[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86061-86062]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28613]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD


60-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension of Approval: 
Information Collection Activities (Complaints, Petitions for 
Declaratory Orders, and Petitions for Relief Not Otherwise Specified)

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, 
and 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 that it is requesting from the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval of an extension of the information collections required 
for (1) complaints filed under 49 U.S.C. 1321, 10701-10707, 11101 and 
11701-11707 and 49 CFR 1111; (2) petitions for declaratory orders under 
5 U.S.C. 554(e) and 49 U.S.C. 1321; and (3) catch-all petitions (for 
relief not otherwise specified) under 49 U.S.C. 1321 and 49 CFR part 
1117. Under these statutory and regulatory sections, the Board provides 
procedures for persons to make a broad range of claims and to seek a 
broad range of remedies before the Board. The information collections 
relevant to these complaints and petitions are described separately 
below.

[[Page 86062]]


DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by 
January 28, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Chris Oehrle, PRA Officer, Surface 
Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20423-0001, or 
to [email protected]. When submitting comments, please refer to ``Paperwork 
Reduction Act Comments, Information Collection Activities.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding this 
collection, contact Michael Higgins, Deputy Director, Office of Public 
Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and Compliance at (202) 245-0284 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: For each collection, 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 Collections

Collection Number 1

    Title: Complaints under 49 CFR 1111.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0029.
    STB Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension with change.
    Respondents: Affected shippers, railroads and communities that seek 
redress for alleged violations related to unreasonable rates, 
unreasonable practices, service issues, and other statutory claims.
    Number of Respondents: Three.
    Estimated Time per Response: 467 hours.
    Frequency: On occasion. In 2015, respondents filed three complaints 
of this type with the Board.
    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 1,401 
(estimated hours per complaint (467) x total number of complaints in 
2015 (3)).
    Total ``Non-hour Burden'' Cost: $4,386 (estimated non-hour burden 
cost per complaint ($1,462) x total number of complaints in 2015(3)).
    Needs and Uses: Under the Board's regulations, persons may file 
complaints before the Board pursuant to 49 CFR part 1111 seeking 
redress for alleged violations of provisions of the Interstate Commerce 
Act, Public Law 104-88, 109 Stat. 803 (1995). The required content of a 
complaint is outlined at 49 CFR 1111.1(a). In the last few years, the 
most significant complaints filed at the Board allege that railroads 
are charging unreasonable rates or that they are engaging in 
unreasonable practices. See, e.g., 49 U.S.C. 10701, 10704, and 11701. 
The collection by the Board of these complaints, and the agency's 
action in conducting proceedings and ruling on the complaints, enables 
the Board to meet its statutory duty to regulate the rail industry.

Collection Number 2

    Title: Petitions for declaratory orders.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0031.
    STB Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension with change.
    Respondents: Affected shippers, railroads and communities that seek 
a declaratory order from the Board to terminate a controversy or remove 
uncertainty.
    Number of Respondents: 11.
    Estimated Time per Response: 183 hours.
    Frequency: On occasion. In 2015, respondents filed 12 petitions of 
this type with the Board.
    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 2,196 
hours (183 estimated hours per petition x total number of petitions in 
2015 (12)).
    Total ``Non-hour Burden'' Cost: $14,832 (estimated non-hour burden 
cost per petition ($1,236) x total number of petitions in 2015 (12)).
    Needs and Uses: Under 5 U.S.C. 554(e) and 49 U.S.C. 1321, the Board 
may issue a declaratory order to terminate a controversy or remove 
uncertainty. Because petitions for a declaratory order cover a broad 
range of requests, the Board does not prescribe specific instructions 
for the filing of a petition for declaratory order. The collection by 
the Board of these petitions for declaratory order enables the Board to 
meet its statutory duty to regulate the rail industry.

Collection Number 3

    Title: Petitions for relief not otherwise provided.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0030.
    STB Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension with change.
    Respondents: Affected shippers, railroads and communities that seek 
to address transportation-related issues under the Board's jurisdiction 
that are not otherwise specifically provided for under the Board's 
other regulatory provisions.
    Number of Respondents: Five.
    Estimated Time per Response: 24.5 hours.
    Frequency: On occasion. In 2015, five petitions of this type were 
filed with the Board.
    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 122.5 
(estimated hours per petition (24.5) x total number of petitions in 
2015 (five)).
    Total ``Non-hour Burden'' Cost: $350 (estimated non-hour burden 
cost per petition ($70) x total number of petitions in 2015 (five)).
    Needs and Uses: Under 49 U.S.C. 1321 and 49 CFR part 1117 (the 
Board's catch-all petition provision), shippers, railroads, and the 
public in general may seek relief (such as petitions seeking waivers of 
the Board's regulations) not otherwise specifically provided for under 
the Board's other regulatory provisions. Under section 1117.1, such 
petitions should contain three items: (a) A short, plain statement of 
jurisdiction, (b) a short, plain statement of petitioner's claim, and 
(c) request for relief. The collection by the Board of these petitions 
enables the Board to more fully meet its statutory duty to regulate the 
rail industry.
    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 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), 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: November 22, 2016.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2016-28613 Filed 11-28-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4915-01-P