[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 150 (Monday, August 5, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63468-63469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17189]



[[Page 63468]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2024-0013]


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 Request (ICR) summarized below. Before submitting this ICR 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is 
soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities 
identified in the ICR.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
October 4, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR 
should be submitted on regulations.gov to the docket, Docket No. FRA-
2024-0013. All comments received will be posted without change to the 
docket, including any personal information provided. Please refer to 
the assigned OMB control number (2130-0635) 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 ICR 
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 and paperwork burdens associated with the collection of 
information that Federal regulations mandate. In summary, 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 ICR that FRA will submit for OMB 
clearance as the PRA requires:
    Title: Report of Railroad Trespasser Form.
    OMB Control Number: 2130-0635.
    Abstract: Trespasser deaths on railroad rights-of-way and other 
railroad property are the leading cause of fatalities attributable to 
railroad operations in the United States. To address this serious 
issue, the railroad industry, governments (Federal, State, and local), 
and other interested parties must know more about the individuals who 
trespass and causes. With such knowledge, specific educational 
programs, materials, and messages regarding the hazards and 
consequences of trespassing on railroad property can be developed and 
effectively distributed. Due to the lack of available root cause data, 
FRA collects data from law enforcement agencies to develop general 
descriptions of the root causes of trespassing. This allows FRA and 
other interested parties, such as Operation Lifesaver, to target 
audiences with appropriate education and enforcement campaigns to 
reduce the resulting annual number of injuries and fatalities.
    Completion and submission of form FRA F 6180.178, Report of 
Railroad Trespasser Form, is required for law enforcement agency 
grantees as a condition of FRA's Railroad Trespassing Enforcement 
Grant. Grantees complete the form for each trespasser incident in their 
jurisdiction, describing the trespassers' race/ethnicity, gender, and 
age to the best of their ability. For law enforcement agencies that do 
not receive FRA's Railroad Trespassing Enforcement grants, completion 
and submission of this form is voluntary.
    FRA provides an electronic option where the respondents can respond 
via a web-based form. The web-based form also helps FRA maintain the 
data collected in a more useful and uniform manner, as the dropdown 
boxes facilitate more standardized responses.
    In this 60-day notice, FRA made adjustments that reduced the 
previously approved burden hours from 550 hours to 350 hours. The 
decrease in burden is a result of the average time per response being 
reduced from 10 minutes to 8 minutes to provide a more accurate 
analysis of the time needed to complete the form. Additionally, FRA has 
updated form FRA F 6180.178 to comply with OMB's recent Statistical 
Policy Directive No. 15, Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and 
Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15).\1\
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    \1\ Spd15revision.gov.
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    Type of Request: Extension without change (with changes in 
estimates) of a currently approved information collection.
    Affected Public: Public authorities.
    Form(s): FRA F 6180.178.
    Respondent Universe: Law enforcement agencies.
    Frequency of Submission: Monthly.

[[Page 63469]]



                                                                    Reporting Burden
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                                                                                                     Average time
                 Form                       Respondent universe          Total annual responses      per response    Total annual        Total cost
                                                                                                       (minutes)     burden hours        equivalent
                                                                      (A).........................             (B)     (C = A * B)              (D = C *
                                                                                                                                          wage rate) \2\
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Report of Railroad Trespasser Form     Law enforcement agencies,      2,500 forms.................               8          333.30            $20,184.65
 (Form FRA F 6180.178).                 grantees.
                                       Law enforcement agencies, non- 100 forms...................              10           16.70              1,011.35
                                        grantees.
                                                                                                   -----------------------------------------------------
    Total \3\........................  Law enforcement agencies.....  2,600 responses.............             N/A             350                21,196
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    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 2,600.
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    \2\ Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics 
(BLS) Employer Cost for Employee Compensation--December 2023 for 
State and local government. The hourly wage rate used is $37.53 + 
overhead of 38%. Total burdened wage rate is $60.56 ($37.53 + 
$23.03).
    \3\ Totals may not add up due to rounding.
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    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 350 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent: $21,196.
    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 not display a currently valid OMB control 
number.
    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

Christopher S. Van Nostrand,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2024-17189 Filed 8-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P