Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Servicing of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Servicing of Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners (Renewal)

DATES:

Comments may be submitted on or before December 23, 2024.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through December 31, 2024. 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 May 22, 2024, during a 60-day comment period (89 FR 44977). 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: Section 609 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (Act) provides general guidelines for the servicing of motor vehicle air conditioners (MVACs). It states that "no person repairing or servicing motor vehicles for consideration may perform any service on a motor vehicle air conditioner involving the refrigerant for such air conditioner without properly using approved refrigerant recycling equipment and no such person may perform such service unless such person has been properly trained and certified." In 1992, EPA developed regulations under section 609 that were published in 57 FR 31240 and codified at 40 CFR part 82 subpart B (section 82.30 et seq. ). The information required to be collected under the section 609 regulations is: approved refrigerant handling equipment; approved independent standards testing organizations; technician training and certification; and certification, reporting and recordkeeping.

Form Numbers: None.

Respondents/affected entities: The following is a list of NAICS codes for organizations potentially affected by the information requirements covered under this ICR. It is meant to include any establishment that may service or maintain motor vehicle air conditioners.

4411 Automobile Dealers

4413 Automotive Parts, Accessories, and Tire Stores

44711 Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores

8111 Automotive Repair and Maintenance

811198 All Other Automotive Repair and Maintenance

Other affected groups include independent standards testing organizations and organizations with technician certification programs.

Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (40 CFR 82.36, 82.38, 82.40, 82.42).

Estimated number of respondents: 53,147.

Frequency of response: On occasion, biennially, only once.

Total estimated burden: 4,666.5 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b) hours (per year).

Total estimated cost: $250,163.29 (per year), includes $0 annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of about 502 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB (EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0040). This increase is due to a revision in the estimate of the total annual number of technicians certified under 40 CFR part 82 (40,000/year in 2021 to 47,000/year in 2024), and an increase in the number of motor vehicle repair establishments in the United States (165,800 in 2021 to about 170,000 in 2024).

[FR Doc. 2024-27400 Filed 11-21-24; 8:45 am]

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