Per EPA's
request and due to the recent passage of the FARMS Act, creating a
Continuous Release Reporting Form specific to farms is no longer
needed.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
11/30/2018
6 Months From Approved
11/30/2019
32,308
0
32,308
325,582
0
325,582
165,111
0
165,111
This information collection request
(ICR) addresses the reporting and record keeping activities
required for farms to comply with EPA’s Continuous Release
Reporting Regulation (CRRR; 40 CFR 302.8) implementing Section
103(f)(2) of CERCLA. The CRRR clarifies the types of releases that
qualify for reporting under CERCLA Section 103(f)(2) and
establishes the reporting requirements applicable to qualifying
releases. The continuous release reporting requirements also apply
to the release notification required under Section 304 of the
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). EPCRA
Section 304 supplements the release notification under CERCLA
Section 103, requiring notifications to the State Emergency
Response Commission (SERC) and the Local Emergency Planning
Committee (LEPC). Responsibility for information collection
activities of the CRRR reside in the Office of Emergency Management
(OEM) in the Office of Land and Emergency Management
(OLEM).
Due to a recent court
vacatur, farmers will be required to report continuous releases of
hazardous substances from animal waste starting on January 22,
2017. A general continuous release reporting form is currently in
use, but the form is not tailored for releases from animal waste.
EPA developed a streamlined form for farmers to report continuous
releases, but the form needs to be cleared by OMB before regulatees
can begin using the form.
US Code:
42 USC 9601 et seq. Name of Law: Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
US Code:
42 USC 11001–11050 Name of Law: Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act
On December 18, 2008, EPA
published a final rule, “CERCLA/EPCRA Administrative Reporting
Exemption for Air Releases of Hazardous Substances from Animal
Waste at Farms,” that exempted farms releasing hazardous substances
from animal waste to the air at or above threshold levels from
reporting under CERCLA Section 103. The final rule also exempted
reporting of such releases under EPCRA Section 304 if the farm had
fewer animals than a large concentrated animal feeding operation
(CAFO) (40 CFR 355.31(g)). On April 11, 2017, the D.C. Circuit
Court vacated this final rule, thus eliminating the exemptions.
Therefore, farms that were previously not subject to reporting
requirements for air releases of hazardous substances from animal
wastes are now required to report. This ICR amendment accounts
burden for medium and large CAFOs (“farms”) to comply with CERCLA
Section 103.
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.