80 FR 30455 - Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; RFS2 Voluntary RIN Quality Assurance Program

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 102 (May 28, 2015)

The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), ``RFS2 Voluntary RIN Quality Assurance Program'' (EPA ICR No.2473.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0688 to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through December 31, 2017. 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.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 102 (Thursday, May 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30455-30457]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12934]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-1158; FRL-9928-36-OAR]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; RFS2 
Voluntary RIN Quality Assurance Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``RFS2 Voluntary RIN Quality 
Assurance Program'' (EPA ICR No.2473.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0688 to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 
Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects 
of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a 
proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through 
December 31, 2017. 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.

[[Page 30456]]


DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 27, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2005-0161, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or 
by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Manners, USEPA National Vehicle 
and Fuel Emissions Laboratory/OAR, 2565 Plymouth Road, Rm #N07, Ann 
Arbor, MI 48105; telephone number: 734-214-4288; fax number: 734-214-
4873; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
comments and information to enable it to: (i) Evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of 
the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (iv) minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses. EPA 
will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate. 
The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and 
approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice 
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to 
submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program began in 2006 
pursuant to the requirements in Clean Air Act (CAA) section 211(o) 
which were added through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct). The 
statutory requirements for the RFS program were subsequently modified 
through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), 
resulting in the promulgation of major revisions to the regulatory 
requirements on March 26, 2010.
    The RFS program requires that specified volumes of renewable fuel 
be used as transportation fuel, heating oil, and/or jet fuel each year. 
To accomplish this, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes 
applicable percentage standards annually that apply to the sum of all 
gasoline and diesel produced or imported. The percentage standards are 
set so that if every obligated party meets the percentages, then the 
amount of renewable fuel, cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, and 
advanced biofuel used will meet the volumes required on a nationwide 
basis.
    Obligated parties demonstrate compliance with the standards through 
the acquisition of unique Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) 
assigned by the producer or importer to every batch of renewable fuel 
produced or imported. Validly generated RINs show that a certain volume 
of qualifying renewable fuel was produced or imported. The RFS program 
also includes provisions stipulating the conditions under which RINs 
are invalid, the liability carried by a party that transfers or uses an 
invalid RIN, and how invalid RINs must be treated.
    The RIN system within the RFS program contains unique features that 
make it somewhat challenging for the obligated parties that need RINs 
for compliance purposes to verify that those RINs have been validly 
generated. Several cases of fraudulently generated RINs have compelled 
some obligated parties to limit their business relationships to only 
those parties that appear most trustworthy. This reaction by the 
obligated parties made it more difficult for smaller renewable fuel 
producers to sell their RINs and reduced the overall liquidity of the 
RIN market. To ensure that RINs are validly generated, individual 
obligated parties are now conducting their own audits of renewable fuel 
production facilities, potentially duplicating one another's efforts. 
These circumstances have created inefficiencies in the RIN market, 
prompting requests for an additional regulatory mechanism that would 
reduce the risk of potentially invalid RINs, return liquidity to the 
RIN market, and reduce the cost of verifying the validity of RINs.
    Form Numbers: 8.

RFS 1400--RFS Renewable Fuel Producers Reporting Fuels--5900-354.
RFS 1500--RFS Renewable Fuel producers Reporting Fuels (Finished Fuel 
Blending)--5900-355.
RFS 1600--RFS Renewable Fuel producers Reporting Fuels (Blending 
Contact)--5900-356.
RFS 2000--RFS Independent Third Party Batch Verification--5900-357.
RFS 2100--RFS Independent Third Party Batch Verification Aggregate RIN 
Verification--5900-358.
RFS 2200--RFS Independent Third Party On-Site Audit Report--5900-359.
RFS 2300--RFS Independent Third Party List of Potentially Invalid 
RINs--5900-360.
RFS 2400--Independent Third Party Mass Balance--5900-361.

    Respondents/affected entities: Renewable Producers, obligated 
parties.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 1313 (total).
    Frequency of response: On occasion.
    Total estimated burden: 263,744 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $22,386,702 (per year), includes no 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: This regulation will allow EPA to monitor 
compliance with the RFS program. The quality assurance program would 
help to ensure that the RIN system operates as originally intended. The 
primary impacts of the quality assurance program would be improved 
liquidity in the RIN market and improved opportunities for smaller 
renewable fuel producers to sell their RINs. The data generated by the 
QAP program will assist obligated parties and smaller renewable fuel 
producers comply with the requirements of the RFS program by supporting 
the validity of RINs. This regulation will allow regulated parties to 
voluntary submit Quality Assurance Plans (QAPs) to EPA to demonstrate 
the validity of the RINs they generate. This is a new collection with 
no industry cost for comparison.


[[Page 30457]]


    Dated: May 20, 2015.
Byron Bunker,
Director, Compliance Division, Office of Transportation and Air 
Quality, Office of Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 2015-12934 Filed 5-27-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P