Notice2023-03788
30-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
February 23, 2023
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 88 Issue 36 (Thursday, February 23, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 36 (Thursday, February 23, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11501-11502]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03788]
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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
30-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
[[Page 11502]]
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
March 27, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be identified as ``Paperwork
Reduction Act Comments, Class I Railroad Annual Report.'' 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 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#fb9492899aa4888e9996928888929495bb949699d59e948bd59c948d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="036c6a71625c7076616e6a70706a6c6d436c6e612d666c732d646c75">[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#471715060734332569202831"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7e2e2c3f3e0d0a1c50191108">[email protected]</span></a>. When submitting comments, please refer to
``Statutory Authority to Preserve Rail Service.'' For further
information regarding this collection, contact Pedro Ramirez at (202)
245-0333 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f9899c9d8b96d78b9894908b9c83b98a8d9bd79e968f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="62120706100d4c10030f0b100718221116004c050d14">[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 74206 (Dec. 2,
2022)). That notice allowed for a 60-day public review and comment
period. No comments were received.
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 $6.00 per respondent, resulting in a
total annual non-burden-hour cost of approximately $42.00 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. 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.
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: February 17, 2023.
Regena Smith-Bernard,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2023-03788 Filed 2-22-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P
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