[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 126 (Thursday, June 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38452-38453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16475]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2011-0001-N-9]


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration, (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information 
Collection Requirement (ICR) abstracted below is being forwarded to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR 
describes the nature of the information collection and its expected 
burden. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period 
soliciting comments on the following collection of information was 
published on April 20, 2011 (76 FR 22165).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 1, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of Safety, 
Planning and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., 3rd Floor, Mail Stop 25, 
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6292), or Ms. Kimberly 
Toone, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, 3rd Floor, Mail Stop 35, 
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6132). (These telephone 
numbers are not toll-free.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
Public Law 104-13, Section 2, 109 Stat. 163 (1995) (codified as revised 
at 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR Part 
1320, require Federal agencies to issue two notices seeking public 
comment on information collection activities before OMB may approve 
paperwork packages. 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.5, 1320.8(d)(1), 
1320.12. On April 20, 2011, FRA published a 60-day notice in the 
Federal Register soliciting comment on this ICR for which the agency 
was seeking OMB approval. 76 FR 22165. FRA received no comments in 
response to this notice.
    Before OMB decides whether to approve these proposed collections of 
information, it must provide 30 days for public comment. 44 U.S.C. 
3507(b); 5 CFR 1320.12(d). Federal law requires OMB to approve or 
disapprove paperwork packages between 30 and 60 days after the 30 day 
notice is published. 44 U.S.C. 3507 (b)-(c); 5 CFR 1320.12(d); see also 
60 FR 44978, 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. OMB believes that the 30 day notice 
informs the regulated community to file relevant comments and affords 
the agency adequate time to digest public comments before it renders a 
decision. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. Therefore, respondents should 
submit their respective comments to OMB within 30 days of publication 
to best ensure having their full effect. 5 CFR 1320.12(c); see also 60 
FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995.
    The summary below describes the nature of the information 
collection requirement (ICR) and the expected burden for the ICR being 
submitted for clearance by OMB as required by the PRA.
    Title: Implementation for Capital Grants for Rail Line Relocation 
and Improvement Projects.
    OMB Control Number: 2130-0578.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses.
    Abstract: Section 9002 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) 
(Pub. L. 109-59, August 10, 2005) amends chapter 201 of Title 49 of the 
United States Code by adding section 20154. Section 20154 authorizes--
but does not appropriate--$350,000,000 per year for each of the

[[Page 38453]]

fiscal years (FY) 2006 through 2009 for the purpose of funding a grant 
program to provide financial assistance for local rail line relocation 
and improvement projects. Section 20154 directs the Secretary of 
Transportation (Secretary) to issue regulations implementing this grant 
program, and the Secretary has delegated this responsibility to FRA. On 
July 11, 2008, FRA published the final rule intended to carry out that 
statutory mandate.
    Congress did not appropriate any funding for the Program for FY 
2006 or FY 2007. In FY 2008, Congress appropriated $20,145,000 for the 
Program, reduced by rescission to $20,040,200, $14,905,000 of which was 
available for discretionary (competitive) grants. After evaluating and 
scoring 37 applications, FRA awarded $14,315,300 to seven different 
projects, leaving $589,700. In FY 2009, Congress appropriated 
$25,000,000 and directed that $17,100,000 be awarded to 23 specific 
projects, with $7,900,000 left over discretionary grants. Subsequently, 
in FY 2010, Congress appropriated $34,532,000 for the Program, and 
directed that $24,519,200 go to 27 specifically enumerated projects. 
FRA combined the remaining $10,012,800 with $589,700 that was not 
awarded from the FY 2008 competition, $2,000,000 that was awarded to 
one of the FY 2008 projects but which the project sponsors ultimately 
turned down, and the $7,900,000 in FY 2009 discretionary funding for a 
total of $20,502,500. These funds were the subject of a Notice of 
Funding Availability FRA published in the Federal Register on September 
10, 2010. The application period closed on October 29, 2010, and FRA is 
currently evaluating applications submitted. The information collected 
will be used by FRA to determine whether or not it is appropriate to 
provide financial assistance to State and local governments looking to 
undertake either rail relocation or rail improvement projects.
    Form Number(s): N/A
    Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 26,083 hours
    Addressee: Send comments regarding this information collection to 
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management 
and Budget, 725 Seventeenth Street, NW., Washington, DC, 20503, 
Attention: FRA Desk Officer. Comments may also be sent via e-mail to 
OMB at the following address: [email protected].
    Comments are invited on the following: Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the Department, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of 
the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    A comment to OMB is best assured of having its full effect if OMB 
receives it within 30 days of publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register.

    Authority:  44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

    Issued in Washington, DC on June 24, 2011.
Arnel Rivera,
Acting Director, Office of Financial Management, Federal Railroad 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-16475 Filed 6-29-11; 8:45 am]
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