[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 10, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46533-46534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15771]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Transportation Security Administration


New Emergency Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB 
Review: Department of Homeland Security--Vulnerability Identification 
Self-Assessment Tool--Transportation (DHS-VISAT-T)

AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of emergency clearance request.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Transportation Security 
Administration (TSA) has forwarded the new Information Collection 
Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for emergency processing and approval under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act. The ICR describes the nature of the information 
collection and its expected burden.

DATES: Send your comments by September 9, 2005. A comment to OMB is 
most effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be faxed to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: DHS-TSA 
Desk Officer, at (202) 395-5806.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katrina Wawer, Information Collection 
Specialist, Office of Transportation Security Policy, TSA-9, 
Transportation Security Administration, 601 South 12th Street, 
Arlington, VA 22202-4220; telephone (571) 227-1995; facsimile (571) 
227-2594.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is 
not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it 
displays a valid OMB control number. Therefore, in preparation for OMB 
review and approval of the following information collection, TSA is 
soliciting comments to--
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed information requirement is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including using appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.

Information Collection Requirement

    Title: Department of Homeland Security--Vulnerability 
Identification Self-Assessment Tool--Transportation (DHS-VISAT-T).
    Type of Request: Emergency processing request of new collection.
    OMB Control Number: Not yet assigned.
    Forms(s): N/A.
    Affected Public: Owners and operators within the transportation 
sector. The affected modes of transportation include Aviation, Rail, 
Pipelines, Highway and Bridges, and Mass Transit.
    Abstract: After its inception, TSA faced the challenge of securing 
all of the different modes within the transportation sector. A 
methodology was required in order to support inter- and intra-modal 
analysis and decision-making. Millions of assets exist within the 
transportation sector, ranging from over 500,000 highway-bridges to 
over 19,000 general aviation airports. Given

[[Page 46534]]

this population of assets, it became apparent that a mechanism was 
needed to solicit data from the asset owners/operators. TSA needs this 
data, such as the assets' security measures currently deployed, along 
with a high-level assessment of system security effectiveness, in order 
to prioritize resources.
    In response to this need, TSA's Office of Threat Assessment and 
Risk Management (OTRM) developed the Department of Homeland Security--
Vulnerability Identification Self-Assessment Tool--Transportation (DHS-
VISAT-T), formerly called the TSA Self-Assessment Risk Module (TSARM), 
as a means to gather security-related data. TSA designed this tool to 
be flexible to support the unique characteristics of each 
transportation mode, while still providing a common framework from 
which analysis and trends can be identified. DHS-VISAT-T represents the 
U.S. Government's first self-assessment tool that provides the 
following features:
     The tool is provided to users at no cost;
     The tool is voluntary;
     The tool is Web-based, easily accessible; and
     All ratings are determined by the user.
    The self-assessment tool contains two sections. In the first 
section of the tool, users answer a series of questions divided into 
seven countermeasure categories to develop a comprehensive picture of 
the asset's security system posture. The countermeasure categories 
include:
     Plans, Policies, and Procedures;
     Security Training;
     Access Control;
     Physical Security Assets;
     Security Technologies and Equipment;
     Communications Security; and
     Information Security.
    The second section of the tool focuses on the prevention and the 
mitigation of a base array of threat scenarios developed for different 
categories of assets. Users rate their asset in terms of target 
attractiveness (from a terrorist's perspective) and several consequence 
categories that describe health and well-being, economic consequences, 
and symbolic value of the asset. Users first list the asset's baseline 
security countermeasures that apply for each of the threat scenarios, 
and then rate the effectiveness of the countermeasures in detecting 
and/or preventing the terrorist's actions against each threat scenario. 
Descriptive guidance for the effectiveness rating is provided for each 
of the countermeasure categories. The performance-based effectiveness 
ratings describe the asset's ability to thwart the threat.
    After the tool is applied considering baseline countermeasures, 
users apply the tool two additional times to assess the impact of 
adding new countermeasures or enhancing existing countermeasures. The 
first additional assessment assumes a general increase in the national 
threat level (orange). The second additional assessment assumes that 
the asset is known to be a specific target (red). The intent is that 
the enhanced countermeasures will increase the security effectiveness 
compared to the baseline effectiveness ratings.
    Upon completion of the tool assessment, users receive a report that 
summarizes their inputs. They may then use this report to develop a 
security plan or to identify areas of potential vulnerability. Users 
have the option to submit the completed assessment to DHS. If 
submitted, DHS reviews the assessment for consistency and provides 
feedback to the users.
    Number of Respondents: Of the possible 3,002,450 respondents, TSA 
expects that approximately 10 percent, or 300,245, will use the tool.

    Issued in Arlington, Virginia, on August 3, 2005.
Lisa S. Dean,
Privacy Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-15771 Filed 8-9-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-62-P