[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 11, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70256-70257]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-24429]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2016-0002-N-19]


Agency Request for Emergency Processing of Collection of 
Information by the Office of Management and Budget; Railworthiness 
Directive for Certain Railroad Tank Cars Equipped With Bottom Outlet 
Valve Assembly and Constructed by American Railcar Industries and ACF 
Industries

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Agency request for OMB emergency information 
collection processing and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: FRA hereby gives notice it is submitting the following 
Information Collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Emergency processing under the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations. FRA requests that OMB 
authorize the proposed collection of information identified below on 
October 18, 2016, for a period of 180 days.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this individual ICR, with 
applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by calling FRA's 
Clearance Officers: Robert Brogan (tel. (202) 493-6292) or Kimberly 
Toone (tel. (202) 493-6132) (these numbers are not toll-free), or by 
contacting Mr. Brogan via facsimile at (202) 493-6216 or Ms. Toone via 
facsimile at (202) 493-6497, or via email by contacting Mr. Brogan at 
[email protected]; or by contacting Ms. Toone at [email protected]. 
Comments regarding these information collection requirements should 
include the title and OMB control number listed below and should be 
sent directly 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 [email protected].
    Title: Railworthiness Directive for Certain Railroad Tank Cars 
Equipped with Bottom Outlet Valve Assembly and Constructed by American 
Railcar Industries and ACF Industries
    OMB Control Number: 2130-NEW.
    Form Number(s): N/A.
    Affected Public: Businesses (Tank Car Owners).
    Frequency of Submission: One-time; on occasion.
    Respondent Universe: 100 Tank Car Owners.
    Reporting Burden:

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                                      Respondent         Total annual      Average time per      Total annual
             Section                   universe            responses           response          burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Identify tank cars covered by     20 Tank Car Owners  20 ID Reports.....  4 hours...........  80
 the Directive for Certain         (100 Lessees/Sub-
 Railroad Tank Cars Equipped       Lessees).
 with Bottom Outlet Valve
 Assembly and Constructed by
 American Railcar Industries and
 ACF Industries (14,800 cars).
Visual Inspection of Sump Weld    100 Shippers......  14,000 inspections/ 10 min............  2,333
 Area of All Tank Cars                                 records.
 Identified under this Directive.
Inspect and Test Sump and BOV     20 Tank Car Owners  14,000 records....  2 hours...........  28,000
 Skid Groove as Stipulated in      (100 Lessees/Sub-
 Directive and Maintain Record     Lessees).
 Results.
Train and Qualify Non-            10 Tank Car         33 trained and      2 hours...........  66
 Destructive Test Technicians on   Facility            tested mechanics.
 NDT Procedures and Record         Operators.
 Qualification (\1/3\ of the 100
 tank car mechanics).

[[Page 70257]]

 
Tank Car Owner Notification to    20 Tank Car Owners  100 notices.......  2 hours...........  200
 All Parties under Contract to     (100 Lessees/Sub-
 Car Owner, including Lessees      Lessees).
 and/or sub-Lessees, using tank
 cars subject to the Terms of
 this Directive.
Report of Inspection , Test, and  20 Tank Car Owners  14,000 reports....  20 min. per car/    4,667
 Repair Information stipulated     (100 Lessees/Sub-                       report..
 in paragraph 2(g) of Directive    Lessees).
 to FRA.
Repairs: 15% of Relevant Tank     10 Tank Car         2,100 car reports/  16 hours..........  33,600
 Fleet of 14,000 cars-- Record     Facility            records.
 and Report of Repairs to Tank     Operators.
 Car Owners.
Tank Car Facility Request to      10 Tank Car         20 requests + 20    10 min. + 10 min..  7
 Tank Car Owner for Written        Facility            written
 Permission and Approval of        Operators.          permissions.
 Qualification and Maintenance
 Program It Will Use Consistent
 with Appendices D, R, and W of
 the Tank Car Manual and 49 CFR
 180.513 Prior to Initiating Any
 Repairs.
Tank Car Facility Report of All   10 Tank Car         Burden Included     N/A...............  N/A
 Work Performed to Tank Car        Facility            Directly Above.
 Owner.                            Operators.
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    Total Estimated Responses: 44,293.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 68,953 hours.
    Status: Emergency Review.
    Description:
    On September 30, 2016, FRA issued a Railworthiness Directive 
(Directive) to all owners of DOT specification 111 general purpose tank 
cars, which can be found on FRA's Web site at http://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L18383. FRA issued the Directive based on its finding that 
as a result of non-conforming welding practices, DOT-111 tank cars 
built by American Railcar Industries, Inc. (ARI) and ACF Industries, 
LLC (ACF) between 2009 and 2015 to the ARI and ACF 300 stub sill design 
and equipped with a two-piece cast sump and bottom outlet valve (BOV) 
skid may be in an unsafe operating condition and could result in the 
release of hazardous materials. As a result of the non-conforming 
welding practices, these cars may have substantial weld defects at the 
sump and BOV skid groove attachment welds, potentially affecting each 
tank's ability to retain its contents during transportation. The 
Directive requires owners to: (1) Identify tank cars in their fleet 
covered by this Directive; and (2) ensure appropriate inspection and 
testing of each tank car's sump and BOV skid groove attachment welds to 
ensure no flaw exists which could result in the loss of tank integrity.
    As provided under 5 CFR 1320.13, Emergency Processing, DOT is 
requesting emergency processing for this new collection of information 
as specified in the PRA and its implementing regulations. DOT cannot 
reasonably comply with normal clearance procedures because the use of 
normal clearance procedures is reasonably likely to disrupt the 
collection of information. Further, in light of recent tank car 
accidents/incidents carrying crude oil, FRA believes safety is an 
overriding issue. The Directive took effect upon issuance. FRA cannot 
wait the normal 90 days of public comment. Under the Directive, tank 
car owners must take immediate action to identify tank cars in their 
fleet subject to the Directive. Therefore, FRA is requesting OMB 
approval of this collection of information 7 days after publication of 
this Notice in the Federal Register. Upon OMB approval of its Emergency 
clearance request, FRA will follow the normal clearance procedures for 
the information collection associated with this Directive.
    Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b), 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), FRA 
informs all interested parties it may not conduct or sponsor, and a 
respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of information 
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on October 4, 2016.
Amitabha Bose,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2016-24429 Filed 10-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-06-P