[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 23, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9078-9079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03702]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
Port Performance Freight Statistics Working Group
AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of Establishment of Port Performance Freight Statistics
Working Group and Solicitation of Nominations for Membership.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 6314 of title 49, United States Code, as
codified by section 6018 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation
(FAST) Act (Pub. L. 114-94; 129 Stat. 1312) and section 9(a)(1) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), and following consultation with
the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration,
notice is hereby given that the Port Performance Freight Statistics
Working Group (hereafter, ``Working Group'') will be established and
make its recommendations on or before December 4, 2016. Further, this
notice serves as a request for nominations for representatives to the
Working Group.
The establishment of the Working Group is necessary for the
Department to carry out its mission and in the best interest of the
public. The Working Group will operate in accordance with the
provisions of the FACA and the rules and regulations issued in
implementation of that Act.
DATES: The deadline for nominations for Working Group representatives
must be received on or before March 24, 2016.
ADDRESSES: All nomination material should be emailed to the BTS
Director Patricia Hu at: [email protected] or mailed to Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Bureau of
Transportation Statistics, Attn: Port Performance Freight Statistics
Working Group, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Room # E34-429, Washington, DC 20590. Any person requiring
accessibility accommodations should contact the Bureau of
Transportation Statistics at (202) 366-1270; or email BTS Director
Patricia Hu at: [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Research and Technology, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Attn:
Port Performance Freight Statistics Working Group, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room # E34-429, Washington,
DC 20590; phone: (202) 366-1270; or email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of meeting the requirement under 49
U.S.C. 6314(c), the BTS Director is establishing the Working Group to
receive recommendations on matters related to port performance
measures, including:
(a) Identifying a generally accepted industry standard for port
data collection and reporting.
(b) Specifying standards for collecting data and reporting
nationally consistent port performance measures.
(c) Making recommendations for statistics measuring on U.S. port
capacity and throughput.
(d) Developing a process for the U.S. Department of Transportation
(hereafter, ``Department'') to collect timely and consistent data,
including identifying safeguards to protect proprietary information.
The Department is hereby soliciting nominations for Working Group
representatives. The BTS Director on behalf of the Secretary of
Transportation will appoint the Working Group members. In accordance
with 49 U.S.C. 6314(c), the Working Group shall be comprised of
representatives from a number of Federal agencies, organizations, and
industries. The Department is seeking nominations to fill the following
positions on the Working Group:
1 representative from the rail industry;
1 representative from the trucking industry;
1 representative from the maritime shipping industry;
1 representative from a labor organization for each
industry [rail, trucking, and maritime shipping];
1 representative from the International Longshoremen's
Association;
1 representative from the International Longshore and
Warehouse Union;
1 representative from a port authority;
1 representative from a terminal operator; and
representatives of the Transportation Research Board of
the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
In establishing the Working Group, the Department shall establish a
Chair and Vice Chair of the Working Group from among those selected
representatives, and the Working Group is expected to meet as necessary
to fulfill the purpose for which it was established. Working Group
representatives shall serve without compensation and those who are not
Government employees shall be appointed as Special Government
Employees, subject to certain ethics restrictions, and required to
submit certain information in connection with the appointment process.
The Working Group may seek subject matter experts (SMEs) from
organizations which are not represented on the Working Group to serve
on subcommittees. These SMEs who are called upon solely for their
expertise may also be appointed as Special Government Employees and
will be subject to certain ethics restrictions, and such subcommittee
members will be required to submit certain information in connection
with the appointment process.
Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Qualified
individuals may self-nominate or be nominated by any individual or
organization. To be considered for the Port Performance Freight
Statistics Working Group,
[[Page 9079]]
nominators should submit the following information:
(1) Name, title, and relevant contact information (including phone,
fax, and email address) of the individual under consideration;
(2) A letter, on letterhead, from a company, union, trade or
membership association, or non-profit organization containing a brief
description why the nominee should be considered for membership;
(3) Short biography of nominee including professional and academic
credentials;
(4) An affirmative statement that the nominee meets all Working
Group eligibility requirements.
Please do not send company, trade association, or organization
brochures or any other information. Materials submitted should total
two pages or less. Should more information be needed, Departmental
staff will contact the nominee, obtain information from the nominee's
past affiliations, or obtain information from publicly available
sources, such as the Internet.
Nominations may be emailed to BTS Director Patricia Hu at:
[email protected] or mailed to Office of the Assistant Secretary
for Research and Technology, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Attn:
Port Performance Freight Statistics Working Group, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room # E34-429, Washington,
DC 20590. Nominations must be received before March 24, 2016. Nominees
selected for appointment to the Working Group will be notified by
return email and receive a letter of appointment.
A selection team comprising representatives from several Department
operating administrations will review the nomination packages. The
selection team will make recommendations regarding membership to the
BTS Director based on criteria including:
(1) Professional or academic expertise, experience, and knowledge;
(2) stakeholder representation;
(3) availability and willingness to serve; and
(4) skills working collaboratively on committees and advisory
panels.
Based upon the selection team's recommendations, the BTS Director
on behalf of the Secretary of Transportation will select
representatives. In the selection of members for the advisory
committee, the Department will seek to ensure a balanced representation
and consider a cross-section of those directly affected, interested,
and qualified, as appropriate to the nature and functions of the
advisory committee.
Nominations are open to all individuals without regard to race,
color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical
disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. To ensure that
recommendations to the Secretary take into account the needs of the
diverse groups served by the Department, membership shall include, to
the extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated ability to
represent minorities, women, and persons with disabilities.
Rolf R. Schmitt,
Deputy Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2016-03702 Filed 2-22-16; 8:45 am]
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