Request for Information on Goals, Criteria, Thresholds, and Measurable Data Sources for Designating the National Multimodal Freight Network, 25913-25917 [2024-07810]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 72 / Friday, April 12, 2024 / Notices information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A. Issued on April 9, 2024. Tanya Topka, Director. [FR Doc. 2024–07824 Filed 4–11–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–59–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Office of the Secretary [DOT–OST–2024–0046] Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity (ACTE); Notice of Public Meeting Office of the Secretary, Department of Transportation. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. AGENCY: DOT OST announces a meeting of ACTE, which will take place via Zoom Webinar. DATES: The meeting will be held Friday, May 3, 2024, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Requests for accommodations because of a disability must be received by Friday, April 26. Requests to submit questions must be received no later than Friday, April 26. The registration form will close on Thursday, May 2. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held via Zoom Webinar. Those members of the public who would like to participate virtually should go to https:// www.transportation.gov/mission/civilrights/advisory-committeetransportation-equity-meetingsmaterials to access the meeting, a detailed agenda for the entire meeting, meeting minutes, and additional information on ACTE and its activities. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Watkins, Designated Federal Officer, Departmental Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:47 Apr 11, 2024 Jkt 262001 (202) 366–5990, ACTE@dot.gov. Any ACTE-related request or submissions should be sent via email to the point of contact listed above. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Purpose of the Committee ACTE was established under the authority of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C. App 2, to provide independent advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation about comprehensive, interdisciplinary issues related to civil rights and transportation equity in the planning, design, research, policy, and advocacy contexts from a variety of transportation equity practitioners and community leaders. Specifically, the Committee will provide advice and recommendations to inform the Department’s efforts to: Implement the Agency’s Equity Action Plan and Strategic Plan, helping to institutionalize equity into Agency programs, policies, regulations, and activities; Strengthen and establish partnerships with overburdened and underserved communities who have been historically underrepresented in the Department’s outreach and engagement, including those in rural and urban areas; Empower communities to have a meaningful voice in local and regional transportation decisions; and Ensure the compliance of Federal funding recipients with civil rights laws and nondiscrimination programs, policies, regulations, and activities. Meeting Agenda The agenda for the meeting will consist of: Opening remarks ACTE Committee Check-In Review of Department Updates Review ACTE Rolling Recommendations Letter to the Secretary ACTE Recommendations Report Review and Full Committee Discussion Public Comment Committee Acknowledgements and Celebration Next Steps and Closing Remarks Meeting Participation Advance registration is required. Please register at https://usdot.zoomgov. com/webinar/register/WN_lUy--sGQRf1AHA3F66mPA by the deadline referenced in the DATES section. The meeting will be open to the public for PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 25913 its entirety. The U.S. Department of Transportation is committed to providing equal access to this meeting for all participants. If you need alternative formats or services because of a disability, such as sign language, interpretation, or other ancillary aids, please contact the point of contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. Questions from the public will be answered during the public comment period only at the discretion of the ACTE chair, vice chair, and designated Federal officer. Members of the public may submit written comments and questions to the point of contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section on the topics to be considered during the meeting by the deadline referenced in the DATES section. Dated: April 8, 2024. Irene Marion, Director, Departmental Office of Civil Rights. [FR Doc. 2024–07774 Filed 4–11–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Office of the Secretary [Docket No. DOT–OST–2024–0047] Request for Information on Goals, Criteria, Thresholds, and Measurable Data Sources for Designating the National Multimodal Freight Network Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Maritime Administration (MARAD), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS), and Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). ACTION: 60-Day day notice and request for comments. AGENCY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT or Department) DOT is seeking information from the public, and in particular multimodal freight system users, transportation providers, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, ports, airports, railroads, freight forwarders, brokers, other supply chain logisticians, scholars, and States on the best approach to identify critical freight facilities and corridors that will make up a National Multimodal Freight Network (NMFN) that is vital to achieving the national multimodal SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\12APN1.SGM 12APN1 25914 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 72 / Friday, April 12, 2024 / Notices freight policy goals of the United States. DOT is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to solicit input on how to prioritize the statutory goals of, and the statutory factors for designating, the NMFN, as well as measurable thresholds, criteria, and data sources for designating the NMFN. Informed by comments received in response to this RFI, DOT will draft a proposed network map to be published for public comment in the Late Spring of 2024 and provide an opportunity for States to provide input to submit additions to the network. After the final, subsequent comment period, DOT will review and approve additional designations for the NMFN by States and designate the final NMFN by December of 2024. DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 11, 2024 to receive consideration by DOT with respect to the draft designation of the NMFN. ADDRESSES: To ensure that you do not duplicate your docket submissions, please submit them by only one of the following means: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting comments. • Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001. • Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is (202) 366–9329. • Instructions: You must include the agency name and docket number at the beginning of your comments. All comments received will be posted without change to https:// www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Baumer, 202–366–1092 or email freight@dot.gov. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 Background Section 70103 of title 49, United States Code, which was established in section 8001 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, Public Law 114–94 (Dec. 4, 2015) and amended by section 21103 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Public Law 117–58 (Nov. 15, 2021), directs the Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight to establish a NMFN that will be used to: (1) assist States in strategically directing resources toward improved system performance for the efficient movement of freight on the NMFN; (2) inform freight transportation VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:47 Apr 11, 2024 Jkt 262001 planning; (3) assist in the prioritization of Federal investment; and (4) assess and support Federal investments to achieve the national multimodal freight policy goals described in 49 U.S.C. 70101(b), and the national highway freight program goals described in 23 U.S.C. 167. DOT is directed to designate the NMFN after soliciting input from stakeholders through a public process and providing notice and comment on a draft system, with the goal of using measurable data as part of assessment of the significance of freight movement, to improve network and intermodal connectivity. DOT is requesting input from a broad cross section of stakeholders, but Section 70103 also provides a process for States to propose specific additions to the NMFN, referred to as ‘‘State Input’’. States must consider nominations from freight stakeholders within their State, and ensure proposed additions are consistent with their State transportation improvement program or state freight plan. DOT anticipates requesting those additions this summer, at the same time as DOT requests input on the Draft Network. The FAST Act directed DOT to establish an Interim NMFN based on criteria laid out in the statute. DOT published the Interim Network on June 16, 2016, and the public was invited to submit comments to the docket 1 through September 6, 2016. In the Federal Register notice, DOT posed several questions for the public to consider, and States and other stakeholders were provided the opportunity to submit additional designations for consideration for inclusion into the Final NMFN, which was then to be designated by the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy. DOT subsequently reopened and extended the comment period on the Interim NMFN on October 25, 2017.2 DOT received 126 comments during the duration of the two public comment periods, ending in February 2018. The freight transportation system has undergone significant changes in the time since the Department last solicited comments and additional designations for the Interim NMFN. With more data and information available, and the removal of any reference to the Interim NMFN by section 21103 of the IIJA, DOT has decided to reopen the NMFN designation process with this Request for Information. The Department is requesting comments on several questions that are posed below. DOT will use this input to inform a draft NMFN, which DOT 1 81 2 82 PO 00000 FR 36381. FR 49478. Frm 00053 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 anticipates publishing in Late Spring 2024. Following publication of the draft network, DOT will establish a process to receive additional designations from the States via the ‘‘State Input’’ process outlined in statute49 U.S.C. 70103(b)(4). DOT expects to publish the final NMFN by the end of the calendar year. In order to meet that timeline, States should anticipate a 90-day window to provide their additional designations and associated State Input certifications. The National Multimodal Freight Network vs. the National Highway Freight Network (NHFN) Statutorily, the NMFN and the National Highway Freight Network (NHFN) serve similar goals. However, as currently authorized, the designation of the National Multimodal Freight Network does not have an impact on the National Highway Freight Network or the use of National Highway Freight Program (NHFP) formula funding. The process for designating the NMFN is being undertaken separately from the designation and re-designation of the NHFN, however, DOT is considering approaches that will maintain consistency between both networks The Fast Act, as codified at 23 U.S.C 167(c), directed the FHWA Administrator to establish the NHFN to strategically direct Federal resources and policies toward improved performance of the NHFN. The NHFN includes the Primary Highway Freight System PHFS), which identifies the most critical highway portions of the U.S freight transportation system as determined by measurable and objective data. Other portions of the Interstate are included in the NHFN as well. States may designate Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFCs) and States, in coordination with MPOs, can also designate Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFCs). The FHWA Administrator is required to redesignate the PHFS every 5 years. DOT released the re-designated PHFS on December 2, 2022, and the next PHFS re-designation is due in 2027. More details on NHFN are available at https:// ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/infrastructure/ nfn/index.htm. National Multimodal Freight Network Designation Section 70103(b)(2) of Title 49, United States Code, directs DOT to consider twelve distinct factors in designating the route miles and facilities on the NMFN: 1. Origins and destinations of freight movement within, to, and from the United States; 2. Volume, value, tonnage, and the strategic importance of freight; E:\FR\FM\12APN1.SGM 12APN1 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 72 / Friday, April 12, 2024 / Notices 3. Access to border crossings, airports, seaports, and pipelines; 4. Economic factors, including balance of trade; 5. Access to major areas for manufacturing, agriculture, or natural resources; 6. Access to energy exploration, development, installation, and production areas; 7. Intermodal links and intersections that promote connectivity; 8. Freight choke points and other impediments contributing to significant measurable congestion, delay in freight movement, or inefficient modal connections; 9. Impacts on all freight transportation modes and modes that share significant freight infrastructure; 10. Facilities and transportation corridors identified by a multi-State coalition, a State, a State freight advisory committee, or an MPO, using national or local data, as having critical freight importance to the region; 11. Major distribution centers, inland intermodal facilities, and first- and lastmile facilities; 3 and 12. The significance of goods movement, including consideration of global and domestic supply chains. In considering the above factors, DOT is also directed to use, to the extent practicable, measurable data.4 DOT seeks comments on three primary areas for designating the NMFN. The first area seeks feedback from stakeholders on the NMFN goals. The second area asks stakeholders to prioritize the 12 factors listed above. The third area seeks comment on the potential thresholds, criteria, and data sources that correspond to one or more of the twelve factors, including a discussion of why the thresholds, criteria and data sources should be considered for designating the Final NMFN. National Multimodal Freight Network Goals lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 1. Which of the following purposes is most important to ensuring the NMFN provides a foundation for the U.S. to compete in the global economy and why? a. Prioritizing federal formula or discretionary grant investment. b. Assisting States and local governments with strategically directing 3 For the purposes of this RFI, DOT proposes that the definition for ‘major distribution centers, inland intermodal facilities, and first- and last-mile facilities include both those specific points, such as manufacturers, distribution points, rail intermodal, and port facilities, that handle high volumes of freight, and specific transportation assets, such as roadways, rail lines, or inland waterways, that VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:47 Apr 11, 2024 Jkt 262001 investments towards overall improved freight system performance. c. Informing freight infrastructure planning and land use planning by state and local governments and private sector owners and operators. d. Informing a national, integrated, and multimodal supply chain strategy. 2. How do you plan to use the National Multimodal Freight Network once it is designated? Statutory Factors for Designation 3. How should DOT prioritize the twelve factors in designating route miles and facilities on the NMFN? Which factors are most important to ensuring the network provides a foundation for the U.S. to compete in the global economy? Which factors are most important to ensuring the NMFN serves regional and state goals? Measurable Thresholds, Criteria, and Data 4. Among the various statutory factors, volume, value, and tonnage are among some of the most quantifiable and readily comparable across modes and routes/corridors within modes. What thresholds should DOT consider for volume, value, and tonnage for designating the NMFN? For reference, DOT has provided examples below. a. Highway network: Prior to the current PHFS, FHWA’s proposed a 2015 Highway Primary Freight Network 5 designation in 2015 that included a threshold of 8,500 Average Daily Truck Traffic (ADTT) 6 or greater for Interstates and other roads as a baseline threshold for identifying significant roadways in urban areas with a population of 200,000 or more. For non-Interstate routes, thresholds included a daily average of at least 3,000 trucks and having proximate land use or connectivity demonstrating indicators of national significance. Border crossings carrying an annual average of at least 75,000 trucks is another example consideration. The Interim NMFN designated by DOT in 2016 incorporated the full NHFN, which includes the PHFS, the remaining Interstate miles, and Critical Urban and Critical Rural Freight Corridors designated by the States. The Department invites comments regarding whether the final NMFN should incorporate the full NHFN, or whether provide the primary means of transport in the case of first mile, or to the final delivery point in the case of last mile. 4 See 49 U.S.C. 70103(c)(3). 5 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-201510-23/pdf/2015-27036.pdf. PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 25915 the highway portion of the NMFN should include additional or fewer routes relative to the NHFN and why. b. Rail network: FHWA’s 2008 Freight Story identified rail lines that carry 50 million tons in bulk cargo per year as significant for freight.7 Other example considerations include rail routes that fall within the top two thirds volume and/or value thresholds based on Carload Waybill data. The top 50 bulk origination/destination markets and the top 25 intermodal origination/ destination markets may be another consideration. c. Maritime Network: The Congress required the Interim NMFN 8 to include ports that handle at least 2,000,000 short tons of domestic and foreign trade annually, as well as other ports designated as commercial strategic seaports, based on data from the USACE Waterway Commerce Statistics. The value of goods handled by a port facility could also be used as a factor as well. Waterways (including inland river and coastal ocean routes) carrying more than 1.5 million tons of cargo are an example threshold consideration as well. d. Aviation Network: The Interim NMFN was designated based on the landed overall weight collected from FAA’s Air Carrier Activity Information System (ACAIS), but an alternative approach could use landed origin and destination cargo weight data based on the BTS T–100 database. ACAIS data captures operations only by all-cargo aircraft whereas BTS T–100 data includes cargo transported both by allcargo aircraft and as belly cargo in other aircraft operations. A potential threshold could be airports with at least 0.5% of cargo weight at all airports in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), based on BTS–100 data. 5. Which of the 12 factors are most important for identifying network components that are critical to our economy but that may not stand out on a volume or value basis? 6. DOT has identified potential data sources for each of the 12 factors, below. Are there other data sources or approaches DOT should consider in applying these factors to the NMFN designation? Are there any concerns with using a particular data source listed below for the associated factor? 6 At approximately 16 tons per truck, 8,500 trucks per day equates to approximately 50 million tons per year. 7 https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Freight/freight_ analysis/freight_story/fs2008.pdf. 8 https://www.transportation.gov/ administrations/office-policy/interim-nationalmultimodal-freight-network. E:\FR\FM\12APN1.SGM 12APN1 25916 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 72 / Friday, April 12, 2024 / Notices Section 70103(b)(2) factor Potential data sources Factor 1: Origins and destinations of freight movement within, to, and from the United States. Factor 2: volume, value, tonnage, and the strategic importance of freight. Factor 3: access to border crossings, airports, seaports, and pipelines Factor 4: economic factors, including balance of trade ........................... Factor 5: access to major areas for manufacturing, agriculture, or natural resources. Factor 6: access to energy exploration, development, installation, and production areas. Factor 7: intermodal links and intersections that promote connectivity ... Factor 8: freight choke points and other impediments contributing to significant measurable congestion, delay in freight movement, or inefficient modal connections. Factor 9: impacts on all freight transportation modes and modes that share significant freight infrastructure. Factor 10: facilities and transportation corridors identified by a multiState coalition, a State, a State freight advisory committee, or a metropolitan planning organization, using national or local data, as having critical freight importance to the region. Factor 11: major distribution centers, inland intermodal facilities, and first- and last-mile facilities. Factor 12: the significance of goods movement, including consideration of global and domestic supply chains. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Freight Analysis Framework. TransBorder Freight Data. Commodity Flow Survey. U.S. Census Bureau U.S—Foreign Trade Data. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. National Automatic Identification System (NAIS) Data. Energy Information Agency (EIA) Data. AMS Data North American Rail Network (NARN). Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS). Freight Analysis Framework. Carload Waybill data & FRA GIS Waybill Toolkit. USACE Waterborne Commerce. Air Carrier Activity Information System (ACAIS). BTS–T–100. St. Lawrence Seaway Annual Traffic Reports. U.S. Census Bureau U.S—Foreign Trade Data. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. EIA Data. AMS Data. National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD). GIS mileage radius to border crossings, airports, seaports. TradeStats. Federal Reserve Board’s Industrial Production Index Program. Census Bureau Real Wholesale Trade Survey estimates. BEA data on real retail trade sales. Bureau of Economic Analysis: Real Manufacturing GDP by state. Annual Survey of Manufacturer State-Level Value of Shipments at 4Digit NAICS Level. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data at the state level. USDA Open Ag Data on Trucking. EIA energy infrastructure map. DOT hydrogen hubs map. Maps of ZEV charging/fueling infrastructure installed or planned. National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD). GIS mileage radius to intermodal facilities. HPMS. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Freight Mobility Trends: Truck Hours of Delay. National Performance Management Research Data Set. GHG emissions reported from ports. Commodity Flow Survey. Freight Analysis Framework. Direct input from States. Direct input from multi-State corridor coalitions. Direct input from MPOs. Direct input from local agencies and other stakeholders. Quarterly census of employment and wages data at the MSA level. NTAD. Publicly available ZEV charging/fueling maps. Commodity Flow Survey. Freight Analysis Framework. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 Multimodal Freight Data Resources and Weblinks: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/fpcb/dataLibrary.aspx. 7. In addition to the statutory factors listed, how should DOT take into account the factors below in designating the NMFN? a. Safety (including truck parking). b. Climate and Sustainability (including freight related efforts to decarbonize, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, reduce criteria and other air pollutants, and improve resilience). c. Equity (including mitigating impacts on disadvantaged communities, addressing Environmental Justice). VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:47 Apr 11, 2024 Jkt 262001 d. National Defense (including strategic networks such as STRAHNET 9 and STRACNET,10 and DOD/Strategic Ports). e. Consistency with other federally designated networks including the EV freight network and the Zero-emission vehicle freight strategy. f. Transformation (including emerging technologies and innovation). 9 https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/2004cpr/ chap18.cfm. 10 https://www.sddc.army.mil/sites/TEA/ Functions/SpecialAssistant/Pages/Railroads NationalDefense.aspx. PO 00000 Frm 00055 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 8. What other considerations should the DOT take into account in designating the NMFN? Schedule This RFI is the first step in a multistep process to designate the Final NMFN. Informed by the public comments received on this notice, the DOT expects to publish a Draft National Multimodal Freight Network later this spring. At that time, the Department will seek comment on the Draft network from all stakeholders, and will also seek additional designations from the States as described in the State Input process in 49 U.S.C. 70103(b)(4). States should E:\FR\FM\12APN1.SGM 12APN1 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 72 / Friday, April 12, 2024 / Notices prepare to consider nominations for additional designations from metropolitan planning organizations, state freight advisory committees, and owners and operators of port, rail, pipeline, and airport facilities, and ensure that those designations are consistent with the State transportation improvement program or freight plan. Additional guidance on the State Input process will be published with the Draft network. The Department plans to publish the Final NMFN, with State additions, by the end of the 2024. Public Comment The DOT invites comments by all those interested in the NMFN. Comments on the criteria for the final NMFN may be submitted and viewed at Docket Number DOT–OST–2024–0047. Comments must be received on or before June 11, 2024 to receive full consideration by DOT with respect to the final designation of the NMFN. After June 11, 2024, comments will continue to be available for viewing by the public. Issue Date: April 8, 2024. Allison L. Dane Camden, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight. Project Committee will be held Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The public is invited to make oral comments or submit written statements for consideration. Due to limited time and structure of meeting, notification of intent to participate must be made with Rosalind Matherne. For more information, please contact Rosalind Matherne at 1–888–912–1227 or 202–317–4115, or write TAP Office, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, Room 1509, Washington, DC 20224 or contact us at the website: https://www.improveirs.org. The agenda will include TAP 2024 committee project focus areas. Dated: April 8, 2024. Shawn Collins, Acting Director, Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. [FR Doc. 2024–07756 Filed 4–11–24; 8:45 am] Internal Revenue Service Open Meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Toll-Free Phone Lines Project Committee Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Treasury ACTION: Notice of meeting. AGENCY: An open meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Toll-Free Phone Lines Project Committee will be conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comments, ideas, and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service. This meeting will be held via teleconference. DATES: The meeting will be held Thursday, May 9, 2024. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosalind Matherne at 1–888–912–1227 or 202–317–4115. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. (1988) that an open meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Toll-Free Phone Lines lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:47 Apr 11, 2024 Jkt 262001 BILLING CODE 4830–01–P DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Open Meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Notices and Correspondence Project Committee Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Treasury. AGENCY: SUMMARY: Open Meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Tax Forms and Publications Project Committee An open meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Tax Forms and Publications Project Committee will be conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comments, ideas, and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service. This meeting will be held via teleconference. DATES: The meeting will be held Tuesday, May 7, 2024. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann Tabat at 1–888–912–1227 or (602) 636– 9143. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. (1988) that a meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Tax Forms and Publications Project Committee will be held Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The public is invited to make oral comments or submit written statements for consideration. Due to limited time and structure of meeting, notification of intent to participate must be made with Ann Tabat. For more information, please contact Ann Tabat at 1–888–912–1227 or (602) 636–9143, or write TAP Office, 4041 N Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85012 or contact us at the website: https:// SUMMARY: DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY [FR Doc. 2024–07751 Filed 4–11–24; 8:45 am] DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Treasury. ACTION: Notice of meeting. BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P Dated: April 8, 2024. Shawn Collins, Acting Director, Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. ACTION: AGENCY: [FR Doc. 2024–07810 Filed 4–11–24; 8:45 am] www.improveirs.org. The agenda will include TAP 2024 committee project focus areas. BILLING CODE 4830–01–P Internal Revenue Service PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 25917 Notice of meeting. An open meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Notices and Correspondence Project Committee will be conducted. The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is soliciting public comments, ideas, and suggestions on improving customer service at the Internal Revenue Service. This meeting will be held via teleconference. The meeting will be held Tuesday, May 7, 2024. DATES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Rosalia at 1–888–912–1227 or (718) 834–2203. Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. (1988) that an open meeting of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Notices and Correspondence Project Committee will be held Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The public is invited to make oral comments or submit written statements for consideration. Due to limited time and structure of meeting, notification of intent to participate must be made with Robert Rosalia. For more information, please contact Robert Rosalia at 1–888–912– 1227 or (718) 834–2203, or write TAP Office, 2 Metrotech Center, 100 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11201 or contact us at the website: https:// www.improveirs.org. The agenda will include TAP 2024 committee project focus areas. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Dated: April 8, 2024. Shawn Collins, Acting Director, Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. [FR Doc. 2024–07752 Filed 4–11–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4830–01–P E:\FR\FM\12APN1.SGM 12APN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 72 (Friday, April 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25913-25917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07810]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2024-0047]


Request for Information on Goals, Criteria, Thresholds, and 
Measurable Data Sources for Designating the National Multimodal Freight 
Network

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), Federal 
Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Maritime Administration (MARAD), 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Great Lakes St. 
Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS), and Pipelines and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

ACTION: 60-Day day notice and request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT or Department) DOT 
is seeking information from the public, and in particular multimodal 
freight system users, transportation providers, metropolitan planning 
organizations, local governments, ports, airports, railroads, freight 
forwarders, brokers, other supply chain logisticians, scholars, and 
States on the best approach to identify critical freight facilities and 
corridors that will make up a National Multimodal Freight Network 
(NMFN) that is vital to achieving the national multimodal

[[Page 25914]]

freight policy goals of the United States. DOT is issuing this Request 
for Information (RFI) to solicit input on how to prioritize the 
statutory goals of, and the statutory factors for designating, the 
NMFN, as well as measurable thresholds, criteria, and data sources for 
designating the NMFN. Informed by comments received in response to this 
RFI, DOT will draft a proposed network map to be published for public 
comment in the Late Spring of 2024 and provide an opportunity for 
States to provide input to submit additions to the network. After the 
final, subsequent comment period, DOT will review and approve 
additional designations for the NMFN by States and designate the final 
NMFN by December of 2024.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 11, 2024 to receive 
consideration by DOT with respect to the draft designation of the NMFN.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that you do not duplicate your docket submissions, 
please submit them by only one of the following means:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-
0001.
     Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is (202) 366-
9329.
     Instructions: You must include the agency name and docket 
number at the beginning of your comments. All comments received will be 
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Baumer, 202-366-1092 or email 
[email protected].

Background

    Section 70103 of title 49, United States Code, which was 
established in section 8001 of the Fixing America's Surface 
Transportation (FAST) Act, Public Law 114-94 (Dec. 4, 2015) and amended 
by section 21103 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), 
Public Law 117-58 (Nov. 15, 2021), directs the Assistant Secretary for 
Multimodal Freight to establish a NMFN that will be used to: (1) assist 
States in strategically directing resources toward improved system 
performance for the efficient movement of freight on the NMFN; (2) 
inform freight transportation planning; (3) assist in the 
prioritization of Federal investment; and (4) assess and support 
Federal investments to achieve the national multimodal freight policy 
goals described in 49 U.S.C. 70101(b), and the national highway freight 
program goals described in 23 U.S.C. 167. DOT is directed to designate 
the NMFN after soliciting input from stakeholders through a public 
process and providing notice and comment on a draft system, with the 
goal of using measurable data as part of assessment of the significance 
of freight movement, to improve network and intermodal connectivity. 
DOT is requesting input from a broad cross section of stakeholders, but 
Section 70103 also provides a process for States to propose specific 
additions to the NMFN, referred to as ``State Input''. States must 
consider nominations from freight stakeholders within their State, and 
ensure proposed additions are consistent with their State 
transportation improvement program or state freight plan. DOT 
anticipates requesting those additions this summer, at the same time as 
DOT requests input on the Draft Network.
    The FAST Act directed DOT to establish an Interim NMFN based on 
criteria laid out in the statute. DOT published the Interim Network on 
June 16, 2016, and the public was invited to submit comments to the 
docket \1\ through September 6, 2016. In the Federal Register notice, 
DOT posed several questions for the public to consider, and States and 
other stakeholders were provided the opportunity to submit additional 
designations for consideration for inclusion into the Final NMFN, which 
was then to be designated by the Under Secretary of Transportation for 
Policy. DOT subsequently reopened and extended the comment period on 
the Interim NMFN on October 25, 2017.\2\ DOT received 126 comments 
during the duration of the two public comment periods, ending in 
February 2018.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 81 FR 36381.
    \2\ 82 FR 49478.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The freight transportation system has undergone significant changes 
in the time since the Department last solicited comments and additional 
designations for the Interim NMFN. With more data and information 
available, and the removal of any reference to the Interim NMFN by 
section 21103 of the IIJA, DOT has decided to reopen the NMFN 
designation process with this Request for Information.
    The Department is requesting comments on several questions that are 
posed below. DOT will use this input to inform a draft NMFN, which DOT 
anticipates publishing in Late Spring 2024. Following publication of 
the draft network, DOT will establish a process to receive additional 
designations from the States via the ``State Input'' process outlined 
in statute49 U.S.C. 70103(b)(4). DOT expects to publish the final NMFN 
by the end of the calendar year. In order to meet that timeline, States 
should anticipate a 90-day window to provide their additional 
designations and associated State Input certifications.

The National Multimodal Freight Network vs. the National Highway 
Freight Network (NHFN)

    Statutorily, the NMFN and the National Highway Freight Network 
(NHFN) serve similar goals. However, as currently authorized, the 
designation of the National Multimodal Freight Network does not have an 
impact on the National Highway Freight Network or the use of National 
Highway Freight Program (NHFP) formula funding. The process for 
designating the NMFN is being undertaken separately from the 
designation and re-designation of the NHFN, however, DOT is considering 
approaches that will maintain consistency between both networks
    The Fast Act, as codified at 23 U.S.C 167(c), directed the FHWA 
Administrator to establish the NHFN to strategically direct Federal 
resources and policies toward improved performance of the NHFN. The 
NHFN includes the Primary Highway Freight System PHFS), which 
identifies the most critical highway portions of the U.S freight 
transportation system as determined by measurable and objective data. 
Other portions of the Interstate are included in the NHFN as well. 
States may designate Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFCs) and 
States, in coordination with MPOs, can also designate Critical Urban 
Freight Corridors (CUFCs). The FHWA Administrator is required to re-
designate the PHFS every 5 years. DOT released the re-designated PHFS 
on December 2, 2022, and the next PHFS re-designation is due in 2027. 
More details on NHFN are available at https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/infrastructure/nfn/index.htm.

National Multimodal Freight Network Designation

    Section 70103(b)(2) of Title 49, United States Code, directs DOT to 
consider twelve distinct factors in designating the route miles and 
facilities on the NMFN:
    1. Origins and destinations of freight movement within, to, and 
from the United States;
    2. Volume, value, tonnage, and the strategic importance of freight;

[[Page 25915]]

    3. Access to border crossings, airports, seaports, and pipelines;
    4. Economic factors, including balance of trade;
    5. Access to major areas for manufacturing, agriculture, or natural 
resources;
    6. Access to energy exploration, development, installation, and 
production areas;
    7. Intermodal links and intersections that promote connectivity;
    8. Freight choke points and other impediments contributing to 
significant measurable congestion, delay in freight movement, or 
inefficient modal connections;
    9. Impacts on all freight transportation modes and modes that share 
significant freight infrastructure;
    10. Facilities and transportation corridors identified by a multi-
State coalition, a State, a State freight advisory committee, or an 
MPO, using national or local data, as having critical freight 
importance to the region;
    11. Major distribution centers, inland intermodal facilities, and 
first- and last-mile facilities; \3\ and
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ For the purposes of this RFI, DOT proposes that the 
definition for `major distribution centers, inland intermodal 
facilities, and first- and last-mile facilities include both those 
specific points, such as manufacturers, distribution points, rail 
intermodal, and port facilities, that handle high volumes of 
freight, and specific transportation assets, such as roadways, rail 
lines, or inland waterways, that provide the primary means of 
transport in the case of first mile, or to the final delivery point 
in the case of last mile.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    12. The significance of goods movement, including consideration of 
global and domestic supply chains.
    In considering the above factors, DOT is also directed to use, to 
the extent practicable, measurable data.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ See 49 U.S.C. 70103(c)(3).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DOT seeks comments on three primary areas for designating the NMFN. 
The first area seeks feedback from stakeholders on the NMFN goals. The 
second area asks stakeholders to prioritize the 12 factors listed 
above. The third area seeks comment on the potential thresholds, 
criteria, and data sources that correspond to one or more of the twelve 
factors, including a discussion of why the thresholds, criteria and 
data sources should be considered for designating the Final NMFN.

National Multimodal Freight Network Goals

    1. Which of the following purposes is most important to ensuring 
the NMFN provides a foundation for the U.S. to compete in the global 
economy and why?
    a. Prioritizing federal formula or discretionary grant investment.
    b. Assisting States and local governments with strategically 
directing investments towards overall improved freight system 
performance.
    c. Informing freight infrastructure planning and land use planning 
by state and local governments and private sector owners and operators.
    d. Informing a national, integrated, and multimodal supply chain 
strategy.
    2. How do you plan to use the National Multimodal Freight Network 
once it is designated?

Statutory Factors for Designation

    3. How should DOT prioritize the twelve factors in designating 
route miles and facilities on the NMFN? Which factors are most 
important to ensuring the network provides a foundation for the U.S. to 
compete in the global economy? Which factors are most important to 
ensuring the NMFN serves regional and state goals?

Measurable Thresholds, Criteria, and Data

    4. Among the various statutory factors, volume, value, and tonnage 
are among some of the most quantifiable and readily comparable across 
modes and routes/corridors within modes. What thresholds should DOT 
consider for volume, value, and tonnage for designating the NMFN? For 
reference, DOT has provided examples below.
    a. Highway network: Prior to the current PHFS, FHWA's proposed a 
2015 Highway Primary Freight Network \5\ designation in 2015 that 
included a threshold of 8,500 Average Daily Truck Traffic (ADTT) \6\ or 
greater for Interstates and other roads as a baseline threshold for 
identifying significant roadways in urban areas with a population of 
200,000 or more. For non-Interstate routes, thresholds included a daily 
average of at least 3,000 trucks and having proximate land use or 
connectivity demonstrating indicators of national significance. Border 
crossings carrying an annual average of at least 75,000 trucks is 
another example consideration.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-10-23/pdf/2015-27036.pdf.
    \6\ At approximately 16 tons per truck, 8,500 trucks per day 
equates to approximately 50 million tons per year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Interim NMFN designated by DOT in 2016 incorporated the full 
NHFN, which includes the PHFS, the remaining Interstate miles, and 
Critical Urban and Critical Rural Freight Corridors designated by the 
States. The Department invites comments regarding whether the final 
NMFN should incorporate the full NHFN, or whether the highway portion 
of the NMFN should include additional or fewer routes relative to the 
NHFN and why.
    b. Rail network: FHWA's 2008 Freight Story identified rail lines 
that carry 50 million tons in bulk cargo per year as significant for 
freight.\7\ Other example considerations include rail routes that fall 
within the top two thirds volume and/or value thresholds based on 
Carload Waybill data. The top 50 bulk origination/destination markets 
and the top 25 intermodal origination/destination markets may be 
another consideration.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Freight/freight_analysis/freight_story/fs2008.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    c. Maritime Network: The Congress required the Interim NMFN \8\ to 
include ports that handle at least 2,000,000 short tons of domestic and 
foreign trade annually, as well as other ports designated as commercial 
strategic seaports, based on data from the USACE Waterway Commerce 
Statistics. The value of goods handled by a port facility could also be 
used as a factor as well. Waterways (including inland river and coastal 
ocean routes) carrying more than 1.5 million tons of cargo are an 
example threshold consideration as well.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ https://www.transportation.gov/administrations/office-policy/interim-national-multimodal-freight-network.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    d. Aviation Network: The Interim NMFN was designated based on the 
landed overall weight collected from FAA's Air Carrier Activity 
Information System (ACAIS), but an alternative approach could use 
landed origin and destination cargo weight data based on the BTS T-100 
database. ACAIS data captures operations only by all-cargo aircraft 
whereas BTS T-100 data includes cargo transported both by all-cargo 
aircraft and as belly cargo in other aircraft operations. A potential 
threshold could be airports with at least 0.5% of cargo weight at all 
airports in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), 
based on BTS-100 data.
    5. Which of the 12 factors are most important for identifying 
network components that are critical to our economy but that may not 
stand out on a volume or value basis?
    6. DOT has identified potential data sources for each of the 12 
factors, below. Are there other data sources or approaches DOT should 
consider in applying these factors to the NMFN designation? Are there 
any concerns with using a particular data source listed below for the 
associated factor?

[[Page 25916]]



------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Section 70103(b)(2) factor             Potential data sources
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Factor 1: Origins and destinations of     Freight Analysis
 freight movement within, to, and from    Framework.
 the United States.                       TransBorder Freight
                                          Data.
                                          Commodity Flow Survey.
                                          U.S. Census Bureau
                                          U.S--Foreign Trade Data.
                                          U.S. Customs and
                                          Border Protection.
                                          National Automatic
                                          Identification System (NAIS)
                                          Data.
                                          Energy Information
                                          Agency (EIA) Data.
                                          AMS Data North
                                          American Rail Network (NARN).
Factor 2: volume, value, tonnage, and     Highway Performance
 the strategic importance of freight.     Monitoring System (HPMS).
                                          Freight Analysis
                                          Framework.
                                          Carload Waybill data &
                                          FRA GIS Waybill Toolkit.
                                          USACE Waterborne
                                          Commerce.
                                          Air Carrier Activity
                                          Information System (ACAIS).
                                          BTS-T-100.
                                          St. Lawrence Seaway
                                          Annual Traffic Reports.
                                          U.S. Census Bureau
                                          U.S--Foreign Trade Data.
                                          U.S. Customs and
                                          Border Protection.
                                          EIA Data.
                                          AMS Data.
Factor 3: access to border crossings,     National
 airports, seaports, and pipelines.       Transportation Atlas Database
                                          (NTAD).
                                          GIS mileage radius to
                                          border crossings, airports,
                                          seaports.
Factor 4: economic factors, including     TradeStats.
 balance of trade.                        Federal Reserve
                                          Board's Industrial Production
                                          Index Program.
                                          Census Bureau Real
                                          Wholesale Trade Survey
                                          estimates.
                                          BEA data on real
                                          retail trade sales.
Factor 5: access to major areas for       Bureau of Economic
 manufacturing, agriculture, or natural   Analysis: Real Manufacturing
 resources.                               GDP by state.
                                          Annual Survey of
                                          Manufacturer State-Level Value
                                          of Shipments at 4-Digit NAICS
                                          Level.
                                          Quarterly Census of
                                          Employment and Wages data at
                                          the state level.
                                          USDA Open Ag Data on
                                          Trucking.
Factor 6: access to energy exploration,   EIA energy
 development, installation, and           infrastructure map.
 production areas.                        DOT hydrogen hubs map.
                                          Maps of ZEV charging/
                                          fueling infrastructure
                                          installed or planned.
Factor 7: intermodal links and            National
 intersections that promote               Transportation Atlas Database
 connectivity.                            (NTAD).
                                          GIS mileage radius to
                                          intermodal facilities.
                                          HPMS.
Factor 8: freight choke points and        Federal Highway
 other impediments contributing to        Administration (FHWA) Freight
 significant measurable congestion,       Mobility Trends: Truck Hours
 delay in freight movement, or            of Delay.
 inefficient modal connections.           National Performance
                                          Management Research Data Set.
                                          GHG emissions reported
                                          from ports.
Factor 9: impacts on all freight          Commodity Flow Survey.
 transportation modes and modes that      Freight Analysis
 share significant freight                Framework.
 infrastructure.
Factor 10: facilities and                 Direct input from
 transportation corridors identified by   States.
 a multi-State coalition, a State, a      Direct input from
 State freight advisory committee, or a   multi-State corridor
 metropolitan planning organization,      coalitions.
 using national or local data, as         Direct input from
 having critical freight importance to    MPOs.
 the region.                              Direct input from
                                          local agencies and other
                                          stakeholders.
Factor 11: major distribution centers,    Quarterly census of
 inland intermodal facilities, and        employment and wages data at
 first- and last-mile facilities.         the MSA level.
                                          NTAD.
                                          Publicly available ZEV
                                          charging/fueling maps.
Factor 12: the significance of goods      Commodity Flow Survey.
 movement, including consideration of     Freight Analysis
 global and domestic supply chains.       Framework.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Multimodal Freight Data Resources and Weblinks: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/fpcb/dataLibrary.aspx.

    7. In addition to the statutory factors listed, how should DOT take 
into account the factors below in designating the NMFN?
    a. Safety (including truck parking).
    b. Climate and Sustainability (including freight related efforts to 
decarbonize, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, reduce criteria and 
other air pollutants, and improve resilience).
    c. Equity (including mitigating impacts on disadvantaged 
communities, addressing Environmental Justice).
    d. National Defense (including strategic networks such as STRAHNET 
\9\ and STRACNET,\10\ and DOD/Strategic Ports).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/2004cpr/chap18.cfm.
    \10\ https://www.sddc.army.mil/sites/TEA/Functions/SpecialAssistant/Pages/RailroadsNationalDefense.aspx.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    e. Consistency with other federally designated networks including 
the EV freight network and the Zero-emission vehicle freight strategy.
    f. Transformation (including emerging technologies and innovation).
    8. What other considerations should the DOT take into account in 
designating the NMFN?

Schedule

    This RFI is the first step in a multi-step process to designate the 
Final NMFN. Informed by the public comments received on this notice, 
the DOT expects to publish a Draft National Multimodal Freight Network 
later this spring. At that time, the Department will seek comment on 
the Draft network from all stakeholders, and will also seek additional 
designations from the States as described in the State Input process in 
49 U.S.C. 70103(b)(4). States should

[[Page 25917]]

prepare to consider nominations for additional designations from 
metropolitan planning organizations, state freight advisory committees, 
and owners and operators of port, rail, pipeline, and airport 
facilities, and ensure that those designations are consistent with the 
State transportation improvement program or freight plan. Additional 
guidance on the State Input process will be published with the Draft 
network. The Department plans to publish the Final NMFN, with State 
additions, by the end of the 2024.

Public Comment

    The DOT invites comments by all those interested in the NMFN. 
Comments on the criteria for the final NMFN may be submitted and viewed 
at Docket Number DOT-OST-2024-0047. Comments must be received on or 
before June 11, 2024 to receive full consideration by DOT with respect 
to the final designation of the NMFN. After June 11, 2024, comments 
will continue to be available for viewing by the public.

    Issue Date: April 8, 2024.
Allison L. Dane Camden,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight.
[FR Doc. 2024-07810 Filed 4-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
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