Notice2023-00517
30-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension and Modification of an Existing Collection: Urgent Rail Service Issues
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
January 12, 2023
Issuing agencies
Surface Transportation Board
Abstract
As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (Board) gives notice of its intent to seek approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension and modification of an existing and approved information collection, as described below. An emergency approval was granted for this collection (OMB Control Number 2140-0041), expiring on January 31, 2023. The Board is now seeking to extend and modify that collection with a submission through OMB's regular PRA clearance process.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 8 (Thursday, January 12, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2151-2153]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00517]
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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
30-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension and Modification of an
Existing Collection: Urgent Rail Service Issues
AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens,
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the
Surface Transportation Board (Board) gives notice of its intent to seek
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an
extension and modification of an existing and approved information
collection, as described below. An emergency approval was granted for
this collection (OMB Control Number 2140-0041), expiring on January 31,
2023. The Board is now seeking to extend and modify that collection
with a submission through OMB's regular PRA clearance process.
DATES: Comments on these information collections should be submitted by
February 13, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be identified as ``Paperwork
Reduction Act Comments, Surface Transportation Board: Urgent Rail
Service Issues.'' Written comments for the proposed information
collection should be submitted via <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>.
This information collection can be accessed by selecting ``Currently
under Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the
[[Page 2152]]
search function. As an alternative, written comments may be directed to
the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Michael J. McManus, Surface
Transportation Board Desk Officer: via email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#412e2833201e3234232c283232282e2f012e2c236f242e316f262e37"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="90fff9e2f1cfe3e5f2fdf9e3e3f9fffed0fffdf2bef5ffe0bef7ffe6">[email protected]</span></a>; by fax at (202) 395-1743; or by mail to
Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503.
Please also direct all comments to Chris Oehrle, PRA Officer,
Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423-
0001, or to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#663634272615120448010910"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a4f4f6e5e4d7d0c68ac3cbd2">[email protected]</span></a>. When submitting comments, please refer to
``Urgent Rail Service Issues.'' For further information regarding this
collection, contact Ian Anderson at (202) 245-0337 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#eaa38b84c4ab848e8f98998584aa999e88c48d859c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="723b131c5c331c161700011d1c320106105c151d04">[email protected]</span></a>. Assistance for the hearing impaired is available
through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board previously published a notice
about this collection in the Federal Register (87 FR 66345 (Nov. 3,
2022)). That notice allowed for a 60-day public review and comment
period. No comments were received.
Comments are requested concerning each collection as to (1) whether
the particular collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the Board, including whether the
collection has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the Board's
burden estimates; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
of the information collected; and (4) 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. Submitted comments will be included and
summarized in the Board's request for OMB approval.
Subjects: In this notice, the Board is requesting comments on the
following information collection:
Description of Collection
Title: Urgent Rail Service Issues.
OMB Control Number: 2140-0041.
STB Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Revision and extension of currently approved
collection.
Respondents: Class I (Large) Railroads.
Number of Respondents: See Table 1 below.
Estimated Time per Response: See Table 1 below.
Frequency: One-time, bi-weekly and monthly, as provided in Table 1
below.
Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 3,024 (sum
of estimated hours per response x number of annual responses for each
type of filing), as provided in Table 1 below.
Table 1--Total Estimated Burden Hours
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Estimated
Type of filing hours per Number of Estimated Total burden
response respondents frequency hours
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Service Progress Reports........................ 8 4 13 416
Weekly Performance Data......................... 8 7 26 1,456
Monthly Employment Data......................... 16 7 6 672
Interim Update.................................. 120 4 1 480
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Total Burden Hours.......................... .............. .............. .............. 3,024
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Total Annual ``Non-hour Burden'' Cost: There are no non-hourly
burden costs for this collection. The itemized sub-collections may be
filed electronically.
Needs and Uses: Under the Interstate Commerce Act, as amended by
the ICC Termination Act of 1995, the Board is responsible for the
economic regulation of common carrier rail transportation. Under 49
U.S.C. 1321(b), 11123, and 11145(a), the Board is empowered to address
immediate service issues. Collecting this information will enable the
Board to take necessary action to timely deal with the unanticipated
and urgent service issues affecting the U.S. rail system. These
measures are meant to inform the Board's assessment of further actions
that may be warranted to address the acute service issues facing the
rail industry and to promote industry-wide transparency,
accountability, and improvements in rail service.
At the Board's April 26 and 27, 2022 public hearing in Urgent
Issues in Freight Rail Service, the Board received extensive testimony
on severe rail service issues reported by a wide range of witnesses--
including agricultural, energy, and other shippers, as well as
government officials, rail labor, and other rail interests. The Board
has also continued to review and monitor weekly rail service
performance data that indicated substantial deterioration in service.
This information collection focuses on the adequacy of service recovery
efforts involving BNSF Railway Company (BNSF), CSX Transportation
(CSXT), Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NS), and Union Pacific
Railroad Company UP), and it requires more comprehensive and customer-
centric reporting of all Class I (large) railroads' service metrics.
In a decision served on May 6, 2022, the Board found that immediate
action was needed to address significant service problems, and it
ordered certain railroads to immediately submit relevant information.
The Board took this action to better inform its assessment of actions
that may be warranted to address rail service issues. In a decision
served on June 13, 2022, the Board required UP, BNSF, CSXT, and NS to
correct deficiencies in their service recovery plans and provide
additional information on their actions to improve service and
communications with customers.
Now, in a decision served on October 28, 2022, the Board extended
the temporary reporting period for all seven Class I carriers and
required certain updated information from UP, BNSF, CSXT, and NS. The
Board directed these four carriers to continue to submit biweekly
service progress reports for an additional six-month period, until May
5, 2023. The Board also directed all Class I railroads to submit weekly
performance data during this period.
Although not all Class I carriers are experiencing service problems
to the same degree, the U.S. rail system is an interconnected network
and problems in one geographic area can quickly spread elsewhere. The
application of certain reporting requirements to all Class I carriers
allows the Board to assess the current service issues across the entire
rail network. All Class I carriers must also continue to submit monthly
employment data in this
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docket, as described in the May 6 Order. Specific instructions for this
information collection and analysis of recent data are provided in the
October 28 order.
The information received by the Board from this collection will
continue to be filed in Docket No. EP 770 (Sub-No. 1) and will be
publicly available at <a href="http://www.stb.gov">www.stb.gov</a>. The information may be found by a
search in that docket under the ``proceedings and dockets'' pull-down
menu.
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. Section 3507(b) of the PRA requires,
concurrent with an agency's submitting a collection to OMB for
approval, a 30-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.
Decided date: January 9, 2023.
Kenyatta Clay,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2023-00517 Filed 1-11-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P
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