Under Title II of the Clean Air Act
(42 U.S.C. 7521 et seq.; CAA), EPA is charged with issuing
certificates of conformity for certain spark-ignition (SI) engines
used to propel marine vessels that comply with applicable emission
standards. Such a certificate must be issued before engines may be
legally introduced into commerce. To apply for a certificate of
conformity, manufacturers are required to submit descriptions of
their planned production line, including descriptions of the
emission control system, and engine emission test data. This
information is organized by "engine family." An engine family is a
group of engines expected to have similar emission characteristics.
There are also record-keeping requirements. Under the regulations
governing marine SI engines, manufacturers must use the Averaging,
Banking, and Trading Program (ABT) and must submit information
regarding the calculation, actual generation, and usage of emission
credits in a certification application, an end-of-the-year report,
and final report. These reports are used for certification and
enforcement purposes. The Act also mandates EPA to verify that
manufacturers have successfully translated their certified
prototype engines into mass produced engines, and that these
engines comply with emission standards throughout their useful
lives. Under the Production-line Testing (PLT) Program,
manufacturers are required to test a sample of engines as they
leave the assembly line. This self-audit program increases
efficiency and reduces cost of correcting mis-builts and other
errors made in the assembly line. Under the In-use Testing Program
(In-use), manufacturers are required to test engines after a number
of years of use to verify that they comply with emission standards
throughout their useful lives.
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.