Under the NPDES program, States,
Federally Recognized Indian Tribes, and U.S. Territories, hereafter
referred to as States, may acquire the authority to issue permits.
These governments have the option of acquiring authority to issue
general permits (permits that cover a category or categories of
similar discharges). States with existing NPDES programs must
submit requests for program modifications to add Federal
facilities, or general permit authority. In addition, as federal
statutes and regulations are modified, States must submit program
modifications to ensure that their program continues to meet
Federal requirements. States have the option of obtaining a sludge
management program. This program may be a component of a State
NPDES Program, or it may be administered as a separate program. To
obtain a NPDES or sludge program, a State must submit an
application that includes a program description, an Attorney
General's Statement, draft Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the
EPA Region, and copies of the State's statutes and regulations.
Once a State obtains authority for an NPDES or sludge program, it
becomes responsible for implementing the program in that
jurisdiction. The State must retain records on the permittees and
perform inspections. In addition, when a State obtains NPDES or
sludge authority, EPA must oversee the program. Thus, States must
submit permit information and compliance reports to the EPA. When
EPA issues a permit in an unauthorized State, that State must
certify that the permit requirements comply with State water laws.
According to the Clean Water Act (CWA) (section 510), States may
adopt discharge requirements that are equal to or more stringent
than requirements in the CWA or Federal regulations. There are
three categories of reporting requirements that are covered by this
ICR. The first category, ``State Program Requests,'' includes the
activities States must complete to request a new NPDES or sludge
program, or to modify an existing program. The second category,
``State Program Implementation,'' includes the activities that
approved States must complete to implement an existing program,
such as certification of EPA-issued permits by non-NPDES States.
The third category, ``State Program Oversight,'' includes
activities required of NPDES States so that EPA may satisfy its
statutory requirements for state program oversight. The information
collected by EPA is used to evaluate the adequacy of a State's
NPDES or sludge program and to provide EPA with the information
necessary to fulfill its statutory oversight functions over State
program performance and individual permit actions. EPA will use
this information to evaluate State requests for full or partial
program approval and program modifications. In order to evaluate
the adequacy of a State's proposed program, appropriate information
must be provided to ensure that proper procedures, regulations, and
statutes are in place and consistent with the CWA
requirements.
This change is primarily the
result of (1) EPA's continuous effort to improve the quality of
data in its PCS database. This change may reflect more accurate
data rather than a significant change in the number of permits
actually administered. The total number of permits in PCS has
decreased, but the number of major facilities has increased. (2)
Changes and adjustments in the number and types of permits
administered by the states and EPA under the NPDES program.
Non-NPDES authorized states continue to apply for NPDES program and
sludge program authorization, impacting recordkeeping and
reporting, resulting in a shift of burden from federal to state
governments. (3) The shift toward the use of general permits to
cover certain categories of dischargers, reducing the number of
standard permits.
$889,120
No
No
Uncollected
Uncollected
Uncollected
Uncollected
Lynn Stabenfeldt
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
0168ss09.doc
NPDES and Sewage Sludge Management State Programs