[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 150 (Monday, August 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52237-52238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16810]


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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 
October 6, 2023.

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: 85.
    Estimated Time per Response:

                      Estimated Hours per Response
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Number of hours
                                                          per response
                    Type of filing                      under 49 U.S.C.
                                                          10901-03 and
                                                            11323-26
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applications.........................................                575
Petitions *..........................................                 75
Notices *............................................                 25
Interchange commitments..............................                 10
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Under section 10502, petitions for exemption and notices of exemption
  are permitted in lieu of an application.

    Frequency: On occasion.

[[Page 52238]]



           Average Annual Number of Responses for FY 2020-2022
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       Average number of
                                                        filings per year
                    Type of filing                      under 49 U.S.C.
                                                          10901-03 and
                                                            11323-26
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applications.........................................                  7
Petitions *..........................................                 15
Notices *............................................                 88
Interchange commitments..............................                  5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Under section 10502, petitions for exemption and notices of exemption
  are permitted in lieu of an application.

    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 7,300 
hours (sum of estimated hours per response x number of responses for 
each type of filing).

                                            Total Annual Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Hours per     Annual number   Total annual
                         Type of filing                              response       of filings     burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applications....................................................             575               7           4,025
Petitions *.....................................................              75              15           1,125
Notices *.......................................................              25              88           2,200
Interchange commitments.........................................              10               5              50
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total annual burden hours...................................  ..............  ..............           7,300
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* 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, an application for prior 
approval and authority must be filed with the Board by persons seeking 
to construct, acquire, or operate a line of railroad; by railroads 
seeking to abandon or discontinue operations over a line of railroad; 
and, in the case of two or more railroads, by railroads seeking to 
consolidate their interests through merger or a common-control 
arrangement. 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. If the actions for which authority is 
sought create agreements with interchange commitments that 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: August 2, 2023.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2023-16810 Filed 8-4-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P