[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 20, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88211-88212]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27947]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD


30-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, as described below.

DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by 
January 19, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be identified as ``Paperwork 
Reduction Act Comments, Surface Transportation Board, Waybill Sample.'' 
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, 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: The Board previously published a notice 
about this collection in the Federal Register (88 FR 65421 (Sept. 22, 
2023)). That notice allowed for a 60-day public review and comment 
period. No comments were received.
    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
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Number of
             Categories of respondents                   respondents
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Railroads that conduct their own sampling and                          5
 report monthly....................................
Railroads that conduct their own sampling and                          3
 report quarterly..................................
Railroads that have a third party sample their                         2
 waybills and report monthly.......................
    Railroads that have a third party sample their                    43
     waybills 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.

[[Page 88212]]

    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
             Categories of respondents                   for samples
                                                          submitted
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Railroads that conduct their own sampling and                        150
 report monthly....................................
Railroads that conduct their own sampling and                         20
 report quarterly..................................
Railroads that have a third party sample their                        30
 waybills and report monthly.......................
Railroads that have a third party sample their                       220
 waybills 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.
    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.
    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: December 15, 2023.
Kenyatta Clay,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2023-27947 Filed 12-19-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P