Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: 2011 Renewable Fuel Standards--Petition for International Aggregate Compliance Approach

Byron Bunker
Environmental Protection Agency
December 20, 2013

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 245 (Friday, December 20, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77119-77120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30428]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0133; FRL-9904-55-OAR]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: 2011 Renewable Fuel Standards--
Petition for International Aggregate Compliance Approach

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Regulation of Fuels and Fuel 
Additives: 2011 Renewable Fuel Standards--Petition for International 
Aggregate Compliance Approach'' (EPA ICR No. 2398.03, OMB Control No. 
2060-0655 to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on 
specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described 
below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently 
approved through February 28, 2014. 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.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before February 18, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2010-0133, online using 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.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Geanetta Heard, Fuels Compliance 
Center, 6406J, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-343-9017; fax number: 
202-565-2085; email address: heard.geanetta@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  Supporting documents which explain in 
detail the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in 
the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
comments and information to enable it to: (i) Evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of 
the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (iv) minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. EPA 
will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate. 
The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and 
approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice 
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to 
submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: With this ICR renewal, EPA is seeking permission to 
continue recordkeeping and reporting requirements to authorize 
renewable fuel producers using certain foreign-grown feedstocks to use 
an aggregate approach to comply with the renewable

[[Page 77120]]

biomass verification provisions, akin to that applicable to producers 
using crops and crop residue grown in the United States. For this 
authorization, foreign based entities may petition EPA for approval of 
the aggregate compliance approach for specified renewable fuel 
feedstocks either in a foreign country as a whole or in a specified 
geographical area. This petition request for the aggregate compliance 
approach for foreign-grown crops and crop residue is voluntary, though, 
if approved by EPA, will offer the benefit that certain renewable 
biomass produced in a foreign country or geographical area can be 
counted as feedstock to make renewable fuel for credit under the 
Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) program in 40 CFR Part 80.
    Form numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: 15.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 15 (total).
    Frequency of response: On occasion.
    Total estimated burden: 200 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 
5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $22,794 (per year), includes no annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in estimates: There is no increase of hours in the total 
estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by 
OMB. The respondent universe and responses also remained the same in 
this collection. There was in increase in cost to the industry of 
$8,598 per year due to better numbers used to calculate the industry 
burden and to account for inflation.

    Dated: December 4, 2013.
Byron Bunker,
Director, Compliance Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-30428 Filed 12-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P