[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 239 (Thursday, December 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67990-67991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26783]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD


60-Day Notice of Intent to Seek Extension of Approval: Rail 
Depreciation Studies

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (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 collection of Rail Depreciation Studies, described 
below.

DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by 
February 10, 2020.

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 ``Paperwork Reduction Act 
Comments, Rail Depreciation Studies.'' For further information 
regarding this collection, contact Pedro Ramirez at (202) 245-0333 or 
[email protected]. Assistance for the hearing impaired is available 
through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: 7.
    Estimated Time per Response: Approximately 250 hours per study 
(estimating that studies will require between 125 hours and 375 hours 
depending on the extent to which the carrier provides assistance to 
outside consultants performing the study for them).
    Frequency of Response: Bi-annual. (Under 49 CFR part 1201, 
Sec. Sec.  4-1 to 4-4, the Board requires all Class I (large) carriers 
to submit depreciation studies no less than every three years for 
equipment property and every six years for road property. That means 
that for any given six-year period, the Class I railroads must submit 
no less than three depreciation reports, or the equivalent of 0.5 
depreciation reports per year.)
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 875 hours (250 hours x 0.5 studies/year x 
7 Class I railroads).
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: Approximately $175,000 per 
year. Board staff estimates that each study will cost between $20,000 
and $80,000, which equals a cost of approximately $10,000-$40,000 per 
year. Using an average cost ($25,000 per year x 7 Class I railroads), 
the non-hour burden cost is estimated to be approximately $175,000 per 
year.
    Needs and Uses: Under 49 CFR part 1201, Sec. Sec.  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. 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.''
    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

[[Page 67991]]

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.
    Information from certain schedules contained in these reports is 
available at the Board's website at WWW.STB.GOV by navigating to 
``Reports & Data'' and clicking on ``Economic Data.'' Information in 
these reports is not available from any other source.

    Dated: December 9, 2019.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2019-26783 Filed 12-11-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4915-01-P