[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 39 (Tuesday, February 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 12107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-4586]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration


Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements; Agency Information 
Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, 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 abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The nature of the 
information collection is described as well as its expected burden. The 
Federal Register Notice (76 FR 67250) with a 60-day comment period 
soliciting comments on the following collection of information was 
published on October 31, 2011, and comments were due by December 30, 
2011. As such, no comments were received. The total number of response 
hours reported in the prior 60-day Federal Register Notice was 4,075 
hours. As reflected below, this number has decreased to 606 hours due 
primarily to a change in the number of Listening Sessions from five (5) 
to one (1) and a change in the number of One-on-One Interviews from 80 
to 30.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before March 29, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Yvette M. Fields, Director, Office 
of Deepwater Ports and Offshore Activities, Maritime Administration, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 202-366-
0926; or Email: [email protected]. Copies of this information 
collection can be obtained from that office.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Maritime Administration.
    Title: Maritime Administration's Panama Canal Expansion Study 
Outreach Program.
    OMB Control Number: 2133-NEW.
    Type of Request: New Information Collection.
    Affected Public: Federal Government; State, Local, or Tribal 
Governments; Shippers; Maritime Related Organizations and Associations; 
Local Municipal Planning Organizations; Rail and Land Transportation 
Companies.
    Forms: Shipper Survey.
    Abstract: This three-tiered information collection process will 
directly support the Maritime Administration's efforts to evaluate and 
assess the impacts of the Panama Canal Expansion on U.S. Ports and 
infrastructure when the expansion of the Panama Canal is completed in 
2014. First, as part of its Panama Canal Outreach Program, the Maritime 
Administration will conduct one public Listening Session to provide a 
forum for stakeholders to present their views on the issues that the 
Maritime Administration should consider in the development of the 
Panama Canal Expansion Study, and to assess the various infrastructure 
requirements that will be associated with future trade involving the 
Panama Canal. Second, the Maritime Administration will conduct one-on-
one interviews with key executives from various U.S. ports, port 
operators, and transportation service providers to identify their 
specific plans, investment strategies, and perspectives concerning 
market trends, which are a critical part of the subject Study. Finally, 
the Maritime Administration will conduct an on-line Panama Canal 
Shipper Survey in an effort to garner information regarding the current 
decision processes used by ``Beneficial Cargo Owners'' (i.e., 
international shippers) to determine potential changes to their 
logistics, networks and the contingency plans that have been developed 
(or will be developed) to address the potential impacts on their costs 
and routing strategies as a result of the expansion project.
    Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 606.
    Addresses: Send comments regarding these information collection 
activities to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office 
of Management and Budget, 725 Seventeenth Street NW., Washington, DC 
20503, Attention: MARAD Desk Officer. Alternatively, comments may be 
sent via email to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 
(OIRA), Office of Management and Budget, at the following address: 
[email protected].
    Comments Are Invited On: Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; the accuracy of the agency'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.

    Authority: 49 CFR 1.66.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 22, 2012.
Julie Agarwal,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012-4586 Filed 2-27-12; 8:45 am]
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