2458ss05

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

Fuel Use Requirements for Great Lakes Steamships

OMB Control No. 2060-0679

EPA ICR No. 2458.05

February 2021

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

Fuel Use Requirements for Great Lakes Steamships

EPA ICR No. 2458.05

1. IDENTIFICATION OF THE INFORMATION COLLECTION

1(a) Title of the Information Collection

TITLE: Fuel Use Requirements for Great Lakes Steamships

OMB Control Number: 2060-0679

1(b) Short Characterization/Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted requirements for marine vessels operating in and around U.S. territorial waters to use reduced-sulfur diesel fuel. This requirement does not apply to all steamships, but instead applies to steamships that are converted to run on diesel engines. We adopted a regulatory provision that allows vessel owners to qualify for a waiver from the fuel-use requirements for a defined period for such converted vessels.

The EPA Tier 4 standards now apply for engines installed on U.S. vessels. These standards generally require installation of selective catalytic reduction technology, which substantially increases the complexity of replacing the steam powerplant with one or more engines. We therefore no longer expect anyone to notify us of their intent to use the steamship exemption.

2. NEED FOR AND USE OF THE COLLECTION

2(a) Need/Authority for the Collection

The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (33 U.S.C. 1901–1915) authorizes EPA to regulate the fuel used by marine vessels operating in and around U.S. territorial waters. The regulatory provision allowing vessel owners to use noncompliant fuel requires a minimum level of EPA oversight involving notification that the vessel owner will be exercising the provision.

2(b) Practical Utility/Users of the Data

EPA will use the data to oversee compliance with regulatory requirements, including communicating with affected companies and answering questions from the public or other industry participants regarding the waiver in question.

3. NONDUPLICATION, CONSULTATIONS, AND OTHER COLLECTION CRITERIA

3(a) Nonduplication

This information is not available from any other source.

3(b) Public Notice Required Prior to Information Collection Request (ICR) Submissions to OMB

The Federal Register notice invited comments on the information collection (86 FR 14913, March 19, 2021). We received no comments.

3(c) Consultations

The EPA anticipates only two companies will be subject to this ICR. In March 2021, EPA staff consulted with Lake Carriers Association regarding this ICR. Lake Carriers Association is the industry group representing those two companies and other companies conducting similar work. Lake Carriers Association did not suggest any changes to the ICR.

3(d) Effects of Less Frequent Collection

The information collection does not involve repeat submissions.

3(e) General Guidelines

This collection of information is consistent with all OMB guidelines under 5 CFR 1320.6. EPA minimizes recordkeeping burden by allowing a variety of electronic and hard copy formats for records; facilities have flexibility to use a system that meets their needs and is consistent with other facility records maintenance practices.

3(f) Confidentiality

We expect to make case-by-case determinations if vessel owners request that their submission be treated as confidential business information, consistent with applicable regulations in 40 CFR part 2.

3(g) Sensitive Questions

This information collection does not ask any questions concerning sexual behavior or attitudes, religious beliefs, or other matters usually considered private.

4. THE RESPONDENTS AND THE INFORMATION REQUESTED

The respondents in this proposed information collection include owners of steamships operating on the Great Lakes.

4(a) Respondents/North American Industrial Classification Systems (NAICS) Codes

All the expected respondents are owners of steamships operating on the Great Lakes, which are represented by NAICS Codes 483113 and 483114.

4(b) Information Requested

The following regulatory provision describes the written notification vessel owners would submit to the EPA:

The vessel owner must notify the EPA regarding the intent to use this provision. The notification must include a description of the vessel and a summary of the project, including the expected timeline, and other relevant information.

The vessel owner must also notify us when the conversion is complete. The owner must keep our acknowledgment of their notification onboard the vessel through December 31, 2025.

These are not intended to be formal or detailed submissions.

5. THE INFORMATION COLLECTED – AGENCY ACTIVITIES, COLLECTION METHODS, AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

5(a) Agency Activities

Respondents must keep a record of their approval to operate under the waiver from fuel standards, and notify EPA when the project is complete. Respondents may ask EPA how to submit this notification. EPA would respond by giving an appropriate email address.

5(b) Collection Methodology and Management

Respondents would notify EPA by email when the project is complete for a given vessel. EPA will keep respondent records in an electronic archive for at least five years.

5(c) Small Entity Flexibility

None of the potentially affected companies are small businesses.

5(d) Collection Schedule

Respondents must keep records and submit notification after completing the project for a given vessel. There is therefore no collection schedule.

6. ESTIMATING THE BURDEN AND COST OF THE COLLECTION

This section presents EPA’s estimates of the burden and costs to respondents associated with the activities described in Section 4 as well as the Federal burden hours and costs associated with the activities described in Section 5(a).

Section 6(a) of this ICR provides estimates of burden hours for all respondent types. Section 6(b) contains estimates of respondent costs for the information collection. Section 6(c) summarizes Federal burden and costs. Section 6(d) describes the respondent universe and the total burden and cost of this collection to respondents. Section 6(e) presents the bottom line burden and cost. The burden statement for this information collection is in Section 6(f).

6(a) Estimating Respondent Burden

Respondents must keep record of EPA approval and notify EPA when the project is complete. We estimate zero burden for continuing to keep the record. Project completion is not expected during the period covered by this information collection request. The respondent burden is therefore estimated to be zero.

6(b) Estimating Respondent Costs

Costs to respondents associated with this information collection include no labor costs. Vessel owners will incur no non-labor costs (e.g., the cost of purchasing and installing equipment or contractor costs associated with providing the required information).

EPA estimates technical, managerial, clerical, and legal loaded labor rates using labor rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics¹ and applying a 60% loading factor.²  The labor rates are:  $93.60 for managers; $76.82 for Engineers/technicians; $27.28 for clerical staff, and $86.30 for legal staff.

The respondent cost is estimated to be zero.

6(c) Estimating Agency Burden and Cost

This section describes the burden and cost to the Federal government associated with this information collection. Federal activities under this information collection include EPA oversight of the reporting program.

EPA burden and cost

EPA expects to receive no information during the reporting period. EPA’s burden and cost is therefore estimated to be zero.

6(d) Estimating the Respondent Universe and Total Burden and Costs

The EPA and respondent burden and cost are estimated to be zero.

6(e) Bottom Line Burden Hours and Costs

The EPA and respondent burden and cost are estimated to be zero.

6(f) Reasons For Change In Burden

The previous ICR incorrectly included seven burden hours for respondents. This error was addressed in this ICR by reducing the burden hours reported from seven to zero.

6(g) Burden Statement

The respondent reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to be an average of 0 hours and $0 per year. The average annual burden to EPA for this period is estimated to be 0 hours. 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; 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.

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 are listed in 40 CFR part 9.

To comment on the Agency's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including the use of automated collection techniques, EPA has established a public docket for this rule under Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OAR-2011-0928, 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 Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. The EPA Docket Center 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. This website can be used to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. When in the system, select “search,” then key in the Docket ID Number identified above. Also, you can send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20503, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA. Include the EPA Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OAR-2011-0928 and OMB Control Number 2060-0679 on any correspondence.

1 Based on the median estimates released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Great Lakes Water Transportation, posted in September 2021.

2 The ICR Handbook recommends using a multiplier of 1.6 to account for benefits and overhead related to government wages; this is considered a conservative estimate (potentially high) for the private sector.