[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 72 (Friday, April 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25913-25917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07810]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
[Docket No. DOT-OST-2024-0047]
Request for Information on Goals, Criteria, Thresholds, and
Measurable Data Sources for Designating the National Multimodal Freight
Network
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Maritime Administration (MARAD),
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Great Lakes St.
Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS), and Pipelines and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
ACTION: 60-Day day notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT or Department) DOT
is seeking information from the public, and in particular multimodal
freight system users, transportation providers, metropolitan planning
organizations, local governments, ports, airports, railroads, freight
forwarders, brokers, other supply chain logisticians, scholars, and
States on the best approach to identify critical freight facilities and
corridors that will make up a National Multimodal Freight Network
(NMFN) that is vital to achieving the national multimodal
[[Page 25914]]
freight policy goals of the United States. DOT is issuing this Request
for Information (RFI) to solicit input on how to prioritize the
statutory goals of, and the statutory factors for designating, the
NMFN, as well as measurable thresholds, criteria, and data sources for
designating the NMFN. Informed by comments received in response to this
RFI, DOT will draft a proposed network map to be published for public
comment in the Late Spring of 2024 and provide an opportunity for
States to provide input to submit additions to the network. After the
final, subsequent comment period, DOT will review and approve
additional designations for the NMFN by States and designate the final
NMFN by December of 2024.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 11, 2024 to receive
consideration by DOT with respect to the draft designation of the NMFN.
ADDRESSES: To ensure that you do not duplicate your docket submissions,
please submit them by only one of the following means:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-
0001.
Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140,
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is (202) 366-
9329.
Instructions: You must include the agency name and docket
number at the beginning of your comments. All comments received will be
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Baumer, 202-366-1092 or email
[email protected].
Background
Section 70103 of title 49, United States Code, which was
established in section 8001 of the Fixing America's Surface
Transportation (FAST) Act, Public Law 114-94 (Dec. 4, 2015) and amended
by section 21103 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA),
Public Law 117-58 (Nov. 15, 2021), directs the Assistant Secretary for
Multimodal Freight to establish a NMFN that will be used to: (1) assist
States in strategically directing resources toward improved system
performance for the efficient movement of freight on the NMFN; (2)
inform freight transportation planning; (3) assist in the
prioritization of Federal investment; and (4) assess and support
Federal investments to achieve the national multimodal freight policy
goals described in 49 U.S.C. 70101(b), and the national highway freight
program goals described in 23 U.S.C. 167. DOT is directed to designate
the NMFN after soliciting input from stakeholders through a public
process and providing notice and comment on a draft system, with the
goal of using measurable data as part of assessment of the significance
of freight movement, to improve network and intermodal connectivity.
DOT is requesting input from a broad cross section of stakeholders, but
Section 70103 also provides a process for States to propose specific
additions to the NMFN, referred to as ``State Input''. States must
consider nominations from freight stakeholders within their State, and
ensure proposed additions are consistent with their State
transportation improvement program or state freight plan. DOT
anticipates requesting those additions this summer, at the same time as
DOT requests input on the Draft Network.
The FAST Act directed DOT to establish an Interim NMFN based on
criteria laid out in the statute. DOT published the Interim Network on
June 16, 2016, and the public was invited to submit comments to the
docket \1\ through September 6, 2016. In the Federal Register notice,
DOT posed several questions for the public to consider, and States and
other stakeholders were provided the opportunity to submit additional
designations for consideration for inclusion into the Final NMFN, which
was then to be designated by the Under Secretary of Transportation for
Policy. DOT subsequently reopened and extended the comment period on
the Interim NMFN on October 25, 2017.\2\ DOT received 126 comments
during the duration of the two public comment periods, ending in
February 2018.
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\1\ 81 FR 36381.
\2\ 82 FR 49478.
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The freight transportation system has undergone significant changes
in the time since the Department last solicited comments and additional
designations for the Interim NMFN. With more data and information
available, and the removal of any reference to the Interim NMFN by
section 21103 of the IIJA, DOT has decided to reopen the NMFN
designation process with this Request for Information.
The Department is requesting comments on several questions that are
posed below. DOT will use this input to inform a draft NMFN, which DOT
anticipates publishing in Late Spring 2024. Following publication of
the draft network, DOT will establish a process to receive additional
designations from the States via the ``State Input'' process outlined
in statute49 U.S.C. 70103(b)(4). DOT expects to publish the final NMFN
by the end of the calendar year. In order to meet that timeline, States
should anticipate a 90-day window to provide their additional
designations and associated State Input certifications.
The National Multimodal Freight Network vs. the National Highway
Freight Network (NHFN)
Statutorily, the NMFN and the National Highway Freight Network
(NHFN) serve similar goals. However, as currently authorized, the
designation of the National Multimodal Freight Network does not have an
impact on the National Highway Freight Network or the use of National
Highway Freight Program (NHFP) formula funding. The process for
designating the NMFN is being undertaken separately from the
designation and re-designation of the NHFN, however, DOT is considering
approaches that will maintain consistency between both networks
The Fast Act, as codified at 23 U.S.C 167(c), directed the FHWA
Administrator to establish the NHFN to strategically direct Federal
resources and policies toward improved performance of the NHFN. The
NHFN includes the Primary Highway Freight System PHFS), which
identifies the most critical highway portions of the U.S freight
transportation system as determined by measurable and objective data.
Other portions of the Interstate are included in the NHFN as well.
States may designate Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFCs) and
States, in coordination with MPOs, can also designate Critical Urban
Freight Corridors (CUFCs). The FHWA Administrator is required to re-
designate the PHFS every 5 years. DOT released the re-designated PHFS
on December 2, 2022, and the next PHFS re-designation is due in 2027.
More details on NHFN are available at https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/infrastructure/nfn/index.htm.
National Multimodal Freight Network Designation
Section 70103(b)(2) of Title 49, United States Code, directs DOT to
consider twelve distinct factors in designating the route miles and
facilities on the NMFN:
1. Origins and destinations of freight movement within, to, and
from the United States;
2. Volume, value, tonnage, and the strategic importance of freight;
[[Page 25915]]
3. Access to border crossings, airports, seaports, and pipelines;
4. Economic factors, including balance of trade;
5. Access to major areas for manufacturing, agriculture, or natural
resources;
6. Access to energy exploration, development, installation, and
production areas;
7. Intermodal links and intersections that promote connectivity;
8. Freight choke points and other impediments contributing to
significant measurable congestion, delay in freight movement, or
inefficient modal connections;
9. Impacts on all freight transportation modes and modes that share
significant freight infrastructure;
10. Facilities and transportation corridors identified by a multi-
State coalition, a State, a State freight advisory committee, or an
MPO, using national or local data, as having critical freight
importance to the region;
11. Major distribution centers, inland intermodal facilities, and
first- and last-mile facilities; \3\ and
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\3\ For the purposes of this RFI, DOT proposes that the
definition for `major distribution centers, inland intermodal
facilities, and first- and last-mile facilities include both those
specific points, such as manufacturers, distribution points, rail
intermodal, and port facilities, that handle high volumes of
freight, and specific transportation assets, such as roadways, rail
lines, or inland waterways, that provide the primary means of
transport in the case of first mile, or to the final delivery point
in the case of last mile.
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12. The significance of goods movement, including consideration of
global and domestic supply chains.
In considering the above factors, DOT is also directed to use, to
the extent practicable, measurable data.\4\
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\4\ See 49 U.S.C. 70103(c)(3).
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DOT seeks comments on three primary areas for designating the NMFN.
The first area seeks feedback from stakeholders on the NMFN goals. The
second area asks stakeholders to prioritize the 12 factors listed
above. The third area seeks comment on the potential thresholds,
criteria, and data sources that correspond to one or more of the twelve
factors, including a discussion of why the thresholds, criteria and
data sources should be considered for designating the Final NMFN.
National Multimodal Freight Network Goals
1. Which of the following purposes is most important to ensuring
the NMFN provides a foundation for the U.S. to compete in the global
economy and why?
a. Prioritizing federal formula or discretionary grant investment.
b. Assisting States and local governments with strategically
directing investments towards overall improved freight system
performance.
c. Informing freight infrastructure planning and land use planning
by state and local governments and private sector owners and operators.
d. Informing a national, integrated, and multimodal supply chain
strategy.
2. How do you plan to use the National Multimodal Freight Network
once it is designated?
Statutory Factors for Designation
3. How should DOT prioritize the twelve factors in designating
route miles and facilities on the NMFN? Which factors are most
important to ensuring the network provides a foundation for the U.S. to
compete in the global economy? Which factors are most important to
ensuring the NMFN serves regional and state goals?
Measurable Thresholds, Criteria, and Data
4. Among the various statutory factors, volume, value, and tonnage
are among some of the most quantifiable and readily comparable across
modes and routes/corridors within modes. What thresholds should DOT
consider for volume, value, and tonnage for designating the NMFN? For
reference, DOT has provided examples below.
a. Highway network: Prior to the current PHFS, FHWA's proposed a
2015 Highway Primary Freight Network \5\ designation in 2015 that
included a threshold of 8,500 Average Daily Truck Traffic (ADTT) \6\ or
greater for Interstates and other roads as a baseline threshold for
identifying significant roadways in urban areas with a population of
200,000 or more. For non-Interstate routes, thresholds included a daily
average of at least 3,000 trucks and having proximate land use or
connectivity demonstrating indicators of national significance. Border
crossings carrying an annual average of at least 75,000 trucks is
another example consideration.
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\5\ https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-10-23/pdf/2015-27036.pdf.
\6\ At approximately 16 tons per truck, 8,500 trucks per day
equates to approximately 50 million tons per year.
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The Interim NMFN designated by DOT in 2016 incorporated the full
NHFN, which includes the PHFS, the remaining Interstate miles, and
Critical Urban and Critical Rural Freight Corridors designated by the
States. The Department invites comments regarding whether the final
NMFN should incorporate the full NHFN, or whether the highway portion
of the NMFN should include additional or fewer routes relative to the
NHFN and why.
b. Rail network: FHWA's 2008 Freight Story identified rail lines
that carry 50 million tons in bulk cargo per year as significant for
freight.\7\ Other example considerations include rail routes that fall
within the top two thirds volume and/or value thresholds based on
Carload Waybill data. The top 50 bulk origination/destination markets
and the top 25 intermodal origination/destination markets may be
another consideration.
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\7\ https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Freight/freight_analysis/freight_story/fs2008.pdf.
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c. Maritime Network: The Congress required the Interim NMFN \8\ to
include ports that handle at least 2,000,000 short tons of domestic and
foreign trade annually, as well as other ports designated as commercial
strategic seaports, based on data from the USACE Waterway Commerce
Statistics. The value of goods handled by a port facility could also be
used as a factor as well. Waterways (including inland river and coastal
ocean routes) carrying more than 1.5 million tons of cargo are an
example threshold consideration as well.
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\8\ https://www.transportation.gov/administrations/office-policy/interim-national-multimodal-freight-network.
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d. Aviation Network: The Interim NMFN was designated based on the
landed overall weight collected from FAA's Air Carrier Activity
Information System (ACAIS), but an alternative approach could use
landed origin and destination cargo weight data based on the BTS T-100
database. ACAIS data captures operations only by all-cargo aircraft
whereas BTS T-100 data includes cargo transported both by all-cargo
aircraft and as belly cargo in other aircraft operations. A potential
threshold could be airports with at least 0.5% of cargo weight at all
airports in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS),
based on BTS-100 data.
5. Which of the 12 factors are most important for identifying
network components that are critical to our economy but that may not
stand out on a volume or value basis?
6. DOT has identified potential data sources for each of the 12
factors, below. Are there other data sources or approaches DOT should
consider in applying these factors to the NMFN designation? Are there
any concerns with using a particular data source listed below for the
associated factor?
[[Page 25916]]
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Section 70103(b)(2) factor Potential data sources
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Factor 1: Origins and destinations of Freight Analysis
freight movement within, to, and from Framework.
the United States. TransBorder Freight
Data.
Commodity Flow Survey.
U.S. Census Bureau
U.S--Foreign Trade Data.
U.S. Customs and
Border Protection.
National Automatic
Identification System (NAIS)
Data.
Energy Information
Agency (EIA) Data.
AMS Data North
American Rail Network (NARN).
Factor 2: volume, value, tonnage, and Highway Performance
the strategic importance of freight. Monitoring System (HPMS).
Freight Analysis
Framework.
Carload Waybill data &
FRA GIS Waybill Toolkit.
USACE Waterborne
Commerce.
Air Carrier Activity
Information System (ACAIS).
BTS-T-100.
St. Lawrence Seaway
Annual Traffic Reports.
U.S. Census Bureau
U.S--Foreign Trade Data.
U.S. Customs and
Border Protection.
EIA Data.
AMS Data.
Factor 3: access to border crossings, National
airports, seaports, and pipelines. Transportation Atlas Database
(NTAD).
GIS mileage radius to
border crossings, airports,
seaports.
Factor 4: economic factors, including TradeStats.
balance of trade. Federal Reserve
Board's Industrial Production
Index Program.
Census Bureau Real
Wholesale Trade Survey
estimates.
BEA data on real
retail trade sales.
Factor 5: access to major areas for Bureau of Economic
manufacturing, agriculture, or natural Analysis: Real Manufacturing
resources. GDP by state.
Annual Survey of
Manufacturer State-Level Value
of Shipments at 4-Digit NAICS
Level.
Quarterly Census of
Employment and Wages data at
the state level.
USDA Open Ag Data on
Trucking.
Factor 6: access to energy exploration, EIA energy
development, installation, and infrastructure map.
production areas. DOT hydrogen hubs map.
Maps of ZEV charging/
fueling infrastructure
installed or planned.
Factor 7: intermodal links and National
intersections that promote Transportation Atlas Database
connectivity. (NTAD).
GIS mileage radius to
intermodal facilities.
HPMS.
Factor 8: freight choke points and Federal Highway
other impediments contributing to Administration (FHWA) Freight
significant measurable congestion, Mobility Trends: Truck Hours
delay in freight movement, or of Delay.
inefficient modal connections. National Performance
Management Research Data Set.
GHG emissions reported
from ports.
Factor 9: impacts on all freight Commodity Flow Survey.
transportation modes and modes that Freight Analysis
share significant freight Framework.
infrastructure.
Factor 10: facilities and Direct input from
transportation corridors identified by States.
a multi-State coalition, a State, a Direct input from
State freight advisory committee, or a multi-State corridor
metropolitan planning organization, coalitions.
using national or local data, as Direct input from
having critical freight importance to MPOs.
the region. Direct input from
local agencies and other
stakeholders.
Factor 11: major distribution centers, Quarterly census of
inland intermodal facilities, and employment and wages data at
first- and last-mile facilities. the MSA level.
NTAD.
Publicly available ZEV
charging/fueling maps.
Factor 12: the significance of goods Commodity Flow Survey.
movement, including consideration of Freight Analysis
global and domestic supply chains. Framework.
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Multimodal Freight Data Resources and Weblinks: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/fpcb/dataLibrary.aspx.
7. In addition to the statutory factors listed, how should DOT take
into account the factors below in designating the NMFN?
a. Safety (including truck parking).
b. Climate and Sustainability (including freight related efforts to
decarbonize, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, reduce criteria and
other air pollutants, and improve resilience).
c. Equity (including mitigating impacts on disadvantaged
communities, addressing Environmental Justice).
d. National Defense (including strategic networks such as STRAHNET
\9\ and STRACNET,\10\ and DOD/Strategic Ports).
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\9\ https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/2004cpr/chap18.cfm.
\10\ https://www.sddc.army.mil/sites/TEA/Functions/SpecialAssistant/Pages/RailroadsNationalDefense.aspx.
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e. Consistency with other federally designated networks including
the EV freight network and the Zero-emission vehicle freight strategy.
f. Transformation (including emerging technologies and innovation).
8. What other considerations should the DOT take into account in
designating the NMFN?
Schedule
This RFI is the first step in a multi-step process to designate the
Final NMFN. Informed by the public comments received on this notice,
the DOT expects to publish a Draft National Multimodal Freight Network
later this spring. At that time, the Department will seek comment on
the Draft network from all stakeholders, and will also seek additional
designations from the States as described in the State Input process in
49 U.S.C. 70103(b)(4). States should
[[Page 25917]]
prepare to consider nominations for additional designations from
metropolitan planning organizations, state freight advisory committees,
and owners and operators of port, rail, pipeline, and airport
facilities, and ensure that those designations are consistent with the
State transportation improvement program or freight plan. Additional
guidance on the State Input process will be published with the Draft
network. The Department plans to publish the Final NMFN, with State
additions, by the end of the 2024.
Public Comment
The DOT invites comments by all those interested in the NMFN.
Comments on the criteria for the final NMFN may be submitted and viewed
at Docket Number DOT-OST-2024-0047. Comments must be received on or
before June 11, 2024 to receive full consideration by DOT with respect
to the final designation of the NMFN. After June 11, 2024, comments
will continue to be available for viewing by the public.
Issue Date: April 8, 2024.
Allison L. Dane Camden,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight.
[FR Doc. 2024-07810 Filed 4-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P