[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 242 (Monday, December 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 75811]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21473]



[[Page 75811]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board


Notice and Request for Comments

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT.

ACTION: 60-day notice of intent to seek extension of approval: Waybill 
Compliance Survey.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq. (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) 
gives notice of its intent to seek from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) an extension of approval for the currently approved 
Waybill Compliance Survey. This information collection is described in 
detail below. Comments are requested concerning (1) The accuracy of the 
Board's burden estimates; (2) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information collected; (3) 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; and (4) whether this collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Board, including whether the collection has practical utility. 
Submitted comments will be summarized and included in the Board's 
request for OMB approval.

Description of Collection

    Title: Waybill Compliance Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0010.
    STB Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Regulated railroads that did not submit carload 
waybill sample information to the STB in the previous year.
    Number of Respondents: 120.
    Estimated Time Per Response: .5 hours.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 60.
    Total ``Non-hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: The ICC Termination Act of 1995, Pub. L. No. 104-
88, 109 Stat. 803 (1995), which took effect on January 1, 1996, 
abolished the Interstate Commerce Commission and transferred to the STB 
the responsibility for the economic regulation of common carrier rail 
transportation, including the collection and administration of the 
Carload Waybill Sample. Under 49 CFR 1244, a railroad terminating 4500 
or more carloads, or terminating at least 5% of the total revenue 
carloads that terminate in a particular state, in any of the three 
preceding years is required to file carload waybill sample information 
(Waybill Sample) for all line-haul revenue waybills terminating on its 
lines. The information in the Waybill Sample is used to monitor traffic 
flows and rate trends in the industry. The Board needs to collect 
information in the Waybill Compliance Survey--information on carloads 
of traffic terminated each year by U.S. railroads--in order to 
determine which railroads are required to file the Waybill Sample. In 
addition, information collected in the Waybill Compliance Survey, on a 
voluntary basis, about the total operating revenue of each railroad 
helps to determine whether respondents are subject to other statutory 
or regulatory requirements. Accurate determinations regarding the size 
of a railroad helps the Board minimize the reporting burden for smaller 
railroads. The Board has authority to collect this information under 49 
U.S.C. 11144 and 11145 and under 49 CFR 1244.2.

DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by 
February 16, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Marilyn Levitt, Surface 
Transportation Board, Room 614, 1925 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20423, or to [email protected]. When submitting comments, please 
refer to ``Waybill Compliance Survey, OMB control number 2140-0010.''

For Further Information or to Obtain a Copy of the STB Form, Contact: 
Mac Frampton at (202) 565-1541 or at [email protected]. 
[Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.]

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. Under section 3506(c)(2)(A) 
of the PRA, Federal agencies are required to provide, prior to an 
agency's submitting a collection to OMB for approval, a 60-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: December 18, 2006.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-21473 Filed 12-15-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P