[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 150 (Monday, August 5, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63459-63462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17184]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD


60-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension of Approval of 
Collections: Rail Carrier Financial Reports

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.
SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, 
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the 
Surface

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Transportation Board (Board) gives notice of its intent to request from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval without change of 
the six existing collections described below.

DATES: Comments on these information collections should be submitted by 
October 4, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Chris Oehrle, PRA Officer, Surface 
Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423-0001, or to 
[email protected]. When submitting comments, please refer to ``Paperwork 
Reduction Act Comments, Rail Carrier Financial Reports.'' For further 
information regarding these collections, 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 
following information collections:

Description of Collection 1

    Title: Quarterly Report of Freight Commodity Statistics (Form QCS).
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0001.
    Form Number: Form QCS.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Seven.
    Estimated Time per Response: One hour.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly, with an annual summation.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 35 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: None identified. Filings are 
submitted electronically to the Board.
    Needs and Uses: This collection, which is based on information 
contained in carload waybills used by railroads in the ordinary course 
of business, reports car loadings and total revenues by commodity code 
for each commodity that moved on the railroad during the reporting 
period. See 49 CFR part 1248. Information reported on Form QCS is 
entered into the Agency's Uniform Rail Costing System (URCS). URCS, 
which was developed by the Board pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 11161-62, is 
used in rail rate proceedings as a tool to calculate the variable costs 
of providing a particular rail service in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 
10707(d). The Form QCS has been reformatted in a way that should allow 
for more efficient submission and agency processing, but it contains 
all of the same information as required. This collection is compiled 
and published on the Board's website, https://www.stb.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. The reformatted form and instructions may be viewed 
at https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/Quarterly-and-Annual-Freight-Commodity-Statistics-Public.xlsx and https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/Instructions-for-Quarterly-and-Annual-Freight-Commodity-Statistics.pdf, respectively. It should be noted that the form for this 
report has been reformatted in a way that should allow for more 
efficient submission and agency processing, but the information has not 
changed. The form continues to contain all of the same data elements. 
The information contained in this report is not available from any 
other source.

Description of Collection 2

    Title: Report of Railroad Employees, Service and Compensation (Wage 
Forms A and B).
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0004.
    Form Number: Wage Form A; and Wage Form B.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Seven.
    Estimated Time per Response: No more than 3 hours per quarterly 
report and 4 hours per annual summation.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly, with an annual summation.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: No more than 112 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: None identified. Filings are 
submitted electronically to the Board.
    Needs and Uses: This collection shows the number of employees, 
service hours, and compensation, by employee group (e.g., executive, 
professional, maintenance-of-way and equipment, and transportation), of 
the reporting railroads. See 49 CFR part 1245. The information is used 
by the Board to forecast labor costs and measure the efficiency of the 
reporting railroads. The information is also used by the Board to 
evaluate proposed regulated transactions that may impact rail 
employees, including mergers and consolidations, acquisitions of 
control, purchases, and abandonments. Other Federal agencies and 
industry groups, including the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), Bureau 
of Labor Statistics (BLS), and Association of American Railroads (AAR), 
use the information contained in the reports to monitor railroad 
operations. Certain information from these reports is compiled and 
published on the Board's website, https://www.stb.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. The reformatted forms and instructions may be viewed 
at https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/Consolidated-Wage-Forms-ABC.csv and https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/Instructions-for-Consolidated-Wage-Forms-A-B-C.pdf, respectively. It should be noted 
that the form for these reports have been reformatted in a way that 
should allow for more efficient submission and agency processing, but 
the information has not changed. They continue to contain all of the 
same data elements. The information contained in these reports is not 
available from any other source.

Description of Collection 3

    Title: Monthly Report of Number of Employees of Class I Railroads 
(Wage Form C).
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0007.
    Form Number: STB Form C.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Seven.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1.25 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Monthly.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 105 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: None identified. Filings are 
submitted electronically to the Board.
    Needs and Uses: This collection shows, for each reporting carrier, 
the average number of employees at mid-month in the six job-
classification groups that encompass all railroad employees. See 49 CFR 
part 1246. The information is used by the Board to forecast labor costs 
and measure the efficiency of the reporting railroads. The information 
is also used by the Board to evaluate the impact on rail employees of 
proposed regulated transactions, including mergers and consolidations, 
acquisitions of control, purchases, and abandonments. Other Federal 
agencies and industry groups, including the RRB, BLS, and AAR, use the 
information contained in these reports to monitor

[[Page 63461]]

railroad operations. Certain information from these reports is compiled 
and published on the Board's website, https://www.stb.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. The reformatted form and instructions may be viewed 
at https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/Consolidated-Wage-Forms-ABC.csv and https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/Instructions-for-Consolidated-Wage-Forms-A-B-C.pdf, respectively. It should be noted 
that the form for this report has been reformatted in a way that should 
allow for more efficient submission and agency processing, but the 
information has not changed. The form continues to contain all of the 
same data elements. The information contained in this report is not 
available from any other source.

Description of Collection 4

    Title: Annual Report of Cars Loaded and Cars Terminated.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0011.
    Form Number: Form STB-54.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Seven.
    Estimated Time per Response: Four hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 28 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: None identified. Filings are 
submitted electronically to the Board.
    Needs and Uses: This collection reports the number of cars loaded 
and cars terminated on the reporting carrier's line. See 49 CFR part 
1247. Information in this report is entered into the Board's Uniform 
Rail Costing System (URCS), which is a cost measurement methodology. 
URCS, which was developed by the Board pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 11161, is 
used as a tool in rail rate proceedings, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 
10707(d), to calculate the variable costs associated with providing a 
particular service. The Board also uses URCS to carry out more 
effectively other of its regulatory responsibilities, including: acting 
on railroad requests for authority to engage in Board-regulated 
financial transactions such as mergers, acquisitions of control, and 
consolidations, see 49 U.S.C. 11323-11324; analyzing the information 
that the Board obtains through the annual railroad industry waybill 
sample, see 49 CFR 1244; measuring off-branch costs in railroad 
abandonment proceedings, in accordance with 49 CFR 1152.32(n); 
developing the ``rail cost adjustment factors,'' in accordance with 49 
U.S.C. 10708; and conducting investigations and rulemakings. This 
collection is compiled and published on the Board's website, https://www.stb.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. The reformatted form and 
instructions may be viewed at https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/STB-54-Cars-Loaded-and-Terminated.csv and https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/Instructions-for-STB-54-Cars-Loaded-and-Terminated.pdf, 
respectively. It should be noted that the form for this report has been 
reformatted in a way that should allow for more efficient submission 
and agency processing, but the information has not changed. The form 
continues to contain all of the same data elements. The information 
contained in this report is not available from any other source.

Description of Collection 5

    Title: Quarterly Report of Revenues, Expenses, and Income--
Railroads (Form RE&I).
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0013.
    Form Number: Form RE&I.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Seven.
    Estimated Time per Response: Six hours.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 168 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: None identified. Filings are 
submitted electronically to the Board.
    Needs and Uses: This collection is a report of railroad operating 
revenues, operating expenses, and income items. It is also a profit and 
loss statement, disclosing net railway operating income on a quarterly 
and year-to-date basis for current and prior years. See 49 CFR 1243.1. 
The Board uses the information in this report to ensure competitive, 
efficient, and safe transportation through general oversight programs 
that monitor and forecast the financial and operating condition of 
railroads, and through regulation of railroad rate and service issues 
and rail restructuring proposals, including railroad mergers, 
consolidations, acquisitions of control, and abandonments. Information 
from these reports is used by the Board, other Federal agencies, and 
industry groups to monitor and assess industry growth and operations, 
detect changes in carrier financial stability, and identify trends that 
may affect the national transportation system. Some of the information 
from these reports is compiled by the Board in our quarterly Selected 
Earnings Data Report, which is published on the Board's website, 
https://www.stb.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. The reformatted 
form and instructions may be viewed at https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/Revenue-Expenses-and-Income.csv and https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/Instructions-for-Revenue-Expenses-and-Income.pdf, 
respectively. It should be noted that the form for this report has been 
reformatted in a way that should allow for more efficient submission 
and agency processing, but the information has not changed. The form 
continues to contain all of the same data elements. The information 
contained in this report is not available from any other source.

Description of Collection 6

    Title: Quarterly Condensed Balance Sheet--Railroads (Form CBS).
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0014.
    Form Number: Form CBS.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Seven.
    Estimated Time per Response: Six hours.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 168 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: None identified. Filings are 
submitted electronically to the Board.
    Needs and Uses: This collection shows the balance, quarterly and 
cumulative, for the current and prior year of the carrier's assets and 
liabilities, gross capital expenditures, and revenue tons carried. See 
49 CFR 1243.2. The Board uses the information in this report to ensure 
competitive, efficient, and safe transportation through general 
oversight programs that monitor and forecast the financial and 
operating condition of railroads, and through specific regulation of 
railroad rate and service issues and rail restructuring proposals, 
including railroad mergers, consolidations, acquisitions of control, 
and abandonments. Information from these reports is used by the Board, 
other Federal agencies, and industry groups to assess industry growth 
and operations, detect changes in carrier financial stability, and 
identify trends that may affect the national transportation system. 
Revenue ton-miles, which are reported in these reports, are compiled 
and published by the Board in its quarterly Selected Earnings Data 
Report, which is published on the Board's website, https://www.stb.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. The reformatted form and instructions 
may be viewed at https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/Condensed-Balance-Sheet.csv and https://www.stb.gov/wp-content/uploads/
Instructions-for-

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Condensed-Balance-Sheet.pdf, respectively. It should be noted that the 
form for this report has been reformatted in a way that should allow 
for more efficient submission and agency processing, but the 
information has not changed. The form continues to contain all of the 
same data elements. The information contained in this report is not 
available from any other source.
    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 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.

    Dated: July 31, 2024.
Kenyatta Clay,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2024-17184 Filed 8-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P