[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23524-23525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10763]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2010-0211]
RIN 2105-AE07


Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB 
Agency Request for Renewal of a Previously Approved Information 
Collection Request: Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving 
Animals During Air Transport

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation 
(Department or DOT).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Department's intention to apply to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to renew the previously approved 
information collection request (ICR) OMB No. 2105-0552, ``Reports by 
Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport.'' The 
current information collection request approved by OMB expires August 
31, 2018.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by July 20, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. DOT-OST-
2010-0211) through one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, West 
Building Ground Floor, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except on Federal Holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vinh Q. Nguyen, Senior Trial Attorney, 
Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department 
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, 
202-366-9342 (Voice), 202-366-7152 (fax), or [email protected] 
(email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport.
    OMB Control Number: 2105-0552.
    Type of Request: Renewal of currently approved Information 
Collection Request.
    Background: The Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act 
for the 21st Century or ``AIR-21'' (Pub. L. 106-181), which was signed 
into law on April 5, 2000, includes section 710, ``Reports by Carriers 
on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport.'' This provision 
was codified as 49 U.S.C. 41721. The statute requires air carriers that 
provide scheduled passenger air transportation to submit monthly to the 
Secretary of Transportation a report on any incidents involving the 
loss, injury, or death of an animal (as defined by the Secretary of 
Transportation) during air transport provided by the air carrier.
    On August 11, 2003, DOT, through its Federal Aviation 
Administration (FAA), issued a final rule implementing section 710 of 
AIR-21.\1\ The rule required air carriers that provide scheduled 
passenger air transportation to submit a report to APHIS on any 
incident involving the loss, injury, or death of an animal during air 
transportation provided by the air carrier. Due to issues regarding 
whether APHIS had the

[[Page 23525]]

capability to accept such information directly from the carriers, DOT 
made a technical change in the rule on February 14, 2005, to require 
air carriers to submit the required information directly to DOT's 
Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD) rather than APHIS and to 
make the rule part of DOT's economic regulations.\2\
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    \1\ Reporting Directive Regarding Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport, 68 FR 47798 (August 11, 2003).
    \2\ Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport, 70 FR 7392 (February 14, 2005).
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    On July 3, 2014, DOT published a final rule amending the 
requirement that air carriers file reports with DOT on the loss, 
injury, or death of animals during air transport.\3\ The rule (1) 
expanded the reporting requirement from the largest U.S. carriers 
(i.e., U.S. carriers that account for at least 1 percent of domestic 
scheduled passenger revenue) to U.S. carriers that operate scheduled 
service with at least one aircraft with a design capacity of more than 
60 seats; (2) expanded the definition of ``animal'' from only a pet in 
a family household to include all cats and dogs transported by covered 
carriers, regardless of whether the cat or dog is transported as a pet 
by its owner or as part of a commercial shipment (e.g., shipped by a 
breeder); (3) required covered carriers to file a calendar-year report 
in December, even if the carrier did not have any reportable incidents 
during the calendar year; (4) required covered carriers to provide in 
their December reports the total number of animals that were lost, 
injured, or died during air transport in the calendar year; and (5) 
required covered carriers to provide in their December reports the 
total number of animals transported in the calendar year. On August 25, 
2015, OMB approved the information collection request, ``Reports by Air 
Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport,'' through 
August 31, 2018.
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    \3\ Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport, 79 FR 37938 (July 3, 2014) (codified at 14 CFR 
part 235).
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    In order to reduce burden to covered carriers, the ACPD established 
a website and online system for filing the required reports, http://animalreport.ost.dot.gov. This system enables covered carriers to 
easily and efficiently submit their reports through the internet rather 
than sending the reports to the Department by mail or email.
    Respondents: U.S. carriers that operate scheduled passenger service 
with at least one aircraft having a designed seating capacity of more 
than 60 seats.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 32.
    Frequency: For each respondent, one information set for the month 
of December, plus one information set during some other months (1 to 
12).
    Estimated Total Burden on Respondents: (1) Monthly reports of 
incidents involving the loss, injury, or death of animals during air 
transport: 0 to 384 hours (Respondents [32] x Time to Prepare One 
Monthly Report [1 hour] x Frequency [0 to 12 per year]). (2) December 
report containing the total number of animals that were lost, injured, 
or died during air transport in the calendar year and the total number 
of animals that were transported in the calendar year: 16 hours 
(Respondents [32] x Time to Prepare One December Report [0.5 hour] x 
Frequency (1 per year)].
    Public comments invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the Department's 
performance; (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for the 
Department to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information collection; and (d) ways that the burden could be minimized 
without reducing the quality of the collected information.
    All comments will become a matter of public record. All responses 
to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB 
approval.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.27(n).

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 15, 2018, under the authority 
delegated at 49 CFR 1.27(n).
Blane A. Workie,
Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings.
[FR Doc. 2018-10763 Filed 5-18-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P