Five Federal Agencies Seek Public Comment on Information Collection Renewals Across Agriculture, Environment, and Marine Science

EPA: Agricultural Worker Protection and RCRA Solid Waste Collections

The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted two information collection requests to OMB for review and approval, each currently approved through June 30, 2026, with a comment deadline of July 22, 2026.

The first, the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard Training, Notification and Recordkeeping ICR (EPA ICR Number 2491.07, OMB Control Number 2070-0190), is a proposed extension covering information collection requirements under the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) regulations at 40 CFR part 170. According to the notice, agricultural employers and commercial pesticide handling establishments (CPHEs) are responsible for providing required training, notifications, and information to their employees to ensure worker and handler safety. The WPS regulations cover content and annual training requirements for workers and handlers, posting of pesticide-treated areas, additional information for workers before they enter a pesticide-treated area while a restricted entry interval (REI) is in effect, access to general and application-specific information about pesticides, and recordkeeping of training and application/hazard information. The estimated number of respondents is 10,840,082 (total), with a total estimated burden of 10,137,696 hours per year and a total estimated cost of $446,339,743 per year, which includes $0 annualized capital or operation and maintenance costs. The notice states there is a decrease of 50,974 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the currently approved ICR, due to adjustments to the estimated number of respondents. Public comments were previously requested on November 18, 2025 during a 60-day period; this notice allows an additional 30 days.

The second EPA submission, Revisions to the RCRA Definition of Solid Waste (EPA ICR Number 2310.08, OMB Control Number 2050-0202), is also a proposed extension. The notice explains that in 2008, 2015, and 2018, EPA published revisions to the "definition of solid waste" (DSW) that exclude certain industrial hazardous secondary materials from regulation as "solid waste" and "hazardous waste" under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The RCRA DSW exclusions are organized around six requirements covering off-site transfer-based exclusion, generator-controlled exclusion, solid waste variances and non-waste determinations, a "remanufacturing" exclusion, required recordkeeping for speculative accumulation, and export requirements. The estimated number of respondents is 4,348, with a total estimated burden of 38,396 hours per year and a total estimated cost of $3,205,354 per year, including $20,331 annualized capital or operation and maintenance costs. The notice states there is an increase of 11,341 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the currently approved ICR, due to adjustments to the estimates. Public comments were previously requested on December 11, 2025 during a 60-day period; this notice allows an additional 30 days.

USDA/NIFA: SBIR/STTR Lifecycle Certification and Veterinary Loan Repayment Program

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within USDA has published two separate notices, both with a comment deadline of August 21, 2026.

The first is an intent to extend and revise the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs Lifecycle Certification information collection (OMB Control Number 0524-0053), currently approved through October 31, 2026, for a three-year extension. The notice explains that the USDA SBIR/STTR program makes competitively awarded grants to qualified small businesses to support high quality, advanced concepts research related to important scientific problems and opportunities in agriculture. The program's objectives, as stated in the notice, include stimulating technological innovations in the private sector, strengthening the role of small businesses in meeting federal research and development needs, increasing private sector commercialization of innovations derived from USDA-supported research and development efforts, and fostering participation of new entrants and emerging states. The program is carried out in three phases: Phase I awards to determine scientific and technical merit and feasibility; Phase II awards to further develop Phase I work with commercial potential; and Phase III awards where commercial applications are funded by non-Federal sources or by follow-on non-SBIR/STTR Federal Funding Agreements. The notice states that NIFA exercises overall oversight for policies and procedures governing SBIR/STTR grants representing approximately 2.5% to 2.8% of the USDA extramural R/R&D budget, and that approximately $201M in Phase II grants were awarded to the U.S. small business community from 1994 to 2014. Notably, the notice states that the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, enacted on April 14, 2026, reauthorized the SBIR and STTR programs through September 30, 2031. The Lifecycle Certification form, based on the Small Business Administration (SBA) model language, is used to ensure Small Business Concerns continue to meet specific program requirements during the life of the Funding Agreement. The estimated number of respondents is 180, with 2 annual responses per respondent, each taking an average of 1 hour to complete, for a total burden of 360 hours.

The second NIFA notice is an intent to revise the currently approved Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) information collection (OMB Control Number 0524-0050), currently approved through March 31, 2029. The notice explains that in January 2003, the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA) established the VMLRP under 7 U.S.C. 3151a, authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into agreements with veterinarians who agree to provide veterinary services in veterinarian shortage situations, with the purpose of ensuring an adequate supply of trained food animal veterinarians in shortage situations. NIFA states it is proposing to update the VMLRP application forms to align with 7 U.S.C. 3151a and 7 CFR 3431, relevant Executive Orders and OMB Guidance, and the latest VMLRP program policies. A significant component of this revision is the transition of various elements of the VMLRP application and participant submission process into a new electronic system within the electronic Research Administration (eRA) platform. Specifically, Application Part 1: Program, Application Part 2: Financial, and Service Verification will be migrated into eRA. The notice states that forms related to State Animal Health Officials (SAHOs), the Recommendation form, and Annual and Final Progress Reports are not included in this transition and will continue to follow existing processes. The Recommendation form will also be retitled. NIFA will collect information from current VMLRP applicants and participants, recommenders, employers, and State Animal Health Officials.

NOAA: Marine Mammal Incidental Harassment Authorization Issued

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (L-DEO) for take of marine mammals incidental to a marine geophysical survey off the Eastern North American Margin in the Western Central Atlantic Ocean. The authorization is effective for 1 year from the date of notification by the IHA-holder, not to exceed 1 year from the date of issuance of June 16, 2026.

The notice states that NMFS issued the IHA pursuant to section 101(a)(5)(D) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which allows for incidental, but not intentional, taking by harassment of small numbers of marine mammals by U.S. citizens engaged in a specified activity within a specified geographical region, provided certain findings are made and the public has an opportunity to comment. NMFS found that the taking will have a negligible impact on the species or stocks and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the species or stocks for subsistence uses. A proposed IHA notice was published in the Federal Register on April 9, 2026 (91 FR 18024), and no comments were received during the public comment period. The notice states there are no changes to the specified activity, the species taken, the proposed numbers, type, or methods of take, or the mitigation, monitoring, or reporting measures from the proposed IHA. A Biological Opinion issued by the NMFS Office of Protected Resources concluded that the action is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of ESA-listed fin whales, sei whales, sperm whales, and blue whales. NMFS also determined the issuance of the IHA qualifies for categorical exclusion from further NEPA review under Categorical Exclusion B4 (IHAs with no anticipated serious injury or mortality).

What to Watch

• July 22, 2026: Deadline for public comments on both EPA information collection renewals — the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (OMB Control Number 2070-0190) and the RCRA Definition of Solid Waste (OMB Control Number 2050-0202).
• August 21, 2026: Deadline for public comments on NIFA's SBIR/STTR Lifecycle Certification extension (OMB Control Number 0524-0053) and VMLRP revision (OMB Control Number 0524-0050).
• October 31, 2026: Expiration of the current OMB approval for the NIFA SBIR/STTR Lifecycle Certification collection, pending the three-year extension request.
• September 30, 2031: Reauthorization end date for the SBIR and STTR programs under the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act enacted April 14, 2026.