Notice2024-02669
Office of the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs; U.S. Department of Transportation Learning Agenda Supplement: Fiscal Years 2024-2026
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Published
February 13, 2024
Issuing agencies
Transportation Department
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)'s mission is to deliver the world's leading transportation system, serving the American people and economy through the safe, efficient, sustainable, and equitable movement of people and goods. Developing rigorous research and applying relevant evidence are essential components of the Department's success. On March 28, 2022, we published our first Department-wide Learning Agenda for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022-2026 (the "Learning Agenda") in conjunction with the Department's FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan (the "Strategic Plan"). The Learning Agenda was our first effort to identify priority evidence needs and propose research, evaluation activities, and data gathering to address those needs. As we've reached the mid-point of this Learning Agenda, the Department seeks to update it. With this Request for Information (RFI), DOT's Office of the Secretary (OST)'s Office of the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs seeks public input regarding potential updates to our published Learning Agenda. Information provided in response to this RFI will inform the development of the Learning Agenda Supplement: Fiscal Year 2024-2026 ("Learning Agenda Supplement").
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 30 (Tuesday, February 13, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 13, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10155-10158]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02669]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
[Docket No. DOT-OST-2024-0005]
Office of the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for
Budget and Programs; U.S. Department of Transportation Learning Agenda
Supplement: Fiscal Years 2024-2026
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Request for information.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)'s mission is to
deliver the world's leading transportation system, serving the American
people and economy through the safe, efficient, sustainable, and
equitable movement of people and goods. Developing rigorous research
and applying relevant evidence are essential components of the
Department's success. On March 28, 2022, we published our first
Department-wide Learning Agenda for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022-2026 (the
``Learning Agenda'') in conjunction with the Department's FY 2022-2026
Strategic Plan (the ``Strategic Plan''). The Learning Agenda was our
first effort to identify priority evidence needs and propose research,
evaluation activities, and data gathering to address those needs. As
we've reached the mid-point of this Learning Agenda, the Department
seeks to update it. With this Request for Information (RFI), DOT's
Office of the Secretary (OST)'s Office of the Chief Financial Officer
and Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs seeks public input
regarding potential updates to our published Learning Agenda.
Information provided in response to this RFI will inform the
development of the Learning Agenda Supplement: Fiscal Year 2024-2026
(``Learning Agenda Supplement'').
DATES: Comments are requested by April 09, 2024. See the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section on ``Public Participation,'' below for more
information about written comments.
ADDRESSES:
Written Comments: Responses to this RFI are voluntary and may be
submitted anonymously. Comments should refer to the docket number above
and be submitted by one of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal Rulemaking Portal: Follow the online instructions
at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> for submitting comments.
<bullet> Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
<bullet> Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments and
additional information on the rulemaking process, see the Public
Participation heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this
document. Note that all comments received will be posted without change
to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal information
provided.
Privacy Act: Except as provided below (``confidential business
information''), all comments received into the docket will be made
public in their entirety. The comments will be searchable by the name
of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if
submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.).
You should not include information in your comment that you do not want
to be made public.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, visit <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> or the street
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the
dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9acadfdfc8dafef5eeb4fdf5ec"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="540411110614303b207a333b22">[email protected]</span></a> or call John
D. Giorgis at (202) 366-6513 with questions. Office hours are from 8:30
[[Page 10156]]
a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Foundations for Evidenced-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 \1\
requires many Federal agencies to create an evidence-building plan,
referred to as a Learning Agenda, to identify and address questions
relevant to the agency's programs, policies, and regulations.\2\
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\1\ Public Law 115-435, 132 Stat. 5529.
\2\ 5 U.S.C. 312(a); Office of Mgmt. & Budget, Exec. Office of
the President, OMB M-21-27: <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/evidence-and-evaluation/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/evidence-and-evaluation/</a>.
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The law further states that agencies ``shall consult with
stakeholders, including the public, agencies, State and local
governments, and representatives of non-governmental researchers'' when
developing their Learning Agenda.\3\
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\3\ 5 U.S.C. 312(c).
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We published our FY 2022-2026 Learning Agenda in March 2022.\4\ In
compliance with the Foundations for Evidenced-Based Policymaking Act of
2018, we review our Learning Agenda annually, allowing us to adjust as
needed when new evidence is generated or as priorities shift. In our
most recent annual review, we decided that it would be appropriate to
update the Learning Agenda to incorporate our experiences from the last
two years and additional feedback from our stakeholders.
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\4\ Learning Agenda: <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-03/DOT_Learning_Agenda.pdf">https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-03/DOT_Learning_Agenda.pdf</a>.
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We also publish Annual Evaluation Plans (available at <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/budget">https://www.transportation.gov/budget</a>) that describe the significant evaluation
activities that we expect to launch each year as well as the major
ongoing evaluation activities. To date, we have published Annual
Evaluation Plans for FY 2023 and 2024.\5\
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\5\ FY 2023 Evaluation Plan; FY 2024 Evaluation Plan: <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/budget">https://www.transportation.gov/budget</a>.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) touches the lives of
every person in the United States and its territories through its work
to improve the safety and performance of our multi-modal transportation
system. The Nation's transportation networks include two million miles
of public roads, 110,000 miles of major railroads, 25,000 miles of
commercially navigable waterways, 1.8 million miles of natural gas and
oil pipelines, 5,200 public-use airports, and more than 3,000 operators
of transit services.\6\
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\6\ Hu, Patricia et al. (2022), Transportation Statistics Annual
Report 2022, U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of
Transportation Statistics, <a href="https://doi.org/10.21949/1528354">https://doi.org/10.21949/1528354</a>; Federal
Transit Administration (2022), Single Summary of Transit Report,
<a href="https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/2024-01/2022-Single-Summary-of-Transit_v1_1.pdf">https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/2024-01/2022-Single-Summary-of-Transit_v1_1.pdf</a>.
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Congress established DOT in 1967, consolidating 31 transportation-
related agencies and functions. Approximately 55,000 DOT employees
continue to bring innovations and integrity to the work of improving
the safety and performance of our multi-modal transportation system.
Leadership of the Department is provided by the Secretary of
Transportation, who is the principal advisor to the President in all
matters relating to Federal transportation programs. The Office of the
Secretary oversees nine Operating Administrations, each with its own
management and organizational structure. These nine Operating
Administrations are:
--Federal Aviation Administration
--Federal Highway Administration
--Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
--Federal Railroad Administration
--Federal Transit Administration
--Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
--Maritime Administration
--National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
--Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration
Our Learning Agenda draws on work from across all nine of our
Operating Administrations to identify key learning questions that
support our strategic goals. The current Learning Agenda is organized
around three sets of priority questions: Safety, Climate, and Equity.
These priority questions are aligned with our FY 2022-2026 Strategic
Plan \7\ includes at least one area of focus:
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\7\ Strategic Plan: <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/dot-strategic-plan">https://www.transportation.gov/dot-strategic-plan</a>.
<bullet> Safety Priority Questions
[cir] Focus Areas: Drug-Impaired Driving (Excluding Alcohol),
Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety, Improving Aviation Safety and Efficiency
<bullet> Climate Priority Questions
[cir] Focus Area: Reducing Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions
<bullet> Equity Priority Questions
[cir] Focus Area: Equity in the DOT Workforce
This RFI is part of our stakeholder engagement to develop the
Learning Agenda Supplement. The goal of the Supplement is to identify
new research and data priorities not currently included in the Learning
Agenda that, if answered, could advance DOT's mission and achieve the
long-term goals in our Strategic Plan. We will publish the Learning
Agenda Supplement on the DOT website.\8\
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\8\ U.S. Department of Transportation: <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/">https://www.transportation.gov/</a>.
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The Learning Agenda Supplement can help us advance the strategic
goals identified in our FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and our FY 2024-
2025 Agency Priority Goals.\9\ Identifying evidence-building needs
inherent to these plans will help guide us in developing the Learning
Agenda Supplement.
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\9\ FY 2024-2025 Agency Priority Goals: <a href="https://www.performance.gov/agencies/DOT/apg/fy-24-25/">https://www.performance.gov/agencies/DOT/apg/fy-24-25/</a>.
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The FY 2022-2026 DOT Strategic Plan provides the roadmap for
advancing the Department's mission. It describes the long-term goals
that we aim to achieve, the actions that we will take to realize those
goals, and how we will most effectively use resources. It also
identifies six Strategic Goals, which are outcome-oriented, long-term
goals for our major functions and operations: Safety, Economic Strength
and Global Competitiveness, Equity, Climate and Sustainability,
Transformation, and Organizational Excellence. Each Strategic Goal has
associated Strategic Objectives, which express more specifically the
impact DOT is trying to achieve. We also established numerous
performance goals that define what success looks like for each
Strategic Objective, which can be found in our FY 2024 Performance Plan
and FY 2023 Performance Report.\10\
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\10\ FY 2024 Performance Plan and FY 2023 Performance Report:
Budget, Performance, and Finance [verbar] US Department of
Transportation.
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Our Agency Priority Goals (APG) are a performance accountability
structure of the Government Performance and Results Act Modernization
Act of 2010 that provides us with a mechanism to focus leadership
priorities, set outcomes, and measure results. They elevate mission
areas where we need to drive significant progress and change. Agency
Priority Goal statements are outcome-oriented, ambitious, and
measurable with specific targets set that reflect a near-term result or
achievement that agency leadership wants to accomplish within
approximately 24 months. The Agency Priority Goals identify officials
responsible for goal achievement, and our leaders review performance on
a quarterly basis to identify barriers to progress and make changes to
implementation strategies to achieve goal outcomes. We set five Agency
Priority Goals covering FY 2024-2025: Roadway Safety, Aviation Safety,
High-Performing Core Assets, Equity, and National Electric Vehicle
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Charging Network (Joint with the Department of Energy).
The Learning Agenda Supplement: FY 2024-2026 can also support the
evidence-building needs of the DOT's National Roadway Safety Strategy,
the FAA Safety Call to Action and the Independent Aviation Safety
Review Team's findings, the DOT's Equity Action Plan, and the U.S.
National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization (NBTD).
Identifying evidence-building needs related to these strategies and
reports will inform the development of the Learning Agenda Supplement.
We released the National Roadway Safety Strategy in January
2022.\11\ It outlines our comprehensive approach to significantly
reducing serious injuries and deaths on our Nation's highways, roads,
and streets aligned to our ambitious long-term goal of reaching zero
roadway fatalities.
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\11\ National Roadway Safety Strategy: <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS">https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS</a>.
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In February 2023 we launched the FAA Safety Call to Action and in
April 2023 established and appointed outside experts to the Independent
Aviation Safety Review Team with the goal of ensuring that our
structure continues to be fit for purpose for the U.S. aerospace system
for both today and the future.\12\ Safety guides everything we do,
which is why reducing aviation safety risk remains a top priority.
Aviation passengers expect and deserve the same level of safety
wherever they fly. Over the past two decades, commercial aviation
fatalities in the U.S. have decreased significantly. As a result of
recent aviation incidents, we are taking a critical look at the U.S.
aerospace system's structure, culture, processes, systems, and
integration of safety efforts.
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\12\ FAA Safety Call to Action: <a href="https://www.faa.gov/aviation-safety-call-to-action">https://www.faa.gov/aviation-safety-call-to-action</a>; Independent Aviation Safety Review Team:
<a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-establishes-independent-aviation-safety-review-team">https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-establishes-independent-aviation-safety-review-team</a> and <a href="https://www.faa.gov/NAS_safety_review_team_report.pdf">https://www.faa.gov/NAS_safety_review_team_report.pdf</a>.
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We released our first Equity Action Plan in FY 2022, and we have
updated it annually since then.\13\ The Equity Action Plan highlights
work that we are undertaking, focused on wealth creation, power of
community, interventions, and expanding access. The Equity Action Plan
is a major milestone for the DOT and represents a shift in how we view
and deliver transportation programs.
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\13\ Equity Action Plan: <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/equity/equity-action-plan">https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/equity/equity-action-plan</a>.
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The U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization is a
first-of-its-kind strategy for federal leadership and partnerships to
decarbonize the entire U.S. transportation sector.\14\ Released in
January 2023, the plan represents coordinated efforts between the
departments of Transportation, Energy, Housing and Urban Development,
and the Environmental Protection Agency to create a framework of
strategies and actions to remove all emissions from the transportation
sector by 2050.
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\14\ U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization:
<a href="https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/the-us-national-blueprint-for-transportation-decarbonization.pdf">https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/the-us-national-blueprint-for-transportation-decarbonization.pdf</a>.
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Purpose of This Request for Information
The purpose of this RFI is to solicit information regarding new
research and data priorities that should be considered for
incorporation into the Learning Agenda Supplement, as well as
adjustments to existing research and data priorities.
Through this RFI, we are asking interested persons, including
stakeholders across public and private sectors who may be familiar with
or interested in the work of our agency, for input on evidence-building
activities that inform important priorities for our agency, including
those that are also related to the President's broader priorities
available at <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities/</a>. We also seek input
on future projects that will advance our mission.
We will analyze information collected from this RFI to inform the
development of the Learning Agenda Supplement. This RFI is for
information and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a
solicitation or as an obligation on our part. We will not respond to
comments we receive in response to this RFI but will use the input to
develop the Learning Agenda Supplement.
Specific Information Requested
We invite suggestions in various forms--as key questions to be
answered, hypotheses to be tested, or problems to be investigated--that
are focused on any area of our mission. The responses to this RFI will
inform our ongoing updates and revisions to priorities that guide
evidence-building activities.
We are particularly interested in receiving input from interested
parties on the questions outlined below. In responding to these
questions, interested parties should reference the Learning Agenda for
FY 2022-2026, available at <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-03/DOT_Learning_Agenda.pdf">https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-03/DOT_Learning_Agenda.pdf</a>.
1. Are there new priority learning questions (i.e., not already
included in the DOT Learning Agenda) that reflect emerging or
unanticipated needs and knowledge gaps and that, if answered, could
help advance DOT's mission?
2. Are there new priority data needs (i.e., not already included in
the DOT Learning Agenda) that reflect emerging or unanticipated needs
and knowledge gaps and that, if addressed, could help advance DOT's
mission?
3. Does the DOT Learning Agenda contain learning questions or data
priorities that need to be adjusted either because priorities have
shifted or because they have been addressed through evidence-building
activities by DOT or others?
Public Participation
How do I prepare and submit comments?
To ensure that your comments are filed correctly, please include
the docket number of this document (DOT-OST-2024-0005) in your
comments.
Please submit one copy (two copies if submitting by mail or hand
delivery) of your comments, including any attachments, to the docket
following the instructions given above under ADDRESSES. Please note, if
you are submitting comments electronically as a PDF (Adobe) file, we
ask that the documents submitted be scanned using an Optical Character
Recognition (OCR) process, thus allowing the Agency to search and copy
certain portions of your submissions.
How do I submit confidential business information?
Any submissions containing Confidential Information must be
delivered to DOT in the following manner:
<bullet> Submitted in a sealed envelope marked ``confidential
treatment requested'';
<bullet> Document(s) or information that the submitter would like
withheld from the public docket should be marked ``PROPIN'';
<bullet> Accompanied by an index listing the document(s) or
information that the submitter would like the Departments to withhold.
The index should include information such as numbers used to identify
the relevant document(s) or information, document title and
description, and relevant page numbers and/or section numbers within a
document; and
<bullet> Submitted with a statement explaining the submitter's
grounds for
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objecting to disclosing the information to the public.
DOT will treat such marked submissions as confidential under the
FOIA and not include them in the public docket. DOT also requests that
submitters of Confidential Information include a non-confidential
version (either redacted or summarized) of those confidential
submissions in the public docket. If the submitter cannot provide a
non-confidential version of its submission, DOT requests that the
submitter post a notice in the docket stating that it has provided DOT
with Confidential Information. Should a submitter fail to docket either
a non-confidential version of its submission or to post a notice that
Confidential Information has been provided, we will note the receipt of
the submission on the docket, with the submitter's organization or name
(to the degree permitted by law) and the date of submission.
Will the Agency consider late comments?
DOT will consider all comments received before the close of
business on the comment closing date indicated above under DATES. To
the extent practicable, the Agency will also consider comments received
after that date.
How can I read the comments submitted by other people?
You may read the comments received at the address given above under
WRITTEN COMMENTS. The hours of the docket are indicated above in the
same location. You may also see the comments on the internet,
identified by the docket number at the heading of this notice, at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Please note, this RFI is a planning document and will serve as
such. The RFI should not be construed as policy, a solicitation for
applications, or an obligation on the part of the government.
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 6, 2024.
Victoria Wassmer,
Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs and Chief Financial
Officer, U.S. Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2024-02669 Filed 2-12-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
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