[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19827-19828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8402]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board


Disclosure of Rail-Interchange Commitments; Notice and Request 
for Comments

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT.

ACTION: 30-day notice of request for approval: Disclosure of Rail-
Interchange Commitments.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
3501-3519 (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) has 
submitted a request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an 
reinstatement of approval for the collection of agreements containing 
rail-interchange commitments. A rail interchange commitment is a 
contractual provision, which may be included with a sale or lease of a 
rail line, that limits the incentive or the ability of the purchaser or 
tenant carrier to interchange traffic with rail carriers other than the 
seller or lessor railroad. Under the Board's regulations, whenever a 
carrier or other person seeks authority, through the Board's 
abbreviated exemption procedures, to acquire (through sale or lease) or 
to operate a rail line, that carrier or other person is required to 
submit a copy of any agreement that contains such an interchange 
commitment.
    The Board previously published a notice about this collection in 
the Federal Register on December 22, 2010, at 75 FR 80,569. That notice 
allowed for a 60-day public review and comment period. No comments were 
received. This collection is described in detail below. Comments may 
now be submitted to OMB 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.

Description of Collection

    Title: Disclosure of Rail Interchange Commitments.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0016.
    STB Form Number: None.

[[Page 19828]]

    Type of Review: Reinstatement with change. (The current request 
reduces the estimated respondents from 65 to 6 respondents based on the 
Board's actual experience with this collection. As a result, the total 
annual burden hours is reduced to 1\1/2\; hours, rather than the 16 
hours, as the Board had estimated when the collection was proposed.)
    Respondents: Noncarriers and carriers seeking an exemption to 
acquire (through purchase or lease) and/or operate a rail line, if the 
proposed transaction includes an interchange commitment.
    Number of Respondents: 6.
    Estimated Time per Response: Less than 15 minutes.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 1\1/2\; 
hours.
    Total ``Non-hour Burden'' Cost: None identified.
    Needs and Uses: Under 49 U.S.C. 10502, noncarriers and carriers may 
seek an exemption from the prior approval requirements of sections 
10901, 10902, and 11323 to acquire (through purchase or lease) and 
operate a rail line. This collection of agreements with interchange 
commitments facilitates the case-specific review of interchange 
commitments and facilitates the Board's monitoring of their usage 
generally.
    Retention Period: Information in this report will be maintained in 
the Board's confidential file for 10 years, after which it is 
transferred to the National Archives.

DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted to 
OMB by May 9, 2011. When submitting comments, please refer to 
``Disclosure of Rail Interchange Commitments, OMB Control Number 2140-
0016.''

ADDRESSES: Comments should be directed to the Office of Management and 
Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: 
Kimberly Nelson, 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 or to Obtain a Copy of the STB Form, 
Contact: Joe Dettmar at (202) 245-0395 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 Sec.  3506(b) of the 
PRA, Federal agencies are required to provide, 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: April 5, 2011.
Andrea Pope-Matheson,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2011-8402 Filed 4-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P