[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 161 (Tuesday, August 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39900-39901]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17654]



[[Page 39900]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Transportation Security Administration


Intent To Request Revision From OMB of One Public Collection of 
Information: Exercise Information System

AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration, DHS.

ACTION: 60-Day notice.

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SUMMARY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) invites 
public comment on one currently approved Information Collection Request 
(ICR), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number 1652-0057, 
abstracted below that we will submit to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for a revision in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (PRA). The ICR describes the nature of the information collection 
and its expected burden for the TSA Exercise Information System (EXIS). 
EXIS is a web portal designed to serve stakeholders in the 
transportation industry in regard to security training exercises. EXIS 
provides stakeholders with transportation security exercise scenarios 
and objectives, best practices and lessons learned, and a repository of 
the user's own historical exercise data for use in future exercises. It 
also allows stakeholders to design and evaluate their own security 
exercises based on the unique needs of their specific transportation 
mode or method of operation. Utilizing and inputting information into 
EXIS is completely voluntary.

DATES: Send your comments by October 23, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be emailed to [email protected] or delivered to 
the TSA PRA Officer, Office of Information Technology (OIT), TSA-11, 
Transportation Security Administration, 601 South 12th Street, 
Arlington, VA 20598-6011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christina A. Walsh at the above 
address, or by telephone 571-227-2062.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is 
not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it 
displays a valid OMB control number. The ICR documentation will be made 
available at http://www.reginfo.gov upon its submission to OMB. 
Therefore, in preparation for OMB review and approval of the following 
information collection, TSA is soliciting comments to--
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed information requirement is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including using appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    Consistent with the requirements of Executive Orders (EO) 13771, 
Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs, and 13777, 
Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda, TSA is also requesting comments 
on the extent to which this request for information could be modified 
to reduce the burden on respondents.

Information Collection Requirement

    OMB Control Number 1652-0057; Exercise Information System. The 
Exercise Information System (EXIS) is an internet-accessible knowledge-
management system developed by TSA to serve its relevant stakeholders 
(such as members of the transportation industry, port authorities, 
Federal agencies, and State and local governments). EXIS integrates 
security-related training and exercise components constituting 
Sensitive Security Information.\1\ It gives stakeholders valuable 
security exercise scenarios and objectives, best practices and lessons 
learned, and a repository of the users' own historical exercise data 
for use in future exercises. Transportation industry stakeholders can 
choose scenarios and objectives based on their vulnerabilities, mode of 
transportation, and the size of their operation.
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    \1\ Sensitive Security Information (SSI) is information which, 
if publicly released, would be detrimental to transportation 
security, and is defined at 49 U.S.C. 114(r) and 49 CFR part 1520.
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    TSA will collect five types of information through EXIS. The 
collection is voluntary. While EXIS users are not required to provide 
all information requested, if users choose to withhold information, 
they may not receive the benefits of EXIS associated with that 
information collection.
    1. User registration information. Because EXIS includes SSI 
information, TSA must collect information upon registration to ensure 
only those members of the transportation community with a relevant 
interest in conducting security training exercises, and with an 
appropriate level of need to access security training information, are 
provided access to EXIS.
    In this revision, TSA is modifying the type of user registration 
information collected. TSA previously collected the User's name, 
Professional Contact Information, Agency/Company, Job Title, 
Supervisor's Name, and Employment Verification Contact Information. In 
the revised collection, TSA will collect: The User's Name, Agency/
Organization Name and Type, Job Title, Supervisor or other Sponsor's 
Name, Professional Phone Number, Professional Email Address, Employment 
Verification Contact Name, Employment Verification Contact Information, 
and the Reason for Needing an EXIS account. In addition, the following 
optional registration information can be added by the user: 
Professional (business), Country, City, State, Zip Code, Mobile Phone 
Number, Alternate Email, and Preferred Transportation Sector.
    2. Desired nature and scope of the exercise. TSA collects this 
information to generate an EXIS training exercise appropriate for the 
particular user. Users are asked to submit their desired transportation 
mode, exercise properties, objectives, scenario events, and 
participating agencies/attendees.
    3. Corrective actions/lessons learned/best practices. TSA collects 
this information to document and share the users' ideas and methods for 
improving transportation security with other transportation 
stakeholders in the wider EXIS user base. The TSA Intermodal Security 
Training and Exercise Program (I-STEP) office may send lessons learned 
and best practices to subject matter experts within TSA for review. 
Once the information is reviewed, any company or user identifying 
information is removed and the content is published to the site for all 
users to access.
    4. Evaluation feedback. TSA collects this information for the 
purpose of evaluating the usefulness of EXIS in facilitating security 
training exercises for the users. TSA can then modify EXIS to better 
suit its users' needs.
    5. After-Action Reports (AARs). The EXIS automatically summarizes 
information from items (2) and (3) mentioned above in order to create 
formal AARs for users. These AARs include an exercise overview, goals 
and objectives, scenario event synopsis, analysis of critical issues, 
exercise

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design characteristics, conclusions, and the executive summary. The AAR 
is the output of the exercise process. Stakeholders use the report to 
identify strengths or areas in which they can assign resources to 
mitigate risk and enhance the security posture within their 
organization.
    Based on industry population estimates and growth rates, and 
interest generated amongst the transportation modes during the years 
following EXIS' release to the public, TSA estimates that there will be 
approximately 7,885 primary and secondary access users in Year 1, 9,447 
users in Year 2, and 11,320 users in Year 3, for an average annual 
respondents estimate of 9,551. TSA estimates a proportion of primary 
access users and secondary users will spend approximately 3.5 hours per 
EXIS user inputting the information described above. TSA estimates 
secondary users will also spend approximately 0.25 hours completing a 
survey. Given this information, the total annual hourly burden for 
EXIS's collection of information is 4,820 hours.

    Dated: August 16, 2017.
Christina A. Walsh,
TSA Paperwork Reduction Act Officer, Office of Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2017-17654 Filed 8-21-17; 8:45 am]
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