Notice2023-08413
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
Primary source
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Published
April 21, 2023
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Railroad Administration
Abstract
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below. Before submitting this ICR to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified in the ICR.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 77 (Friday, April 21, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 77 (Friday, April 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24657-24659]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08413]
[[Page 24657]]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2023-0002-N-09]
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment
Request
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its
implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below. Before submitting this ICR
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is
soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities
identified in the ICR.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
June 20, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR
should be submitted on <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> to the docket, Docket No. FRA-
2023-0002. All comments received will be posted without change to the
docket, including any personal information provided. Please refer to
the assigned OMB control number (2130-0500) in any correspondence
submitted. FRA will summarize comments received in response to this
notice in a subsequent notice and include them in its information
collection submission to OMB for approval.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Arlette Mussington, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, at email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#97f6e5fbf2e3e3f2b9fae2e4e4fef9f0e3f8f9d7f3f8e3b9f0f8e1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f8998a949d8c8c9dd6958d8b8b91969f8c9796b89c978cd69f978e">[email protected]</span></a> or
telephone: (571) 609-1285 or Ms. Joanne Swafford, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, at email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bcd6d3ddd2d2d992cfcbdddadad3ced8fcd8d3c892dbd3ca"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="89e3e6e8e7e7eca7fafee8efefe6fbedc9ede6fda7eee6ff">[email protected]</span></a> or
telephone: (757) 897-9908.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, and its
implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to
provide 60-days' notice to the public to allow comment on information
collection activities before seeking OMB approval of the activities.
See 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through 1320.12. Specifically,
FRA invites interested parties to comment on the following ICR
regarding: (1) whether the information collection activities are
necessary for FRA to properly execute its functions, including whether
the activities will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FRA's
estimates of the burden of the information collection activities,
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used to
determine the estimates; (3) ways for FRA to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (4) ways
for FRA to minimize the burden of information collection activities on
the public, including the use of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology. See 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5
CFR 1320.8(d)(1).
This ICR responds to the information collection mandate in Section
22421(b) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and also
provides routine updates to 49 CFR part 225's overall information
collection request renewal.
FRA believes that soliciting public comment may reduce the
administrative and paperwork burdens associated with the collection of
information that Federal statutes and regulations mandate. In summary,
FRA reasons that comments received will advance three objectives: (1)
reduce reporting burdens; (2) organize information collection
requirements in a ``user-friendly'' format to improve the use of such
information; and (3) accurately assess the resources expended to
retrieve and produce information requested. See 44 U.S.C. 3501.
The summary below describes the ICR that FRA will submit for OMB
clearance as the PRA requires:
Title: Accident/Incident Reporting and Recordkeeping.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0500.
Abstract: The railroad accident/incident reporting regulations in
49 CFR part 225 require railroads to submit reports summarizing
collisions, derailments, and certain other accidents/incidents
involving damages above a periodically revised dollar threshold, as
well as certain injuries to passengers, employees, and other persons on
railroad property. As the reporting requirements and the information
needed regarding each category of accident/incident are unique, a
different form is used for each category.
In response to the mandate in IIJA Section 22421,\1\ FRA intends to
utilize Form FRA F 6180.54 Special Study Blocks 49a and 49b to collect
the following information for a projected five-year period: (1) the
length of the involved trains, in feet, and (2) the number of crew
members who were aboard a controlling locomotive involved in an
accident at the time of such accident. This modification produces a
minimal additional burden with respect to what is already being
reported, as FRA estimates that the utilization of the Special Study
Blocks will require an additional 2 minutes to complete, for a total
average burden time of approximately 2 hours and 2 minutes per form,
adding an additional 57 hours to the overall collection request.
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\1\ Specifically, IIJA section 22421(b) requires FRA to update
Special Study Block 49 on Form FRA F 6180.54, for a period of five
years, to collect information on: (1) the number of cars and length
of trains involved in an accident/incident; and (2) the number of
crew members who were aboard a controlling locomotive involved in an
accident at the time of such accident. Railroads are already
required to report the number of cars in the consist of a train
involved in an accident on Form FRA F 6180.54, Field 35.
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In this 60-day notice, FRA has made multiple adjustments to its
estimated paperwork burden for the entire part 225 collection request,
resulting in a reduction of 5,563 hours, from 35,846 hours in the
current inventory, to 30,283 hours in the requested inventory. The
primary reason for the reduction in the estimated paperwork burden is
the expected decrease in the number of submissions. Specifically, under
Sec. 225.19(d), FRA expects submissions will decrease significantly
from 11,636 hours to 7,040 hours due to a reduction in the number of
injuries reported in the last two years. There is no change in the
method of collection; this is a routine update for this 3-year ICR
renewal period.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Form(s): FRA F 6180.54; .55; .55a; .56; .57; .78; .81; .97; .98;
.107; .150.
Respondent Universe: 784 railroads.
Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
Reporting Burden:
[[Page 24658]]
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Total
annual Total cost
CFR section Respondent universe Total annual responses Average time per response burden equivalent in
hours U.S. dollar
(A).......................... (B)......................... (C = A * B) (D = C *
wage rates)
\2\
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225.6(a)--Consolidated 784 railroads................ 0.33 requests................ 40.00 hours................. 13.20 $1,028.41
reporting--Request to FRA by
parent corporation to treat
its commonly controlled
carriers as a single railroad
carrier for purposes of this
part.
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--(b) Written agreement by The burden for this requirement is included in Sec. 225.6(a).
parent corporation with
FRA on specific
subsidiaries included in
its railroad system.
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--(c) Notification by The burden for this requirement is included in Sec. 225.6(a).
parent corporation
regarding any change in
the subsidiaries making up
its railroad system and
amended written agreement
with FRA.
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225.9--Telephonic reports of 784 railroads................ 2,589.00 phone reports....... 15.00 minutes............... 647.25 50,427.25
certain accidents/incidents
and other events.
225.11--Reporting of accidents/ 784 railroads................ 1,699.00 forms............... 2 hours + 2 minutes......... 3,454.63 269,150.22
incidents--Form FRA F 6180.54
(IIJA created an additional
burden of 2 minutes to what is
already being reported.).
225.12(a)--Rail equipment 784 railroads................ 732.00 forms................. 15.00 minutes............... 183.00 14,257.53
accident/incident reports
alleging human factor as
cause--Form FRA F 6180.81.
--(b) Part I Form FRA F 784 railroads................ 800 notices + 800 notice 10 minutes + 3 minutes...... 333.83 26,008.70
6180.78 (Notices). copies + 3,200 copies + 10
copies.
--(c) Joint operations..... 784 railroads................ 73.00 reports................ 20.00 minutes............... 24.00 1,869.84
--(d) Late identification.. 784 railroads................ 20 attachments + 20 notices.. 10.00 minutes............... 6.67 519.66
--(g) Employee statement Railroad employees........... 60.00 statements............. 1.50 hours.................. 90.00 7,011.90
supplementing railroad
accident report (Part II
Form FRA 6180.78).
--(g)(3) Employee Railroad employees........... 5.00 letters................. 2.00 hours.................. 10.00 779.10
confidential letter.
225.13(A)--Late reports--RR 784 railroads................ 50.00 late reports........... 2.00 hours.................. 100.00 7,791.00
discovery of improperly
omitted report of accident/
incident.
--(B) RR late/amended 784 railroads................ 20 amended reports + 30 1 hour + 3 minutes.......... 21.50 1,675.07
report of accident/ copies.
incident based on employee
statement supplementing RR
accident report.
225.18(a)--RR narrative report 784 railroads................ 12.00 reports................ 15.00 minutes............... 3.00 233.73
of possible alcohol/drug
involvement in accident/
incident.
--(b) Reports required by 784 railroads................ 5.00 reports................. 30.00 minutes............... 2.50 194.78
Sec. 219.209(b) appended
to rail equipment accident/
incident report.
225.19(a)--Rail-highway grade 784 railroads................ 2,161.50 forms............... 2.00 hours.................. 4,323.00 336,804.93
crossing accident/incident
report--Form FRA F 6180.57.
--(d) Death, injury, or 784 railroads................ 7,040.00 forms............... 1.00 hour................... 7,040.00 548,486.40
occupational illness (Form
FRA F 6180.55a).
225.21--Railroad injury and 784 railroads................ 9,408.00 forms............... 10.00 minutes............... 1,568.00 122,162.88
illness summary--Form FRA F
6180.55.
225.21--Annual railroad report 784 railroads................ 784.00 forms................. 15.00 minutes............... 196.00 15,270.36
of employee hours and
casualties, by state--Form FRA
F 6180.56.
225.21/25--Railroad employee 784 railroads................ 4,000.00 forms............... 1.00 hour................... 4,000.00 311,640.00
injury and/or illness record--
Form FRA F 6180.98.
--Copies of forms to 784 railroads................ 3.60 form copies............. 2.00 minutes................ 0.12 9.35
employees.
225.21--Initial rail equipment 784 railroads................ 10,194.00 forms.............. 30.00 minutes............... 5,097.00 397,107.27
accident/incident record--Form
FRA F 6180.97.
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--Completion of Form FRA F FRA anticipates zero railroad submissions during this 3-year ICR period.
6180.97 because of rail
equipment involvement.
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--Alternative record for 784 railroads................ 150.00 forms................. 75.00 minutes............... 187.50 14,608.13
illnesses claimed to be
work related--Form FRA F
6180.107.
--Highway User Statement-- 784 railroads................ 721.00 letters/forms......... 50.00 minutes............... 600.83 46,810.67
RR cover letter and Form
FRA F 6180.150 sent out to
potentially injured
travelers involved in a
highway-rail grade
crossing accident/incident.
--Form FRA F 6180.150 117 injured individuals...... 117.00 forms................. 45.00 minutes............... 87.75 6,836.60
completed by highway user
and sent back to railroad.
225.25(h)--Posting of monthly 784 railroads................ 9,408.00 lists............... 5.00 minutes................ 784.00 61,081.44
summary.
225.27(a)(1)--Retention of 784 railroads................ 7,500.00 records............. 2.00 minutes................ 250.00 19,477.50
records.
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--Record of Form FRA F The estimated paperwork burden for this requirement is included in 225.21 (Alternative record for illnesses claimed to
6180.107s. be work related).
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--Record of Monthly Lists.. 784 railroads................ 9,408.00 records............. 2.00 minutes................ 313.60 24,432.58
(a)(2)--Record of Form FRA 784 railroads................ 10,194.00 records............ 2.00 minutes................ 339.80 26,473.82
F 6180.97.
--Record of employee human 784 railroads................ 1,464.00 records............. 2.00 minutes................ 48.80 3,802.01
factor attachments.
225.33--Internal Control Plans-- 784 railroads................ 10.00 amendments............. 6.00 hours.................. 60.00 4,674.60
Amendments.
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225.35--Access to records and 784 railroads................ 784.00 lists................. 20.00 minutes............... 261.33 20,360.22
reports.
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225.37(a)--Optical media FRA anticipates zero submissions during this 3-year ICR period.
transfer of reports, updates,
and amendments.
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(c)(2)--Electronic 784 railroads................ 4,704.00 submissions......... 3.00 minutes................ 235.20 18,324.43
submission of reports,
updates, and amendments.
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Totals \3\............. 784 railroads................ 85,570 responses............. N/A......................... 30,283 2,359,310
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Total Estimated Annual Responses: 85,570.
Total Estimated Annual Burden: 30,283 hours.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent:
2,359,310.
FRA informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or
sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection
of information that does not display a currently valid OMB control
number.
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\2\ The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2021 Surface
Transportation Board Full Year Wage A&B data series using the
appropriate employee group hourly wage rage that includes a 75
percent overhead charge.
\3\ Totals may not add due to rounding.
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Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.
Brett A. Jortland,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2023-08413 Filed 4-20-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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