[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 189 (Monday, October 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67866-67868]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21656]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2023-0002-N-30]


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), 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) summarized below. Before submitting the 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.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 1, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICRs 
should be submitted on regulations.gov to the docket, Docket No. FRA-
2023-0002. All comments received will be posted without change to the 
docket, including any personal information provided. Please refer to 
the assigned OMB control number for each ICR, 2130-0506 and 2130-0556, 
respectively, in any correspondence submitted. FRA will summarize 
comments received in a subsequent 30-day notice and include them in its 
information collection submission to OMB.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Arlette Mussington, Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, at email: [email protected] or 
telephone: (571) 609-1285 or Ms. Joanne Swafford, Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, at email: [email protected] or 
telephone: (757) 897-9908.

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

[[Page 67867]]

and paperwork burdens associated with the collection of information 
that Federal statutes and 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 summary below describes the ICRs that FRA will submit for OMB 
clearance as the PRA requires:
    Title: Identification of Railroad Cars.
    OMB Control Number: 2130-0506.
    Abstract: This collection of information is associated with 49 CFR 
232.3(d). Section 232.3(d)(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. FRA 
estimates approximately 400 cars per year, each bearing two forms or 
tags, are moved under this regulation.
    In this 60-day notice, FRA made no adjustments to the previously 
approved burden hours and responses in the OMB, Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) inventory.\1\
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    \1\ Changes to the total cost equivalent in U.S. dollars, a 
category not included in the OIRA inventory, are due to updated 
statistics from the 2022 Surface Transportation Board (STB) Full 
Year Wage A&B data series.
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    Type of Request: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses.
    Form(s): N/A.
    Respondent Universe: 765 railroads and freight car owners.
    Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
    Reported Burden:

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                                                                                                                                           Total cost
          CFR section               Respondent universe         Total annual responses     Average time per responses   Total annual     equivalent in
                                                                                                                        burden hours      U.S. dollar
                                                                         (A)                          (B)                (C = A * B)        (D = C *
                                                                                                                                         wage rates) \2\
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232.3(d)(3)--Tagging..........  765 railroads and freight    800 tags...................  5 minutes..................           67.00          $4,496.37
                                 car owners.
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    Total \3\.................  765 railroads and freight    800 responses..............  N/A........................           67.00              4,496
                                 car owners.
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    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 800.
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    \2\ The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2022 STB Full 
Year Wage A&B data series using employee group 400 (Maintenance of 
Equipment & Stores) hourly wage rate of $38.35. The total burden 
wage rate (straight time plus 75%) used in the table is $67.11 
($38.35 x 1.75 = $67.11).
    \3\ Totals may not add due to rounding.
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    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 67 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent: $4,496.
    Title: U.S. Locational Requirement for Dispatching U.S. Rail 
Operations.
    OMB Control Number: 2130-0556.
    Abstract: Title 49 CFR part 241 requires, in the absence of a 
waiver, that all dispatching of United States railroad operations be 
performed in the United States. A railroad may, however, dispatch from 
a country other than the United States in an emergency situation, but 
only for the duration of the emergency situation.\4\ 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 ICR is used as part of FRA's oversight function to help ensure 
that extraterritorial dispatchers comply with applicable safety 
regulations.
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    \4\ See 49 CFR 241.9(c).
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    In this 60-day notice, FRA made no adjustments to the previously 
approved burden hours and responses in the OMB, OIRA inventory.\5\
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    \5\ Changes to the total cost equivalent in U.S. dollars, an 
estimation category not included in the OIRA inventory, are due to 
updated statistics from the 2022 STB Full Year Wage A&B data series.
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    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 cost
            CFR section                 universe          Total annual responses         Average time per responses     Total annual     equivalent in
                                       (railroads)                                                (hours)               burden hours      U.S. dollar
                                                                   (A)                              (B)                  (C = A * B)        (D = C *
                                                                                                                                         wage rates) \6\
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241.9(c)--Written notification to                 4  1 notice.......................  8..............................            8.00            $687.44
 FRA of emergency where dispatcher
 outside the U.S. dispatches a
 railroad operation in the U.S. for
 the duration of the emergency.
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    Total \7\......................               4  1 response.....................  N/A............................               8                687
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    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 1.
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    \6\ The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2022 STB Full 
Year Wage A&B data series using employee group 200 (Professional & 
Administrative) hourly wage rate of $49.10. The total burden wage 
rate (straight time plus 75%) used in the table is $85.93 ($49.10 x 
1.75 = $85.93).
    \7\ Totals may not add up due to rounding.
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    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 8 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent: $687.
    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 that does

[[Page 67868]]

not display a currently valid OMB control number.
    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

Christopher S. Van Nostrand,
Acting Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2023-21656 Filed 9-29-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P