Research and Innovative Technology Administration 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval for renewal of information collection supporting a multi-year research study that aims at improving rail safety by analyzing information on close calls and other unsafe occurrences in the rail industry. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on May 10, 2013 (78 FR 27479) and the comment period ended on July 10, 2013. The 60-day notice produced no comments.

In accordance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) intends to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) renew the information collection request for the Close Calls project. This data collection effort is in support of a five-year research study aiming at improving rail safety by analyzing information on close calls and other unsafe occurrences in the rail industry. The ongoing research study is conducted by the Office of Human Factors in the Federal Railroad Administration and is designed to identify safety issues and propose corrective actions based on voluntary reports of close calls submitted to BTS. This collection is necessary because data on close calls are not normally reported to the railroad carriers or the Federal Railroad Administration. Continuous data collection for this research project is necessary to develop trends about rail safety and to improve railroad safety on an ongoing basis.

In accordance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the BTS to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB's) approval for an information collection related to the Nation's ferry operations. The information collected will be used to produce a descriptive database of existing ferry operations. A summary report of survey findings will be published by BTS on the BTS Web page.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) is providing notice of request for public comment on its draft strategic plan, U.S. Department of Transportation, Research, Development and Technology Strategic Plan FY 2013-2018. The new five-year strategic plan will guide the Department's research, development, and technology activities as required by Section 52013 of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), Public Law 112-141; July 6, 2012. The new plan places its focus on the U.S. DOT Strategic Goals: Safety; State of Good Repair; Economic Competitiveness; Livable Communities and Environmental Sustainability, along with MAP-21 RD&T critical issues: Promoting safety; reducing congestion and improving mobility; preserving the environment; preserving existing transportation systems; improving the durability and extending the life of transportation infrastructure; and improving goods movement. The Research and Innovative Technology Administration's (RITA's) Office of Research, Development and Technology (RD&T), has coordinated this effort in collaboration with partner modal administrations and offices across the U.S. DOT. As recommended by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the National Research Council (NRC), RITA and its partners are seeking public stakeholder comment to ensure RD&T resources are invested wisely to achieve measurable improvements in our Nation's transportation system.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics invites the general public, industry and other governmental parties to comment on the continuing need for and usefulness of BTS requiring certificated air carriers to preserve accounting records, consumer complaint letters, reservation reports and records, system reports of aircraft movements, etc. Also, public charter operators and overseas military personnel charter operators are required to retain certain contracts, invoices, receipts, bank records and reservation records.

In accordance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, BTS announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. On November 5, 2012, BTS published a Federal Register notice (77 FR 66502), allowing for a 60-day comment period on the ICR. The comment period closed on January 4, 2013. The agency received one comment, from the National Safety Council (NSC), Docket Comment RITA-2008-0002-0037, in response to the notice which supported the need for the information collection. The NSC comment stated they agreed with BTS that '' there is a need for proper data collection and analysis on close calls and other unsafe occurrences in the WMATA rail system.'' The purpose of this Notice is to allow 30 days for public comment to OMB on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations.