[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 119 (Thursday, June 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51939-51940]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13498]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2010-0211]
RIN 2105-AE07


Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB

    Agency Request for Reinstatement of a Previously Approved 
Information Collection Request: Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents 
Involving Animals During Air Transport
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation 
(DOT).

ACTION: Notice of submission to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) 
and DOT Order 1351.29A, this notice confirms DOT's intention to 
reinstate the previously approved information collection request (ICR) 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number 2105-0552, 
``Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air 
Transport.''

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by July 22, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR 
should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular ICR by 
selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' 
or by using the search function.

PRIVACY ACT:  Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received in any of DOT's dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000.\1\
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    \1\ 65 FR 19477-78

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vinh Q. Nguyen, Senior Trial Attorney, 
Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department 
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, 20590, 
202-366-9342 (Voice), 202-366-7152 (Fax), or [email protected] 
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(Email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 24, 2024, DOT published a 60-day 
notice in the Federal Register soliciting comment on the reinstatement 
of the previously approved ICR OMB control number 2105-0552, ``Reports 
by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport.'' 
\2\ DOT received one comment on the 60-day notice, which is summarized 
below.
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    \2\ 89 FR 4657.
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    Title: Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport.
    OMB Control Number: 2105-0552.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement of a previously approved ICR.
    Background: The Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act 
for the 21st Century or ``AIR-21'' (Pub. L. 106-181), which was signed 
into law on April 5, 2000, includes section 710, ``Reports by Carriers 
on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport.'' This provision 
was codified as 49 U.S.C. 41721. The statute requires air carriers that 
provide scheduled passenger air transportation to submit monthly to the 
Secretary of Transportation a report on any incidents involving the 
loss, injury, or death of an animal (as defined by the Secretary of 
Transportation) during air transport provided by the air carrier.
    On August 11, 2003, DOT, through its Federal Aviation 
Administration (FAA), issued a final rule implementing section 710 of 
AIR-21.\3\ The rule required air carriers that provide scheduled 
passenger air transportation to submit a report to APHIS on any 
incident involving the loss, injury, or death of an animal during air 
transportation provided by the air carrier. Due to issues regarding 
whether APHIS had the capability to accept such information directly 
from the carriers, DOT made a technical change in the rule on February 
14, 2005, to require air carriers to submit the required information 
directly to DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD) rather 
than APHIS and to make the rule part of DOT's economic regulations.\4\
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    \3\ Reporting Directive Regarding Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport, 68 FR 47798 (August 11, 2003).
    \4\ Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport, 70 FR 7392 (February 14, 2005).
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    On July 3, 2014, DOT published a final rule amending the 
requirement that air carriers file reports with DOT on the loss, 
injury, or death of animals

[[Page 51940]]

during air transport.\5\ The rule (1) expanded the reporting 
requirement from the largest U.S. carriers (i.e., U.S. carriers that 
account for at least 1 percent of domestic scheduled passenger revenue) 
to U.S. carriers that operate scheduled service with at least one 
aircraft with a design capacity of more than 60 seats; (2) expanded the 
definition of ``animal'' from only a pet in a family household to 
include all cats and dogs transported by covered carriers, regardless 
of whether the cat or dog is transported as a pet by its owner or as 
part of a commercial shipment (e.g., shipped by a breeder); (3) 
required covered carriers to file a calendar-year report in December, 
even if the carrier did not have any reportable incidents during the 
calendar year; (4) required covered carriers to provide in their 
December reports the total number of animals that were lost, injured, 
or died during air transport in the calendar year; and (5) required 
covered carriers to provide in their December reports the total number 
of animals transported in the calendar year.
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    \5\ Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport, 79 FR 37938 (July 3, 2014) (codified at 14 CFR 
part 235).
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    The ICR, ``Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport,'' OMB Control Number 2105-0552, was renewed 
twice: on August 25, 2015, OMB approved the reinstatement of the ICR 
through August 31, 2018, and on October 11, 2018, OMB approved the 
reinstatement of the ICR through October 31, 2021.
    The PRA and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require 
Federal agencies to issue two notices seeking public comment on 
information collection activities before OMB may approve paperwork 
packages. A Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a 
collection of information, and the public is generally not required to 
respond to an information collection, unless it is approved by the OMB 
under the PRA and displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. In 
addition, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall 
generally be subject to monetary penalty for failing to comply with a 
collection of information if the collection of information does not 
display a valid OMB Control Number.
    As noted above, on January 24, 2024, DOT published a 60-day notice 
in the Federal Register soliciting comment on the reinstatement of this 
previously approved ICR. DOT received one comments in response to the 
notice. However, this comment is outside the scope of the ICR and does 
not discuss the proposed collection of information and the estimated 
burden.
    DOT announces that this ICR has been re-evaluated and certified 
under 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and forwarded to OMB for review and approval 
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12(c). Before OMB decides whether to approve 
these proposed collections of information, it must provide 30 days for 
public comment.\6\ Federal law requires OMB to approve or disapprove 
paperwork packages between 30 and 60 days after the 30-day notice is 
published.\7\ The 30-day notice informs the regulated community to file 
relevant comments and affords the agency adequate time to digest public 
comments before it renders a decision.\8\ Therefore, respondents should 
submit their respective comments to OMB within 30 days of publication 
to best ensure their full consideration. The summaries below describe 
the nature of the ICR and the expected burden. The unchanged 
requirements are being submitted for clearance by OMB as required by 
the PRA.
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    \6\ 44 U.S.C. 3507(b); 5 CFR 1320.12(d).
    \7\ 44 U.S.C. 3507(b)-(c); 5 CFR 1320.12(d).
    \8\ 60 FR 44978, 44983 (August 29, 1995).
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    Respondents: U.S. carriers that operate scheduled passenger service 
with at least one aircraft having a designed seating capacity of more 
than 60 seats.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 30.
    Frequency: For each respondent, one information set for the month 
of December, plus one information set during some other months (1 to 
12).
    Estimated Total Burden on Respondents: (1) Monthly reports of 
incidents involving the loss, injury, or death of animals during air 
transport: 0 to 360 hours (Respondents [30] x Time to Prepare One 
Monthly Report [1 hour] x Frequency [0 to 12 per year]). (2) December 
report containing the total number of animals that were lost, injured, 
or died during air transport in the calendar year and the total number 
of animals that were transported in the calendar year: 15 hours 
(Respondents [30] x Time to Prepare One December Report [0.5 hour] x 
Frequency [1 per year]).
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the Department's 
performance; (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for the 
Department to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information collection; and (d) ways that the burden could be minimized 
without reducing the quality of the collected information. All comments 
will become a matter of public record.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.27(n).

    Issued in Washington, DC.
Kimberly Graber,
Deputy Assistant General Counsel, Office of Aviation Consumer 
Protection.
[FR Doc. 2024-13498 Filed 6-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P