Clean Water Act Section 404 State-Assumed Programs (Renewal)
Extension without change of a currently approved collection
No
Regular
02/28/2025
Requested
Previously Approved
36 Months From Approved
02/28/2025
10,163
18,051
130,600
218,881
0
0
This information collection request describes the burden (hours) and labor cost (dollars) associated with 40 CFR 233, the regulations that implement Clean Water Act Section 404(g). The Clean Water Act authorizes states [tribes] to assume the section 404 permit program for discharges of dredged or fill material into certain waters of the U.S. Implementing regulations establish specific information that must be submitted to EPA when a state/tribe requests program assumption and while administering the program. There are three types of information collected for different needs. The three parts are: 1) Information needed for EPA to review and approve state or tribal requests to assume the program; 2) information needed from permit applicants for reviewing and processing the permit application; and 3) information the state or tribe must submit to EPA in their annual report summarizing program administration.
There is a decrease of 88,281 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB. The primary factor contributing to the overall decrease in burden and labor costs between this renewal and the previous ICR was the reduction in the number of Tribes and states seeking assumption and administering a Section 404 program. Other factors that influenced the overall burden and costs estimates included revising scaling factors for individual activities (e.g., completing and reviewing permit applications, and program modification) and updating labor costs to 2024 hourly wages. Additionally, the agency recognized the seven state feasibility studies provided useful information to inform burden and costs associated with Section 404 program assumption. For this reason, this collection request incorporates data from those studies and presents a summary of that information in a new pre-submission activities category.
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.