Notice and Request for Comments

AGENCY:

Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION:

60-day notice of intent to seek extension of approval: System Diagram Maps.

SUMMARY:

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521 (PRA), the Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) gives notice of its intent to seek approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension of the system diagram maps, described below.

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. Submitted comments will be summarized and included in the Board's request for OMB approval.

Description of Collection

Title: System Diagram Maps (or, in the case of Class III carriers, the alternative narrative description of rail system).

OMB Control Number: 2140-0003.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Extension without change.

Respondents: Common carrier freight railroads that are either new or reporting changes in the status of one or more of their rail lines.

Number of Respondents: 1.

Estimated Time per Response: 7.1 hours, based on average time reported in informal survey of respondents (less than 10).

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Total Annual Burden Hours: 7.1 hours.

Total “Non-hour Burden” Cost: None identified. Filings are submitted electronically to the Board.

Needs and Uses: Under 49 CFR 1152.10-1152.13, all railroads subject to the Board's jurisdiction are required to keep current system diagram maps on file, or alternatively, in the case of a Class III carrier (a carrier with assets of not more than $38,060,384 in 2014 dollars), to submit the same information in narrative form. The information sought in this collection identifies all lines in a particular railroad's system, categorized to indicate the likelihood that service on a particular line will be abandoned and/or whether service on a line is currently provided under the financial assistance provisions of 49 U.S.C. 10904. Carriers are obligated to amend these maps as the need to change the category of any particular line arises.

DATES:

Comments on this information collection should be submitted by July 1, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all comments to Chris Oehrle, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20423-0001, or to PRA@stb.dot.gov. When submitting comments, please refer to “System Diagram Maps.” For further information regarding this collection, please contact Pedro Ramirez at (202) 245-0333 or at pedro.ramirez@stb.dot.gov. [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 § 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, federal agencies are required to provide, prior to an agency's submitting a collection to OMB for approval, 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.