[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 236 (Wednesday, December 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76617-76618]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-30996]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Docket Number: RITA-2008-0002]


Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology 
(OST-R); Agency Information Collection Activity; Notice of Renewal To 
Continue To Collect Information: Confidential Close Call Reporting for 
a Transit System

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Research Technology (OST-R), U.S. Department of 
Transportation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the 
intention of the BTS to request the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) to approve the continuation of the following information 
collection: Confidential Close Call Reporting for a Transit System. 
This data collection effort supports a multi-year program focused on 
improving transit safety by collecting and analyzing data and 
information on close calls and other unsafe occurrences in the 
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) system. The 
program is co-sponsored by WMATA's Office of the Deputy General Manager 
Operations (DGMO) and the President/Business Agent of the Amalgamated 
Transit Union (ATU) Local 689. It is designed to identify safety issues 
and propose preventative safety actions based on voluntary reports of 
close calls submitted confidentially to the Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics (BTS), U.S. Department of Transportation. This information 
collection is necessary to aid WMATA/ATU in systematically collecting 
and analyzing data to identify root causes of potentially unsafe 
events.

DATES: Comments must be received by January 8, 2016.

ADDRESSES: BTS seeks public comments on its proposed continuation of 
information collection. Comments

[[Page 76618]]

should address whether the information will have practical utility; the 
accuracy of the estimated burden hours 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. Send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20503, Attention: BTS Desk Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Demetra V. Collia, Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics, Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S. Department of Transportation, 
Office of Statistical and Economic Analysis (OSEA), RTS-31, E36-302, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001; Phone No. (202) 
366-1610; Fax No. (202) 366-3383; email: [email protected]. Office 
hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., EST, Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.
    Data Confidentiality Provisions: The confidentiality of Close Calls 
data is protected under the BTS confidentiality statute (49 U.S.C. 
111(k)) and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical 
Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-347, Title V). In 
accordance with these confidentiality statutes, only statistical and 
non-identifying data will be made publicly available through reports. 
Further, BTS will not release to FRA or any other public or private 
entity any information that might reveal the identity of individuals or 
organizations mentioned in close call reports.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. The Data Collection

    The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35; as 
amended) and 5 CFR part 1320 require each Federal agency to obtain OMB 
approval to continue an information collection activity. BTS is seeking 
OMB approval for the following BTS information collection activity:
    Title: Confidential Close Call Reporting for a Transit System.
    OMB Control Number: 2139- 0010.
    Type of Review: Approval to continue to collect data.
    Respondents: WMATA Employees.
    Number of Respondents: 100 (per annum).
    Estimated Time per Response: 60 minutes.
    Frequency: Intermittent for approximately five (5) years. (Reports 
are submitted when there is a qualifying event, i.e. a close call 
occurs within WMATAs Transit System.
    Total Annual Burden: 100 hours.
    Please note that the 60 day notice was incorrectly posted as a 
Notice of Request for approval to Collect New Information: Confidential 
Close Call Reporting for Transit System. Also, the Confidential Close 
Call Program has been renamed the Close Call Data Program (CCDP). 
Confidential Close Call Reporting and CCDP are one in the same in all 
other aspects identical.

II. Public Participation and Request for Public Comments

    On September 1, 2015, BTS published a notice (80 FR 52846) 
encouraging interested parties to submit comments to docket number 
RITA-2008-0002 and allowing for a 60-day comment period. The comment 
period closed on November 2, 2015. To view comments, go to http://www.regulations.gov and insert the docket number, ``RITA-2008-0002'' in 
the ``Search'' box and click ``Search.'' Next, click ``Open Docket 
Folder'' button and choose document listed to review. If you do not 
have access to the Internet, you may view the docket by visiting the 
Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the 
DOT West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.

Privacy Act

    All comments the BTS received were posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov. Anyone may search the electronic form of all 
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or of the person signing the comment, if 
submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). 
You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal 
Register published on January 17, 2008 (73 FR 3316), or you may visit 
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-785.pdf.

III. Discussion of Public Comments and BTS Responses

    BTS announced on September 1, 2015, in a Federal Register Notice 
(80 FR 52846), its intention to request that OMB approve the following 
continuation of information collection: Confidential Close Call 
Reporting for a Transit System. BTS received no comments during the 60-
day public comment period.

    Issued on: December 2, 2015.
Patricia Hu,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Research and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2015-30996 Filed 12-8-15; 8:45 am]
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