Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Servicing of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners (Renewal)

John Moses
August 21, 2012

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50499-50500]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-20505]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2012-0227; FRL 9521-6]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Servicing of Motor Vehicle Air 
Conditioners (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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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 to renew an existing 
approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the 
nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 20, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2012-0227, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Air Docket, Mailcode: 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: Sally Hamlin, Stratospheric Protection 
Division, Office of Air and Radiation, Mail Code 6205J, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 343-9711; fax number: (202) 343-2338; email 
address: Hamlin.Sally@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 May 4, 2012 (77 FR 26544), EPA sought comments on this ICR 
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. 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-2012-0227, which is available for online viewing at 
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 
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 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 www.regulations.gov.
    Title: Servicing of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners (Renewal).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1617.07, OMB Control No. 2060-0247.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2012. 
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor 
the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. 
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, 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: Section 609 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (Act) 
provides general guidelines for motor vehicle air conditioning (MVAC) 
refrigerant handling and MVAC servicing. It states that ``no person 
repairing or servicing motor vehicles for consideration may perform any 
service on a motor vehicle air conditioner involving the refrigerant 
for such air conditioner without properly using approved refrigerant 
recovery and/or recovery and recycling equipment (hereafter referred to 
as ``refrigerant handling equipment'') and no such person may perform 
such service unless such person has been properly trained and 
certified.''
    In 1992, EPA developed regulations under section 609 (57 FR 31242) 
that were codified at 40 CFR part 82, subpart B. Descriptions of the 
recordkeeping and reporting requirements mandated by section 609 and 
delineated in the CFR are summarized below.
    Approved Refrigerant Handling Equipment: In accordance with Section 
609(b)(2)(A), 40 CFR 82.36 requires that refrigerant handling equipment 
be certified by EPA or independent standards testing organization.
    Approved independent standards testing organizations: Section 
609(b)(2)(A) of the Act requires independent laboratory testing of 
refrigerant handling equipment to be certified by EPA. Independent 
laboratories must submit an application. EPA does not anticipate that 
any new organizations will apply to EPA in the future to become 
approved independent standards testing organizations. Therefore, 
related annual hours and costs have been eliminated.
    Technician training and certification: According to Section 
609(b)(4) of the Act, automotive technicians are required to be trained 
and certified in the proper use of approved refrigerant handling 
equipment. Programs that perform technician training and certification 
activities must apply to the EPA for approval by submitting 
verification that its program meets EPA standards. The information 
requested is used by the EPA to guarantee a degree of uniformity in the 
testing programs for motor vehicle service technicians. The Agency 
requires that each approved technician certification program conducts 
periodic reviews and updates of test material, submitting a written 
summary of the review and program changes to EPA every two years.
    Certification, reporting and recordkeeping: To facilitate 
enforcement under Section 609, EPA has developed several recordkeeping 
requirements. All required records must be retained on-site for a 
minimum of three years, unless otherwise indicated.

[[Page 50500]]

    Section 609(c) of the Act states that by January 1, 1992, no person 
may service any motor vehicle air conditioner without being properly 
trained and certified, nor without using properly approved refrigerant 
handling equipment. To this end, 40 CFR 82.42(a) states that by January 
1, 1993, each service provider must have submitted to EPA on a one-time 
basis a statement signed by the owner of the equipment or another 
responsible officer that provides the name of the equipment purchaser, 
the address of the service establishment where the equipment will be 
located, the manufacturer name, equipment model number, date of 
manufacture, and equipment serial number. The statement must also 
indicate that the equipment will be properly used in servicing motor 
vehicle air conditioners and that each individual authorized by the 
purchaser to perform service is property trained and certified. The 
information is used to verify compliance.
    Any person who owns approved refrigerant handling equipment must 
maintain records of the name and address of any facility to which 
refrigerant is sent and must retain records demonstrating that all 
persons authorized to operate the equipment are currently certified 
technicians.
    Finally, any person who sells or distributes a class I or class II 
refrigerant that is in a container of less than 20 pounds must verify 
that the purchaser is a properly trained and certified technician, 
unless the purchase of small containers is for resale only. In that 
case, the seller must obtain a written statement from the purchaser 
that the containers are for resale only, and must indicate the 
purchaser's name and business address. In all cases, the seller must 
display a sign where sales occur that states the certification 
requirements for purchasers.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average less 
than one hour 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.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate, 
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Affected Entities: Motor vehicle dealers, automobile parts stores, 
general automotive repair shops, and automotive repair shops not 
elsewhere classified.
    Estimated Number of Potential Respondents: 52,614.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 4,523 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Costs: $208,307. This includes $208,307 in 
labor costs and no capital or operation and maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 2,177 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. There are three reasons for this decrease in 
burden hours. Today, it is estimated that there are only 600 thousand 
R-12 MVACs on the road, or 80% less than in 2008. Therefore, to account 
for the decreased market for small containers of CFC-12 refrigerant, 
this ICR estimates that the number of purchases for resale only by 
uncertified purchasers of small cans will be 80% less than in 2008. The 
second reason for the burden hours decrease is that CFC-12 refrigerant 
sent off-site for reclamation to an approved refrigerant reclaimed by 
owners of refrigerant recycling equipment certified under 40 CFR 
82.36(a) has decreased and is anticipated to continue decreasing due to 
the significant decline of CFC-12 vehicles on road. The third reason 
for the burden hours decreased is that there are less approved 
technician certification programs in business than in the previous ICR. 
However, EPA anticipates a slow increase of one organization approval 
per year as new alternative refrigerants become available and new 
businesses become interested in certifying technicians for MVAC 
servicing for consideration.

John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-20505 Filed 8-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P