81 FR 991 - Notice and Request for Comments

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 5 (January 8, 2016)

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- 3521 (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (Board) gives notice that it is requesting from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for an extension of the Waybill Compliance Survey, which is further described below. The Board previously published a notice about this collection in the Federal Register. 80 FR 66,968 (Oct. 30, 2015). That notice allowed for a 60-day public review and comment period. No comments were received. 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.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 5 (Friday, January 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 991-992]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00174]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board


Notice and Request for Comments

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT.

ACTION: 30-day notice of intent to seek extension of approval: Waybill 
Compliance Survey.

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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-
3521 (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (Board) gives notice that 
it is requesting from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
approval for an extension of the Waybill Compliance Survey, which is 
further described below. The Board previously published a notice about 
this collection in the Federal Register. 80 FR 66,968 (Oct. 30, 2015). 
That notice allowed for a 60-day public review and comment period. No 
comments were received.
    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.

Description of Collection

    Title: Waybill Compliance Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0010.
    STB Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension without change.
    Respondents: Regulated railroads that did not submit carload 
waybill sample information to the STB in the previous year.
    Number of Respondents: 523.
    Estimated Time per Response: .5 hours.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 261.5.
    Total ``Non-hour Burden'' Cost: None identified. This information 
may be submitted electronically to the Board (through its contractor).
    Needs and Uses: Under the Interstate Commerce Act, as amended by 
the ICC Termination Act of 1995, Public Law 104-88, 109 Stat. 803 
(1995), the Board is responsible for the economic regulation of common 
carrier rail transportation, including the collection and 
administration of the Carload Waybill Sample. The information in the 
Waybill Sample is used to monitor traffic flows and rate trends in the 
industry. Under 49 CFR 1244, a railroad terminating 4,500 or more 
carloads, or terminating at least 5% of the total revenue carloads that 
terminate in a particular state, in any of the three preceding years is 
required to file carload waybill sample information (Waybill Sample) 
for all line-haul revenue waybills terminating on its lines. (The 
Waybill Sample collection is approved under OMB Control Number 2140-
0015, which expires on June 30, 2017.)
    In order to determine whether any of the surveyed railroads should 
be filing a Waybill Sample, the Board needs to collect the information 
in the Waybill Compliance Survey--information on the number of carloads 
of traffic terminated each year by U.S. railroads--from railroads that 
are not filing a Waybill Sample. The Board has authority to collect 
this information under 49 U.S.C. 11144-45, and under 49 CFR 1244.2.

DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted by 
February 8, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be identified as ``Paperwork 
Reduction Act Comments, Surface Transportation Board, Annual Waybill 
Compliance Survey.'' These comments should be directed to the Office of 
Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Attention: Chandana L. Achanta, Surface Transportation Board Desk 
Officer, by email at [email protected]; by fax at (202) 395-
6974; or by mail to Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 
20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
``Annual Waybill Compliance Survey,'' contact Pedro Ramirez at (202) 
245-0333 or at [email protected]. [Assistance for the hearing 
impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay Service 
(FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 Sec.  
3507(b) of the PRA, federal agencies are required to provide, prior to 
an agency's submitting a collection to OMB for approval, a 30-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.


[[Page 992]]


    Dated: January 5, 2016.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2016-00174 Filed 1-7-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P