[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9475-9476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4330]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board


 Notice and Request for Comments

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Surface Transportation Board (Board), as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. (PRA), gives 
notice that the Board has requested from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) an extension of approval for the two currently approved 
collections described below.
    The Board is seeking comments regarding one or both of these 
collections concerning (1) whether the collection 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 addressed in a 
subsequent notice and will also be submitted to OMB as part of the 
Board's request for approval.

DATES: Deadline: Persons wishing to comment on one or both of these 
information collections should submit comments by April 1, 2010.

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: Chandana 
Achanta, Surface Transportation Board Desk Officer, by fax at (202) 
395-6974; by mail at Room 10235, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20503; or by e-mail at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia T. Brown, (202) 245-0350. For 
a copy of the regulations pertaining to the information collection(s), 
contact Cynthia T. Brown at (202) 245-0350 or [email protected].
    Subjects: In this notice the Board is requesting that comments be 
sent to OMB on the following information collections:

Collection Number One

    Title: Maps Required in Abandonment Exemption Proceedings.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0008.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Railroads initiating abandonment exemption 
proceedings.
    Number of Respondents: 80.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour, based on average time reported 
in informal survey of respondents conducted in 2009.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 80.
    Total Annualized Non-Hourly Cost: None have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: Under 49 CFR 1152.50(d)(2)and 1152.60(b), the Board 
requires in each abandonment exemption proceeding a detailed map of the 
rail line, depicting the line's relation to other rail lines, roads, 
water routes, and population centers. The Board uses this information 
to determine the scope and the impact of the proposed abandonment. In 
addition, this information is posted on the Board's Web site and serves 
as a form of notice to current and/or potential shippers, and to 
persons who might want to make an offer of financial assistance under 
49 U.S.C. 10904; acquire the line as a trail under the National Trails 
System Act,

[[Page 9476]]

16 U.S.C 1247(d); or acquire the line for another public purpose under 
49 U.S.C. 10905.

Collection Number Two

    Title: System Diagram Maps (or, in the case of small carriers, the 
alternative narrative description of rail system).
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0003.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Common carrier freight railroads that are either new 
or reporting changes in the status of one or more of their rail lines.
    Number of Respondents: 3.
    Estimated Time per Response: 7.1 hours, based on average time 
reported in informal survey of respondents conducted in 2009.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 21 hours.
    Total Annualized Non-Hourly Cost: None have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: Under 49 CFR 1152.10-1152.13, all railroads subject 
to the Board's jurisdiction are required to keep current system diagram 
maps (SDMs) on file, or alternatively in the case of a Class III 
carrier (a carrier with assets of not more than $20 million in 1991 
dollars), to submit the same information in narrative form. The 
information sought in this collection identifies all lines in a 
particular railroad's system, categorized to indicate the likelihood 
that service on a particular line will be abandoned and/or whether 
service on a line is currently provided under the financial assistance 
provisions of 49 U.S.C. 10904. Carriers are obligated to amend these 
maps as necessary to update the SDM or description as line designations 
change. The Board uses this information to facilitate reasoned decision 
making. In addition, this information, which is available to the public 
from the carrier by request, 49 CFR 1152.12(c)(3), may serve as notice 
to the shipping public of the carrier's intent to abandon or retain a 
line.

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. A 60-day notice and request 
for comments regarding the collection described above was published on 
Nov. 12, 2009 (74 FR 58368). Section 3507(b) of the PRA requires, 
concurrent with an agency's submitting a collection to OMB 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: February 25, 2010.
Andrea Pope-Matheson,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2010-4330 Filed 3-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P