[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 243 (Monday, December 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78673-78674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32360]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Transportation Security Administration


New Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review: 
Exercise Information System (EXIS)

AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration, DHS.

ACTION: 30-day notice.

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

SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Transportation Security 
Administration (TSA) has forwarded the new Information Collection 
Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). 
The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its 
expected burden. TSA published a Federal Register notice, with a 60-day 
comment period soliciting comments, of the following collection of 
information on January 6, 2011 (76 FR 792). The ICR describes the 
nature of the information collection and its expected burden for the 
TSA Exercise Information System (EXIS). EXIS is a web portal designed 
to serve stakeholders in the transportation industry by providing 
transportation stakeholders with an online tool to generate security 
exercises based on the unique needs of their specific transportation 
mode or method of operation. It provides stakeholders with exercise 
information tailored to the transportation industry, best practices, 
and lessons learned based on experience for use in future exercises. 
Utilizing and inputting information into EXIS is completely voluntary.

DATES: Send your comments by January 18, 2012. A comment to OMB is most 
effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on 
the proposed information collection to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, OMB. Comments should be addressed to Desk Officer, 
Department of Homeland Security/TSA, and sent via electronic mail to 
[email protected] or faxed to (202) 395-6974.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanna Johnson, TSA PRA Officer, 
Office of Information Technology (OIT), TSA-11, Transportation Security 
Administration, 601 South 12th Street, Arlington, VA 20598-6011; 
telephone (571) 227-3651; email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is 
not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it 
displays a valid OMB control number. The ICR documentation is available 
at http://www.reginfo.gov. Therefore, in preparation for OMB review and 
approval of the following information collection, TSA is soliciting 
comments to--
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed information requirement is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including using appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.

[[Page 78674]]

Comments Received

    Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d), TSA published a 60-day notice 
soliciting comments from persons outside of the agency regarding the 
data collection procedures of EXIS. This notice was published on 
January 6, 2011 (76 FR 792). TSA received two comments. The first 
comment was from a contractor in the Infrastructure Protection Disaster 
Management Division of the Science and Technology Directorate at DHS. 
This comment sought more information regarding the program manager of 
EXIS and program manager role/capabilities in exercise training. TSA 
responded by referring the commentator to the appropriate EXIS 
personnel for further detail on the EXIS program manager role. The 
second comment came from a transportation security inspector in South 
Carolina seeking more information on the capabilities of EXIS. TSA 
responded by electronically sending the commentator an EXIS information 
brochure and referring the commentator to the EXIS email address for 
any additional questions. To our knowledge, no additional comments have 
been received.

Information Collection Requirement

    Title: Exercise Information System (EXIS).
    Type of Request: New collection.
    OMB Control Number: Not yet assigned.
    Form(s): N/A.
    Affected Public: Interested transportation owners and operators 
with security interests and responsibilities.
    Abstract: The Exercise Information System (EXIS) is an Internet-
accessible knowledge-management system developed by TSA serving 
stakeholders--industry, port authorities, Federal agencies, and State 
and local governments--and integrating other security-related training 
and exercise components. Because EXIS may contain Sensitive Security 
Information (SSI),\1\ the system meets the requirements for an SSI-
level system. EXIS gives stakeholders valuable exercise information 
tailored to the transportation industry, best practices, and lessons 
learned based on experience for use in future exercises. Transportation 
industry stakeholders can choose scenarios and objectives based on 
their particular needs, such as their transportation modes, or their 
regulated areas of operation. EXIS is a data management system that 
provides end-to-end security exercise support, from the initial 
planning meeting, through exercise design, implementation, evaluation, 
and reporting.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ See 49 U.S.C. 114(s); 49 CFR part 1520.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    TSA will use this information to assess and improve the 
capabilities of all surface transportation modes to prevent, prepare 
for, mitigate against, respond to, and recover from transportation 
security incidents. A failure to collect this information will limit 
TSA's ability to effectively test security countermeasures, security 
plans, and the ability of a modal operator to respond to and quickly 
recover after a transportation security incident. Insufficient 
awareness, prevention, response, and recovery to a transportation 
security incident will result in increased vulnerability of the U.S. 
transportation network and a reduced ability of DHS to assess system 
readiness.
    Since the system has not been released to the public yet, it is 
difficult to determine the amount of volume that will be generated from 
its release. Based on industry population estimates and industry growth 
rates transportation modes prior to EXIS release to the public, TSA 
estimates that there will be approximately 336,000 users within the 
first three years of the system's use. TSA estimates users will spend 
approximately 7 hours per EXIS user inputting the information described 
above.
    Number of Respondents: 112,109.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: An estimated 392,385 hours annually.
    Issued in Arlington, Virginia, on December 13, 2011.

Joanna Johnson,
TSA Paperwork Reduction Act Officer, Office of Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2011-32360 Filed 12-16-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-05-P