Notice2022-26255
60-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension of Approval: Class I Railroad Annual Report
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 2, 2022
Issuing agencies
Surface Transportation Board
Abstract
As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) gives notice of its intent to seek approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension of the collection of Class I Railroad Annual Reports, as described below.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 231 (Friday, December 2, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 231 (Friday, December 2, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 74206]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26255]
[[Page 74206]]
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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
60-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension of Approval: Class I
Railroad Annual Report
AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the
Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) gives notice of its intent
to seek approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an
extension of the collection of Class I Railroad Annual Reports, as
described below.
DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by
January 31, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Chris Oehrle, Surface Transportation
Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423-0001, or to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b2e2e0f3f2c1c6d09cd5ddc4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5b0b091a1b282f39753c342d">[email protected]</span></a>.
When submitting comments, please refer to ``Paperwork Reduction Act
Comments, Class I Railroad Annual Report.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding this
collection, contact Pedro Ramirez at (202) 245-0333 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bdcdd8d9cfd293cfdcd0d4cfd8c7fdcec9df93dad2cb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6e1e0b0a1c01401c0f03071c0b142e1d1a0c40090118">[email protected]</span></a>. Assistance for the hearing impaired is available
through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are requested concerning: (1) the
accuracy of the Board's burden estimates; (2) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; (3) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on the
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, when appropriate; and (4)
whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the Board, including whether the
collection has practical utility. Submitted comments will be summarized
and included in the Board's request for OMB approval.
Subjects: In this notice, the Board is requesting comments on the
extension of the following information collection:
Description of Collection
Title: Class I Railroad Annual Report.
OMB Control Number: 2140-0009.
Form Number: R-1.
Type of Review: Extension without change.
Respondents: Class I railroads.
Number of Respondents: Seven.
Estimated Time per Response: No more than approximately 250 hours.
This estimate includes time spent reviewing instructions; searching
existing data sources; gathering and maintaining the data needed;
completing and reviewing the collection of information; and converting
the data from the carrier's individual accounting system to the Board's
Uniform System of Accounts, which ensures that the information will be
presented in a consistent format across all reporting railroads. In
prior years, the estimate was higher, but many of these functions have
become automated and more routine through the respondents' software
programming. Thus, the time per response has been reduced, with
additional technological efficiencies anticipated in the future.
Frequency of Response: Annual.
Total Annual Hour Burden: No more than approximately 1,750 hours
annually.
Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: The respondent carriers are
required by statute to submit a copy of the annual report, signed under
oath. See 49 U.S.C. 11145. A hard copy of the report is mailed to the
agency at an estimated cost of $15.00 per respondent, resulting in a
total annual non-burden-hour cost of approximately $105.00 for all
seven respondents. No other non-hour costs for operation, maintenance,
or purchase of services associated with this collection have been
identified, as: (a) this collection will not impose start-up costs on
respondents; and (b) an additional copy of the report in Excel format
is submitted to the agency electronically.
Needs and Uses: Annual reports are required to be filed by Class I
railroads under 49 U.S.C. 11145. The reports show operating expenses
and operating statistics of the carriers. Operating expenses include
costs for right-of-way and structures, equipment, train and yard
operations, and general and administrative expenses. Operating
statistics include such items as car-miles, revenue-ton-miles, and
gross ton-miles. These reports are used by the Board, other Federal
agencies, and industry groups to monitor and assess railroad industry
growth, financial stability, traffic, and operations, and to identify
industry changes that may affect national transportation policy.
Information from these reports is also entered into the Uniform
Railroad Costing System (URCS), which is the Board's general purpose
costing methodology. URCS, which was developed by the Board pursuant to
49 U.S.C. 11161, is used as a tool in rail rate proceedings (in
accordance with 49 U.S.C. 10707(d)) to calculate the variable costs
associated with providing a particular service. The Board also uses
information from this collection to more effectively carry out other
regulatory responsibilities, including: acting on railroad requests for
authority to engage in Board-regulated financial transactions such as
mergers, acquisitions of control, and consolidations, see 49 U.S.C.
11323-24; analyzing the information that the Board obtains through the
annual railroad industry waybill sample, see 49 CFR 1244; measuring
off-branch costs in railroad abandonment proceedings, in accordance
with 49 CFR 1152.32(n); developing the ``rail cost adjustment
factors,'' in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 10708; and conducting
investigations and rulemakings.
Under the PRA, a Federal agency that conducts or sponsors a
collection of information must display a currently valid OMB control
number. A collection of information, which is defined in 44 U.S.C.
3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c), includes agency requirements that persons
submit reports, keep records, or provide information to the agency,
third parties, or the public. Under 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), Federal
agencies are required to provide, prior to an agency's submitting a
collection to OMB for approval, a 60-day notice and comment period
through publication in the Federal Register concerning each proposed
collection of information, including each proposed extension of an
existing collection of information.
Information from certain schedules contained in these reports is
compiled and published on the Board's website, <a href="https://www.stb.gov/reports-data/economic-data/">https://www.stb.gov/reports-data/economic-data/</a>. Information in these reports is not
available from any other source.
Dated: November 29, 2022.
Kenyatta Clay,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2022-26255 Filed 12-1-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P
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