Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Risk Management Program Requirements and Petitions to Modify the List of Regulated Substances[...]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Risk Management Program Requirements and Petitions To Modify the List of Regulated Substances Under Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act (Renewal)

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before October 27, 2025.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through September 30, 2025. 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.

Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on April 17, 2025 during a 60-day comment period (90 FR 16126). This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. 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: Information collection for on-site documentation of Risk Management Plans (RMPs) is authorized by Clean Air Act (CAA) sections 112(r)(7)(B)(i) and (ii), which state, "The Administrator shall promulgate reasonable regulations and appropriate guidance to provide . . . for the prevention and detection of accidental releases of regulated substances . . ." and, "The regulations . . . shall require the owner or operator . . . to prepare and implement a risk management plan to detect and prevent or minimize accidental releases . . ." Information collection for submitting an RMP is authorized under CAA section 112(r)(7)(B)(iii), which states in relevant part, "The, owner or operator of each stationary source . . . shall register a risk management plan . . . with the Administrator before the effective date of the regulations . . . in such form and manner as the Administrator shall, by rule, require . . . and shall be available to the public under section 114(c)." Information collection for on-site documentation and submittal of RMPs also is authorized by CAA section 114(a)(1). State and local authorities use the information in RMPs to modify and enhance their community response plans. The agencies implementing the Risk Management Program use RMPs to evaluate compliance with the Chemical Accident Provisions in 40 CFR part 68 and to identify sources for inspection that may pose significant risks to the community. Citizens may use the information to assess chemical hazards in their communities.

Form Numbers: None.

Respondents/affected entities: Stationary sources that manufacture, react, mix, store, or use substances in processes that require equipment designed, constructed, installed, operated, or maintained in specific ways to prevent accidental releases and ensure safe operations.

Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory under CAA section 112(r)(7)(B)(iii).

Estimated number of respondents: 14,513 (total).

Frequency of response: Sources are required to register and submit an RMP once every five years unless there are significant changes in the information provided.

Total estimated burden: 667,639 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).

Total estimated cost: $52,611,420 (per year), which includes $36,792 annual operation & maintenance costs.

Changes in the estimates: There is decrease of 36,336 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB. Two primary reasons account for this decrease in burden. First, the burden varies from one ICR renewal to the next due to different resubmission deadlines based on the sources' RMP re-submission deadlines and other regulatory deadlines. Therefore, the burden changes each year depending on how many sources must submit their RMP and comply with certain prevention program requirements. Second, the number of sources subject to the regulations fluctuates regularly and is slightly lower than in the previous ICR (12,074 vs. 12,341 sources) due to the net change in new sources minus deregistered sources, as well as a lower number of new facilities anticipated to become subject to the RMP requirements during the three-year clearance period.