Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request, 16357-16358 [2013-05835]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 50 / Thursday, March 14, 2013 / Notices Mexico City; Louisville, Kentucky– Guadalajara; Louisville, Kentucky– Mexico City; Louisville, Kentucky– Monterrey; San Antonio, Texas– Guadalajara; and San Antonio, Texas– Monterrey. Barbara J. Hairston, Acting Program Manager, Docket Operations, Federal Register Liaison. [FR Doc. 2013–05880 Filed 3–13–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Research, Engineering and Development Advisory Committee Federal Aviation Administration, DOT. AGENCY: Notice of Meeting. Pursuant to section 10(A) (2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92– 463; 5 U.S.C. App. 2), notice is hereby given of a meeting of the FAA Research, Engineering and Development (R,E&D) Advisory Committee. ACTION: Name: Research, Engineering & Development Advisory Committee. Time and Date: April 24—8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Place: Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW.—Round Room (10th Floor), Washington, DC 20591. Purpose: The meeting agenda will include receiving from the Committee guidance for FAA’s research and development investments in the areas of air traffic services, airports, aircraft safety, human factors and environment and energy. Attendance is open to the interested public but seating is limited. Persons wishing to attend the meeting or obtain information should contact Gloria Dunderman at (202) 267–8937 or gloria.dunderman@faa.gov. Members of the public may present a written statement to the Committee at any time. tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Issued in Washington, DC on March 8, 2013. Catherine A. Bigelow, Manager, Research and Development Management Division. [FR Doc. 2013–05908 Filed 3–13–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–13–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:51 Mar 13, 2013 Jkt 229001 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration [Docket No. FRA 2013–0002–N–5] Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), DOT. ACTION: Notice and Request for Comments. AGENCY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and their expected burden. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on December 31, 2012. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 15, 2013. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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 (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, 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 December 31, 2012, FRA published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register soliciting comment on the ICR for which the agency was seeking OMB approval. 77 FR 77181. FRA received no comments in response to this notice. Before OMB decides whether to approve a proposed collection 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 SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00115 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 16357 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 request (ICR) and the expected burden, and is being submitted for clearance by OMB as required by the PRA. Title: Electronic Device Distraction (EDD) Survey. OMB Control Number: 2130–NEW. Type of Request: Regular approval of a new collection of information. Affected Public: Railroad Employees. Abstract: Operating railroad equipment while being distracted by the use of electronic devices (e.g., phones, game consoles, personal computers, etc.) is known to be a factor in some accidents and suspected of being the cause of many others in the railroad industry. It is also known that such use is dangerous, as evidenced by several high profile accidents in the railroad industry, and by research on distraction in other transportation modes. Consequently, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) have a keen interest in devising counter measures to reduce the incidence of electronic device distraction (EDD) in the railroad industry. In order to devise effective countermeasures, FRA believes a survey of select rail employees would be extremely beneficial. Therefore, FRA proposes to sample railroad employees spread across the jobs of conductors, engineers, signalmen, maintenance of way, car repair personnel, machinists, and supervisors. The agency’s interest is shared by rail labor and management representatives, who are strongly supporting this survey and cooperating in its administration. All involved realize that effective counter measures to EDD must be based on a trustworthy understanding of the following: (1) Who is engaged in EDD, (2) under what circumstances they use these devices, (3) which devices are used, (4) reasons for use, and (5) frequency of use for each kind of device. Effective interventions cannot be designed, implemented, or evaluated without accurate information on these topics. The proposed survey is designed to provide this information, first as a baseline, and, in four E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM 14MRN1 16358 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 50 / Thursday, March 14, 2013 / Notices subsequent years, as a way of tracking and evaluating change. For reasons of effectiveness and efficiency, the survey will be conducted primarily via the Web, augmented as needed with email communications. Form Number(s): FRA F 6180.158 Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 1,245 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 electronically via email to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the following address: oira_submissions@omb.eop.gov 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 March 8, 2013 . Michael Logue, Associate Administrator for Administration, Federal Railroad Administration. [FR Doc. 2013–05835 Filed 3–13–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–06–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration Safety Advisory 2013–02; Low-Speed, Wheel-Climb Derailments of Passenger Equipment With ‘‘Stiff’’ Suspension Systems Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice of Safety Advisory. tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES AGENCY: FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2013–02 to alert railroads and other industry members about lowspeed, wheel-climb derailments of certain passenger equipment designs SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:51 Mar 13, 2013 Jkt 229001 having ‘‘stiff’’ suspension systems. These derailments have occurred when such equipment was negotiating track with a high degree of curvature and crosslevel variations (commonly referred to as ‘‘track warp’’) that were still within the limits set forth in FRA’s Track Safety Standards. The findings from the derailment investigations conducted by FRA and the respective railroads highlight the need to ensure that passenger equipment suspension systems are suitable for moredemanding track conditions found in low-speed operating environments. To avoid similar low-speed, wheel-climb derailments, this notice recommends that railroads and other industry members evaluate the trackworthiness of certain passenger equipment to determine whether the suspension systems meet truck-equalization industry standards, prevent wheel climb, and control static wheel-load distribution under the conditions and within the limits described in the notice; and take appropriate action to address the derailment tendency, if any, of the evaluated equipment. In order to minimize the risk of suspension spring failure, this notice also recommends that railroads and other industry members assessing the fatigue life of suspension springs and their corresponding maintenance intervals use a fatigue-evaluation load equal to the equipment’s full-capacity loading conditions. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Muhlanger, Deputy Regional Administrator, Region 1, Office of Railroad Safety, FRA, 55 Broadway Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, telephone (617) 494–2630; Gary Fairbanks, Staff Director, Motive Power and Equipment Division, Office of Railroad Safety, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493–6322; or Anna Nassif Winkle, Trial Attorney, Office of Chief Counsel, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493–6166. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background In response to increased performance objectives, such as higher operating speeds and increased passenger capacity, passenger equipment suspension systems are becoming stiffer 1 and more sophisticated, and may be approaching design limits. In many cases, engineering tradeoffs are made to meet performance objectives 1 Suspension systems that allow lower suspension deflection for the same load (e.g., due to the use of less flexible springs). PO 00000 Frm 00116 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 and satisfy specific system constraints (e.g., clearances for existing tunnels or other infrastructure). An example is equipment using non-linear vertical springs, which provide variable stiffness as the vehicle load increases from AW0 (i.e., empty vehicle ready to run) to AW3 (i.e., vehicle with full-seated and full-standee load). Such tradeoffs have resulted in certain newer designs of equipment being operated over moredemanding track geometry conditions with lower margins of safety, from a derailment perspective, than older equipment designs. The static weight distribution and marginal wheel-load equalization that are characteristic of such suspension system designs can lead to wheel unloading. This is of particular concern because FRA has determined that the combination of high, lateral curving forces and wheel unloading is a major contributing factor to low-speed,2 wheel-climb derailment tendency. Similar wheel-climb derailments are not as likely to occur at higher speeds on higher classes of track because track curvature is generally less sharp and the safety limits on trackwarp variations on such track are more stringent. See Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 213.63 and 213.331. Although the derailments prompting issuance of this safety advisory all occurred on Class 1 track at speeds of 15 mph or less, and did not result in any injuries, the consequences could have been much worse. For example, one of the derailments resulted in the derailed train fouling the adjacent track on which a National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) Acela Express train was traveling. Had the circumstances been different, a significant collision could have occurred. Thus, the recommendations in this notice are important not only in preventing low-speed, wheel-climb derailments themselves but in preventing what may be more serious consequences of such derailments. Although Federal regulations require suspension systems on Tier II 3 passenger equipment to reasonably prevent wheel climb and wheel unloading under all loading conditions and at all track speeds (see § 238.427), there is no equivalent requirement for Tier I passenger equipment (see 2 Fifteen mph or less. The maximum allowable operating speed for passenger trains on Class 1 track, as defined under 49 CFR 213.9, is 15 mph. All references in this notice to a section or other provision of a regulation are to a section, part, or other provision in 49 CFR. 3 Tier II passenger equipment operates at speeds exceeding 125 mph but not exceeding 150 mph, whereas Tier I passenger equipment operates at speeds not exceeding 125 mph. See § 238.5. E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM 14MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 50 (Thursday, March 14, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16357-16358]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05835]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA 2013-0002-N-5]


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and Request for Comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) 
abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of 
the information collection and their expected burden. The Federal 
Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the 
following collection of information was published on December 31, 2012.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 15, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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 (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, 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 December 31, 2012, FRA published a 60-day notice in the 
Federal Register soliciting comment on the ICR for which the agency was 
seeking OMB approval. 77 FR 77181. FRA received no comments in response 
to this notice.
    Before OMB decides whether to approve a proposed collection 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 request (ICR) and the expected burden, and is being 
submitted for clearance by OMB as required by the PRA.
    Title: Electronic Device Distraction (EDD) Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 2130-NEW.
    Type of Request: Regular approval of a new collection of 
information.
    Affected Public: Railroad Employees.
    Abstract: Operating railroad equipment while being distracted by 
the use of electronic devices (e.g., phones, game consoles, personal 
computers, etc.) is known to be a factor in some accidents and 
suspected of being the cause of many others in the railroad industry. 
It is also known that such use is dangerous, as evidenced by several 
high profile accidents in the railroad industry, and by research on 
distraction in other transportation modes. Consequently, the Department 
of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 
have a keen interest in devising counter measures to reduce the 
incidence of electronic device distraction (EDD) in the railroad 
industry. In order to devise effective countermeasures, FRA believes a 
survey of select rail employees would be extremely beneficial. 
Therefore, FRA proposes to sample railroad employees spread across the 
jobs of conductors, engineers, signalmen, maintenance of way, car 
repair personnel, machinists, and supervisors. The agency's interest is 
shared by rail labor and management representatives, who are strongly 
supporting this survey and cooperating in its administration. All 
involved realize that effective counter measures to EDD must be based 
on a trustworthy understanding of the following: (1) Who is engaged in 
EDD, (2) under what circumstances they use these devices, (3) which 
devices are used, (4) reasons for use, and (5) frequency of use for 
each kind of device. Effective interventions cannot be designed, 
implemented, or evaluated without accurate information on these topics. 
The proposed survey is designed to provide this information, first as a 
baseline, and, in four

[[Page 16358]]

subsequent years, as a way of tracking and evaluating change. For 
reasons of effectiveness and efficiency, the survey will be conducted 
primarily via the Web, augmented as needed with email communications.
    Form Number(s): FRA F 6180.158
    Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 1,245 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 electronically 
via email to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at 
the following address: oira_submissions@omb.eop.gov
    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 March 8, 2013 .
Michael Logue,
Associate Administrator for Administration, Federal Railroad 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2013-05835 Filed 3-13-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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