NSPS for Steel Plants: Electric Arc Furnaces and Argon Oxygen Decarburization Vessels (Renewal)

6560-50-P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA–HQ– OECA–2012–0653; FRL – 9944-49-OEI]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NSPS for Steel Plants: Electric Arc Furnaces and Argon Oxygen Decarburization Vessels (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an information collection request (ICR), “NSPS for Steel Plants: Electric Arc Furnaces and Argon Oxygen Decarburization Vessels (40 CFR Part 60, Subparts AA and AAa) (Renewal)” (EPA ICR No. 1060.17, OMB Control No. 2060-0038), 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.). This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through April 30, 2016. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register (80 FR 32116) on June 5, 2015, during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. 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: Additional comments may be submitted on or before [insert date 30 days after publication in the Federal Register].

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA–HQ– OECA–2012–0653, to: (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or by email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460; and (2) OMB via email to [email protected]. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer for EPA.

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: Patrick Yellin, Monitoring, Assistance, and Media Programs Division, Office of Compliance, Mail Code 2227A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-2970; fax number: (202) 564-0050; email address: [email protected].

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.

Abstract: Owners and operators of steel plants are required to comply with reporting and record keeping requirements for the general provisions of 40 CFR Part 60, Subpart A, as well as the applicable standards in 40 CFR Part 60, Subparts AA and AAa. This includes submitting initial notifications, performance tests and periodic reports and results, and maintaining records of the occurrence and duration of any startup, shutdown, or malfunction in the operation of an affected facility, or any period during which the monitoring system is inoperative. These reports are used by EPA to determine compliance with the standards.

Form Numbers: None.

Respondents/affected entities: Steel plants that produce carbon, alloy, or specialty steels: electric arc furnaces (EAFs), argon oxygen decarburization (AOD) vessels, and dust handling systems.

Respondent’s obligation to respond: Mandatory (40 CFR Part 60 Subparts AA and AAa).

Estimated number of respondents: 99.6 (total).

Frequency of response: Initially, occasionally and semiannually.

Total estimated burden: 62,000 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.3(b).

Total estimated cost: $6,430,000 (per year), which includes $203,000 in both annualized capital/startup and operation & maintenance costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase in the total estimated burden as currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved Burdens. This increase is not due to any program changes. The increases in burden, including number of responses, labor hours, labor costs, and O&M costs reflect an increase in the number of respondents. The new number of respondents accounts for the one new source that is subject to the rule since the last ICR period. Further, this ICR assumes existing respondents will take some time to re-familiarize themselves with the regulatory requirements each year, which results in an increase in the estimated labor hours and costs.

Dated: _____________________________________

___________________________________________

Courtney Kerwin, Acting-Director, Collection Strategies Division