 78o-4(b)(2)(C).

    be designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and
practices, to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to
foster cooperation and coordination with persons engaged in
regulating, clearing, settling, processing information with respect
to, and facilitating transactions in municipal securities and
municipal financial products, to remove impediments to and perfect
the mechanism of a free and open market in municipal securities and
municipal financial products, and, in general, to protect investors,
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municipal entities, obligated persons, and the public interest.

    The MSRB believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with
the provisions of Sections 15B(b)(2) \21\ and 15B(b)(2)(C) of the
Exchange Act \22\ because it would update and modernize the MSRB's
municipal fund security product advertising rule applicable to dealers.
The proposed rule change would enhance certain disclosures required by
the rule to reflect relevant regulatory developments. Those enhanced
disclosures would protect investors by alerting investors about certain
risks of investing in investment options that in turn invest in money
market funds. Further, the proposed rule change would protect investors
by providing the investor with (i) enhanced out-of-state disclosure
concerning the potential other benefits that may be offered by
investing in the 529 college saving plan offered by the investor's or
the designated beneficiary's home state and (ii) the ability to obtain
more current performance information through the use of a hyperlink to
a Web site. By providing investors with enhanced disclosure, an
investor has more information to evaluate the municipal fund security
advertisement, which in turn, would help prevent fraudulent acts and
practices as well as promote just and equitable principles of trade. In
addition, the enhanced disclosures would facilitate transactions in
municipal fund securities by eliminating certain discordance between
the disclosure required by Rule G-21(e) relating to investment options
that invest in money market funds and the disclosure required by the
advertising rules applicable to money market funds registered with the
Commission. By so doing, the Board believes that it would facilitate
efficient and uniform examination and enforcement by the regulators
that enforce the Board's rules.
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    \21\ 15 U.S.C. 78o-4(b)(2).
    \22\ 15 U.S.C. 78o-4(b)(2)(C).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    Section 15B(b)(2)(C) of the Exchange Act \23\ requires that MSRB
rules not be designed to impose any burden on competition not necessary
or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Exchange Act. In
accordance with the Board's policy on the use of economic analysis,\24\
the MSRB has considered the economic impact of the proposed rule
change--with regard to certain advertisements of municipal fund
securities that require additional disclosures as related to 529
college savings plans-- including a comparison to reasonable
alternative regulatory approaches, relative to the baseline. The MSRB
does not believe that the proposed rule change would impose any burden
on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of
the purposes of the Exchange Act.
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    \23\ Id.
    \24\ Policy on the Use of Economic Analysis in MSRB Rulemaking,
available at, http://www.msrb.org/About-MSRB/Financial-and-Other-Information/FinancialPolicies/Economic-Analysis-Policy.aspx.
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    The proposed rule change would enhance those additional disclosures
as they relate to 529 college savings plans by expanding the disclosure
about the other state benefits that are available only for investments
in such state's qualified tuition program. Those other state benefits
include financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from
creditors. The proposed rule change would also harmonize that
disclosure with disclosure required by the recent amendments made by
the SEC to Rule 482 under the 1933 Act applicable to certain mutual
fund advertisements. That disclosure includes disclosure about a money
market fund's ability to impose a liquidity fee and to temporarily
suspend redemptions.
    The MSRB does not believe the proposed rule change would create a
burden on competition, as all municipal fund securities dealers would
be subject to the additional requirements for disclosures.
    The MSRB believes that the proposed rule change may reduce
inefficiencies and confusion for dealers via harmonization of MSRB rule
requirements with comparable SEC requirements on advertising. The MSRB
believes investors should benefit from better information in the form
of more consistent and accurate advertising through updated
requirements for certain municipal fund security advertisements, as
investors generally value ease of comparison of different financial
products.

C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others

    The MSRB received 11 comment letters in response to the Request for
Comment on the draft amendments to Rule G-21 and new draft Rule G-
40.\25\ Of those comment letters, four comment letters addressed the
draft amendments to Rule G-21(e).\26\ All four commenters

supported the draft amendments,\27\ and one commenter suggested that
the MSRB could easily separate Rule G-21(e) from the rest of Rule G-21,
if necessary.\28\ Specifically, commenters expressed support for the
proposed rule change's use of hyperlinks, harmonization of Rule G-21(e)
with the advertising rules of other financial regulators, and enhanced
out-of-state disclosure. The MSRB summarizes the comments received
relating to the proposed rule change in the four comment letters by
topic below.
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    \25\ See supra note 5.
    \26\ Fidelity, FSI, SIFMA and SI.
    \27\ See, e.g., FSI letter at 2.
    \28\ See SIFMA letter at 8 (``[t]his section can be easily
separated from the rest of the rule, if necessary'').
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A. Hyperlinks

    Fidelity and SIFMA expressed support for the use of hyperlinks to
provide more current performance information.\29\ The MSRB appreciates
Fidelity's and SIFMA's support for the proposed rule change and their
suggestion concerning the expanded use of hyperlinks. The Board
anticipates that it will continue to explore the use of hyperlinks in
other areas of its rule book.
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    \29\ Specifically, Fidelity stated:
    We fully support these draft amendments and believe that
hyperlinks are a commonly used method of communication, well
understood by investors, through which investors can obtain
additional details on facts that matter to them.
    See Fidelity letter at 3.
    Similarly, SIFMA stated that, ``SIFMA and its members support
the ability to use hyperlinks in this rule . . . .'' See SIFMA
letter at 8.
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B. Harmonization With Other Financial Regulations

    FSI supported the proposed rule change's harmonization with the
SEC's advertising rules applicable to mutual funds.\30\
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    \30\ Specifically, FSI stated:
    I. FSI strongly supports efforts to harmonize Rule G-21 with
other financial regulations
     . . . The Proposed Rule also amends Rule G-21(e) to incorporate
the provisions included in the SEC's amendments to its registered
investment company advertising rules. The draft amendments to Rule
G-21(e) replace the money market mutual fund disclosure required by
current Rule G-21 with a modified version of the money market mutual
fund disclosure currently required by SEC rules.
    See FSI letter at 2.
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C. Out-of-State Disclosure

    SI supported the enhanced out-of-state disclosure. SI commented
that the ``added detail and clarity'' will enhance the value of 529
college savings plans for investors and advisors, because the
disclosure will assist the reader in more fully understanding what the
other benefits may be of investing in a 529 college savings plan
offered by the investor's or the designated beneficiary's home
state.\31\
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    \31\ SI stated, in part, that:
    Strategic Insight appreciates the higher level of detail and
clarity by expanding the description of ``other benefits'' to
include reference to ``such as financial aid, scholarship funds, and
protection from creditors'' as these are important factors that
investors often overlook. By expanding the description, 529s will
also be easier to understand which encourages use of the product.
Ultimately, the added detail and clarity will enhance the value of
529s for investors and advisors, as they may not have been able to
identify what the ``other benefits'' were referencing previously.
     See SI letter.
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III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action

    Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register or within such longer period of up to 90 days (i) as
the Commission may designate if it finds such longer period to be
appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to
which the self-regulatory organization consents, the Commission will:
    (A) By order approve or disapprove such proposed rule change, or
    (B) institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule
change should be disapproved.

IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:

Electronic Comments

     Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
     Send an email to<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Please include
File Number SR-MSRB-2017-04 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

     Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549.

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-MSRB-2017-04. This file
number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help
the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently,
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on
the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all
written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are
filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to
the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other
than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549 on official business days between the hours of
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available
for inspection and copying at the principal office of the MSRB. All
comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does
not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should
submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File Number SR-MSRB-2017-04 and should be
submitted on or before July 28, 2017.

    For the Commission, pursuant to delegated authority.\32\
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    \32\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-14240 Filed 7-6-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


From:	"Frey, Nathan J."<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
To:	Kevin Culligan/DC/USEPA/US@EPA, Peter Tsirigotis/RTP/USEPA/US@EPA,
RobertJ Wayland/RTP/USEPA/US@EPA

Cc:	"Mancini, Dominic J."<EMAIL_ADDRESS>"Laity, Jim"
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
Date:	03/26/2012 11:27 AM

Subject:	Interagency Comments Under EO 12866/13563 -- GHG NSPS proposed
rule

Attached please find a summary of interagency comments under EO
12866/13563 regarding the EGU GHG NSPS proposed rule.  Please let me
know if you have any questions.

Summary of Interagency Comments under EO 12866 13563__EGU NSPS_3.26.docx

Summary of Interagency Comments Under EO 12866_13563 EGU NSPS preamble
redline 032612.docx


[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 28, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 19148]
[FR Doc No: E9-9638]

========================================================================
Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

========================================================================

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 80 / Tuesday, April 28, 2009 /
Proposed Rules

=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 193

[Docket No. FAA-2009-0245]

Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program; National Wildlife
Aircraft Hazard Database

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of determination not to proceed with proposed order
designating information as protected from disclosure.

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SUMMARY: The FAA proposed that bird strike information voluntarily
reported to the Agency and entered into the FAA's National Wildlife
Aircraft Hazard Database be designated by an FAA order as protected
from public disclosure in accordance with the provisions of 14 CFR part
193. After further review and consideration, the FAA has determined not
to proceed with an order designating the wildlife database as protected
under part 193.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Weller, Airport Safety and
Operations Division, AAS-300, Federal Aviation Administration, 800
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591, telephone<PHONE_NUMBER>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Availability of This Notice

    You can get an electronic copy of this notice using the Internet
by:
    (1) Searching the Department of Transportation's electronic Docket
Management System (DMS) Web page (http://dms.dot.gov/search);
    (2) Visiting the FAA's Regulations and Policies Web page at http://www.faa.gov/regulations-policies/; or
    (3) Accessing the Government Printing Office's Web page at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html.

Background

    Under 49 U.S.C. 40123, certain voluntarily provided safety and
security information is protected from disclosure to encourage persons
to provide the information to the FAA. The FAA must issue an order to
make certain findings before the information is protected from
disclosure. The FAA's rules implementing that section are in 14 CFR
part 193. If the Administrator issues an order designating information
as protected under 49 U.S.C. 40123, that information will not be
disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) or other
laws except as provided in 49 U.S.C. 40123 and 14 CFR part 193.
    On March 19, 2009, the FAA published a proposed order that, if
adopted, would have designated certain information in the FAA's
wildlife database as information protected under part 193. This
proposed order was issued under 14 CFR 193.111, which sets out the
notice procedure for designating information as protected. The FAA
invited interested persons to participate in this proposal by
submitting written comments, data, or views. We also invited comments
relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or federalism impacts
that might result from adopting the proposals in this document. The
comment period concluded on April 20, 2009. The FAA received 47
comments, the majority of which were not in favor of protecting the
database.
    After further review and consideration, the FAA has determined not
to proceed with an order designating information in the National
Wildlife Aircraft Strike database as protected under part 193 at this
time. The FAA will modify the public Wildlife Aircraft Strike Web site
to make the database available to all users consistent with the Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA) and Agency policy.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 22, 2009.
Catherine M. Lang,
Acting Associate Administrator for Airports.
[FR Doc. E9-9638 Filed 4-24-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P


[Federal Register: June 30, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 125)]
[Notices]
[Page 37790]
[DOCID:fr30jn10-55]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PR10-32-000]

 Public Service Company of Colorado; Notice of Filing

June 23, 2010.
    Take notice that on June 10, 2010, Public Service Company of
Colorado submitted a revised Statement of Operating Conditions for
services provided under Section 311 of the Natural Gas Policy Act of
1978 (``NGPA'').
    Any person desiring to participate in this rate proceeding must
file a motion to intervene or to protest this filing must file in
accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice
and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 385.214). Protests will be considered
by the Commission in determining the appropriate action to be taken,
but will not serve to make protestants parties to the proceeding. Any
person wishing to become a party must file a notice of intervention or
motion to intervene, as appropriate. Such notices, motions, or protests
must be filed on or before the date as indicated below. Anyone filing
an intervention or protest must serve a copy of that document on the
Applicant. Anyone filing an intervention or protest on or before the
intervention or protest date need not serve motions to intervene or
protests on persons other than the Applicant.
    The Commission encourages electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper using the ``eFiling'' link at http://
www.ferc.gov. Persons unable to file electronically should submit an
original and 14 copies of the protest or intervention to the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC
20426.
    This filing is accessible on-line at http://www.ferc.gov, using the
``eLibrary'' link and is available for review in the Commission's
Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. There is an ``eSubscription''
link on the Web site that enables subscribers to receive e-mail
notification when a document is added to a subscribed docket(s). For
assistance with any FERC Online service, please e-mail
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or call<PHONE_NUMBER> (toll free). For
TTY, call<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, July 2, 2010.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-15837 Filed 6-29-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


From:
Zavoda, Rich<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Sent:
Sunday, February 9, 2020 6:02 PM
To:
Jones, DonnaLee<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Raymond, Gabrielle<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Cc:
Zavoda, Rich<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Maciel, Robert A<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Skolnekovich, Danielle L<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Gammon, Marian<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Benoit, Simonne T<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Subject:
RE: August 2019 QA/QC Review of Enclosure 1 Information for EPA 2016 ICR for selected Coke Manufacturing facilities

Dr. Jones,

Thanks for the opportunity to review the draft information.  Attached is the updated Coke ICR Enclosure 1 excel file for ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, ArcelorMittal Monessen and ArcelorMittal Warren.

Please note that ArcelorMittal Monessen is an area source and the Pushing, Quenching, Battery Stack MACT is not applicable.  We reserve the right to provide additional information in the future as may be appropriate.

Rich Zavoda | Regional Manager, Air Quality Program
ArcelorMittal USA
Environmental Affairs| 4020 Kinross Lakes Parkway, Richfield, Ohio 44286-9000
T +1<PHONE_NUMBER> | F +1<PHONE_NUMBER> | www.arcelormittal.com

<< ArcelorMittal-Coke-Enclosure-1-Questionnaire ICR-draft summary- AMUSA 2.9.20.xlsx >>

From: Jones, DonnaLee<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Sent: Tuesday, August 6, 2019 3:31 PM
To: Zavoda, Rich<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Cc: GABRIELLE RAYMOND<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Jones, DonnaLee<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Subject: August 2019 QA/QC Review of Enclosure 1 Information for EPA 2016 ICR for selected Coke Manufacturing facilities

Hello Rich  -  Attached is your company's information supplied to EPA for the 2016 Information Collection Request (ICR) in one Excel file and your facility's diagrams in a "zipped" file.

Thank you again for your efforts in providing your facility's information. Now is the time to correct, update, or add to your responses from 2016 for Enclosure 1.

Please add a duplicate column with corrected information and any comments. Highlight the heading in the duplicate column YELLOW and use red font, as in the example in the next worksheet. If there are no changes, you do not need to do anything. See example corrections in the next worksheet called "Example-Edits." We will assume any data without a comment is correct for your facility in 2016 or the year indicated in the question.

Keep in mind we are NOT asking you to update your responses to 2019, but only to correct or supply information related to your 2016 facility and 2016 test data (if applicable). However, you may voluntarily provide any additional information for 2019, if you so choose, and label accordingly. Please make sure you indicate the year of the additional information with any new information.

Note clarification for Part IV, Q25 and Q27: This pertains to ALL pollution control equipment (for ALL air pollution, including both air toxics AND criteria pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc.)

If you have any questions, please first send an email to both Gabrielle Raymond,  the RTI Contractor, and me at the email addresses below. If we need to speak on the phone, we can follow-up with a call, but we need an email first to ensure contact.
<EMAIL_ADDRESS><EMAIL_ADDRESS>

Note that we will be summarizing CBI data in Enclosure 1 separately at some not yet determined point in the future. However, we will be sending you your Enclosure 2 data soon, hopefully by mid to end of August. The review of Enclosure 1 likely will not take that long for most of the Coke facilities, so I advise you to review Enclosure 1 soon so that you can focus on Enclosure 2 when it arrives.

_____________________________________________________________
Regards,
Donna Lee Jones, Ph.D.
Senior Technical Advisor, Metals Sector
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
Sector Policies and Programs Division / Metals & Inorganic Chemicals Gr (D 243-02)
Research Triangle Park, NC  27711  Tele:<PHONE_NUMBER>  Fax<PHONE_NUMBER>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Reasonableness never fails to be appreciated."  - anon.


[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 214 (Friday, November 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 68354]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27953]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. ER11-1883-000]

Milner Dam Wind Park, LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial
Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for Blanket Section 204
Authorization

October 28, 2010.
    This is a supplemental notice in the above-referenced proceeding of
Milner Dam Wind Park, LLC's application for market-based rate
authority, with an accompanying rate tariff, noting that such
application includes a request for blanket authorization, under 18 CFR
Part 34, of future issuances of securities and assumptions of
liability.
    Any person desiring to intervene or to protest should file with the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20426, in accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of the
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and
385.214). Anyone filing a motion to intervene or protest must serve a
copy of that document on the Applicant.
    Notice is hereby given that the deadline for filing protests with
regard to the applicant's request for blanket authorization, under 18
CFR Part 34, of future issuances of securities and assumptions of
liability, is November 18, 2010.
    The Commission encourages electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper, using the FERC Online links at http://www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic service, persons with Internet
access who will eFile a document and/or be listed as a contact for an
intervenor must create and validate an eRegistration account using the
eRegistration link. Select the eFiling link to log on and submit the
intervention or protests.
    Persons unable to file electronically should submit an original and
14 copies of the intervention or protest to the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    The filings in the above-referenced proceeding are accessible in
the Commission's eLibrary system by clicking on the appropriate link in
the above list. They are also available for review in the Commission's
Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. There is an eSubscription link
on the Web site that enables subscribers to receive e-mail notification
when a document is added to a subscribed docket(s). For assistance with
any FERC Online service, please e-mail<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or
call<PHONE_NUMBER> (toll free). For TTY, call<PHONE_NUMBER>.

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-27953 Filed 11-4-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 74 (Thursday, April 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 21833]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08619]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Twenty Fifth Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 213, Enhanced Flight
Vision Systems/Synthetic Vision Systems (EFVS/SVS)

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Meeting Notice of RTCA Special Committee 213, Enhanced Flight
Vision Systems/Synthetic Vision Systems (EFVS/SVS).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of the
twenty fifth meeting of the RTCA Special Committee 213, Enhanced Flight
Vision Systems/Synthetic Vision Systems (EFVS/SVS).

DATES: The meeting will be held May 13-15, 2014 from 10:00 a.m.-5:00
p.m. on May 13th and 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on May 14th and 15th.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at Airbus in France, Site de Saint
Martin du Touch, 316 route de Bayonne, 31060 Toulouse Cedex 9.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Etherington,
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>(319) 295-5233, Patrick Krohn,
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>(425) 602-1375 and The RTCA Secretariat, 1150 18th
Street NW., Suite 910, Washington, DC 20036, or by telephone at (202)
330-0652/(202) 833-9339, fax at<PHONE_NUMBER>, or Web site at http://www.rtca.org. Additional contact information: please contact Patrick
Krohn<EMAIL_ADDRESS>telephone<PHONE_NUMBER> or mobile at (425)
829-1996. RTCA contact is Jennifer Iverson<EMAIL_ADDRESS>(202)
330-0662.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 5 U.S.C., App.), notice is
hereby given for a meeting of Special Committee 213. The agenda will
include the following:

May 13

Plenary Discussion (Sign in at 9:00 a.m.)

     Introductions and administrative items.
     Review and approve minutes from last full plenary meeting.
     Review of terms of reference.
     Status of DO-342A and DO-315C Drafts.
     Industry updates.
     WG-1 DO-315C draft review.

May 14

Plenary Discussion

     WG-1 DO-315C draft review.

May 15

Plenary Discussion

     WG-1 DO-315C draft review.
     WG-2 DO-342A draft review (time permitting).
     Administrative items (new meeting location/dates, action
items etc.).
     Adjourn.
    Attendance is open to the interested public but limited to space
availability. With the approval of the chairman, members of the public
may present oral statements at the meeting. Persons wishing to present
statements or obtain information should contact the person listed in
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. Members of the public may
present a written statement to the committee at any time.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 9, 2014.
Paige Williams,
Management Analyst, NextGen, Business Operations Group, Federal
Aviation Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014-08619 Filed 4-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P


[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22780-22785]
[FR Doc No: 2012-9227]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0259; FRL-9345-5]

Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Section 5 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires
any person who intends to manufacture (defined by statute to include
import) a new chemical (i.e., a chemical not on the TSCA Chemical
Substances Inventory (TSCA Inventory)) to notify EPA and comply with
the statutory provisions pertaining to the manufacture of new
chemicals. Under TSCA sections 5(d)(2) and 5(d)(3), EPA is required to
publish in the Federal Register a notice of receipt of a premanufacture
notice (PMN) or an application for a test marketing exemption (TME),
and to publish in the Federal Register periodic status reports on the
new chemicals under review and the receipt of notices of commencement
(NOC) to manufacture those chemicals. This document, which covers the
period from March 1, 2012 to March 23, 2012, and provides the required
notice and status report, consists of the PMNs and TMEs, both pending
or expired, and the NOC to manufacture a new chemical that the Agency
has received under TSCA section 5 during this time period.

DATES: Comments identified by the specific PMN number or TME number,
must be received on or before May 17, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0259, and the specific PMN number or TME
number for the chemical related to your comment, by one of the
following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Document Control Office (7407M), Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
     Hand Delivery: OPPT Document Control Office (DCO), EPA
East Bldg., Rm. 6428, 1201 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The
DCO is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding
legal holidays. The telephone number for the DCO is<PHONE_NUMBER>.
Such deliveries are only accepted during the DCO's normal hours of
operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of
boxed information.
    Instructions: EPA's policy is that all comments received will be
included in the docket without change and may be made available on-line
at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided, unless the 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 regulations.gov or
email. The 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 email
comment directly to EPA without going through regulations.gov, your
email address will be automatically captured and included as part of
the comment that is placed in the 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.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index
available at http://www.regulations.gov. 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
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, or, if only available in
hard copy, at the OPPT Docket. The OPPT Docket is located in the EPA
Docket Center (EPA/DC) at Rm. 3334, EPA West Bldg., 1301 Constitution
Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room hours of
operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding
legal holidays. The telephone number of the EPA/DC Public Reading Room
is<PHONE_NUMBER>, and the telephone number for the OPPT Docket is
(202) 566-0280. Docket visitors are required to show photographic
identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor
log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and
subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA/DC badge that must
be visible at all times in the building and returned upon departure.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information contact:
Bernice Mudd, Information Management Division (7407M), Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number:
(202) 564-8951; fax number:<PHONE_NUMBER>; email address:
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>    For general information contact: The TSCA-Hotline, ABVI-Goodwill,
422 South Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14620; telephone number: (202)
554-1404; email address<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. As such, the
Agency has not attempted to describe the specific entities that this
action may apply to. Although others may be affected, this action
applies directly to the submitter of the PMNs addressed in this action.
If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this action to
a particular entity, consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through
regulations.gov or email. Clearly mark the part or all of the
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or
CD-ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM as
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket.
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
    2. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments,
remember to:
    i. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
    ii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
    iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and
substitute language for your requested changes.
    iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information
and/or data that you used.
    v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you
arrived at

your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be reproduced.
    vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and
suggest alternatives.
    vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of
profanity or personal threats.
    viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period
deadline identified.

II. Why is EPA taking this action?

    EPA classifies a chemical substance as either an ``existing''
chemical or a ``new'' chemical. Any chemical substance that is not on
EPA's TSCA Inventory is classified as a ``new chemical,'' while those
that are on the TSCA Inventory are classified as an ``existing
chemical.'' For more information about the TSCA Inventory go to: http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/newchems/pubs/inventory.htm. Anyone who plans to
manufacture or import a new chemical substance for a non-exempt
commercial purpose is required by TSCA section 5 to provide EPA with a
PMN, before initiating the activity. Section 5(h)(1) of TSCA authorizes
EPA to allow persons, upon application, to manufacture (includes
import) or process a new chemical substance, or a chemical substance
subject to a significant new use rule (SNUR) issued under TSCA section
5(a), for ``test marketing'' purposes, which is referred to as a test
marketing exemption, or TME. For more information about the
requirements applicable to a new chemical go to: http://ww.epa.gov/opt/newchems.
    Under TSCA sections 5(d)(2) and 5(d)(3), EPA is required to publish
in the Federal Register a notice of receipt of a PMN or an application
for a TME and to publish in the Federal Register periodic status
reports on the new chemicals under review and the receipt of NOCs to
manufacture those chemicals. This status report, which covers the
period from March 1, 2012 to March 23, 2012, consists of the PMNs and
TMEs, both pending or expired, and the NOCs to manufacture a new
chemical that the Agency has received under TSCA section 5 during this
time period.

III. Receipt and Status Reports

    In Table I of this unit, EPA provides the following information (to
the extent that such information is not claimed as CBI) on the PMNs
received by EPA during this period: The EPA case number assigned to the
PMN, the date the PMN was received by EPA, the projected end date for
EPA's review of the PMN, the submitting manufacturer/importer, the
potential uses identified by the manufacturer/importer in the PMN, and
the chemical identity.

                                                   Table I--45 PMNs Received From 03/01/12 to 3/23/12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Projected
           Case No.             Received date    notice end           Manufacturer/importer                  Use                      Chemical
                                                    date
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P-12-0216....................      03/01/2012      05/29/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Laundry and auto     (G) Carbohydrate, polymers
                                                                                dishwash additive.       with acrylic acid and
                                                                                maleic anhydride,
                                                                                maltodextrin and
                                                                                methacrylic acid, sodium
                                                                                salt, hydrogen peroxide-
                                                                                and peroxydisulfuric acid
                                                                                ([(Ho)s(O)2]2O2) sodium
                                                                                salt (1:2)-initiated.
P-12-0217....................      03/01/2012      05/29/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Laundry and auto     (G) Carbohydrate, polymers
                                                                                dishwash additive.       with acrylic acid
                                                                                maltodextrin, sodium salt,
                                                                                hydrogen peroxide- and
                                                                                peroxydisulfuric acid
                                                                                ([(Ho)s(O)2]2O2) sodium
                                                                                salt (1:2)-initiated.
P-12-0218....................      03/01/2012      05/29/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Laundry and auto     (G) Carbohydrate, telomers
                                                                                dishwash additive.       with acrylic acid, iso-pr
                                                                                alcohol, maltodextrin, 3-
                                                                                mercaptopropanoic acid and
                                                                                styrene, sodium salt,
                                                                                hydrogen peroxide- and
                                                                                peroxydisulfuric acid
                                                                                ([(Ho)s(O)2]2O2) sodium
                                                                                salt (1:2)-initiated.
P-12-0219....................      03/01/2012      05/29/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Laundry and auto     (G) Carbohydrate, polymers
                                                                                dishwash additive.       with acrylic acid and
                                                                                maleic anhydride,
                                                                                maltodextrin, and
                                                                                methacrylic acid, ammonium
                                                                                salt, hydrogen peroxide-
                                                                                and peroxydisulfuric acid
                                                                                ([(Ho)s(O)2]2O2) sodium
                                                                                salt (1:2)-initiated.
P-12-0220....................      03/04/2012      06/01/2012  Cytec Industries, Inc.............  (G) Coating resin......  (G) Substituted
                                                                                carbomonocycle, polymers
                                                                                with reduced alkyl esters
                                                                                of reduced polymerized
                                                                                oxidized halosubstituted
                                                                                alkene, polyalkanoic acid,
                                                                                substituted alkenyl ester-
                                                                                blocked.
P-12-0221....................      03/05/2012      06/02/2012  Dow Chemical Company..............  (G) Polymer              (G) Acrylic polymer.
                                                                                intermediate.
P-12-0222....................      03/06/2012      06/03/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Additive for         (G) Alkyl acrylate cross-
                                                                                property improvement     linked copolymer.
                                                                                in films and coatings.
P-12-0223....................      03/06/2012      06/03/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Solvent............  (G) Glycol ether.
P-12-0224....................      03/07/2012      06/04/2012  CBI...............................  (G) A component in       (G) Ester.
                                                                                dishwashing
                                                                                applications.
P-12-0225....................      03/07/2012      06/04/2012  American Chemical Ltd.............  (S) Special catalyst     (S) Diphenyl[mu-
                                                                                for elastomer and        [(tetrapropenyl)succinato(2-
                                                                                molded two-component     )-
                                                                                polyurathanes.           o:o']]dimercury(phenylmercu
                                                                                ry
                                                                                tetrapropenylsuccinate)*.

P-12-0226....................      03/07/2012      06/04/2012  Carboline Company.................  (S) The PMN substances   (G) Alkyl ketimines;
                                                                                are components of a      polymeric ketimines.
                                                                                crosslinked phenolic-
                                                                                epoxy coating system
                                                                                used to produce a
                                                                                water-immersion lining
                                                                                on concrete and steel.
                                                                                The coating may also
                                                                                be used on tanks for
                                                                                crude oil service,
                                                                                brine and water/oil
                                                                                mixtures. The PMN
                                                                                substances extend the
                                                                                pot life of the
                                                                                coating system. Once
                                                                                the phenolic-erpoxy
                                                                                resin cures, none of
                                                                                the pmn substances
                                                                                remain in the coating.
P-12-0227....................      03/07/2012      06/04/2012  Zeon Chemicals L.P................  (S) Used to make molds   (G) Polycycloolefin polymer.
                                                                                for optical lenses/
                                                                                prisms.
P-12-0228....................      03/08/2012      06/05/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Coating              (G) Substituted quaternary
                                                                                applications.            alkyl ammonium chloride.
P-12-0229....................      03/12/2012      06/09/2012  Huntsman Corporation..............  (S) Exhaust dyeing of    (G) Subsituted aromatic
                                                                                cellulosic fabrics.      diazo sulfonic acid salts.
P-12-0230....................      03/12/2012      06/09/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Processing aid.....  (G) Alkylaminediol acetate
                                                                                salt.
P-12-0231....................      03/12/2012      06/09/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Processing aid.....  (G) Ethoxylated
                                                                                alkylaminediol acetate
                                                                                salt.
P-12-0232....................      03/12/2012      06/09/2012  The Dial Corporation, a Henkel      (S) Fragrance for        (S) 1H,3H,5H-oxazolo[3,4-
                                                                Company.                            household cleaning       c]oxazole, dihydro-3,5-
                                                                                products and laundry.    bis[1-methyl-2-[4-(1-
                                                                                methylethylphenyl]ethyl]-.
P-12-0233....................      03/12/2012      06/09/2012  The Dial Corporation, a Henkel      (S) Fragrance for        (S) 1H,3H,5H-oxazolo[3,4-
                                                                Company.                            household cleaning       c]oxazole, dihydro-3,5-
                                                                                products and laundry.    bis(1-methyldecyl)-.
P-12-0234....................      03/12/2012      06/09/2012  The Dial Corporation, a Henkel      (S) Fragrance for        (S) 1H,3H,5H-oxazolo[3,4-
                                                                Company.                            household cleaning       c]oxazole, 3,5-bis(2,4-
                                                                                products and laundry.    dimethyl-3-cyclohexen-1-
                                                                                yl)dihydro-.
P-12-0235....................      03/14/2012      06/11/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Adhesive for open,   (G) Polyesterurethane.
                                                                                non-descriptive use.
P-12-0236....................      03/16/2012      06/13/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Additive, open, non- (G) Polyester amine adduct.
                                                                                dispersive use.
P-12-0237....................      03/16/2012      06/13/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Additive, open, non- (G) Polyester amine adduct.
                                                                                dispersive use.
P-12-0238....................      03/16/2012      06/13/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Additive, open, non- (G) Polyester amine adduct.
                                                                                dispersive use.
P-12-0239....................      03/19/2012      06/16/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Lamination adhesive  (G) Aliphatic polyurethane.
P-12-0240....................      03/19/2012      06/16/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Processing aid.....  (G) Ammonium molybdenum
                                                                                tungsten nickel hydroxide
                                                                                maleate.
P-12-0241....................      03/19/2012      06/16/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Water and oil        (G) 2-propenoic acid, 2-
                                                                                repellant.               methyl-, 2-hydroxyethyl
                                                                                ester, telomers with C18-26-
                                                                                alkyl acrylate, 1-
                                                                                dodecanethiol, N-
                                                                                (hydroxymethyl)-2-methyl-2-
                                                                                propenamide,
                                                                                polyfluorooctyl
                                                                                methacrylate, 2,2'-[1,2-
                                                                                diazenediylbis(1-
                                                                                methylethylidene)]-bis[4,5-
                                                                                dihydro-1H-imidazole]
                                                                                hydrochloride (1:2)-
                                                                                initiated.

P-12-0242....................      03/19/2012      06/16/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Water and oil        (G) 2-propenoic acid, 2-
                                                                                repellant.               methyl-, C16-18 alkyl
                                                                                esters, telomers with 3-
                                                                                chloro-2-hydroxypropyl
                                                                                methacrylate,1-
                                                                                dodecanethiol, N-
                                                                                (hydroxymethyl)-2-methyl-2-
                                                                                propenamide,
                                                                                polyfluorooctyl
                                                                                methacrylate and rel-
                                                                                (1R,2R,4R)-1,7,7-
                                                                                trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-
                                                                                2-yl methacrylate, 2,2'-
                                                                                [1,2-diazenediylbis(1-
                                                                                methylethylidene)]-bis[4,5-
                                                                                dihydro-1H-imidazole]
                                                                                hydrochloride (1:2)-
                                                                                initiated.
P-12-0243....................      03/16/2012      06/13/2012  Wacker Chemical Corporation.......  (G) Additive to improve  (G) Copolymer of vinyl/alkyl
                                                                                the impact strength of   siloxanes and methacrylic
                                                                                thermoplastic and        acid derivatives.
                                                                                thermoset polymer
                                                                                systems, especially at
                                                                                low temperatures.
P-12-0244....................      03/20/2012      06/17/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Coatings...........  (G) Cycloaliphatic anhydride
                                                                                polymer with aliphatic
                                                                                polyols and aliphatic acid.
P-12-0245....................      03/20/2012      06/17/2012  Shepherd Color Company............  (S) Colored pigment      (S) Niobium sulfur tin zinc
                                                                                used.                    oxide.
P-12-0246....................      03/20/2012      06/17/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Crosslinker........  (G) Methyl, phenyl, amino-
                                                                                functional siloxanes and
                                                                                silsesquixane.
P-12-0247....................      03/21/2012      06/18/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Polyester resin      (G) Alkyl carboxylic acid,
                                                                                solution.                oxiranyl alkyl ester,
                                                                                polymer with cycloalkyl
                                                                                dicarboxylic acid
                                                                                anhydride, alkyl alcohol
                                                                                ester.
P-12-0248....................      03/21/2012      06/18/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Resin (open, non-    (G) Polyester type
                                                                                dispersive use).         polyurethane resin.
P-12-0249....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Chemical             (G) Vegetable oil, modified
                                                                                intermediate.            products.
P-12-0250....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Chemical             (G) Vegetable oil, modified
                                                                                intermediate.            products.
P-12-0251....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Chemical             (G) Vegetable oil, modified
                                                                                intermediate.            products, esters.
P-12-0252....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Chemical             (G) Esters.
                                                                                intermediate.
P-12-0253....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Chemical             (G) Esters.
                                                                                intermediate.
P-12-0254....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  Lubrigreen biosynthetics..........  (G) Lubricant base oil.  (S) Fatty acids, C8-18 and
                                                                                C18-unsaturated, reaction
                                                                                products with isomerized
                                                                                oleic acid homopolymer iso-
                                                                                bu ester.
P-12-0255....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  Lubrigreen biosynthetics..........  (G) Lubricant base oil.  (S) Fatty acids, coco,
                                                                                reaction products with
                                                                                isomerized oleic acid
                                                                                homopolymer, iso-bu ester.
P-12-0256....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  Cytec industries, Inc.............  (G) Mineral processing   (G) Dialkyldithiophosphate
                                                                                collector.               salt.
P-12-0257....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Destructive use....  (G) Brominated by-product
                                                                                stream.
P-12-0258....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Destructive use....  (G) Brominated aliphatic
                                                                                alcohol.
P-12-0259....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Destructive use....  (G) Brominated by-product
                                                                                stream.
P-12-0260....................      03/22/2012      06/19/2012  CBI...............................  (G) Destructive use....  (G) Brominated aliphatic
                                                                                alcohol.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In Table II of this unit, EPA provides the following information
(to the extent that such information is not claimed as CBI) on the TMEs
received by EPA during this period: The EPA case number assigned to the
TME, the date the TME was received by EPA, the projected end date for
EPA's review of the TME, the submitting manufacturer/importer, the
potential uses identified by the manufacturer/importer in the TME, and
the chemical identity.

                                                   Table II--2 TMEs Received From 03/01/12 to 03/23/12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T-12-0006............................      03/04/2012      04/17/2012  Cytec Industries, Inc...  (G) Coating resin.......  (G) Substituted
                                                                                carbomonocycle, polymers
                                                                                with reduced alkyl esters of
                                                                                reduced polymd. oxidized
                                                                                halosubstituted alkene,
                                                                                polyalkanoic acid,
                                                                                substituted alkenyl ester-
                                                                                blocked.

T-12-0007............................      03/22/2012      05/05/2012  Cytec Industries, Inc...  (G) Mineral processing    (G) Dialkyldithiophosphate
                                                                                collector.                salt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In Table III of this unit, EPA provides the following information
(to the extent that such information is not claimed as CBI) on the NOCs
received by EPA during this period: The EPA case number assigned to the
NOC, the date the NOC was received by EPA, the projected end date for
EPA's review of the NOC, and chemical identity.

                              Table III--27 NOCs Received From 03/01/12 to 03/23/12
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Commencement
                  Case No.                    Received date    notice end                  Chemical
                                                                  date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
J-11-0004..................................      03/10/2012      01/30/2012  (G) T.reesei3417.
P-04-0623..................................      03/07/2012      08/15/2006  (S) Hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-, C8-12-
                                                                              alkyl esters.
P-09-0362..................................      03/07/2012      02/21/2012  (S) Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl),
                                                                              .alpha.-sulfo-.omega.-
                                                                              (tridecyloxy)-, branched, sodium
                                                                              salts.
P-10-0013..................................      03/21/2012      03/14/2012  (G) Manganese sulfonate derivative.
P-10-0368..................................      03/01/2012      02/17/2012  (G) Epoxy-arylamine polymer.
P-10-0449..................................      03/01/2012      02/17/2012  (G) Polyester resin.
P-10-0531..................................      03/01/2012      02/17/2012  (G) Unsaturated polyester resin.
P-10-0568..................................      03/01/2012      02/17/2012  (G) Unsaturated polyester resin.
P-11-0231..................................      03/20/2012      02/21/2012  (G) Cashew nutshell liquid amine
                                                                              polymer.
P-11-0295..................................      03/21/2012      02/26/2012  (G) Reaction product from the
                                                                              oxidation of D-glucose,
                                                                              neutralized with NAOH.
P-11-0296..................................      03/22/2012      02/26/2012  (G) Reaction products from the
                                                                              oxidation of D-glucose,
                                                                              neutralized with sodium hydroxide
                                                                              and potassium hydroxide.
P-11-0344..................................      03/02/2012      12/12/2011  (G) Polyaromatic heterocycle
                                                                              precursor.
P-11-0345..................................      03/02/2012      12/12/2011  (G) Heterocyclic organic
                                                                              intermediate.
P-11-0346..................................      03/02/2012      12/28/2011  (G) Halogenated aromatic
                                                                              heterocyclic intermediate.
P-11-0384..................................      03/13/2012      02/02/2012  (G) Fluorinated alkylsulfonamidol
                                                                              urethane polymer.
P-11-0408..................................      03/19/2012      02/29/2012  (G) Polycarbodiimide modified
                                                                              diisocyanate.
P-11-0481..................................      03/11/2012      02/23/2012  (S) 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic
                                                                              acid, 1-butyl 2-(phenylmethyl)
                                                                              ester.
P-11-0492..................................      03/16/2012      02/17/2012  (G) Glycine derivative.
P-11-0586..................................      03/19/2012      03/11/2012  (G) Substituted phthalocyanine
                                                                              derivative.
P-11-0617..................................      03/19/2012      03/11/2012  (G) Substituted xanthene
                                                                              derivative.
P-11-0638..................................      03/23/2012      03/14/2012  (G) Aminocarbonyl ammonio carboxy
                                                                              modified polyolefin.
P-11-0652..................................      03/01/2012      02/28/2012  (S) 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylicc
                                                                              acid, 1,4-dibutyl ester.
P-11-0654..................................      03/06/2012      03/01/2012  (S) Phenol, 2-[[[3-(1H-imidazol-1-
                                                                              yl)propyl]imino]phenylmethyl]-5-
                                                                              (octyloxy)-.
P-12-0001..................................      03/23/2012      03/12/2012  (G) Aromatic isocyanate, alkyl
                                                                              phenol-blocked.
P-12-0039..................................      03/08/2012      03/07/2012  (G) Acrylic polymer.
P-12-0049..................................      03/12/2012      02/21/2012  (G) Alkylcatechol-substituted
                                                                              alkoxy-substituted calixarene.
P-12-0071..................................      03/08/2012      03/02/2012  (S) Disphosphoric acid, magnesium
                                                                              salt (1:1).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If you are interested in information that is not included in these
tables, you may contact EPA as described in Unit II to access
additional non-CBI information that may be available.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Chemicals, Hazardous substances, Imports,
Notice of commencement, Premanufacturer, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Test marketing exemptions.

    Dated: April 9, 2012.
 Chandler Sirmons,
Acting Director, Information Management Division, Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 2012-9227 Filed 4-16-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 27, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4621-4622]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01523]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2014-0736; FRL-9941-60-OEI]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and
Approval; Comment Request; EPA's Safer Choice Partner of the Year
Awards Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: EPA has submitted the following information collection request
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA): ``EPA's
Safer Choice Partner of the Year Awards Program'' and identified by EPA
ICR No. 2450.02 and OMB Control No. 2070-0184. The ICR, which is
available in the docket along with other related materials, provides a
detailed explanation of the collection activities and the burden
estimate that is only briefly summarized in this document. EPA has
addressed the comments received in response to the previously provided
public review opportunity issued in the Federal Register on October 2,
2015 (80 FR 59773). With this submission, EPA is providing an
additional 30 days for public review.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 26, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2014-0736, to both EPA and OMB as follows:
     To EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our
preferred method) or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.,
Washington, DC 20460.
     To OMB via email to<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Address
comments to OMB Desk Officer for EPA.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the
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. Do not submit electronically any
information you consider to be CBI or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colby Lintner, Environmental
Assistance Division (7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number:<PHONE_NUMBER>; email
address<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Docket: Supporting documents, including the ICR that explains in
detail the information collection activities and the related burden and
cost estimates that are summarized in this document, are available in
the docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at http://www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, West William
Jefferson Clinton Bldg., Rm. 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
http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on January
31, 2016. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or
sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending
at OMB. Under PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., 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.
The OMB control numbers are displayed either by publication in the
Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such as on the related
collection instrument or form, if applicable. The display of OMB
control numbers for certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR
part 9.
    Abstract: EPA developed the Partner of the Year Awards to recognize
Safer Choice stakeholders who have furthered the goals of Safer Choice
through active and exemplary participation in and promotion of the
Safer Choice program. Making the mission of the Safer Choice program
known to the widest possible audience, through its safer product label
and in other forms of communication, is critical to fully realizing the
program's goals of protecting human health and the environment,
promoting a sustainable economy, and creating green jobs, especially in
the small business sector.
    The Partner of the Year Awards will be an annual event, with
recognition for Safer Choice stakeholder organizations from five broad
categories: (1) Formulators/product manufacturers (of both consumer and
institutional/industrial (I/I) products), (2) purchasers and
distributors, (3) retailers, (4) supporters (e.g., non-governmental
organizations, including environmental and health advocates, trade
associations, academia, sports teams, and others), and (5) innovators
(e.g., chemical manufacturers, technology developers, and others).
Within these categories and based on the criteria, EPA may elect to
give additional awards in the subcategories of ``small business'' and
``sustained excellence.'' This information collection activity
addresses the reporting burden associated with completing the

application to EPA for recognition in the Partner of the Year Awards
program.
    Responses to this information collection are voluntary. Respondents
may claim all or part of a response confidential. EPA will disclose
information that is covered by a claim of confidentiality only to the
extent permitted by, and in accordance with, the procedures in TSCA
section 14 and 40 CFR part 2.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by
this ICR are establishments engaged in the production, use, and/or
advancement of safer chemicals, that have furthered the goals of EPA's
Safer Chemical program through active and exemplary participation in
and promotion of the program, and that wish to receive recognition for
their achievements.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 50.
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Estimated total burden: 750 hours (per year). Burden is defined at
5 CFR 1320.3(b).
    Estimated total costs: $45,486 (per year), includes no annualized
capital investment or maintenance and operational costs.
    Changes in the estimates: There is a decrease of 900 hours in the
total estimated respondent burden compared with that identified in the
ICR currently approved by OMB.
    This decrease reflects the experience of EPA's Safer Choice program
since OMB first approved this information collection. The Safer Choice
program conducted its first Partner of the Year Awards in 2015, at
which time EPA had received applications from 35 respondents. Based
upon revised estimates, EPA has reduced the estimated number of
respondents from 110 to 50, with a corresponding decrease in the
associated burden. This change is an adjustment.

Courtney Kerwin,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2016-01523 Filed 1-26-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P