[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 237 (Thursday, December 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76737-76739]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31048]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2015-0007-N-31]
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, this
notice announces that the renewal Information Collection Requests
(ICRs) abstracted below are being forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describe the nature
of the information collections and their expected burden. The Federal
Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the
following collections of information was published on September 23,
2015.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 11, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Brogan, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Safety, Safety Regulatory
Analysis Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New
Jersey Ave.
[[Page 76738]]
SE., Mail Stop 25, Washington, DC 20590 (Telephone: (202) 493-6292), or
Ms. Kimberly Toone, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of
Administration, 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 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),
and 1320.12. On September 23, 2015, FRA published a 60-day notice in
the Federal Register soliciting comment on ICRs that the agency is
seeking OMB approval. See 80 FR 57425. 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 summaries below describe the nature of the information
collection requests (ICRs) and their expected burdens. The renewal
requests are being submitted for clearance by OMB as required by the
PRA.
Title: State Safety Participation Regulations and Remedial Actions.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0509.
Abstract: The collection of information is set forth under 49 CFR
part 212, and requires qualified state inspectors to provide various
reports to FRA for monitoring and enforcement purposes concerning state
investigative, inspection, and surveillance activities regarding
railroad compliance with Federal railroad safety laws and regulations.
Additionally, railroads are required to report to FRA actions taken to
remedy certain alleged violations of law.
Type of Request: Extension with change of a currently approved
information collection.
Affected Public: Businesses (Railroads).
Form(s): N/A.
Total Annual Estimated Responses: 22,352.
Total Annual Estimated Burden: 9,240 hours.
Title: Use of Locomotive Horns at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0560.
Abstract: Under Title 49 part 222 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, FRA seeks to collect information from railroads and public
authorities in order to increase safety at highway-rail grade crossings
nationwide by requiring that locomotive horns be sounded when trains
approach and pass through these crossings or by ensuring that a safety
level at least equivalent to that provided by blowing locomotive horns
exists for corridors in which horns are silenced. FRA reviews
applications by public authorities intending to establish new or, in
some cases, continue pre-rule quiet zones to ensure the necessary level
of safety is achieved.
Type of Request: Extension with change of a currently approved
information collection.
Form(s): N/A.
Total Annual Estimated Responses: 4,001.
Total Annual Estimated Burden: 9,176 hours.
Title: Safety Appliance Concern Recommendation Report; Safety
Appliance Standards Checklist Forms.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0565.
Abstract: Sample car/locomotive inspections are performed as a
courtesy to the car manufacturers to ensure that the equipment is built
in accordance with all applicable Federal regulations and requirements.
Car builders that desire to have FRA review their equipment for
compliance with safety standards are to submit their safety appliance
arrangement drawings, prints, etc., to the FRA Office of Safety
Assurance and Compliance for review at least 60 days prior to
construction. The sample car inspection program is designed to provide
assurance that rolling stock equipment is compliant within the Code of
Federal Regulations for use on the general railroad system. Although a
sample car inspection is not required, most builders today request FRA
to perform the inspection. The goal of the sample car inspection
program is to reduce risk to railroad employees and improve passenger
safety for the general public by ensuring rolling stock is fully
compliant with all applicable regulations.
In an ongoing effort to conduct more thorough and more effective
inspections of freight railroad equipment and to further enhance safe
rail operations, FRA has developed a safety concern recommendation
report form and a group of guidance checklist forms that facilitate
railroad, rail car owner, and rail equipment manufacturer compliance
with agency Railroad Safety Appliance Standards regulations. FRA will
be obsoleting Forms FRA F 6180.4(a)-(q) and requesting OMB discontinue
its current approval for these forms. FRA will be replacing these forms
with new Forms FRA F 6180.161(a)-(k). The reason for the discontinuance
of the previously approved forms and request for OMB approval of the
new forms is due to the fact that 49 CFR part 231 is being supplemented
and expanded to cover new types of cars. For these new types of cars,
FRA will be following the Standard established by the Association of
American Railroads (AAR) Standard 2044 or S-2044.
When a request for sample car inspection incoming letter is
provided by the customer, an abundant amount of information is
submitted to FRA for review that may require a formal on-site
inspection. The information contained in the letter includes several
paragraphs to explain the cited Code of Federal Regulations that the
customer believes related to the construction of the car. Since many
cars today are considered a car of special construction, the type of
car to be reviewed, many times the amount of details of information are
supplied to support why the customer believes the car submitted is the
nearest car to construction. An abundance of factors with justification
to support the car type is included in the request. Some examples would
be a Logo, Company Name, and signature block, specific drawings,
reflectorization, engineering information such as test or modeling of
components. Also, the request may include car reporting marks, the
amount of cars that would be constructed in the car series. In
addition, the request would provide the location of the inspection,
contact person, title, and contact information. Currently, each request
is written differently, but contains most of the information to process
the request to completion.
The FRA region responsible for the sample car field sample car
inspection
[[Page 76739]]
is obliged to formally inspect the car for compliance. All the
information in the customer request is forwarded to the region for
review. Once the inspection is completed, the assigned inspector
provides his report in a memorandum to the Motive, Power, and Equipment
(MP&E) Specialist. The MP&E Specialist reviews the documents and
provides a memo to the Regional Administrator who sends a response by
memorandum to FRA Headquarters of the finding from the field
inspection.
FRA Headquarters is responsible for gathering all the information
from the request from the customer as well as assigning and forwarding
the information to the Region. All the information is reviewed by the
MP&E Specialist at Headquarters. The MP&E Specialist prepares a grid
letter response for the MP&E Staff Director who then offers the
response letter to the Director, Office of Safety Assurance and
Compliance. The formal response letter is then sent to the customer
through the Control Correspondence Management (CCM) system.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information
collection.
Affected Public: Businesses (Railroads).
Form(s): New Forms FRA F 6180.161(a)-(k).
Total Annual Estimated Responses: 121.
Total Annual Estimated Burden: 121 hours.
Title: FRA Safety Advisory 2015-03, Operational and Signal
Modifications for Compliance with Maximum Authorized Passenger Train
Speeds and Other Restrictions.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0613.
Abstract: FRA issued Safety Advisory 2015-03 on June 12, 2015 (see
80 FR 33585) to stress to passenger railroads and railroads that host
passenger service and their employees the importance of compliance with
Federal regulations and applicable railroad rules governing applicable
passenger train speed limits. This safety advisory makes
recommendations to these railroads to ensure that compliance with
applicable passenger train speed limits is addressed by appropriate
railroad operating policies and procedures and signal systems.
Type of Request: Regular Clearance without change of a currently
approved Emergency Clearance.
Affected Public: Businesses (Railroads).
Form(s): N/A.
Total Annual Estimated Responses: 5,880.
Total Annual Estimated Burden: 2,217 hours.
Addressee: Send comments regarding these information collections 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 email to OMB
at the following address: [email protected].
Comments are invited on the following: Whether the proposed
collections of information are 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 estimates of
the burden of the proposed information collections; ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and
ways to minimize the burden of the collections 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 December 4, 2015.
Corey Hill,
Acting Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-31048 Filed 12-9-15; 8:45 am]
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