Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request, 39152-39154 [2018-16880]
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39152
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 8, 2018 / Notices
A copy of the Missouri DOR’s
application for exemption renewal is
available for review in the docket for
this notice.
Issued on: July 27, 2018.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2018–16949 Filed 8–7–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA–2018–0008–N–6]
Approved Agency Information
Collection Activities
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), U.S. Department
of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) Approval of Revised
Instructions for Form FRA F 6180.57
and Other Recent FRA Information
Collection OMB Approvals.
AGENCY:
FRA announces that OMB
approved the information collection
requests (ICRs) identified below for 3
years.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Robert Brogan, Information Collection
Clearance Officer, Office of Railroad
Safety, Regulatory Analysis Division,
RRS–21, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Room W33–497,
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202)
493–6292) or Ms. Kim Toone,
Information Collection Clearance
Officer, Office of Information
Technology, RAD–20, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Room W34–212,
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202)
493–6132).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 6,
2018, OMB approved revised
instructions Form FRA F 6180.57,
Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Accident/
Incident Report, for 3 years under OMB
No. 2130–0500 (49 CFR part 225). This
latest approval authorizes FRA to
capture information concerning postaccident toxicological testing for certain
human-factor highway-rail grade
crossing accidents and incidents in the
narrative block of this form. The newly
revised 49 CFR 219.201, effective on
June 12, 2017, requires post-accident
toxicological testing of railroad
employees when at least one of five
specific requirements is met for certain
human factor categories of highway-rail
grade crossing accidents and incidents.
Additionally, under the Paperwork
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SUMMARY:
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Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its
implementing regulations, FRA
announces that OMB approved the
renewal ICRs identified below for 3
years. These renewal ICRs pertain to 49
CFR parts 213, 217, 218, 224, 227, 228,
229, 231, 232, 234, 237, 238, 239, 241,
242, 243, and 272. Finally, FRA
announces that OMB approved two
study-related renewal ICRs for 3 years.
The PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520, and
its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part
1320, require Federal agencies to
display OMB control numbers and
inform respondents of their legal
significance once OMB approval is
obtained. In the past 12 months, OMB
approved the following renewal
information collections with the
following new expiration dates: (1)
OMB No. 2130–0500 (49 CFR part 225)
(Form FRA F 6180.55/55a/56/57/78/81/
98107/150)—June 30, 2021; (2) OMB
No. 2130–0545, Passenger Train
Emergency Preparedness (49 CFR part
239)—July 31, 2020; (3) OMB No. 2130–
0552, Locomotive Cab Sanitation
Standards (49 CFR part 229)—July 31,
2020; (4) OMB No. 2130–0564,
Locomotive Crashworthiness (49 CFR
part 229)—July 31, 2020; (5) OMB No.
2130–0602, Critical Incident Stress
Plans (49 CFR part 272)—August 31,
2020; (6) OMB No. 2130–0005, Hours of
Service Regulations (49 CFR part 228)
(Form FRA F 6180.3)—January 31, 2021;
(7) OMB No. 2130–0566,
Reflectorization of Freight Rolling Stock
(49 CFR part 224) (Form FRA F
6180.113)—November 30, 2020; (8)
OMB No. 2130–0594, Railroad Safety
Appliance Standards (49 CFR part
231)—October 31, 2020; (9) OMB No.
2130–0035, Railroad Operating Rules
(49 CFR parts 217 & 218)—February 28,
2021; (10) OMB No. 2130–0592, Track
Safety Standards; Concrete Crossties (49
CFR part 213)—February 28, 2021; (11)
OMB No. 2130–0506, Identification of
Cars Moved in Accordance with 49 CFR
232.3(d) (Formerly Order 13528) (49
CFR part 232)—March 31, 2021; (12)
OMB No. 2130–0556, U.S. Locational
Requirement for Dispatching Rail
Operations in the United States (49 CFR
part 241)—April 30, 2021; (13) OMB No.
2130–0595, Safety and Health
Requirements Related to Camp Cars (49
CFR part 228)—April 30, 2021; (14)
OMB No. 2130–0597, Training,
Qualification, and Oversight for SafetyRelated Railroad Employees (49 CFR
parts 213 & 243)—April 30, 2021; (15)
OMB No. 2130–0571, Occupational
Noise Exposure for Railroad Operating
Employees (49 CFR part 227)—May 31,
2021; and (16) OMB No. 2130–0596,
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Conductor Certification (49 CFR part
242)—May 31, 2021.
Additionally, in the last 18 months,
OMB approved the following two studyrelated renewal information collections
with the following new expiration dates:
(1) OMB No. 2130–0617, Survey of
Insular and Tourist Railroads (49 CFR
part 237) (email survey)—November 31,
2020; and (2) OMB No. 2130–0622, Cab
Technology Integration Lab (CTIL)
Head-Up Display Study (Forms FRA F
6180.170a; FRA F 6180.170b)—January
31, 2021.
Persons affected by the abovereferenced information collections are
not required to respond to any
collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number. These OMB approvals certify
FRA has complied with the provisions
of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501–3520) and
with 5 CFR 1320.5(b) informing the
public about OMB’s approval of the
information collection requirements of
the above cited forms, studies, and
regulations.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520.
Juan D. Reyes III,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2018–16881 Filed 8–7–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA–2018–0008–N–7]
Proposed Agency Information
Collection Activities; Comment
Request
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Information Collection
Request; request for comment.
AGENCY:
Under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice
announces that FRA is forwarding the
Information Collection Request (ICR)
abstracted below to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and comment. The ICR describes
the information collections and their
expected burden. On May 10, 2018, FRA
published a notice providing a 60-day
period for public comment on the ICR.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before
September 7, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments
on the ICR to the Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget, 725 17th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20503,
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 8, 2018 / Notices
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Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
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Each railroad must submit its
Quarterly PTC Progress Reports on Form
FRA F 6180.165 and its Annual PTC
Progress Reports on Form FRA F
6180.166 on FRA’s Secure Information
Repository at https://sir.fra.dot.gov.
II. Proposed Revisions to the Quarterly
and Annual PTC Progress Report Forms
On August 15, 2017, OMB approved
the Quarterly PTC Progress Report
(Form FRA F 6180.165) and Annual
PTC Progress Report (Form FRA F
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each tenant railroad in Section 6 of the
reporting forms. FRA received no
written comments in response to the 60day notice.
Before OMB decides whether to
approve these proposed collections of
information, it must provide 30 days for
public comment. 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 the 30day 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 at 44983.
Therefore, respondents should submit
their respective comments to OMB
within 30 days of publication to best
ensure having their full effect.
Comments are invited on the
following ICR regarding: (1) Whether the
information collection activities are
necessary for FRA to properly execute
its functions, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) 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; (3) ways for
FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information being
collected; and (4) ways to minimize the
burden of information collection
activities on the public, including the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
The summary below describes the ICR
that FRA will submit for OMB clearance
as the PRA requires:
Title: Positive Train Control.
OMB Control Number: 2130–0553.
Abstract: Under the Positive Train
Control Enforcement and
Implementation Act of 2015 (PTCEI
Act), each railroad subject to 49 U.S.C.
20157(a) must submit an annual
progress report to FRA by March 31,
2016, and annually thereafter, until PTC
system implementation is completed. 49
U.S.C. 20157(c)(1). The PTCEI Act
specifically requires each railroad to
provide certain information in the
annual reports regarding its progress
toward implementing a PTC system, in
addition to any other information FRA
requests. See id. In addition, 49 U.S.C.
20157(c)(2) requires FRA to conduct
compliance reviews at least annually to
ensure each railroad is complying with
its revised PTC Implementation Plan
(PTCIP), including any FRA-approved
amendments. The PTCEI Act requires
railroads to provide information to FRA
that FRA determines is necessary to
adequately conduct such compliance
reviews. 49 U.S.C. 20157(c)(2).
Under its statutory and regulatory
investigative authorities, FRA currently
requires, and seeks to continue
requiring, each subject railroad to
submit Quarterly PTC Progress Reports
(Form FRA F 6180.165) and Annual
PTC Progress Reports (Form FRA F
6180.166) on its PTC system
implementation progress. See 49 U.S.C.
20157(c)(1)–(2); see also 49 U.S.C.
20107; 49 CFR 236.1009(h).
Specifically, in addition to the
Annual PTC Progress Report (Form FRA
F 6180.166) due each March 31 under
49 U.S.C. 20157(c)(1), railroads must
provide quarterly progress reports
covering the preceding three-month
period and submit the forms to FRA on
the dates in the following table until full
PTC system implementation is
completed:
Coverage priod
Attention: FRA Desk Officer. Comments
may also be sent via email to OMB at
the following address: oira_
submissions@omb.eop.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Robert Brogan, Information Collection
Clearance Officer, Office of Railroad
Safety, Regulatory Analysis Division,
RRS–21, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Room W33–497,
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202)
493–6292); or Ms. Kim Toone,
Information Collection Clearance
Officer, Office of Administration, Office
of Information Technology, RAD–20,
Federal Railroad Administration, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W34–212,
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202)
493–6132).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA,
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 an ICR. See 44 U.S.C.
3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8–12. On May
10, 2018, FRA published a 60-day notice
in the Federal Register soliciting
comment on the ICR for which it is now
seeking OMB approval. See 83 FR 21815
(May 10, 2018). During the comment
period, on June 4, 2018, counsel for the
Association of American Railroads
asked clarifying questions, on behalf of
its member railroads, regarding FRA’s
proposed changes to Section 6 of the
Quarterly PTC Progress Report (Form
FRA F 6180.165) and Annual PTC
Progress Report (Form FRA F 6180.166).
Consistent with the abstract below, and
FRA’s summary in its 60-day notice,
FRA confirmed that a host railroad may
provide its approximate completion
dates for interoperability testing with
Due dates for quarterly reports
January 1–March 31 ........................................
April 1–June 30 ................................................
July 1–September 30 .......................................
October 1–December 31 ..................................
April 30.
July 31.
October 31.
January 31.
6180.166) for a period of one year,
expiring on August 31, 2018. The
current Quarterly PTC Progress Report
Form and Annual PTC Progress Report
Form, as approved through August 31,
2018, can be accessed and downloaded
in FRA’s eLibrary at: https://
www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L17365
and https://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/
details/L17366, respectively. These
versions of the forms took into account
the Association of American Railroads’
written comments on behalf of itself and
its member railroads; the American
Public Transportation Association’s
written comments on behalf of
Northeast Illinois Commuter Rail
System, the Utah Transit Authority, the
Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation
District of Oregon, and the Fort Worth
Transportation Authority; and industry
stakeholders’ comments during FRA’s
public meeting on April 19, 2016. FRA
published minutes from the meeting on
www.regulations.gov under Docket No.
FRA–2016–0002. For a summary of the
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 8, 2018 / Notices
oral and written comments and FRA’s
responses to the comments, please see
81 FR 28140, May 9, 2016.
Following the above cited 60-day
public comment period, FRA is now
requesting OMB’s re-approval of the
forms, with the five changes described
below. First, in Section 1 of the
Quarterly PTC Progress Report Form
(FRA F 6180.165), FRA proposes
revising the row ‘‘Territories Where
Revenue Service Demonstration Has
Been Initiated’’ to state ‘‘Territories in
Revenue Service Demonstration or in
PTC Operation’’ for clarity, based on
additional feedback from the industry
following OMB’s approval of the form
on August 15, 2017. FRA intended this
row to include any and all territories
where a railroad had initiated revenue
service demonstration (RSD), even if a
railroad subsequently obtained PTC
System Certification from FRA and is
operating its PTC system in revenue
service. The purpose of this row is to
collect information regarding a
railroad’s progress toward meeting the
statutory criteria under 49 U.S.C.
20157(a)(3)(B)(vi)–(vii), if applicable.
Based on feedback from the industry,
FRA proposes clarifying the language in
this row in Section 1 so railroads
understand that a railroad can include
in this row the number of territories
where its PTC system is in RSD or in
operation. This proposed change does
not result in any additional reporting
burden as it is only a clarifying change.
Second, in footnotes 4 and 6 of the
Quarterly PTC Progress Report Form
(FRA F 6180.165), FRA proposes adding
a hyperlink to Appendix A. The
footnotes currently state: ‘‘If a particular
category listed in this table does not
apply to the railroad’s technology,
please indicate ‘N/A.’ A railroad may
add categories or subcategories if it
wants to provide more detail.’’ FRA
proposes adding the phrase ‘‘in
Appendix A’’ to the second sentence
with a hyperlink to that appendix to the
form, as it will help direct railroads to
the available section of the PDF where
they can provide additional
information. A hyperlink to Appendix A
was in the corresponding footnotes in
the prior version of the Quarterly PTC
Progress Report Form that OMB
approved through June 30, 2017, but the
hyperlink was omitted in error from the
current version of the form. This
proposed change (i.e., adding a
hyperlink to an existing appendix) does
not result in any additional reporting
burden as it is only a formatting change.
Third, in Section 4 (entitled
‘‘Installation/Track Segment Progress—
Current Status’’) of both the quarterly
form and the annual form, FRA
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proposes replacing the ‘‘Testing’’ option
in the drop-down menu with two more
precise options—i.e., ‘‘Field Testing’’
and ‘‘Revenue Service Demonstration.’’
This modification will help ensure
clearer and more accurate reporting,
without imposing an additional
reporting burden.
Fourth, with respect to only the
Annual PTC Progress Report Form (FRA
F 6180.166), FRA proposes to delete a
now inapplicable instruction from
footnote 7 in Section 4, which stated,
Please note: For the Annual PTC Progress
Report due by March 31, 2017, this
mandatory geographic requirement (that
must be satisfied by either completing
Column 5 in Section 4 or submitting a GIS
shapefile as described above) is due to FRA
by April 30, 2017. Every other part of this
form must be completed and submitted to
FRA by March 31, 2017. This limited
extension applies only in 2017.
FRA delayed the due date for submitting
that specific information in 2017 only,
per OMB’s request, to ensure railroads
had sufficient time to compile and
provide the information. FRA proposes
removing that note from footnote 7 as it
is no longer applicable or necessary. By
statute, a railroad’s Annual PTC
Progress Report is due by March 31st
each year until it completes PTC system
implementation. 49 U.S.C. 20157(c)(1).
Fifth, with respect to both the
quarterly form and the annual form,
FRA proposes making certain changes to
Section 6 (entitled ‘‘Update on
Interoperability Progress’’). FRA
proposes removing the portion of the
instruction that states a host railroad
must provide information about the
status of each tenant railroad’s rolling
stock ‘‘if the tenant does not have a
separate PTCIP on file.’’ FRA proposes
removing this limiting instruction
because FRA needs to know the PTC
implementation status of any tenant
railroad that operates on the host
railroad’s property, except any tenant
railroad that is subject to an exception
under 49 CFR 236.1006(b). In addition,
before the final column in the table in
Section 6, FRA proposes adding a
column entitled, ‘‘Scheduled
Completion Date for Interoperability
Testing.’’ This information is necessary
for FRA to understand the progress a
host railroad and each of its required
tenant railroads are jointly making
toward testing and achieving PTC
system interoperability, consistent with
host railroad’s PTC Implementation
Plan and/or PTC Safety Plan. FRA
estimates the additional burden for a
host railroad to complete this new
reporting requirement would be, on
average, approximately 2.5 hours for
Class I railroads and large passenger
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railroads; 1.25 hours for Class II and
medium passenger railroads; and thirty
minutes for Class III, terminal, and
small passenger railroads.
III. Overview of Information Collection
The associated collection of
information is summarized below.
Title: Positive Train Control
(Quarterly Positive Train Control
Progress Report and Annual Positive
Train Control Progress Report).
Type of Request: Extension with
change of a currently approved
information collection.
Affected Public: Businesses
(railroads).
Form(s): FRA F 6180.165 and FRA F
6180.166.
Respondent Universe: 41 Railroad
Carriers.
Frequency of Submission: On
occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Responses:
147,526.
Total Estimated Annual Burden:
2,728,528 hours.
Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR
1320.5(b) and 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.
Juan D. Reyes III,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2018–16880 Filed 8–7–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping
Requirements Agency Information
Collection Activity Under OMB Review
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the Information
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted
below will be submitted 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. A Federal
Register Notice with a 60-day comment
period soliciting public comments on
the following information collection
was published on May 18, 2018 (83 FR
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39152-39154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16880]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2018-0008-N-7]
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment
Request
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Information Collection Request; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice
announces that FRA is forwarding the Information Collection Request
(ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and comment. The ICR describes the information collections and
their expected burden. On May 10, 2018, FRA published a notice
providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
September 7, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the ICR to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget,
725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503,
[[Page 39153]]
Attention: FRA Desk Officer. Comments may also be sent via email to OMB
at the following address: [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Brogan, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Railroad Safety, Regulatory
Analysis Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Room W33-497, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202)
493-6292); or Ms. Kim Toone, Information Collection Clearance Officer,
Office of Administration, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20,
Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W34-
212, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6132).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA, 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 an ICR. See 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5
CFR 1320.8-12. On May 10, 2018, FRA published a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register soliciting comment on the ICR for which it is now
seeking OMB approval. See 83 FR 21815 (May 10, 2018). During the
comment period, on June 4, 2018, counsel for the Association of
American Railroads asked clarifying questions, on behalf of its member
railroads, regarding FRA's proposed changes to Section 6 of the
Quarterly PTC Progress Report (Form FRA F 6180.165) and Annual PTC
Progress Report (Form FRA F 6180.166). Consistent with the abstract
below, and FRA's summary in its 60-day notice, FRA confirmed that a
host railroad may provide its approximate completion dates for
interoperability testing with each tenant railroad in Section 6 of the
reporting forms. FRA received no written comments in response to the
60-day notice.
Before OMB decides whether to approve these proposed collections of
information, it must provide 30 days for public comment. 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 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 at 44983. Therefore,
respondents should submit their respective comments to OMB within 30
days of publication to best ensure having their full effect.
Comments are invited on the following ICR regarding: (1) Whether
the information collection activities are necessary for FRA to properly
execute its functions, including whether the information will have
practical utility; (2) 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; (3) ways
for FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
being collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of information
collection activities on the public, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
The summary below describes the ICR that FRA will submit for OMB
clearance as the PRA requires:
Title: Positive Train Control.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0553.
Abstract: Under the Positive Train Control Enforcement and
Implementation Act of 2015 (PTCEI Act), each railroad subject to 49
U.S.C. 20157(a) must submit an annual progress report to FRA by March
31, 2016, and annually thereafter, until PTC system implementation is
completed. 49 U.S.C. 20157(c)(1). The PTCEI Act specifically requires
each railroad to provide certain information in the annual reports
regarding its progress toward implementing a PTC system, in addition to
any other information FRA requests. See id. In addition, 49 U.S.C.
20157(c)(2) requires FRA to conduct compliance reviews at least
annually to ensure each railroad is complying with its revised PTC
Implementation Plan (PTCIP), including any FRA-approved amendments. The
PTCEI Act requires railroads to provide information to FRA that FRA
determines is necessary to adequately conduct such compliance reviews.
49 U.S.C. 20157(c)(2).
Under its statutory and regulatory investigative authorities, FRA
currently requires, and seeks to continue requiring, each subject
railroad to submit Quarterly PTC Progress Reports (Form FRA F 6180.165)
and Annual PTC Progress Reports (Form FRA F 6180.166) on its PTC system
implementation progress. See 49 U.S.C. 20157(c)(1)-(2); see also 49
U.S.C. 20107; 49 CFR 236.1009(h).
Specifically, in addition to the Annual PTC Progress Report (Form
FRA F 6180.166) due each March 31 under 49 U.S.C. 20157(c)(1),
railroads must provide quarterly progress reports covering the
preceding three-month period and submit the forms to FRA on the dates
in the following table until full PTC system implementation is
completed:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Due dates for
Coverage priod quarterly reports
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q1.............................. January 1-March 31 April 30.
Q2.............................. April 1-June 30... July 31.
Q3.............................. July 1-September October 31.
30.
Q4.............................. October 1-December January 31.
31.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each railroad must submit its Quarterly PTC Progress Reports on
Form FRA F 6180.165 and its Annual PTC Progress Reports on Form FRA F
6180.166 on FRA's Secure Information Repository at https://sir.fra.dot.gov.
II. Proposed Revisions to the Quarterly and Annual PTC Progress Report
Forms
On August 15, 2017, OMB approved the Quarterly PTC Progress Report
(Form FRA F 6180.165) and Annual PTC Progress Report (Form FRA F
6180.166) for a period of one year, expiring on August 31, 2018. The
current Quarterly PTC Progress Report Form and Annual PTC Progress
Report Form, as approved through August 31, 2018, can be accessed and
downloaded in FRA's eLibrary at: https://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L17365 and https://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L17366, respectively.
These versions of the forms took into account the Association of
American Railroads' written comments on behalf of itself and its member
railroads; the American Public Transportation Association's written
comments on behalf of Northeast Illinois Commuter Rail System, the Utah
Transit Authority, the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District
of Oregon, and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority; and industry
stakeholders' comments during FRA's public meeting on April 19, 2016.
FRA published minutes from the meeting on www.regulations.gov under
Docket No. FRA-2016-0002. For a summary of the
[[Page 39154]]
oral and written comments and FRA's responses to the comments, please
see 81 FR 28140, May 9, 2016.
Following the above cited 60-day public comment period, FRA is now
requesting OMB's re-approval of the forms, with the five changes
described below. First, in Section 1 of the Quarterly PTC Progress
Report Form (FRA F 6180.165), FRA proposes revising the row
``Territories Where Revenue Service Demonstration Has Been Initiated''
to state ``Territories in Revenue Service Demonstration or in PTC
Operation'' for clarity, based on additional feedback from the industry
following OMB's approval of the form on August 15, 2017. FRA intended
this row to include any and all territories where a railroad had
initiated revenue service demonstration (RSD), even if a railroad
subsequently obtained PTC System Certification from FRA and is
operating its PTC system in revenue service. The purpose of this row is
to collect information regarding a railroad's progress toward meeting
the statutory criteria under 49 U.S.C. 20157(a)(3)(B)(vi)-(vii), if
applicable. Based on feedback from the industry, FRA proposes
clarifying the language in this row in Section 1 so railroads
understand that a railroad can include in this row the number of
territories where its PTC system is in RSD or in operation. This
proposed change does not result in any additional reporting burden as
it is only a clarifying change.
Second, in footnotes 4 and 6 of the Quarterly PTC Progress Report
Form (FRA F 6180.165), FRA proposes adding a hyperlink to Appendix A.
The footnotes currently state: ``If a particular category listed in
this table does not apply to the railroad's technology, please indicate
`N/A.' A railroad may add categories or subcategories if it wants to
provide more detail.'' FRA proposes adding the phrase ``in Appendix A''
to the second sentence with a hyperlink to that appendix to the form,
as it will help direct railroads to the available section of the PDF
where they can provide additional information. A hyperlink to Appendix
A was in the corresponding footnotes in the prior version of the
Quarterly PTC Progress Report Form that OMB approved through June 30,
2017, but the hyperlink was omitted in error from the current version
of the form. This proposed change (i.e., adding a hyperlink to an
existing appendix) does not result in any additional reporting burden
as it is only a formatting change.
Third, in Section 4 (entitled ``Installation/Track Segment
Progress--Current Status'') of both the quarterly form and the annual
form, FRA proposes replacing the ``Testing'' option in the drop-down
menu with two more precise options--i.e., ``Field Testing'' and
``Revenue Service Demonstration.'' This modification will help ensure
clearer and more accurate reporting, without imposing an additional
reporting burden.
Fourth, with respect to only the Annual PTC Progress Report Form
(FRA F 6180.166), FRA proposes to delete a now inapplicable instruction
from footnote 7 in Section 4, which stated,
Please note: For the Annual PTC Progress Report due by March 31,
2017, this mandatory geographic requirement (that must be satisfied
by either completing Column 5 in Section 4 or submitting a GIS
shapefile as described above) is due to FRA by April 30, 2017. Every
other part of this form must be completed and submitted to FRA by
March 31, 2017. This limited extension applies only in 2017.
FRA delayed the due date for submitting that specific information in
2017 only, per OMB's request, to ensure railroads had sufficient time
to compile and provide the information. FRA proposes removing that note
from footnote 7 as it is no longer applicable or necessary. By statute,
a railroad's Annual PTC Progress Report is due by March 31st each year
until it completes PTC system implementation. 49 U.S.C. 20157(c)(1).
Fifth, with respect to both the quarterly form and the annual form,
FRA proposes making certain changes to Section 6 (entitled ``Update on
Interoperability Progress''). FRA proposes removing the portion of the
instruction that states a host railroad must provide information about
the status of each tenant railroad's rolling stock ``if the tenant does
not have a separate PTCIP on file.'' FRA proposes removing this
limiting instruction because FRA needs to know the PTC implementation
status of any tenant railroad that operates on the host railroad's
property, except any tenant railroad that is subject to an exception
under 49 CFR 236.1006(b). In addition, before the final column in the
table in Section 6, FRA proposes adding a column entitled, ``Scheduled
Completion Date for Interoperability Testing.'' This information is
necessary for FRA to understand the progress a host railroad and each
of its required tenant railroads are jointly making toward testing and
achieving PTC system interoperability, consistent with host railroad's
PTC Implementation Plan and/or PTC Safety Plan. FRA estimates the
additional burden for a host railroad to complete this new reporting
requirement would be, on average, approximately 2.5 hours for Class I
railroads and large passenger railroads; 1.25 hours for Class II and
medium passenger railroads; and thirty minutes for Class III, terminal,
and small passenger railroads.
III. Overview of Information Collection
The associated collection of information is summarized below.
Title: Positive Train Control (Quarterly Positive Train Control
Progress Report and Annual Positive Train Control Progress Report).
Type of Request: Extension with change of a currently approved
information collection.
Affected Public: Businesses (railroads).
Form(s): FRA F 6180.165 and FRA F 6180.166.
Respondent Universe: 41 Railroad Carriers.
Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Responses: 147,526.
Total Estimated Annual Burden: 2,728,528 hours.
Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b) and 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.
Juan D. Reyes III,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2018-16880 Filed 8-7-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
