Notice2023-24198
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
November 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 Request (ICR) summarized 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 211 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 211 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75367-75368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24198]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2023-0002-N-26]
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) summarized 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
January 2, 2024.
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 (2130-0566) 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#cfaebda3aabbbbaae1a2babcbca6a1a8bba0a18faba0bbe1a8a0b9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ceafbca2abbabaabe0a3bbbdbda7a0a9baa1a08eaaa1bae0a9a1b8">[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#f69c9997989893d88581979090998492b6929982d8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e48e8b858a8a81ca97938582828b9680a4808b90ca838b92">[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).
FRA believes that soliciting public comment may reduce the
administrative and paperwork burdens associated with the collection of
information that Federal regulations mandate. In summary, 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: Reflectorization of Rail Freight Rolling Stock.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0566.
Abstract: FRA issued this regulation to mandate the
reflectorization of freight rolling stock (using retroreflective
material on freight cars and locomotives) to enhance the visibility of
trains to reduce the number and severity of accidents at highway-rail
grade crossings where visibility was a contributing factor.\1\ FRA uses
the information collected to verify that the person responsible for the
car reporting mark is notified after the required visual inspection
when the freight equipment has less than 80 percent of the required
retroreflective sheeting present, undamaged, or unobscured.
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\1\ See 70 FR 144, Jan. 3, 2005.
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Moreover, FRA uses the information collected to verify that the
required locomotive records of retroreflective sheeting defects found,
after inspection, are kept in the locomotive cab or in a railroad
accessible electronic database that FRA can access upon request.
Finally, FRA uses the information collected to confirm that railroads/
car owners meet the prescribed standards for the inspection and
maintenance of the required retroreflective material.
In this 60-day notice, FRA makes no adjustments to the previously
approved burden hours and responses in the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) inventory.\2\
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\2\ 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: 783 railroads and freight car owners.
Frequency of Submission: On occasion/monthly.
Reporting Burden:
[[Page 75368]]
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Total cost
CFR section Respondent Total annual Average time Total annual equivalent in
universe responses per response burden hours U.S dollar
(A)............ (B)............ (C = A * B) (D = C * wage
rates) \3\
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224.7--Waivers............... 783 railroads & 10 petitions... 8 hours........ 80.00 $6,874.40
freight car
owners.
224.15(b)--Special approval 2 manufacturers 2 petitions.... 40 hours....... 80.00 6,874.40
procedures--Petitions for
special approval of
alternative standard.
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--(d)(3) Hearing on the FRA anticipates that there will be zero hearings during this 3-year ICR period.
petition in accordance
with the procedures
provided in Sec.
211.25.
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--(e) Disposition of This requirement is exempted from PRA under 5 CFR 1320.4(2).
petitions.
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224.101--General requirements The estimated paperwork burden for this requirement is covered under Sec.
224.15.
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224.103(d)--Characteristics The requirements for this part are included as part of the standard manufacturing
retroreflective sheeting-- process.
Certification.
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224.103(e)--Characteristics The estimated paperwork burden for this requirement is covered under Sec.
retroreflective sheeting-- 224.15.
Alternative standards.
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224.109(a)--Inspection, Association of 33,380 5 minutes...... 2,781.67 186,677.87
repair, and replacement-- American notifications.
Railroad freight cars-- Railroads/300
Railroads notification to car shops.
person responsible for
reporting mark after visual
inspection for presence and
condition when freight car
on either side has less than
80% reflective sheeting of
the damaged, obscured, or
missing sheeting.
--(b) Locomotive record 783 railroads & 2,609 records.. 5 minutes...... 217.42 14,591.06
of freight freight car
retroreflective sheeting owners.
defects found after
inspection kept in
locomotive cab or in
railroad accessible
electronic database that
FRA can access upon
request.
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Total \4\............ 783 railroads & 36,001 N/A............ 3,159 215,017
freight car responses.
owners.
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Total Estimated Annual Responses: 36,001.
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\3\ The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2022 STB Full
Year Wage A&B data series using the employee group 200:
(Professional & Administrative), hourly wage rate of $49.10, and
group 400 (Maintenance of Equipment & Stores). The total burden wage
rate, (Straight time plus 75%), used in the table is $85.93 ($49.10
x 1.75 = $85.93), except for sections 224.109(a) and 224.109(b)
which used $67.11 ($38.35 x 1.75 = $67.11).
\4\ Totals may not add due to rounding.
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Total Estimated Annual Burden: 3,159.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent:
$215,017.
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.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.
Christopher S. Van Nostrand,
Acting Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2023-24198 Filed 11-1-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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