[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 125 (Monday, June 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36860-36861]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15174]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA 2014-0011-N-13]
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment
Request
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its
implementing regulations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
hereby announces that it is seeking an extension of the following
currently approved information collection activities. On May 7, 2014,
the Secretary of Transportation issued Emergency Order Docket No. DOT-
OST-2014-0067 (EO), requiring affected railroad carriers to provide
certain information to the State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs)
for each State in which their trains carrying 1 million gallons or more
of Bakken crude oil travel. The information collection activities
associated with the Secretary's Emergency Order received a six-month
emergency approval from OMB on May 10, 2014. FRA seeks a regular
clearance (extension of the current approval for three years) while it
is determining the proper course of action to take after a recent
series of train accidents involving the transportation petroleum crude
oil, a hazardous material the transportation of which is regulated by
the Department of Transportation. Before submitting these information
collection requirements for clearance by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of
the activities identified below.
DATES: Comments must be received no later than August 29, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on any or all of the following
proposed activities by mail to either: Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of
Safety, Planning and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 17, Washington, DC
20590, or Ms. Kimberly Toone, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20,
Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop
35, Washington, DC 20590. Commenters requesting FRA to acknowledge
receipt of their respective comments must include a self-addressed
stamped postcard stating, ``Comments on OMB control number 2130-0604.''
Alternatively, comments may be transmitted via facsimile to (202) 493-
6216 or (202) 493-6497, or via email to Mr. Brogan at
Robert.Brogan@dot.gov, or to Ms. Toone at Kim.Toone@dot.gov. Please
refer to the assigned OMB control number in any correspondence
submitted. FRA will summarize comments received in response to this
notice in a subsequent notice and include them in its information
collection submission to OMB for approval.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of Planning
and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200
New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 17, 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., 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, sec. 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 provide 60-days notice to the public
for comment on information collection activities before seeking
approval for reinstatement or renewal by OMB. 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A);
5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), 1320.10(e)(1), 1320.12(a). Specifically, FRA
invites interested respondents to comment on the following summary of
proposed information collection activities regarding (i) whether the
information collection activities are necessary for FRA to properly
execute its functions, including whether the activities will have
practical utility; (ii) 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; (iii) ways
for FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
being collected; and (iv) ways for FRA to minimize the burden of
information collection activities on the public by automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology (e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses). See 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)(I)-(iv); 5 CFR
1320.8(d)(1)(I)-(iv). FRA believes that soliciting public comment will
promote its efforts to reduce the administrative and paperwork burdens
associated with the collection of information mandated
[[Page 36861]]
by Federal regulations. In summary, FRA reasons that comments received
will advance three objectives: (i) Reduce reporting burdens; (ii)
ensure that it organizes information collection requirements in a
``user friendly'' format to improve the use of such information; and
(iii) accurately assess the resources expended to retrieve and produce
information requested. See 44 U.S.C. 3501.
Below are brief summaries of three currently approved information
collection activities that FRA will submit for clearance by OMB as
required under the PRA:
Title: Secretary of Transportation Emergency Order Docket No. DOT-
OST-2014-0067.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0604.
Abstract: As noted in the summary above, on May 7, 2014, the
Secretary of Transportation issued Emergency Order Docket No. DOT-OST-
2014-0067 (EO), requiring affected railroad carriers to provide certain
information to the State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) for
each State in which their trains carrying 1 million gallons or more of
Bakken crude oil travel. This EO is available through the Department's
public docket system at www.regulations.gov, under Docket No. DOT-OST-
2014-0067. The EO took effect immediately upon issuance, although
affected railroads were permitted 30 days to provide the required
information to the SERCs. The EO is the Department's direct and
proactive response to a recent series of train accidents involving the
transportation of petroleum crude oil, a hazardous material the
transportation of which is regulated by the Department. The most recent
accident occurred on April 30, 2014, when a train transporting
petroleum crude oil derailed in Lynchburg, Virginia and released
approximately 30,000 gallons of its contents into the James River.
Further, the EO explains that, with the rising demand for rail
transportation of petroleum crude oil throughout the United States, the
risk of rail incidents has increased commensurate with the increase in
the volume of the material shipped and that there have been several
significant derailments in both the U.S. and Canada over the last
several months causing deaths and property and environmental damage
that involved petroleum crude oil. DOT emergency orders are rare and
the EO itself describes the most recent accidents and circumstances
leading the agency to issue the EO. The collection of information
included under this EO is aimed at ensuring that railroads that
transport in a single train a large quantity of petroleum crude oil (1
million gallons or more), particularly crude oil from the Bakken shale
formation in the Williston Basin, provide certain information to the
relevant SERCs in each State in which the railroad operates such
trains. Ensuring that railroads provide this information to SERCs is
critical to ensuring that local and State emergency responders are
aware of the large quantities of crude oil that are being transported
through their jurisdictions and are prepared to respond to accidents
involving such trains should they occur.
Form Number(s): N/A.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Frequency of Submission: One-time; on occasion.
Respondent Universe: 47 Railroad Carriers; 50 State Emergency
Response Commissions (SERCs).
Reporting Burden:
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Respondent
Emergency order item No. universe Total annual Average time per Total annual
(railroads) responses response burden hours
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(1) RR Notification to SERCs..... 47 120 written 30 hours................ 3,600.
notifications.
(2) Updated RR Notification to 47 25 updated written 4 hours................. 100.
SERCs. notifications.
(3) Notification Copies to FRA... 47 10 notification 60 minutes.............. 10.
copies.
(4) Requests to RRs by SERCs for 47 30 informational 30 minutes.............. 60.
Information from Local Emergency assistance
Response Agencies Regarding the requests + 30
Volume and Frequency of Train informational
Traffic Implicated by this responses.
Emergency Order within that
Agency's Jurisdiction and RR
Responses.
(5) Petitions to the Secretary/ 47 4 relief petitions. 2 hours................. 8.
FRA Administrator for Relief
from This Emergency Order.
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Total Estimated Responses: 219.
Total Estimated Annual Burden: 3,778 hours.
Status: Regular Review.
Pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b),
1320.8(b)(3)(vi), 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 unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.
Issued in Washington, DC, on June 24, 2014.
Erin McCartney,
Acting Chief Financial Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-15174 Filed 6-27-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P