[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 183 (Friday, September 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65421-65422]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20553]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD


60-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension of Approval of 
Collection: Waybill Sample

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 Waybill Sample, described below.

DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by 
November 21, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Chris Oehrle, PRA Officer, Surface 
Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423-0001, and 
to [email protected]. When submitting comments, please refer to ``Paperwork 
Reduction Act Comments, Waybill Sample.'' For further information 
regarding this collection, contact Pedro Ramirez at (202) 245-0333 or 
[email protected]. If you require an accommodation under the 
Americans with Disabilities Act, please call (202) 245-0245.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are requested concerning each 
collection as to (1) whether the particular collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Board, 
including whether the collection has practical utility; (2) the 
accuracy of the Board's burden estimates; (3) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (4) 
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. Submitted 
comments will be included and summarized in the Board's request for OMB 
approval.
    Subjects: In this notice, the Board is requesting comments on the 
extension of the following information collection:

Description of Collection

    Title: Waybill Sample.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0015.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Respondents include any railroad that is subject to 
the Interstate Commerce Act and that terminated at least 4,500 carloads 
on its line in any of the three preceding years or that terminated at 
least 5% of the revenue carloads terminating in any state in any of the 
three preceding years. For the purposes of this analysis, the Board 
categorizes railroads required to report Waybill Sample data as either 
quarterly or monthly and as either sampling their own waybills or 
having a third party conduct their sampling. As a result, there are 
four categories of respondents, as shown in Table below.

                           Table--Respondents
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                                                             Number of
                Categories of respondents                   respondents
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Railroads that conduct their own sampling and report                   5
 monthly................................................
Railroads that conduct their own sampling and report                   3
 quarterly..............................................
Railroads that have a third party sample their waybills                2
 and report monthly.....................................
Railroads that have a third party sample their waybills               43
 and report quarterly...................................
                                                         ---------------
    Total Respondents...................................              53
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    Number of Respondents: 53.
    Estimated Time per Response: The estimated hourly burden for 
waybill samples submitted to the Board varies depending on each 
respondent's particular circumstances. (Note: respondents that are 
identified as reporting monthly (Class I carriers) report monthly, 
quarterly, and annually (or 17 times per year). All other respondents 
(non-Class I carriers) report quarterly and annually (five times a 
year)).
    Frequency of Response: Six respondents report monthly; and 46 other 
respondents report quarterly.
    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 420 hours. 
This estimated total burden hours is shown in the Table below.

                        Table--Total Burden Hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Total annual
                                                             hours for
                Categories of respondents                     samples
                                                             submitted
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Railroads that conduct their own sampling and report                 150
 monthly................................................
Railroads that conduct their own sampling and report                  20
 quarterly..............................................
Railroads that have a third party sample their waybills               30
 and report monthly.....................................
Railroads that have a third party sample their waybills              220
 and report quarterly...................................
                                                         ---------------
    Total Annual Burden Hours...........................             420
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: There are no other costs 
identified because filings are submitted electronically to the Board.
    Needs and Uses: The Board is, by statute, responsible for the 
economic regulation of common carrier rail transportation in the United 
States and collects rail-carload waybills for this purpose. The Board 
has authority to collect these waybills under 49 U.S.C. 11144, 11145, 
and the Board often uses the information in rail-carload waybills to 
carry out its responsibilities.
    A rail-carload waybill is a ``document or instrument prepared from 
the bill of lading contract or shipper's instructions as to the 
disposition of the freight, and [is] used by the railroad(s) involved 
as the authority to move the shipment and as the basis for determining 
the freight charges and interline settlements.'' 49 CFR 1244.1(c). From 
these carload waybills, the Board creates an aggregate compilation of 
the sampled waybills of all reporting carriers, referred to as the 
Waybill Sample. The Waybill Sample is the Board's principal source of 
data about freight rail shipments. The information in the Waybill 
Sample is used by the Board, other federal and state agencies, and 
industry stakeholders to monitor traffic flows and rate trends in the 
industry, and to develop testimony in Board proceedings. The Board's 
collection and use of this data enables it to meet its statutory duty 
to regulate the rail industry.
    The Board makes this submission because, 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

[[Page 65422]]

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.
    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: September 19, 2023.
Kenyatta Clay,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2023-20553 Filed 9-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P