[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19827-19828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8402]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
Disclosure of Rail-Interchange Commitments; Notice and Request
for Comments
AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT.
ACTION: 30-day notice of request for approval: Disclosure of Rail-
Interchange Commitments.
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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C.
3501-3519 (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) has
submitted a request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an
reinstatement of approval for the collection of agreements containing
rail-interchange commitments. A rail interchange commitment is a
contractual provision, which may be included with a sale or lease of a
rail line, that limits the incentive or the ability of the purchaser or
tenant carrier to interchange traffic with rail carriers other than the
seller or lessor railroad. Under the Board's regulations, whenever a
carrier or other person seeks authority, through the Board's
abbreviated exemption procedures, to acquire (through sale or lease) or
to operate a rail line, that carrier or other person is required to
submit a copy of any agreement that contains such an interchange
commitment.
The Board previously published a notice about this collection in
the Federal Register on December 22, 2010, at 75 FR 80,569. That notice
allowed for a 60-day public review and comment period. No comments were
received. This collection is described in detail below. Comments may
now be submitted to OMB 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 this 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: Disclosure of Rail Interchange Commitments.
OMB Control Number: 2140-0016.
STB Form Number: None.
[[Page 19828]]
Type of Review: Reinstatement with change. (The current request
reduces the estimated respondents from 65 to 6 respondents based on the
Board's actual experience with this collection. As a result, the total
annual burden hours is reduced to 1\1/2\; hours, rather than the 16
hours, as the Board had estimated when the collection was proposed.)
Respondents: Noncarriers and carriers seeking an exemption to
acquire (through purchase or lease) and/or operate a rail line, if the
proposed transaction includes an interchange commitment.
Number of Respondents: 6.
Estimated Time per Response: Less than 15 minutes.
Frequency: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 1\1/2\;
hours.
Total ``Non-hour Burden'' Cost: None identified.
Needs and Uses: Under 49 U.S.C. 10502, noncarriers and carriers may
seek an exemption from the prior approval requirements of sections
10901, 10902, and 11323 to acquire (through purchase or lease) and
operate a rail line. This collection of agreements with interchange
commitments facilitates the case-specific review of interchange
commitments and facilitates the Board's monitoring of their usage
generally.
Retention Period: Information in this report will be maintained in
the Board's confidential file for 10 years, after which it is
transferred to the National Archives.
DATES: Comments on this information collection should be submitted to
OMB by May 9, 2011. When submitting comments, please refer to
``Disclosure of Rail Interchange Commitments, OMB Control Number 2140-
0016.''
ADDRESSES: Comments should be directed to the Office of Management and
Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention:
Kimberly Nelson, Surface Transportation Board Desk Officer, by fax at
(202) 395-6974; by mail at Room 10235, 725 17th Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20503; or by e-mail at [email protected].
For Further Information or to Obtain a Copy of the STB Form,
Contact: Joe Dettmar at (202) 245-0395 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 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), includes agency requirements
that persons submit reports, keep records, or provide information to
the agency, third parties, or the public. Under Sec. 3506(b) of the
PRA, Federal agencies are required to provide, concurrent with 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.
Dated: April 5, 2011.
Andrea Pope-Matheson,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2011-8402 Filed 4-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P