[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 134 (Friday, July 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45266-45267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14942]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD


30-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension of Approval: Petitions 
for Declaratory Orders and Petitions for Relief Not Otherwise Specified

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.
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 
extensions of the collections regarding petitions for declaratory 
orders and petitions for relief not otherwise specified, as described 
below.

DATES: Comments on these information collections should be submitted by 
August 14, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be identified as ``Paperwork 
Reduction Act Comments, Surface Transportation Board, Petitions for 
Declaratory Orders and Petitions for Relief Not Otherwise Specified.'' 
Written comments for the proposed information collection should be 
submitted via www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. This information 
collection can be accessed by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open 
for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. As an 
alternative, written comments may be directed to the Office of 
Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Attention: Michael J. McManus, Surface Transportation Board Desk 
Officer: via email at [email protected]; by fax at (202) 395-
1743; or by mail to Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 
20503.
    Please also direct all comments to Chris Oehrle, PRA Officer, 
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, Petitions for Declaratory Orders 
and Petitions for Relief Not Otherwise Specified.'' For further 
information regarding this collection, contact Michael Higgins, Deputy 
Director, Office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and 
Compliance (OPAGAC), at (866) 254-1792 (toll-free) or 202-245-0238, or 
by

[[Page 45267]]

emailing to [email protected]. Assistance for the hearing impaired is 
available through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board previously published a notice 
about this collection in the Federal Register (88 FR 30827 (May 12, 
2023)). That notice allowed for a 60-day public review and comment 
period. No comments were received.
    For each collection, 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 Collections

Collection Number 1

    Title: Petitions for declaratory orders.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0031.
    STB Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Affected shippers, railroads, communities, and other 
stakeholders that choose to seek a declaratory order from the Board to 
terminate a controversy or remove uncertainty.
    Number of Respondents: Approximately eight.
    Estimated Time per Response: 180 hours.
    Frequency: On occasion. In calendar years 2020-2022, approximately 
12 petitions for declaratory orders were filed with the Board per year.
    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 2,160 
hours (estimated hours per petition (180) x total number of petitions 
(12)).
    Total ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: None identified. Filings are 
submitted electronically to the Board.
    Needs and Uses: Under 5 U.S.C. 554(e) and 49 U.S.C. 1321, the Board 
may issue a declaratory order to terminate a controversy or remove 
uncertainty. Because petitions for declaratory orders can encompass a 
broad range of issues and types of requests, the Board does not 
prescribe specific instructions for their filing. The collection by the 
Board regarding petitions for declaratory orders that parties choose to 
file enables the Board to meet its statutory duty to regulate the rail 
industry.

Collection Number 2

    Title: Petitions for relief not otherwise provided.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0030.
    STB Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Affected shippers, railroads, communities, and other 
stakeholders that seek to address issues under the Board's jurisdiction 
that are not otherwise specifically provided for under the Board's 
other regulatory provisions.
    Number of Respondents: Approximately four.
    Estimated Time per Response: 25 hours.
    Frequency: On occasion. In calendar years 2020-2022, approximately 
four petitions of this type were filed with the Board per year.
    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 100 hours 
(estimated hours per petition (25) x total number of petitions (4)).
    Total ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: None identified. Filings are 
submitted electronically to the Board.
    Needs and Uses: Under 49 U.S.C. 1321 and 49 CFR part 1117 (the 
Board's catch-all petition provision), shippers, railroads, and the 
public in general may seek relief (such as waiver of the Board's 
regulations) not otherwise specifically provided for under the Board's 
other regulatory provisions. Under section 1117.1, such petitions 
should contain three items: (a) a short, plain statement of 
jurisdiction, (b) a short, plain statement of petitioner's claim, and 
(c) request for relief. The collection by the Board of these petitions 
that parties choose to file enables the Board to more fully meet its 
statutory duty to regulate the rail industry.
    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. Section 3507(b) of the PRA requires, 
concurrent with an agency's submitting a collection to OMB for 
approval, a 30-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: July 10, 2023.
Kenyatta Clay,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2023-14942 Filed 7-13-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P