Notice2025-15056
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
August 8, 2025
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 90 Issue 151 (Friday, August 8, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 151 (Friday, August 8, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38585-38587]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-15056]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2025-0008]
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
October 7, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR
should be submitted on <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> to the docket, Docket No.
FRA-2025-0008. All comments received will be posted without change to
the docket, including any personal information provided. Please refer
to the assigned OMB control number (2130-0509) in any correspondence
submitted. FRA will summarize comments received in response to this
notice in a subsequent notice, made available to the public, and
include them in its information collection submission to OMB for
approval.
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Arlette Mussington, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, at email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2d4c5f41485959480340585e5e44434a5942436d494259034a425b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="caabb8a6afbebeafe4a7bfb9b9a3a4adbea5a48aaea5bee4ada5bc">[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#deb4b1bfb0b0bbf0ada9bfb8b8b1acba9ebab1aaf0b9b1a8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0b61646a65656e25787c6a6d6d64796f4b6f647f256c647d">[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: State Safety Participation Regulations and Reporting of
Remedial Actions.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0509.
Abstract: Title 49 CFR part 212 requires qualified State inspectors
to provide various reports to FRA for monitoring and enforcement
purposes concerning State investigative, inspection, and surveillance
activities related to railroad compliance with Federal railroad safety
laws and regulations. Additionally, under 49 CFR part 209, subpart E,
railroads are required to report to FRA actions taken to remedy certain
alleged violations of law.
[[Page 38586]]
In this 60-day notice, FRA shows updated burden estimates for each
information collection requirement under part 212. FRA previously
combined the burden estimates for several sections and reported the
combined burden under 49 U.S.C. 20105, the statute that authorizes part
212. Updated estimates are now provided on a section-by-section basis.
In addition, Sec. 212.109 has been removed from this ICR because
it was recently repealed by FRA.\1\ Because it was obsolete, removing
Sec. 212.109 from this ICR does not affect the overall PRA burden
under part 212. It required no actual information collection even
before it was repealed.
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\1\ 90 FR 28130 (July 1, 2025).
\2\ For State respondents, the dollar equivalent cost is derived
from the May 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data for
management occupations, NAICS 999100--State Government, excluding
schools and hospitals. <a href="https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/industry/999200">https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/industry/999200</a>.
To calculate the hourly wage of $88.36 for this category of workers,
FRA included a 75-percent charge for overhead costs (50.49 x 1.75 =
88.36). The dollar equivalent cost for railroad respondents is
derived from the Surface Transportation Board's 2024 Full Year Wage
A&B data series using employee group 200 (Professional &
Administrative) hourly wage rate $50.93. The total burden wage rate
(straight time plus 75 percent) used in the table is $89.13 ($50.93
x 1.75 = $89.13).
\3\ Totals may not add up due to rounding.
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Estimated burden hours under this ICR have been reduced from 11,958
to 9,851 hours, and the number of responses from 24,066 to 23,225. This
decrease, after a thorough review, is the result of the changes
described in the following sections summarized below:
<bullet> FRA reduced the estimated number of annual violation
reports submitted by State inspectors in various disciplines from 1,154
to 690 violation reports. Accordingly, the estimated burden hours for
these reports were decreased by 1,856.
<bullet> Under Sec. 209.405(b), FRA adjusted the estimated number
of violation report challenges from 240 to 50 annually. This adjustment
more accurately reflects the estimated number of burden hours,
decreasing the burden by 143.
<bullet> Under Sec. 209.407, FRA decreased the estimated number of
delayed reports from 240 to 50 annually, reducing the reported burden
by 143 hours.
These revised estimates contributed to an overall reduction of
2,107 burden hours.
Type of Request: Extension without change (with changes in
estimates) of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Form(s): FRA F 6180.33/61/67/96/96A/109/110/111/112.
Respondent Universe: States and railroads.
Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
Reporting Burden
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Total annual Avg. time per Total annual Total cost
Title 49, CFR section Respondent universe responses response burden hours Wage rate \2\ equivalent U.S.D.
(A)................. (B)................. (A * B = C) (D) (E = C * D)
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212.105 Agreements
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--Railroad Safety State 34 States............ 34 updates.......... 1 hour.............. 34 $88.36 $3,004.24
Participation Agreement (SPA)
Annual updates, technical
training plans and revised
schedules to existing agreements.
--New State Participation 15 States............ 1 agreement......... 32 hours............ 32 88.36 2,827.52
Agreement, including opinion of
counsel and schedule of current
participation.
--State Inspector travel planning 34 States............ 600 vouchers........ 1.5 hours........... 900 88.36 79,524.00
and reimbursement.
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212.107 Certification
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--State to file annual FRA anticipates zero submissions for this paperwork requirement over the next three-year period.
certification in the event that
FRA and the State agency do not
agree on terms for the
participation under Sec.
212.105.
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212.113 Program termination
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--30-day notice provided by State FRA anticipates zero submissions for this paperwork requirement over the next three-year period.
agency of its intent to terminate
its participation.
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--FRA F 6180.96 Inspection Report-- 34 States............ 19,400 forms........ 15 minutes.......... 4,850 88.36 428,546.00
All disciplines submitted by
State inspectors.
--FRA F 6180.33 Hours of Service 19 States............ 2 reports........... 4 hours............. 8 88.36 706.88
Law Violation Report.
--FRA F 6180.61 Accident/Incident 19 States............ 2 reports........... 4 hours............. 8 88.36 706.88
Reporting Rules Violation Report.
--FRA F 6180.67 Operating 19 States............ 194 reports......... 4 hours............. 776 88.36 68,567.36
Practices Regulations Violation
Report.
--FRA F 6180.109 Motive Power and 19 States............ 215 reports......... 4 hours............. 1,440 88.36 75,989.60
Equipment Regulations Violation
Report.
--FRA F 6180.110 Hazardous 17 States............ 171 reports......... 4 hours............. 1,680 88.36 60,438.24
Materials Regulations Violation
Report.
--FRA F 6180.111 Track Safety 26 States............ 66 reports.......... 4 hours............. 440 88.36 23,327.04
Regulations Violation Report.
--FRA F 6180.112 Signal and Train 14 States............ 40 reports.......... 4 hours............. 320 88.36 14,137.60
Control Regulations Violation
Report.
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209.405 Reporting of remedial actions
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--(a) Completion of remedial 745 railroads........ 2,400 reports....... 30 minutes.......... 1,200 89.13 106,956.00
actions report on FRA F 6180.96
after receipt of written
notification from an FRA or State
Safety Inspector.
--(b) Violation report challenge 745 railroads........ 50 challenges....... 45 minutes.......... 37.50 89.13 3,342.38
by the railroads--Remedial action
reports.
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[[Page 38587]]
209.407 Delayed Reports
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--Delayed reports................. 745 railroads........ 50 reports.......... 45 minutes.......... 37.50 89.13 3,342.88
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Total \3\..................... 34 States 745 23,225 responses.... N/A................. 9,851 .............. 871,416.12
Railroads.
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Total Estimated Annual Responses: 23,225.
Total Estimated Annual Burden: 9,851 hours.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent:
$871,416.12.
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,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2025-15056 Filed 8-7-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on August 8, 2025.
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