[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 75 (Friday, April 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21495-21496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08162]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD


60-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension of Approval of 
Collection: Statutory Licensing Authority

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 approval for the information collection required from 
those seeking statutory licensing authority, as described below.

DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by 
June 16, 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, Statutory Licensing Authority.'' 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 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: Statutory Licensing Authority.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0023.
    STB Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Rail carriers and non-carriers seeking statutory 
licensing or consolidation authority, an exemption from filing an 
application for such authority, or interchange commitments.
    Number of Respondents: 80.\1\
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    \1\ Approximately 40% of the filings are additional filings 
submitted by railroads that had already submitted filings during the 
time period.
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    Estimated Time per Response:

                      Estimated Hours per Response
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                                                        Number of hours
                                                          per response
                    Type of filing                      under 49 U.S.C.
                                                         10901-03  and
                                                            11323-26
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Applications.........................................                524
Petitions *..........................................                 58
Notices *............................................                 19
Interchange commitments..............................                  8
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    Frequency: On occasion.

           Average Annual Number of Responses for FY 2017-2019
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                                                         Average number
                                                         of filings per
                    Type of filing                       year  under 49
                                                        U.S.C.  10901-03
                                                         and  11323-26
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applications.........................................                  3
Petitions *..........................................                 12
Notices *............................................                103
Interchange commitments..............................                  4
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 4,257 (sum 
of estimated hours per response x number of responses for each type of 
filing).

                                            Total Annual Burden Hours
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                                                                     Hours per     Annual number   Total annual
                         Type of filing                              response       of  filings    burden hours
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Applications....................................................             524               3           1,572

[[Page 21496]]

 
Petitions *.....................................................              58              12             696
Notices *.......................................................              19             103           1,957
Interchange commitments.........................................               8               4              32
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total annual burden hours...................................  ..............  ..............           4,257
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* Under section 10502, petitions for exemption and notices of exemption are permitted in lieu of an application.

    Total ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: None identified. Filings are 
submitted electronically to the Board.
    Needs and Uses: As mandated by Congress, persons seeking to 
construct, acquire or operate a line of railroad and railroads seeking 
to abandon or to discontinue operations over a line of railroad or, in 
the case of two or more railroads, to consolidate their interests 
through merger or a common-control arrangement are required to file an 
application for prior approval and authority with the Board. See 49 
U.S.C. 10901-03, 11323-26. Under 49 U.S.C. 10502, persons may seek an 
exemption from many of the application requirements of sections 10901-
03 and 11323-26 by filing with the Board a petition for exemption or 
notice of exemption in lieu of an application. The collection by the 
Board of these applications, petitions, and notices (including 
collection of disclosures of rail interchange commitments under 49 CFR 
1121.3(d), 1150.33(h), 1150.43(h), and 1180.4(g)(4)) enables the Board 
to meet its statutory duty to regulate the referenced rail 
transactions. In some cases, the actions for which authority is sought 
may create agreements with interchange commitments. If the interchange 
commitments limit the future interchange of traffic with third parties, 
then certain information must be disclosed to the Board about those 
commitments. 49 CFR 1121.3(d), 1150.33(h), 1150.43(h), 1180.4(g)(4). 
The collection of this information facilitates the case-specific review 
of interchange commitments and enables the Board's monitoring of their 
usage generally.
    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: April 14, 2020.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2020-08162 Filed 4-16-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P