Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; EPA's Light-Duty In-Use Vehicle and Engine Testing Program (Renewal)

John Moses
Federal Register
February 23, 2011

[Federal Register: February 23, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 36)]
[Notices]               
[Page 10024-10025]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23fe11-43]                         


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0690; FRL-9270-3]

 
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; EPA's Light-Duty In-Use Vehicle 
and Engine Testing Program (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: Additional comments may be submitted on or before March 25, 
2011.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2010-0690, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection 
Agency, Air and Radiation 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: Lynn Sohacki, Compliance and 
Innovative Strategies Division, Office of Transportation and Air 
Quality, Environmental Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood, Ann Arbor, 
Michigan 48105; telephone number: 734-214-4851; fax number: 734-214-
4869; e-mail address: sohacki.lynn@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 August 25, 2010 (75 FR 52326), 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-2010-0690, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air and 
Radiation 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 and 
Radiation 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: EPA's In-Use Vehicle and Engine Testing Programs (Renewal)
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 0222.09, OMB Control No. 2060-0086.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on February 28, 2010. 
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: EPA has an ongoing program to evaluate the emission 
performance of in-use light-duty (passenger car and light truck) motor 
vehicles. This program operates in conjunction with testing of 
prototype vehicles prior to use (manufacturer and EPA confirmatory 
testing for certification) and the mandatory manufacturer's in-use 
testing program (IUVP) for light-duty vehicles. They derive from the 
Clean Air Act's charge that EPA insure that motor vehicles comply with 
emissions requirements throughout their useful lives. The primary 
purpose of the program is information gathering. Nevertheless, EPA can 
require a recall if it receives information, from whatever source, 
including in-use testing, that a ``substantial number'' of any class or 
category of vehicles or engines, although properly maintained and used, 
do not conform to the emission standards, when in actual use throughout 
their useful life.
    The program can be broken down into three closely-related headings. 
The first is a surveillance program that selects approximately 50 
classes of passenger cars and light trucks for in-use testing, at EPA's 
testing facility, totaling approximately 150 vehicles (three in each 
class on average). In rare cases surveillance testing may be followed 
by compliance testing (only four such classes in the last five years). 
The purpose of a compliance phase is to develop additional information 
related to test failures observed in a class during surveillance 
testing. The second heading is testing of a subset of approximately 35 
vehicles from the surveillance recruitment for operation of on-board 
diagnostics (OBD) systems. The third category is special investigations 
involving testing of vehicles to address specific issues. The number of 
vehicles procured under this category varies widely from year to year, 
but this request asks for approval of the information burden 
corresponding to 25 such vehicles per year for the next three years.
    Participation in the light-duty surveys, as well as the vehicle 
testing, is strictly voluntary. A group of 25 to 50 potential 
participants is identified from state vehicle registration records. 
They are asked to return a postcard indicating their willingness to 
participate and if so, to verify some limited vehicle information. 
Three of those who return the card are called and asked about a half 
dozen questions concerning vehicle condition, and operation and 
maintenance. Additional groups of potential participants may be 
contacted until a sufficient number of vehicles has been obtained. 
Owners verify the survey information when they deliver their vehicles 
to EPA, voluntarily provide maintenance records for copying, and 
receive a loaner car and/or a cash incentive.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average less 
than one hour

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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: Individual and fleet owners of motor 
vehicles and engines.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: Approximately 4,285 owners/lessees 
receive EPA's solicitations to participate and approximately 164 do 
participate.
    Frequency of Response: On Occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 521.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $11,295, including $0 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 90 responses and 
98 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with that 
identified in the ICR currently approved by OMB. This decrease is 
entirely due to removal of the heavy-duty and non-road portions of this 
ICR, which will henceforth be covered under a different information 
collection request (OMB Control Number 2060-0287).

    Dated: February 16, 2011.
John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2011-4006 Filed 2-22-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P