[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 198 (Wednesday, October 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61886-61887]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26025]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2012-0082 (Notice No. 15-16)]


Hazardous Materials: Information Collection Activities

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA 
invites comments on its intention to revise an information collection 
under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 2137-0628, 
``Flammable Hazardous Materials by Rail Transportation.'' This 
reporting requirement would require tank car owners to report their 
progress in the retrofitting of tank cars to the Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on, or before 
November 13, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding the burden estimate, including 
suggestions for reducing the burden, by mail to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
Attention: Desk Officer for DOT-PHMSA, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, 
DC 20503, by fax, 202-395-5806, or by email, to 
[email protected]. Comments should refer to the information 
collection by title and/or OMB Control Number.
    We invite comments on: (1) 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; (2) the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed information collection; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) 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.
    Docket: For access to the dockets to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Andrews or T. Glenn Foster, 
Standards and Rulemaking Division (PHH-12), Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., East 
Building, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001, Telephone (202) 366-
8553.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1320.8 (d), Title 5, Code of Federal 
Regulations requires PHMSA to provide interested members of the public 
and affected agencies an opportunity to comment on information 
collection and recordkeeping requests. This notice identifies an 
information collection request that PHMSA will be submitting to OMB for 
revision. This information collection request is contained in 49 CFR 
part 174 of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-
180). PHMSA has revised the burden estimate, where appropriate, to 
reflect current reporting levels or adjustments based on changes 
described in this notice. The following information is provided for the 
information collection: (1) Title of the information collection, 
including former title if a change is being made; (2) OMB control 
number; (3) summary of the information collection activity; (4) 
description of affected public; (5) estimate of total annual reporting 
and recordkeeping burden; and (6) frequency of collection. PHMSA will 
request a three-year term of approval for the information collection 
activity and, when approved by OMB, publish a notice of the approval in 
the Federal Register.
    PHMSA requests comments on the following information collection:
    Title: Flammable Hazardous Materials by Rail Transportation.
    OMB Control Number: 2137-0628.
    Summary: This information collection pertains to requirements for 
the creation of a sampling and testing program for unrefined petroleum-
based products and rail routing for High Hazard Flammable Trains 
(HHFTs) \a\, routing requirements for rail operators, and the reporting 
of incidents that may occur from HFFTs.
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    \a\ An HHFT means a single train transporting 20 or more loaded 
tank cars of a Class 3 flammable liquid in a continuous block or a 
single train carrying 35 or more loaded tank cars of a Class 3 
flammable liquid throughout the train consist.
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    In the final rule entitled ``Enhanced Tank Car Standards and 
Operational Controls for High-Hazard Flammable Trains'' PHMSA and the 
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) adopted a risk-based timeline for 
the retrofit of existing tank cars to meet an enhanced Casualty 
Prevention Circular (CPC-1232) standard when used as part of an HHFT. 
The retrofit timeline focuses on two risk factors, the packing group 
and differing types of DOT-111 and CPC-1232 tank cars. The timeline 
provides an accelerated risk reduction that more appropriately 
addresses the overall risk. The timeline is provided in the Sec. Sec.  
173.241, 173.242, and 173.243 tables of the final rulemaking [80 FR 
26643] and includes a January 1, 2017 deadline for of non-jacketed DOT-
111 tank cars in PG I service in an HHFT. Not adhering to the January 
1, 2017 deadline would trigger a reporting requirement.
    This reporting requirement would require owners of non-jacketed 
DOT-111 tank cars in Packing Group I service in an HHFT to report to 
DOT the following information regarding the retrofitting progress:
     The total number of tank cars retrofitted to meet the DOT-
117R specification;
     The total number of tank cars built or retrofitted to meet 
the DOT-117P specification;
     The total number of DOT-111 tank cars (including those 
built to CPC-1232 industry standard) that have not been modified;
     The total number of tank cars built to meet the DOT-117 
specification; and
     The total number of tank cars built or retrofitted to a 
DOT-117, 117R, or 117P specification that are Electronically Controlled 
Pneumatic (ECP) brake ready or ECP brake equipped.
    Although this reporting requirement applies to individual owners of 
non-jacketed DOT-111 tank cars in PG I service in an HHFT, DOT would 
accept a consolidated report from a group representing the affected 
industries. Furthermore, while not adhering to the January 1, 2017 
retrofit deadline triggers an initial reporting requirement, it would 
also trigger a requirement which would authorize the Secretary of 
Transportation to request additional reports of the above information 
with reasonable notice.
    PHMSA received comments on the 60-Day Notice (80 FR 27844) for the 
revision to this collection from the American Fuel & Petrochemical 
Manufacturers (AFPM) and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation 
(DOT) both in support of the tank car retrofit reporting requirements. 
AFPM states that expanding the final rule's reporting requirement would 
improve the understanding of how the retrofit

[[Page 61887]]

activity is affecting rail transportation of flammable liquids and 
allow PHMSA to make data-driven decisions in advance of the compliance 
milestones in the retrofit schedule. The Oklahoma DOT states that it 
does not object to the tank car retrofitting reporting requirements but 
encourages PHMSA to reemphasize the importance of evaluating the causes 
of oil by rail accidents so as to prevent them in the future.
    We estimate that this reporting requirement will result in a 
revised information collection and recordkeeping burden as follows:
    OMB No. 2137-0628, ``Flammable Hazardous Materials by Rail 
Transportation.''
    Additional Burden request:
    Additional Number of Respondents: 50.
    Additional Annual Responses: 50.
    Additional Annual Burden Hours: 25.
    Additional Total Annual Burden Cost: $1,000.

    Revised Total First Year Burden:
    Revised Total Annual Number of Respondents: 2,039.
    Revised Total Annual Responses: 2,609.
    Revised Total Annual Burden Hours: 103,814.
    Revised Total Annual Burden Cost: $7,384,633.55.

    Revised Subsequent Year Burden:
    Revised Total Annual Number of Respondents: 2,039.
    Revised Total Annual Responses: 2,609.
    Revised Total Annual Burden Hours: 29,054.
    Revised Total Annual Burden Cost: $2,038,988.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on October 7, 2015.
William S. Schoonover,
Deputy Associate Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-26025 Filed 10-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P