[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 250 (Thursday, December 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82037-82038]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33352]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2011-0001-N-22]


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 Requirements (ICRs) abstracted below are being forwarded to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The 
ICRs describe the nature of the information collections and their 
expected burden. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment 
period soliciting comments on the following collections of information 
was published on October 17, 2011 (76 FR 64172).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 30, 2012.

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 October 17, 2011, FRA published a 60-day notice in the 
Federal Register soliciting comment on these ICRs for which the agency 
is seeking OMB approval. 76 FR 64172. 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 
of this Notice 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 requirements (ICRs) and the expected burden being submitted 
for clearance by OMB as required by the PRA.
    Title: U.S. Locational Requirement for Dispatching U.S. Rail 
Operations.
    OMB Control Number: 2130-0556.
    Type of Request: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses.

[[Page 82038]]

    Abstract: Part 241 requires, in the absence of a waiver, that all 
dispatching of railroad operations that occurs in the United States be 
performed in this country, with a minor exception. A railroad is 
allowed to conduct extraterritorial dispatching from Mexico or Canada 
in emergency situations, but only for the duration of the emergency. A 
railroad relying on the exception must provide written notification of 
its action to the FRA Regional Administrator of each FRA region in 
which the railroad operation occurs; such notification is not required 
before addressing the emergency situation. The information collected 
under this rule will be used as part of FRA's oversight function to 
ensure that extraterritorial dispatchers comply with applicable safety 
regulations.
    Form Number(s): N/A.
    Total Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 8 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 email 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 December 22, 2011.
Michael Logue,
Acting Director, Office of Financial Management, Federal Railroad 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-33352 Filed 12-28-11; 8:45 am]
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