Notice2023-21656
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
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
October 2, 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 Requests (ICRs) summarized below. Before submitting the ICRs to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified in the ICRs.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 189 (Monday, October 2, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 189 (Monday, October 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67866-67868]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21656]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2023-0002-N-30]
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 Requests (ICRs) summarized below. Before submitting the ICRs
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is
soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities
identified in the ICRs.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
December 1, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICRs
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 for each ICR, 2130-0506 and 2130-0556,
respectively, in any correspondence submitted. FRA will summarize
comments received in a subsequent 30-day notice and include them in its
information collection submission to OMB.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Arlette Mussington, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, at email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#89e8fbe5ecfdfdeca7e4fcfafae0e7eefde6e7c9ede6fda7eee6ff"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6d0c1f01081919084300181e1e04030a1902032d090219430a021b">[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#0a60656b64646f24797d6b6c6c65786e4a6e657e246d657c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b6dcd9d7d8d8d398c5c1d7d0d0d9c4d2f6d2d9c298d1d9c0">[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 ICRs
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).
FRA believes that soliciting public comment may reduce the
administrative
[[Page 67867]]
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 ICRs that FRA will submit for OMB
clearance as the PRA requires:
Title: Identification of Railroad Cars.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0506.
Abstract: This collection of information is associated with 49 CFR
232.3(d). Section 232.3(d)(3) conditionally excepts certain export,
industrial, and other cars not owned by a railroad from part 232
compliance. It requires cars to be identified by a card attached to
each side of the equipment, signed by the shipper, specifically noting
that the car is being moved under the proper authority. Railroads
typically use carrier bad order forms or tags for these purposes. These
forms are readily available from all carrier repair facilities. FRA
estimates approximately 400 cars per year, each bearing two forms or
tags, are moved under this regulation.
In this 60-day notice, FRA made no adjustments to the previously
approved burden hours and responses in the OMB, Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) inventory.\1\
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\1\ Changes to the total cost equivalent in U.S. dollars, a
category not included in the OIRA inventory, are due to updated
statistics from the 2022 Surface Transportation Board (STB) Full
Year Wage A&B data series.
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Type of Request: Extension without change of a currently approved
collection.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Form(s): N/A.
Respondent Universe: 765 railroads and freight car owners.
Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
Reported Burden:
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Total cost
CFR section Respondent universe Total annual responses Average time per responses Total annual equivalent in
burden hours U.S. dollar
(A) (B) (C = A * B) (D = C *
wage rates) \2\
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232.3(d)(3)--Tagging.......... 765 railroads and freight 800 tags................... 5 minutes.................. 67.00 $4,496.37
car owners.
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Total \3\................. 765 railroads and freight 800 responses.............. N/A........................ 67.00 4,496
car owners.
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Total Estimated Annual Responses: 800.
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\2\ The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2022 STB Full
Year Wage A&B data series using employee group 400 (Maintenance of
Equipment & Stores) hourly wage rate of $38.35. The total burden
wage rate (straight time plus 75%) used in the table is $67.11
($38.35 x 1.75 = $67.11).
\3\ Totals may not add due to rounding.
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Total Estimated Annual Burden: 67 hours.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent: $4,496.
Title: U.S. Locational Requirement for Dispatching U.S. Rail
Operations.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0556.
Abstract: Title 49 CFR part 241 requires, in the absence of a
waiver, that all dispatching of United States railroad operations be
performed in the United States. A railroad may, however, dispatch from
a country other than the United States in an emergency situation, but
only for the duration of the emergency situation.\4\ A railroad relying
on this exception must provide written notification of its action to
FRA as soon as practicable; such notification is not required before
addressing the emergency situation. The information collected under
this ICR is used as part of FRA's oversight function to help ensure
that extraterritorial dispatchers comply with applicable safety
regulations.
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\4\ See 49 CFR 241.9(c).
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In this 60-day notice, FRA made no adjustments to the previously
approved burden hours and responses in the OMB, OIRA inventory.\5\
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\5\ Changes to the total cost equivalent in U.S. dollars, an
estimation category not included in the OIRA inventory, are due to
updated statistics from the 2022 STB Full Year Wage A&B data series.
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Type of Request: Extension without change of a currently approved
collection.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Form(s): N/A.
Respondent Universe: 4 railroads.
Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
Reporting Burden:
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Respondent Total cost
CFR section universe Total annual responses Average time per responses Total annual equivalent in
(railroads) (hours) burden hours U.S. dollar
(A) (B) (C = A * B) (D = C *
wage rates) \6\
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241.9(c)--Written notification to 4 1 notice....................... 8.............................. 8.00 $687.44
FRA of emergency where dispatcher
outside the U.S. dispatches a
railroad operation in the U.S. for
the duration of the emergency.
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Total \7\...................... 4 1 response..................... N/A............................ 8 687
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Total Estimated Annual Responses: 1.
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\6\ The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2022 STB Full
Year Wage A&B data series using employee group 200 (Professional &
Administrative) hourly wage rate of $49.10. The total burden wage
rate (straight time plus 75%) used in the table is $85.93 ($49.10 x
1.75 = $85.93).
\7\ Totals may not add up due to rounding.
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Total Estimated Annual Burden: 8 hours.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent: $687.
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
[[Page 67868]]
not display a currently valid OMB control number.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.
Christopher S. Van Nostrand,
Acting Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2023-21656 Filed 9-29-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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