[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 126 (Thursday, June 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38452-38453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16475]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2011-0001-N-9]
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment
Request
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration, (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information
Collection Requirement (ICR) abstracted below is being forwarded to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR
describes the nature of the information collection and its expected
burden. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period
soliciting comments on the following collection of information was
published on April 20, 2011 (76 FR 22165).
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 1, 2011.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of Safety,
Planning and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., 3rd Floor, Mail Stop 25,
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6292), or Ms. Kimberly
Toone, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, 3rd Floor, Mail Stop 35,
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6132). (These telephone
numbers are not toll-free.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA),
Public Law 104-13, Section 2, 109 Stat. 163 (1995) (codified as revised
at 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), 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. 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.5, 1320.8(d)(1),
1320.12. On April 20, 2011, FRA published a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register soliciting comment on this ICR for which the agency
was seeking OMB approval. 76 FR 22165. FRA received no comments in
response to this notice.
Before OMB decides whether to approve these proposed collections of
information, it must provide 30 days for public comment. 44 U.S.C.
3507(b); 5 CFR 1320.12(d). Federal law requires OMB to approve or
disapprove paperwork packages between 30 and 60 days after the 30 day
notice is published. 44 U.S.C. 3507 (b)-(c); 5 CFR 1320.12(d); see also
60 FR 44978, 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. OMB believes that 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. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. Therefore, respondents should
submit their respective comments to OMB within 30 days of publication
to best ensure having their full effect. 5 CFR 1320.12(c); see also 60
FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995.
The summary below describes the nature of the information
collection requirement (ICR) and the expected burden for the ICR being
submitted for clearance by OMB as required by the PRA.
Title: Implementation for Capital Grants for Rail Line Relocation
and Improvement Projects.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0578.
Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Abstract: Section 9002 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible,
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)
(Pub. L. 109-59, August 10, 2005) amends chapter 201 of Title 49 of the
United States Code by adding section 20154. Section 20154 authorizes--
but does not appropriate--$350,000,000 per year for each of the
[[Page 38453]]
fiscal years (FY) 2006 through 2009 for the purpose of funding a grant
program to provide financial assistance for local rail line relocation
and improvement projects. Section 20154 directs the Secretary of
Transportation (Secretary) to issue regulations implementing this grant
program, and the Secretary has delegated this responsibility to FRA. On
July 11, 2008, FRA published the final rule intended to carry out that
statutory mandate.
Congress did not appropriate any funding for the Program for FY
2006 or FY 2007. In FY 2008, Congress appropriated $20,145,000 for the
Program, reduced by rescission to $20,040,200, $14,905,000 of which was
available for discretionary (competitive) grants. After evaluating and
scoring 37 applications, FRA awarded $14,315,300 to seven different
projects, leaving $589,700. In FY 2009, Congress appropriated
$25,000,000 and directed that $17,100,000 be awarded to 23 specific
projects, with $7,900,000 left over discretionary grants. Subsequently,
in FY 2010, Congress appropriated $34,532,000 for the Program, and
directed that $24,519,200 go to 27 specifically enumerated projects.
FRA combined the remaining $10,012,800 with $589,700 that was not
awarded from the FY 2008 competition, $2,000,000 that was awarded to
one of the FY 2008 projects but which the project sponsors ultimately
turned down, and the $7,900,000 in FY 2009 discretionary funding for a
total of $20,502,500. These funds were the subject of a Notice of
Funding Availability FRA published in the Federal Register on September
10, 2010. The application period closed on October 29, 2010, and FRA is
currently evaluating applications submitted. The information collected
will be used by FRA to determine whether or not it is appropriate to
provide financial assistance to State and local governments looking to
undertake either rail relocation or rail improvement projects.
Form Number(s): N/A
Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 26,083 hours
Addressee: Send comments regarding this information collection to
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management
and Budget, 725 Seventeenth Street, NW., Washington, DC, 20503,
Attention: FRA Desk Officer. Comments may also be sent via e-mail to
OMB at the following address: [email protected].
Comments are invited on the following: Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the Department, including whether the information will
have practical utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of
the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and
ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
A comment to OMB is best assured of having its full effect if OMB
receives it within 30 days of publication of this notice in the Federal
Register.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.
Issued in Washington, DC on June 24, 2011.
Arnel Rivera,
Acting Director, Office of Financial Management, Federal Railroad
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-16475 Filed 6-29-11; 8:45 am]
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