60-Day Notice of Intent to Seek Extension of Approval: Rail Depreciation Studies, 67990-67991 [2019-26783]
Download as PDF
67990
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 239 / Thursday, December 12, 2019 / Notices
whether the collection has practical
utility. Submitted comments will be
summarized and included in the
Board’s request for OMB approval.
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
60-Day Notice of Intent to Seek
Extension of Approval: Rail
Depreciation Studies
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Description of Collection
Title: Arbitration ‘‘Opt-in’’ Notices.
OMB Control Number: 2140–0020.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Extension without
change.
Respondents: All regulated rail
carriers.
Number of Respondents: 2.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.5
hours.
Frequency: Annually.
Total Burden Hours (annually
including all respondents): 1.0 hours.
Total ‘‘Non-Hour Burden’’ Cost: None
identified. Filings are submitted
electronically to the Board.
Needs and Uses: Under the Interstate
Commerce Act, as amended by the ICC
Termination Act of 1995, Public Law
No. 104–88, 109 Stat. 803 (1995), the
Board is responsible for the economic
regulation of common carrier rail
transportation. Under 49 CFR 1108.3,
rail carriers subject to the Board’s
jurisdiction may agree to participate in
the Board’s arbitration program by filing
a notice with the Board to ‘‘opt in.’’
Once a rail carrier is participating in the
Board’s arbitration program, it may
discontinue its participation only by
filing a notice to ‘‘opt out’’ with the
Board, which would become effective
90 days after its filing.
Under the PRA, a federal agency that
conducts or sponsors a collection of
information must display a currently
valid OMB control number. A collection
of information, which is defined in 44
U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c),
includes agency requirements that
persons submit reports, keep records, or
provide information to the agency, third
parties, or the public. Under 44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A), federal agencies are
required to provide, prior to an agency’s
submitting a collection to OMB for
approval, a 60-day notice and comment
period through publication in the
Federal Register concerning each
proposed collection of information,
including each proposed extension of an
existing collection of information.
Dated: December 9, 2019.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2019–26782 Filed 12–11–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915–01–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:56 Dec 11, 2019
Jkt 250001
Surface Transportation Board.
Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
As required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the
Surface Transportation Board (STB or
Board) gives notice of its intent to seek
approval from the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for an extension of
the collection of Rail Depreciation
Studies, described below.
DATES: Comments on this information
collection should be submitted by
February 10, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to
Chris Oehrle, Surface Transportation
Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC
20423–0001, or to PRA@stb.gov. When
submitting comments, please refer to
‘‘Paperwork Reduction Act Comments,
Rail Depreciation Studies.’’ For further
information regarding this collection,
contact Pedro Ramirez at (202) 245–
0333 or pedro.ramirez@stb.gov.
Assistance for the hearing impaired is
available through the Federal Relay
Service at (800) 877–8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments
are requested concerning: (1) The
accuracy of the Board’s burden
estimates; (2) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information collected; (3) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on the respondents,
including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, when
appropriate; and (4) whether the
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the Board, including
whether the collection has practical
utility. Submitted comments will be
summarized and included in the
Board’s request for OMB approval.
SUMMARY:
Description of Collection
Title: Rail Depreciation Studies.
OMB Control Number: 2140–0028.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Extension without
change.
Respondents: Class I railroads.
Number of Respondents: 7.
Estimated Time per Response:
Approximately 250 hours per study
(estimating that studies will require
between 125 hours and 375 hours
depending on the extent to which the
carrier provides assistance to outside
PO 00000
Frm 00080
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
consultants performing the study for
them).
Frequency of Response: Bi-annual.
(Under 49 CFR part 1201, §§ 4–1 to 4–
4, the Board requires all Class I (large)
carriers to submit depreciation studies
no less than every three years for
equipment property and every six years
for road property. That means that for
any given six-year period, the Class I
railroads must submit no less than three
depreciation reports, or the equivalent
of 0.5 depreciation reports per year.)
Total Annual Hour Burden: 875 hours
(250 hours × 0.5 studies/year × 7 Class
I railroads).
Total Annual ‘‘Non-Hour Burden’’
Cost: Approximately $175,000 per year.
Board staff estimates that each study
will cost between $20,000 and $80,000,
which equals a cost of approximately
$10,000-$40,000 per year. Using an
average cost ($25,000 per year × 7 Class
I railroads), the non-hour burden cost is
estimated to be approximately $175,000
per year.
Needs and Uses: Under 49 CFR part
1201, §§ 4–1 to 4–4, the Board is
required to identify those classes of
property for which rail carriers may
include depreciation charges under
operating expenses, and the Board must
also prescribe a rate of depreciation that
may be charged to those classes of
property. Under 49 U.S.C. 11145, Class
I rail carriers are required to submit
Depreciation Studies to the Board.
Information in these studies is not
available from any other source. The
Board uses the information in these
studies to prescribe depreciation rates.
These depreciation rate prescriptions
state the period for which the
depreciation rates therein are
applicable. Class I railroads apply the
prescribed depreciation rates to their
investment base to determine monthly
and annual depreciation expense. This
expense is included in the railroads’
operating expenses, which are reported
in their R–1 reports (OMB Control
Number 2140–0009). Operating
expenses are used to develop operating
costs for application in various
proceedings before the Board, such as in
rate reasonableness cases and in the
determination of railroad ‘‘revenue
adequacy.’’
Under the PRA, a federal agency that
conducts or sponsors a collection of
information must display a currently
valid OMB control number. A collection
of information, which is defined in 44
U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c),
includes agency requirements that
persons submit reports, keep records, or
provide information to the agency, third
parties, or the public. Under 44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A), federal agencies are
E:\FR\FM\12DEN1.SGM
12DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 239 / Thursday, December 12, 2019 / Notices
required to provide, prior to an agency’s
submitting a collection to OMB for
approval, a 60-day notice and comment
period through publication in the
Federal Register concerning each
proposed collection of information,
including each proposed extension of an
existing collection of information.
Information from certain schedules
contained in these reports is available at
the Board’s website at WWW.STB.GOV
by navigating to ‘‘Reports & Data’’ and
clicking on ‘‘Economic Data.’’
Information in these reports is not
available from any other source.
Dated: December 9, 2019.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2019–26783 Filed 12–11–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915–01–P
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
[Docket No. FD 36275]
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Middletown & New Jersey Railroad,
L.L.C.—Lease and Operation
Exemption Containing Interchange
Commitment—Norfolk Southern
Railway Company
Middletown & New Jersey Railroad,
L.L.C. (M&NJ), a Class III rail carrier, has
filed a verified notice of exemption
under 49 CFR 1150.41 to continue to
lease and operate approximately 36.15
miles of rail line from Norfolk Southern
Railway Company (NSR) in New York
(collectively, the Lines). The Lines
consist of the continued lease of the
following rail lines from NSR: (1) The
Hudson Secondary located between
milepost LX 2.1 and milepost LX 20.6
(18.5 miles in length); (2) the Walden
Secondary located between mileposts DJ
5.0 through DJ 10.5 and milepost WI
29.1 through WI 32.9 (9.3 miles in
length); (3) the Maybrook Industrial
Track located between milepost RT 1.3
and milepost RT 7.5 (6.2 miles in
length); (4) the Greycourt Industrial
Track located between milepost IL 52.5
and milepost IL 53.4 (1.0 mile in
length); and (5) the EL Connection Track
located between milepost QK 0.0 and
milepost QK 0.8 (0.8 miles in length).
The Lines also consist of the continued
sublease to M&NJ of NSR’s lease
operations over the connecting track
owned by the New York, Susquehanna
& Western Railway (NYS&W) located
between milepost JS 63.14 and milepost
LX 2.1 (approximately 0.35 miles in
length), at Hudson Junction, N.Y. In
conjunction with leasing (or subleasing)
the Lines to M&NJ, NSR also: (1)
Granted M&NJ incidental overhead
trackage rights over NSR’s rail line
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:56 Dec 11, 2019
Jkt 250001
located between milepost JS 67.50 and
milepost JS 63.14 (4.36 miles in length);
and (2) partially assigned to M&NJ all of
NSR’s rights under the NYS&W
Trackage Rights Agreement for
NYS&W’s continued trackage rights
operations over the Hudson Secondary
track between Hudson Junction and
Warwick, N.Y.
M&NJ entered into a lease agreement
with NSR in 2010. See Middletown &
N.J. R.R.—Lease & Operation
Exemption—Norfolk S. Ry., FD 35412,
slip op. at 1–2 (STB served Sept. 16,
2010). The verified notice states that
M&NJ recently entered into an amended
lease agreement with NSR (Amended
Agreement) that, among other things,
extended the term of the lease to
December 31, 2028.
M&NJ certifies that its projected
annual revenues as a result of this
transaction will not result in the
creation of a Class I or Class II rail
carrier and will not exceed $5 million.
As required under 49 CFR 1150.43(h)(1),
M&NJ has disclosed in its verified
notice that the Amended Agreement
contains an interchange commitment.1
M&NJ has provided additional
information regarding the interchange
commitment as required by 49 CFR
1150.33(h).
The transaction may be consummated
on or after December 26, 2019, the
effective date of the exemption (30 days
after the verified notice of exemption
was filed).
If the verified notice contains false or
misleading information, the exemption
is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the
exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d)
may be filed at any time. The filing of
a petition to revoke will not
automatically stay the effectiveness of
the exemption. Petitions for stay must
be filed no later than December 19, 2019
(at least seven days before the
exemption becomes effective).
All pleadings, referring to Docket No.
FD 36275, must be filed with the
Surface Transportation Board either via
e-filing or in writing addressed to 395 E
Street SW, Washington, DC 20423–0001.
In addition, a copy of each pleading
must be served on M&NJ’s
representative, Karl Morell, Karl Morell
& Associates, 440 1st Street NW, Suite
440, Washington, DC 20001.
According to M&NJ, this action is
categorically excluded from
environmental review under 49 CFR
1105.6(c) and from historic preservation
reporting requirements under 49 CFR
1105.8(b).
1 A copy of the Amended Agreement with the
interchange commitment was submitted under seal.
See 49 CFR 1150.33(h)(1).
PO 00000
Frm 00081
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
67991
Board decisions and notices are
available at www.stb.gov.
Decided: December 9, 2019.
By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting
Director, Office of Proceedings.
Eden Besera,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2019–26768 Filed 12–11–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915–01–P
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
60-Day Notice of Intent To Seek
Extension of Approval: Information
Collection Activities—Recordations
(Rail and Water Carrier Liens), Water
Carrier Tariffs, and Agricultural
Contract Summaries
Surface Transportation Board.
Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
As required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the
Surface Transportation Board (STB or
Board) gives notice of its intent to seek
approval from the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for an extension of
the collection required by statute for rail
or water carrier equipment liens
(recordations), water carrier tariffs, and
rail agricultural contract summaries, as
described in more detail below.
DATES: Comments on this information
collection should be submitted by
February 10, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to
Chris Oehrle, Surface Transportation
Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC
20423–0001, or to PRA@stb.gov. When
submitting comments, please refer to
‘‘Paperwork Reduction Act Comments,
Recordations (Rail and Water Carrier
Liens), Water Carrier Tariffs, and
Agricultural Contract Summaries.’’ For
further information regarding this
collection, contact Michael Higgins,
Deputy Director, Office of Public
Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and
Compliance at (202) 245–0284 or
michael.higgins@stb.gov. Assistance for
the hearing impaired is available
through the Federal Relay Service at
(800) 877–8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments
are requested concerning: (1) The
accuracy of the Board’s burden
estimates; (2) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information collected; (3) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on the respondents,
including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, when
appropriate; and (4) whether the
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\12DEN1.SGM
12DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 239 (Thursday, December 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67990-67991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26783]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
60-Day Notice of Intent to Seek Extension of Approval: Rail
Depreciation Studies
AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the
Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) gives notice of its intent
to seek approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an
extension of the collection of Rail Depreciation Studies, described
below.
DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by
February 10, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Chris Oehrle, Surface Transportation
Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423-0001, or to [email protected].
When submitting comments, please refer to ``Paperwork Reduction Act
Comments, Rail Depreciation Studies.'' For further information
regarding this collection, contact Pedro Ramirez at (202) 245-0333 or
[email protected]. Assistance for the hearing impaired is available
through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are requested concerning: (1) The
accuracy of the Board's burden estimates; (2) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; (3) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on the
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, when appropriate; and (4)
whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the Board, including whether the
collection has practical utility. Submitted comments will be summarized
and included in the Board's request for OMB approval.
Description of Collection
Title: Rail Depreciation Studies.
OMB Control Number: 2140-0028.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Extension without change.
Respondents: Class I railroads.
Number of Respondents: 7.
Estimated Time per Response: Approximately 250 hours per study
(estimating that studies will require between 125 hours and 375 hours
depending on the extent to which the carrier provides assistance to
outside consultants performing the study for them).
Frequency of Response: Bi-annual. (Under 49 CFR part 1201,
Sec. Sec. 4-1 to 4-4, the Board requires all Class I (large) carriers
to submit depreciation studies no less than every three years for
equipment property and every six years for road property. That means
that for any given six-year period, the Class I railroads must submit
no less than three depreciation reports, or the equivalent of 0.5
depreciation reports per year.)
Total Annual Hour Burden: 875 hours (250 hours x 0.5 studies/year x
7 Class I railroads).
Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: Approximately $175,000 per
year. Board staff estimates that each study will cost between $20,000
and $80,000, which equals a cost of approximately $10,000-$40,000 per
year. Using an average cost ($25,000 per year x 7 Class I railroads),
the non-hour burden cost is estimated to be approximately $175,000 per
year.
Needs and Uses: Under 49 CFR part 1201, Sec. Sec. 4-1 to 4-4, the
Board is required to identify those classes of property for which rail
carriers may include depreciation charges under operating expenses, and
the Board must also prescribe a rate of depreciation that may be
charged to those classes of property. Under 49 U.S.C. 11145, Class I
rail carriers are required to submit Depreciation Studies to the Board.
Information in these studies is not available from any other source.
The Board uses the information in these studies to prescribe
depreciation rates. These depreciation rate prescriptions state the
period for which the depreciation rates therein are applicable. Class I
railroads apply the prescribed depreciation rates to their investment
base to determine monthly and annual depreciation expense. This expense
is included in the railroads' operating expenses, which are reported in
their R-1 reports (OMB Control Number 2140-0009). Operating expenses
are used to develop operating costs for application in various
proceedings before the Board, such as in rate reasonableness cases and
in the determination of railroad ``revenue adequacy.''
Under the PRA, a federal agency that conducts or sponsors a
collection of information must display a currently valid OMB control
number. A collection of information, which is defined in 44 U.S.C.
3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c), includes agency requirements that persons
submit reports, keep records, or provide information to the agency,
third parties, or the public. Under 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), federal
agencies are
[[Page 67991]]
required to provide, prior to an agency's submitting a collection to
OMB for approval, a 60-day notice and comment period through
publication in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection
of information, including each proposed extension of an existing
collection of information.
Information from certain schedules contained in these reports is
available at the Board's website at WWW.STB.GOV by navigating to
``Reports & Data'' and clicking on ``Economic Data.'' Information in
these reports is not available from any other source.
Dated: December 9, 2019.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2019-26783 Filed 12-11-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P