Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Implementation of Ambient Air Protocol Gas Verification Program; EPA ICR No. 2375.01, OMB Control Number 2060-NEW

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request for a new collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before August 9, 2010.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0050, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by e-mail to a-and-r-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Air Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB by mail to: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Michael Papp, Air Quality Assessment Division, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code C304-06, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone: 919-541-2408; fax: 919-541-1903; e-mail: papp.michael@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12. On March 2, 2010 (40 FR 9407), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments during the comment period. Any additional comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0050 which is available for online viewing at http://www.regulations.gov,, or in person viewing at the Air Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is 202-566-1744, and the telephone number for the Air Docket is 202-566-1742.

Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov,, to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select “docket search,” then key in the docket ID number identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, confidential business information (CBI), or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

Title: Implementation of Ambient Air Protocol Gas Verification Program.

ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2375.01, OMB Control No. 2060-NEW.

ICR Status: This ICR is for a new information collection activity. 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 for EPA's regulations in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 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 in certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.

Abstract: This ICR includes ambient air monitoring data reporting and recordkeeping activities associated with the 40 CFR part 58, appendix A, Ambient Air Quality Surveillance Quality Assurance Regulations. These data and information are collected by state, local, and tribal air quality management agencies and reported to the EPA.

The EPA Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Program's quality assurance requirements in 40 CFR part 58, appendix A, require: “2.6 Gaseous and Flow Rate Audit Standards. Gaseous pollutant concentration standards (permeation devices or cylinders of compressed gas) used to obtain test concentrations for CO, SO₂, NO, and NO₂ must be traceable to either a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Traceable Reference Material (NTRM), NIST Standard Reference Materials (SRM), and Netherlands Measurement Institute (NMI) Primary Reference Materials (valid as covered by Joint Declaration of Equivalence) or a NIST-certified Gas Manufacturer's Internal Standard (GMIS), certified in accordance with one of the procedures given in reference 4 of this appendix. Vendors advertising certification with the procedures provided in reference 4 of this appendix and distributing gases as “EPA Protocol Gas” must participate in the EPA Protocol Gas Verification Program or not use “EPA” in any form of advertising.”

These requirements give assurance to end users that all specialty gas producers selling EPA Protocol Gases are participants in a program that provides an independent assessment of the accuracy of their gases' certified concentrations. In 2010, EPA will develop an Ambient Air Protocol Gas Verification Program (AA-PGVP) that will provide end users with information about participating producers and verification results.

Each year, EPA will attempt to compare gas cylinders from every specialty gas producer being used by ambient air monitoring organizations. EPA Regions 2 and 7 have agreed to provide analytical services for verification of 40 cylinders/lab or 80 cylinders total/year. Cylinders will be verified at a pre-determined time each quarter.

In order to make the appropriate selection, EPA needs to know what specialty gas producers are being used by the monitoring organizations. Therefore, EPA needs information from each primary quality assurance organization every year on specialty gas producers being used and whether the monitoring organization would like to participate in the verification for the upcoming calendar year.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per response. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements which have subsequently changed; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.

Respondents/Affected Entities: These data and information are collected by State, local, and Tribal air quality management agencies.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 211.

Frequency of Response: Annual.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 70.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $4,582 in labor costs.