[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 218 (Monday, November 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69203-69206]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-22540]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, 
and Approvals

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: 30-day notice that seven existing collections from Class I 
Railroads are under review by the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB), and request for comments: Class I Railroad Annual Report; 
Quarterly Report of Revenues, Expenses, and Income--Railroads; 
Quarterly Condensed Balance Sheet--Railroads; Report of Railroad 
Employees, Service, and Compensation; Monthly Report of Number of 
Employees of Class I Railroads; Annual Report of Cars Loaded and Cars 
Terminated; and Quarterly Report of Freight Commodity Statistics.

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SUMMARY: The Surface Transportation Board (Board) gives notice that the 
Board has submitted to OMB a request for review and clearance of the 
seven existing collections listed above, in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. (PRA). For the 
most part, these collections continue current Board reporting 
requirements without revision. As described below, a minor revision has 
been made to Collection No.1, Class I Railroad Annual Report. OMB 
control numbers were obtained in the past, but have expired, for six of 
the seven information collections that are the subject of this request. 
The Board previously published a notice about these collections in the 
Federal Register on May 19, 2005 at 70 FR 28979. That notice allowed 
for a 60-day public review and comment period. No comments were 
received.
    The purpose of the current notice is to allow an additional 30 days 
for public comment to satisfy the requirements of the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 
3507(b). Comments are requested concerning each collection as to (1) 
whether the particular collection of information described below is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Board, 
including whether the collection has practical utility; (2) the 
accuracy of the Board's burden estimates; (3) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (4) 
ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, when appropriate. Submitted 
comments will be considered by OMB prior to approval of the proposed 
collection.

DATES: Written comments are due by December 15, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be identified as ``Paperwork 
Reduction Act Comments, Surface Transportation Board, and should refer 
to the title of the specific collection(s) commented upon. These 
comments should be directed to the Office of Management and Budget, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Surface 
Transportation Board Desk Officer, Room 10235, 725 17th Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection(s) contact Scott Decker, (202) 565-1531. 
[Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) for the hearing impaired: 
(800) 877-8339.]

[[Page 69204]]

    Subjects: In this notice the Board is requesting comments on the 
following information collections:

Collection Number 1

    Title: Class I Railroad Annual Report.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0009.
    Form Number: R1.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement, with change, of a previously 
approved collection for which OMB control number has expired.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Fewer than 10.
    Revision: Schedule 755 of the Surface Transportation Board's Class 
I Railroad Annual Report (ACAA-R1) is being modified to include 
reporting of TOFC/COFC intermodal load factors. The new item is 
required to support the more accurate calculation of intermodal 
shipment costs. These cost estimates are used by the Surface 
Transportation Board when making determinations of market dominance in 
rail rate proceedings and when evaluating evidence submitted by parties 
in those proceedings. See 49 U.S.C. 10707. The collection of this 
information is authorized by section 11145 of the ICC Termination Act 
of 1995, Public Law 104-88, 109 Stat. 803 (1995), and codified at 49 
U.S.C. 11145.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 800 hours, based on information 
provided by the railroad industry during the 1990's. This estimate 
includes time spent reviewing instructions; searching existing data 
sources; gathering and maintaining the data needed; completing and 
reviewing the collection of information; and converting the data from 
the carrier's individual accounting system to the Board's Uniform 
System of Accounts (USOA), which ensures that the information will be 
presented in a consistent format across all reporting railroads, see 49 
U.S.C. 11141-43, 11161-64, 49 CFR 1200-1201. It is possible that the 
time required to produce this report is overstated, given the advances 
made in computerized data collection and processing systems.
    Frequency of Response: Annual.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 5,600 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: Annual reports are required to be filed by Class I 
railroads under 49 U.S.C. 11145. The reports show operating expenses 
and operating statistics of the carriers. Operating expenses include 
costs for right-of-way and structures, equipment, train and yard 
operations, and general and administrative expenses. Operating 
statistics include such items as car-miles, revenue ton-miles, and 
gross ton-miles. The reports are used by the Board, other Federal 
agencies, and industry groups to monitor and assess railroad industry 
growth, financial stability, traffic, and operations, and to identify 
industry changes that may affect national transportation policy. 
Information from this report is also entered into the Board's Uniform 
Rail Costing System (URCS), which is a cost measurement methodology. 
URCS, which was developed by the Board pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 11161, is 
used as a tool in rail rate proceedings, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 
10707(d), to calculate the variable costs associated with providing a 
particular service. The Board also uses this information to more 
effectively carry out other of its regulatory responsibilities, 
including: Acting on railroad requests for authority to engage in 
Board-regulated financial transactions such as mergers, acquisitions of 
control, and consolidations, see 49 U.S.C. 11323-11324; analyzing the 
information that the Board obtains through the annual railroad industry 
waybill sample, see 49 CFR 1244; measuring off-branch costs in railroad 
abandonment proceedings, in accordance with 49 CFR 1152.32(n); 
developing rail cost adjustment factors, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 
10708; and conducting investigations and rulemakings.
    Information from certain schedules contained in these reports is 
compiled and published on the Board's Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov. 
Information in these reports is not available from any other source.

Collection Number 2

    Title: Quarterly Report of Revenues, Expenses, and Income--
Railroads (Form RE&I).
    OMB Control Number: 2140----- (prior number under the Interstate 
Commerce Commission (ICC): 3120-0027).
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement, without change, of a previously 
approved collection for which OMB control number has expired.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Fewer than 10.
    Estimated Time per Response: 6 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 168 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection is a report of railroad operating 
revenues, operating expenses and income items; it is a profit and loss 
statement, disclosing net railway operating income on a quarterly and 
year-to-date basis for the current and prior years. See 49 CFR 1243.1. 
The Board uses the information in this report to ensure competitive, 
efficient, and safe transportation through general oversight programs 
that monitor and forecast the financial and operating condition of 
railroads, and through regulation of railroad rate and service issues 
and rail restructuring proposals, including railroad mergers, 
consolidations, acquisitions of control, and abandonments. Information 
from these reports is used by the Board, other Federal agencies, and 
industry groups to monitor and assess industry growth and operations, 
detect changes in carrier financial stability, and identify trends that 
may affect the national transportation system. Information from these 
reports is compiled by the Board and published on its Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov. The information contained in these reports is not 
available from any other source.

Collection Number 3

    Title: Quarterly Condensed Balance Sheet--Railroads (Form CBS).
    OMB Control Number: 2140----- (prior number under ICC: 3120-0063).
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement, without change, of a previously 
approved collection for which OMB control number has expired.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Fewer than 10.
    Estimated Time per Response: 6 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 168 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection shows the balance, quarterly and 
cumulative for the current and prior year, of the carrier's assets and 
liabilities, gross capital expenditures, and revenue tons carried. See 
49 CFR 1243.2. The Board uses the information in this report to ensure 
competitive, efficient, and safe transportation through general 
oversight programs that monitor and forecast the financial and 
operating condition of railroads, and through specific regulation of 
railroad rate and service issues and rail

[[Page 69205]]

restructuring proposals, including railroad mergers, consolidations, 
acquisitions of control, and abandonments. Information from these 
reports is used by the Board, other Federal agencies, and industry 
groups to assess industry growth and operations, detect changes in 
carrier financial stability, and identify trends that may affect the 
national transportation system. Information from these reports is 
compiled by the Board and published on its Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov. The information contained in these reports is not 
available from any other source.

Collection Number 4

    OMB Control Number: 2140----- (prior number under ICC: 3120-0074).
    Title: Report of Railroad Employees, Service and Compensation (Wage 
Forms A and B.)
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement, without change, of a previously 
approved collection for which OMB control number has expired.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Fewer than 10.
    Estimated Time per Response: 30 hours per quarterly report and 40 
hours per annual summation, based on information provided by the 
railroad industry during the 1990's. It is possible that the time 
required to collect this information is overstated given the advances 
made in computerized data collection and processing systems.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly, with an annual summation.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 1120 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection shows the number of employees, 
service hours, and compensation, by employee group (e.g., executive, 
professional, maintenance-of-way and equipment, and transportation), of 
the reporting railroads. See 49 CFR 1245. The information is used by 
the Board to forecast labor costs and measure the efficiency of the 
reporting railroads. The information is also used by the Board to 
evaluate proposed regulated transactions that may impact rail 
employees, including mergers and consolidations, acquisitions of 
control, purchases, and abandonments. Other Federal agencies and 
industry groups, including the Railroad Retirement Board, Bureau of 
Labor Statistics, and Association of American Railroads, use the 
information contained in the reports to monitor railroad operations. 
Certain information from these reports is compiled and published on the 
Board's Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov. The information contained in 
these reports is not available from any other source.

Collection Number 5

    Title: Monthly Report of Number of Employees of Class I Railroads 
(Wage Form C).
    OMB Control Number: 2140----- (prior number under ICC: 3120-0133).
    Form Number: STB Form 350.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement, without change, of a previously 
approved collection for which OMB control number has expired.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Fewer than 10.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1.25 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Monthly.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 105 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection shows, for each reporting carrier, 
the average number of employees at mid-month in the six job 
classification groups that encompass all railroad employees. See 49 CFR 
1246. The information is used by the Board to forecast labor costs and 
measure the efficiency of the reporting railroads. The information is 
also used by the Board to evaluate the impact on rail employees of 
proposed regulated transactions, including mergers and consolidations, 
acquisitions of control, purchases, and abandonments. Other Federal 
agencies and industry groups, including the Railroad Retirement Board, 
Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Association of American Railroads, use 
the information contained in these reports to monitor railroad 
operations. Certain information from these reports is compiled and 
published on the Board's Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov. The 
information contained in these reports is not available from any other 
source.

Collection Number 6

    Title: Annual Report of Cars Loaded and Cars Terminated.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-----.
    Form Number: Form STB-54.
    Type of Review: Existing collection in use without an OMB control 
number.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Fewer than 10.
    Estimated Time per Response: 4 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 28 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection reports the number of cars loaded 
and cars terminated on the reporting carrier's line. See 49 CFR 1247. 
Information in this report is entered into the Board's URCS, the uses 
of which are explained under Collection Number 1. This collection was 
authorized in Modification of Class I Reporting Regulations, STB Ex 
Parte No. 583 (STB served Jan. 5, 2001); 66 FR 1051-01 (2001). There is 
no other source for the information contained in this report.

Collection Number 7

    OMB Control Number: 2140-0001.
    Title: Quarterly Report of Freight Commodity Statistics (Form QCS).
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement, without change, of a previously 
approved collection for which OMB control number has expired.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Fewer than 10.
    Estimated Time per Response: 217 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly, with an annual summation.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 6,076 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection, which is based on information 
contained in waybills used by railroads in the ordinary course of 
business, reports car loadings and total revenues by commodity code for 
each commodity that moved on the railroad during the reporting period. 
See 49 CFR 1248. Information in this report is entered into the Board's 
URCS, the uses of which are explained under Collection Number 1. There 
is no other source for the information contained in this report.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA, a Federal agency conducting 
or sponsoring a collection of information must display a currently 
valid OMB control number. A collection of information, which is defined 
in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c), includes agency requirements 
that persons submit reports, keep records, or provide information to 
the agency, third parties, or the public. Section 3507(b) of the PRA 
requires, concurrent with an agency's submitting a collection to OMB

[[Page 69206]]

for approval, a 30-day notice and comment period through publication in 
the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of 
information, including each proposed extension of an existing 
collection of information.

    Dated: November 8, 2005.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 05-22540 Filed 11-10-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P