[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 16, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57932-57934]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20386]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2020-0027-N-22]


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its 
implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information 
Collection Requests (ICRs) abstracted below. Before submitting these 
ICRs to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is 
soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities 
identified in the ICRs.

[[Page 57933]]


DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
November 16, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments and recommendations for the proposed ICRs to 
Ms. Hodan Wells, Information Collection Clearance Officer at email: 
[email protected] or telephone: (202) 493-0440. Please refer to the 
assigned OMB control number in any correspondence submitted. FRA will 
summarize comments received in response to this notice in a subsequent 
notice and include them in its information collection submission to OMB 
for approval.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, and its 
implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to 
provide 60-days' notice to the public to allow comment on information 
collection activities before seeking OMB approval of the activities. 
See 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through 1320.12. Specifically, 
FRA invites interested parties to comment on the following ICRs 
regarding: (1) Whether the information collection activities are 
necessary for FRA to properly execute its functions, including whether 
the activities will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FRA's 
estimates of the burden of the information collection activities, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used to 
determine the estimates; (3) ways for FRA to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (4) ways 
for FRA to minimize the burden of information collection activities on 
the public, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology. See 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5 
CFR 1320.8(d)(1).
    FRA believes that soliciting public comment may reduce the 
administrative and paperwork burdens associated with the collection of 
information that Federal regulations mandate. In summary, FRA reasons 
that comments received will advance three objectives: (1) Reduce 
reporting burdens; (2) organize information collection requirements in 
a ``user-friendly'' format to improve the use of such information; and 
(3) accurately assess the resources expended to retrieve and produce 
information requested. See 44 U.S.C. 3501.
    The summaries below describe the ICRs that FRA will submit for OMB 
clearance as the PRA requires:
    Title: Identification of Railroad Cars.\1\
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    \1\ FRA makes a revision to the title of OMB Control Number 
2130-0506 (formerly titled Identification of Cars Moved in 
Accordance with Order 13528).
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    OMB Control Number: 2130-0506.
    Abstract: The collection of information is associated with 49 CFR 
232.3(d), formerly contained in Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) 
Order 13528. Paragraph (d)(3) of 49 CFR 232.3 conditionally excepts 
certain export, industrial, and other cars not owned by a railroad from 
part 232 compliance. It requires cars to be identified by a card 
attached to each side of the equipment, signed by the shipper, 
specifically noting that the car is being moved under the proper 
authority. Railroads typically use carrier bad order forms or tags for 
these purposes. These forms are readily available from all carrier 
repair facilities. If a car moving under 49 CFR 232.3(d)(3) is not 
properly tagged, a carrier is not legally allowed to move the car. 
Section 232.3(d)(3) does not require carriers or shippers to retain 
cards or tags. When a car bearing tags for movement under this 
provision arrives at its destination, the tags are removed. FRA 
estimates approximately 400 cars per year, each bearing two forms/tags, 
are moved under this regulation.
    Type of Request: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses.
    Form(s): N/A.
    Respondent Universe: 765 railroads.
    Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
    Reporting Burden:

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                                                                                                                                            Total cost
                          CFR section \2\                               Respondent      Total annual     Average time     Total annual    equivalent 3 4
                                                                         universe        responses      per responses     burden hours
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232.3(d)--Cars moved in Accordance with ICC Order 13528--Tagging...   765 railroads         800 tags        5 minutes         67 hours           $3,886
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\2\ The requesting inventory estimates a total burden of 67, the same as the current inventory.
\3\ The dollar equivalent cost throughout this document is derived from the Surface Transportation Board's Full Year Wage A&B data series using the
  appropriate employee group hourly wage rate that includes a 75-percent overhead charge.
\4\ The hourly wage rate used is $77 per hour ($33.37 * 1.75 = $58).

    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 800.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 67 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent: $3,886.
    Title: U.S. Locational Requirement for Dispatching U.S. Rail 
Operations.
    OMB Control Number: 2130-0556.
    Abstract: 49 CFR part 241 requires, in the absence of a waiver, 
that all dispatching of railroad operations occurring in the United 
States be performed in the United States. A railroad may, however, 
conduct dispatching from Mexico or Canada in an emergency situation, 
but only for the duration of the emergency situation. A railroad 
relying on this exception must provide written notification of its 
action to FRA as soon as practicable; such notification is not required 
before addressing the emergency situation. The information collected 
under this rule is used as part of FRA's oversight function to ensure 
that extraterritorial dispatchers comply with applicable safety 
regulations.
    Type of Request: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses.
    Form(s): N/A.
    Respondent Universe: 4 railroads.
    Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
    Reporting Burden:

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                                                                        Respondent      Total annual     Average time     Total annual      Total cost
                          CFR section \5\                                universe        responses      per responses     burden hours    equivalent \6\
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241.9(c)--Written notification to FRA of emergency where dispatcher     4 railroads         1 notice          8 hours          8 hours             $616
 outside the U.S. dispatches a railroad operation in the U.S. for
 the duration of the emergency.....................................
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\5\ Note: The requesting inventory estimates a total burden of 8, the same as the current inventory.
\6\ The hourly wage rate used is $77 per hour ($44.27 * 1.75 = $77).


[[Page 57934]]

    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 1.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 8 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent: $616.
    Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b) and 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), 
FRA informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or sponsor, 
and a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

    Authority:  44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

Brett A. Jortland,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2020-20386 Filed 9-15-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P