80 FR 32201 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 108 (June 5, 2015)

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501- 3519 (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (Board) gives notice of its intent to request from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval without change of the six existing collections described below. Comments are requested concerning each collection as to (1) whether the particular collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Board, including whether the collection has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the Board's burden estimates; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (4) 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. Submitted comments will be included and/ or summarized in the Board's request for OMB approval.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 108 (Friday, June 5, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32201-32203]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13705]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, 
and Approvals

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: 60-day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, 
and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501-
3519 (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (Board) gives notice of 
its intent to request from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
approval without change of the six existing collections described 
below.
    Comments are requested concerning each collection as to (1) whether 
the particular collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the Board, including whether the 
collection has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the Board's 
burden estimates; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information collected; and (4) 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. Submitted comments will be included and/
or summarized in the Board's request for OMB approval.

DATES: Written comments are due on August 4, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments to Marilyn Levitt, Surface 
Transportation Board, Suite 1260, 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 
20423-0001, or to [email protected]. Comments should be identified as 
``Paperwork Reduction Act Comments,'' and should refer to the title and 
control number of the specific collection(s) commented upon.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies 
of the information collection(s) contact Pedro Ramirez at (202) 245-
0333 or [email protected] [Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) 
for the hearing impaired: (800) 877-8339].
    In this notice the Board is requesting comments on the following 
information collections:
    Subjects:

Collection Number 1

    Title: Quarterly Report of Revenues, Expenses, and Income--
Railroads (Form RE&I).
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0013.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Seven.
    Estimated Time per Response: 6 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 168 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection is a report of railroad operating 
revenues, operating expenses and income items; it is a profit and loss 
statement, disclosing net railway operating income on a quarterly and 
year-to-date basis for the current and prior years. See 49 CFR 1243.1. 
The Board uses the information in this report to ensure competitive, 
efficient, and safe transportation through general oversight programs 
that monitor and forecast the financial and operating condition of 
railroads, and through regulation of railroad rate and service issues 
and rail restructuring proposals, including railroad mergers, 
consolidations, acquisitions of control, and abandonments. Information 
from these reports is used by the Board, other Federal agencies, and 
industry groups to monitor and assess industry growth and operations, 
detect changes in carrier financial stability, and identify trends that 
may affect the national transportation system. Some of the information 
from these reports is compiled by the Board in our quarterly Selected 
Earnings Data Report, which is published on the Board's Web site, 
http://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. The information 
contained in these reports is not available from any other source.

Collection Number 2

    Title: Quarterly Condensed Balance Sheet--Railroads (Form CBS).
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0014.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Seven.
    Estimated Time per Response: Six hours.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 168 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection shows the balance, quarterly and 
cumulative, for the current and prior year of the carrier's assets and 
liabilities, gross capital expenditures, and revenue tons carried. See 
49 CFR 1243.2. The Board uses the information in this report to ensure 
competitive, efficient, and safe transportation through general 
oversight programs that monitor and forecast the financial and 
operating condition of railroads, and through specific regulation of 
railroad rate and service issues and rail restructuring proposals, 
including railroad mergers, consolidations, acquisitions of control, 
and abandonments. Information from these reports is used by the Board, 
other Federal agencies, and industry groups to assess industry growth 
and operations, detect changes in carrier financial stability, and 
identify trends that may

[[Page 32202]]

affect the national transportation system. Revenue ton-miles, which are 
reported in these reports, are compiled and published by the Board in 
its quarterly Selected Earnings Data Report, which is published on the 
Board's Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. The information contained in these reports is not 
available from any other source.

Collection Number 3

    OMB Control Number: 2140-0004.
    Title: Report of Railroad Employees, Service and Compensation (Wage 
Forms A and B).
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads and the Association of American 
Railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Eight.
    Estimated Time per Response: No more than 30 hours per quarterly 
report and 40 hours per annual summation.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly, with an annual summation.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: No more than 1,280 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection shows the number of employees, 
service hours, and compensation, by employee group (e.g., executive, 
professional, maintenance-of-way and equipment, and transportation), of 
the reporting railroads. See 49 CFR 1245. The information is used by 
the Board to forecast labor costs and measure the efficiency of the 
reporting railroads. The information is also used by the Board to 
evaluate proposed regulated transactions that may impact rail 
employees, including mergers and consolidations, acquisitions of 
control, purchases, and abandonments. Other Federal agencies and 
industry groups, including the Railroad Retirement Board, Bureau of 
Labor Statistics, and Association of American Railroads, use the 
information contained in the reports to monitor railroad operations. 
Certain information from these reports is compiled and published on the 
Board's Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. The information contained in these reports is not 
available from any other source.

Collection Number 4

    Title: Monthly Report of Number of Employees of Class I Railroads 
(Wage Form C).
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0007.
    Form Number: STB Form 350.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads and the Association of American 
Railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Eight.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1.25 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Monthly.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 120 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection shows, for each reporting carrier, 
the average number of employees at mid-month in the six job-
classification groups that encompass all railroad employees. See 49 CFR 
1246. The information is used by the Board to forecast labor costs and 
measure the efficiency of the reporting railroads. The information is 
also used by the Board to evaluate the impact on rail employees of 
proposed regulated transactions, including mergers and consolidations, 
acquisitions of control, purchases, and abandonments. Other Federal 
agencies and industry groups, including the Railroad Retirement Board, 
Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Association of American Railroads, use 
the information contained in these reports to monitor railroad 
operations. Certain information from these reports is compiled and 
published on the Board's Web site, www.stb.dot.gov/stb/industry/urcs.html. The information contained in these reports is not available 
from any other source.

Collection Number 5

    Title: Annual Report of Cars Loaded and Cars Terminated .
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0011.
    Form Number: Form STB-54.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Number of Respondents: Seven.
    Estimated Time per Response: Four hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annual .
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 28 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection reports the number of cars loaded 
and cars terminated on the reporting carrier's line. See 49 CFR 1247. 
Information in this report is entered into the Board's Uniform Rail 
Costing System (URCS), which is a cost measurement methodology. URCS, 
which was developed by the Board pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 11161, is used 
as a tool in rail rate proceedings, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 
10707(d), to calculate the variable costs associated with providing a 
particular service. The Board also uses URCS to carry out more 
effectively other of its regulatory responsibilities, including: acting 
on railroad requests for authority to engage in Board-regulated 
financial transactions such as mergers, acquisitions of control, and 
consolidations, see 49 U.S.C. 11323-11324; analyzing the information 
that the Board obtains through the annual railroad industry waybill 
sample, see 49 CFR 1244; measuring off-branch costs in railroad 
abandonment proceedings, in accordance with 49 CFR 1152.32(n); 
developing the ``rail cost adjustment factors,'' in accordance with 49 
U.S.C. 10708; and conducting investigations and rulemakings. This 
collection is compiled and published on the Board's Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. There is no other 
source for the information contained in this report.

Collection Number 6

    OMB Control Number: 2140-0001.
    Title: Quarterly Report of Freight Commodity Statistics (Form QCS).
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Class I railroads.
    Number of Respondents: Seven.
    Estimated Time per Response: 217 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly, with an annual summation.
    Total Annual Hour Burden: 7,595 hours annually.
    Total Annual ``Non-Hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: This collection, which is based on information 
contained in carload waybills used by railroads in the ordinary course 
of business, reports car loadings and total revenues by commodity code 
for each commodity that moved on the railroad during the reporting 
period. See 49 CFR 1248. Information in this report is entered into the 
Board's URCS, the uses of which are explained under Collection Number 
5. This collection is compiled and published on the Board's Web site, 
http://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/industry/econ_reports.html. There is no 
other source for the information contained in this report.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA, a Federal agency conducting 
or sponsoring 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),

[[Page 32203]]

includes agency requirements that persons submit reports, keep records, 
or provide information to the agency, third parties, or the public. 
Under Sec.  3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, Federal agencies are required, 
prior to submitting a collection to OMB for approval, to provide 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: June 1, 2015.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2015-13705 Filed 6-4-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4915-01-P