View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package

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View ICR - OIRA Conclusion

OMB Control No: 2060-0725	ICR Reference No: 202206-2060-001
Status: Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 201811-2060-008
Agency/Subagency: EPA/OAR	Agency Tracking No: 2546.03
Title: Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program (Renewal)
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved without change	Conclusion Date: 11/30/2022
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)	Date Received in OIRA: 08/31/2022
Terms of Clearance: The agency is asked to provide a burden change table as part of the next information collection request that shows the estimated burden changes for that request relative to the estimates in the information collection request submitted on 8/31/22 and relative to the original estimates for the 2060-0725, 2060-0723, and 2060-0728 collections.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	11/30/2025	36 Months From Approved	11/30/2022
Responses	5,761,551	0	2,726,409
Time Burden (Hours)	860,970	0	654,965
Cost Burden (Dollars)	23,039,905	0	0

Abstract: This ICR package is a renewal of an existing collection, Recordkeeping and Reporting for the Renewable Fuel Standard Program, OMB Control Number 2060-0725, expiring August 31, 2022. The RFS regulations are in 40 CFR part 80, subpart M. Because it is more efficient and easier for regulated parties to understand, we seek to consolidate the following approved ICRs into this collection: Modifications to Fuel Regulations to Provide Flexibility for E15; Modifications to RFS RIN Market Regulations (Final Rule), OMB Control Number 2060-0723, expiring November 30, 2022; and Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Standards for 2020 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2021, Response to the Remand of the 2016 Standards, and Other Changes (Final Rule), OMB Control Number 2060-0728, expiring December 31, 2023. The RFS program was created under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), which amended the Clean Air Act (CAA). The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) further amended the CAA by expanding the RFS program. The RFS program is a national policy that requires a certain volume of renewable fuel to replace or reduce the quantity of petroleum-based transportation fuel, heating oil or jet fuel. The reporting requirements of the RFS program typically fall under registration and compliance reporting. Recordkeeping requirements include product transfer documents (PTDs) and retention of records that support items reported. Because RFS relies upon a marketplace of RINs, EPA has created and maintains the EPA Moderated Transaction System (EMTS) capable of handling a high volume of RIN trading activities. The respondents to this ICR are RIN Generators (producers and importers of renewable fuel), Obligated Parties (refiners and importers of gasoline and diesel), Exporters, RIN Owners, independent third-party Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) Providers, Third Parties (Auditors who submit reports on behalf of other respondents), and certain petitioners under the international aggregate compliance approach (such petitions are infrequent).

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion
Annual Number of Responses	5,761,551	2,726,409	3,035,142
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	860,970	654,965	206,005
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	23,039,905	0	23,039,905

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Reduction Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Short Statement: There is decrease of 66,917 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICRs (as discussed above, this ICR combines three ICRs in the renewal of 2060-0725; these three total 927,888 hours) currently approved by OMB. This decrease is due to several factors. Certain reporting burdens (e.g., initial registration or initial programming of product codes) are one-time and front-loaded as far as their hourly burden; and this leads to a decrease in total hours upon renewal in subsequent years. The number of parties participating in various recordkeeping and reporting activities based upon their roles in the program is somewhat fluid, and activity varies with economic conditions, and we tended to be overly generous in our initial estimates. Upon renewal, we use the actual number of registrants, by role; this ICR renewal uses the total number of parties registered in October 2021. Finally, we showed our estimates to industry representatives who are actual respondents (to perform industry consultations) and made adjustments to the hours spent in recordkeeping and reporting, and to the hourly rates used to estimate cost, based upon their feedback, and as described in the docketed supporting statement.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $4,485,827

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: Anne Pastorkovich 202 343-9623