80 FR 50070 - Hazardous Materials: Information Collection Activities

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 159 (August 18, 2015)

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Requests (ICRs) discussed below will be forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal and extension. These ICRs describe the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on these ICRs was published in the Federal Register on April 29, 2015 [80 FR 23582] under Docket No. PHMSA-2015-0098 (Notice No. 15-8). PHMSA did not receive any comments in response to the April 29, 2015 notice.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 159 (Tuesday, August 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50070-50071]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20274]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2014-0098; Notice No. 15-15]


Hazardous Materials: Information Collection Activities

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces that the Information Collection Requests (ICRs) 
discussed below will be forwarded to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for renewal and extension. These ICRs describe the nature 
of the information collections and their expected burdens. A Federal 
Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on 
these ICRs was published in the Federal Register on April 29, 2015 [80 
FR 23582] under Docket No. PHMSA-2015-0098 (Notice No. 15-8). PHMSA did 
not receive any comments in response to the April 29, 2015 notice.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on, or before 
September 17, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding the burden estimate, including 
suggestions for reducing the burden, by mail to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
Attention: Desk Officer for DOT-PHMSA, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, 
DC 20503, by fax, 202-395-5806, or by email, to 
[email protected]. Comments should refer to the information 
collection by title and/or OMB Control Number.
    We invite comments on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed information collection; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.
    Docket: For access to the dockets to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Andrews or T. Glenn Foster, 
Standards and Rulemaking Division (PHH-12), U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., East Building, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 
20590-0001, Telephone (202) 366-8553.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1320.8 (d), Title 5, Code of Federal 
Regulations requires Federal agencies to provide interested members of 
the public and affected agencies an opportunity to comment on 
information collection and recordkeeping requests. This notice 
identifies information collection requests that PHMSA will be 
submitting to OMB for renewal and extension. These information 
collections are contained in 49 CFR parts 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, and 
177 of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-180). 
PHMSA has revised burden estimates, where appropriate, to reflect 
current reporting levels or adjustments based on changes in proposed or 
final rules published since the information collections were last 
approved. The following information is provided for each information 
collection: (1) Title of the information collection, including former 
title if a change is being made; (2) OMB Control Number; (3) abstract 
of the information collection activity; (4) description of affected 
persons; (5) estimate of total annual reporting and recordkeeping 
burden; and (6) frequency of collection. PHMSA will request a three-
year term of approval for each information collection activity and, 
when approved by OMB, publish notice of the approvals in the Federal 
Register.
    PHMSA requests comments on the following information collections:
    Title: Hazardous Materials Shipping Papers and Emergency Response 
Information.
    OMB Control Number: 2137-0034.
    Summary: This information collection is for the requirement to 
provide a shipping paper and emergency response information with 
shipments of hazardous materials. Shipping papers are considered to be 
a basic communication tool relative to the transportation of hazardous 
materials. The definition of a shipping paper in 49 CFR 171.8 includes 
a shipping order, bill of lading, manifest, or other shipping document 
serving a similar purpose and containing the information required by 
Sec. Sec.  172.202, 172.203, and 172.204 of the HMR. A shipping paper 
with emergency response information must accompany most hazardous 
materials shipments and be readily

[[Page 50071]]

available at all times during transportation.
    Shipping papers serve as the principal source of information 
regarding the presence of hazardous materials, identification, 
quantity, and emergency response procedures. They also serve as the 
source of information for compliance with other requirements, such as 
the placement of rail cars containing different hazardous materials in 
trains; prevent the loading of poisons with foodstuffs; maintain the 
separation of incompatible hazardous materials; and limit the amount of 
radioactive materials that may be transported in a vehicle or aircraft. 
Shipping papers and emergency response information serve as a means of 
notifying transport workers that hazardous materials are present. Most 
importantly, shipping papers serve as a principal means of identifying 
hazardous materials during transportation emergencies. Firefighters, 
police, and other emergency response personnel are trained to obtain 
the Department of Transportation (DOT) shipping papers and emergency 
response information when responding to hazardous materials 
transportation emergencies. The availability of accurate information 
concerning hazardous materials being transported significantly improves 
response efforts in these types of emergencies.
    PHMSA is revising this information collection burden to reflect the 
anticipated completion of the collection of information under the 
Hazardous Materials Automated Cargo Communications for Efficient and 
Safe Shipments (HM-ACCESS) pilot program.
    Affected Public: Shippers and carriers of hazardous materials in 
commerce.
    Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
    Number of Respondents: 260,000.
    Total Annual Responses: 185,000,000.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,625,846.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

    Title: Radioactive (RAM) Transportation Requirements.
    OMB Control Number: 2137-0510.
    Summary: This information collection describes the information 
collection provisions in the HMR involving the transportation of 
radioactive materials (RAM) in commerce. Information collection 
requirements for RAM include: Shipper notification to consignees of the 
dates of shipments of RAM; expected arrival; special loading/unloading 
instructions; verification that shippers using foreign-made packages 
hold a foreign competent authority certificate and verification that 
the terms of the certificate are being followed for RAM shipments being 
made into this country; and specific handling instructions from 
shippers to carriers for fissile RAM, bulk shipments of low specific 
activity RAM, and packages of RAM which emit high levels of external 
radiation. These information collection requirements help to establish 
that proper packages are used for the type of radioactive material 
being transported; external radiation levels do not exceed prescribed 
limits; and packages are handled appropriately and delivered in a 
timely manner, so as to ensure the safety of the general public, 
transport workers, and emergency responders.
    Affected Public: Shippers and carriers of radioactive materials in 
commerce.
    Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
    Number of Respondents: 3,817.
    Total Annual Responses: 21,519.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 15,270.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

    Title: Subsidiary Hazard Class and Number/Type of Packagings.
    OMB Control Number: 2137-0613.
    Summary: The HMR require that shipping papers and emergency 
response information accompany each shipment of hazardous materials in 
commerce. In addition to the basic shipping description information, we 
also require the subsidiary hazard class or subsidiary division 
number(s) to be entered in parentheses following the primary hazard 
class or division number on shipping papers. This requirement was 
originally required only by transportation by vessel. However, the lack 
of such a requirement posed problems for motor carriers with regard to 
complying with segregation, separation, and placarding requirements, as 
well as posing a safety hazard. For example, in the event the motor 
vehicle becomes involved in an accident, when the hazardous materials 
being transported include a subsidiary hazard such as ``dangerous when 
wet'' or a subsidiary hazard requiring more stringent requirements than 
the primary hazard, there is no indication of the subsidiary hazards on 
the shipping papers and no indication of the subsidiary risks on 
placards. Under circumstances such as motor vehicles being loaded at a 
dock, labels are not enough to alert hazardous materials employees 
loading the vehicles, nor are they enough to alert emergency responders 
of the subsidiary risks contained on the vehicles. Therefore, we 
require the subsidiary hazard class or subsidiary division number(s) to 
be entered on the shipping paper, for purposes of enhancing safety and 
international harmonization.
    We also require the number and type of packagings to be indicated 
on the shipping paper. This requirement makes it mandatory for shippers 
to indicate on shipping papers the numbers and types of packages, such 
as drums, boxes, jerricans, etc., being used to transport hazardous 
materials by all modes of transportation.
    Shipping papers serve as a principal means of identifying hazardous 
materials during transportation emergencies. Firefighters, police, and 
other emergency response personnel are trained to obtain the DOT 
shipping papers and emergency response information when responding to 
hazardous materials transportation emergencies. The availability of 
accurate information concerning hazardous materials being transported 
significantly improves response efforts in these types of emergencies. 
The additional information would aid emergency responders by more 
clearly identifying the hazard.
    Affected Public: Shippers and carriers of hazardous materials in 
commerce.
    Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
    Number of Respondents: 250,000.
    Total Annual Responses: 6,337,500.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 17,604.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

William S. Schoonover,
Deputy Associate Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-20274 Filed 8-17-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-60-P