[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 84 (Monday, May 2, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26304-26305]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10193]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD


Notice and Request for Comments

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: 60-Day notice of intent to seek extension of approval: Rail 
Depreciation Studies.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
3501-3521 (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) gives 
notice of its intent to seek approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for an extension of the Rail Depreciation Studies. This 
information collection is described in detail below.
    Comments are requested concerning: (1) The accuracy of the Board's 
burden estimates; (2) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information collected; (3) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on the respondents, including the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, when appropriate; and (4) whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Board, including whether the collection has practical utility. 
Submitted comments will be summarized and included in the Board's 
request for OMB approval.

Description of Collection

    Title: Rail Depreciation Studies.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0028.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension with change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: 7.
    Estimated Time per Response: Approximately 500 hours annually.
    Frequency of Response: Bi-annual. (Under 49 CFR part 1201, sections 
4-1 to 4-4, the Board requires all class 1 (large) carriers to submit 
depreciation studies no less than every three years for equipment 
property and every six years for road and track property. That means 
that for any given six year period the Class 1 railroads have to submit 
no less than three depreciation reports or the equivalent of 0.5 
depreciation reports per year.)
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 3,500 hours (500 hours x 7 Class I 
railroads).
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: Approximately $262,500 per 
year. Board staff estimates that each study will cost between $50,000 
and $100,000, which equals a cost of approximately $25,000-$50,000 per 
year. Using an average cost ($37,500 per year x 7 Class I railroads), 
the non-hour burden cost is

[[Page 26305]]

estimated to be approximately $262,500 per year.
    Needs and Uses: Under 49 CFR part 1201, sections 4-1 to 4-4, the 
Board is required to identify those classes of property for which rail 
carriers may include depreciation charges under operating expenses, and 
the Board must also prescribe a rate of depreciation that may be 
charged to those classes of property. Pursuant to the Board's authority 
under 49 U.S.C. 11145, Class I rail carriers are required to submit 
Depreciation Studies to the Board. Information in these studies is not 
available from any other source. The Board uses the information in 
these studies to prescribe depreciation rates. These depreciation rate 
prescriptions state the period for which the depreciation rates therein 
are applicable. Class I railroads apply the prescribed depreciation 
rates to their investment base to determine monthly and annual 
depreciation expense. This expense is included in the railroads' 
operating expenses, which are reported in their R-1 reports (OMB 
Control Number 2140-0009). Operating expenses are used to develop 
operating costs for application in various proceedings before the 
Board, such as in rate reasonableness cases and in the determination of 
railroad revenue adequacy.

DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by 
July 1, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Chris Oehrle, Surface Transportation 
Board, 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20423-0001, or to 
[email protected]. When submitting comments, please refer to ``Rail 
Depreciation Studies.'' For further information regarding this 
collection, contact Pedro Ramirez at (202) 245-0333 or at 
[email protected]. [Assistance for the hearing impaired is 
available through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA, a federal agency that 
conducts or sponsors a collection of information must display a 
currently valid OMB control number. A collection of information, which 
is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c), includes agency 
requirements that persons submit reports, keep records, or provide 
information to the agency, third parties, or the public. Under Sec.  
3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, federal agencies are required to provide, 
prior to an agency's submitting a collection to OMB for approval, a 60-
day notice and comment period through publication in the Federal 
Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including 
each proposed extension of an existing collection of information.

    Dated: April 27, 2016.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2016-10193 Filed 4-29-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4915-01-P