79 FR 139 pgs. 42396-42397 - Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
Type: NOTICEVolume: 79Number: 139Pages: 42396 - 42397
Pages: 42396, 42397Docket number: [Docket No. FRA-2014-0011-N-02]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2014-16984 Filed 7-18-14; 8:45 am]
Agency: Transportation Department
Sub Agency: Federal Railroad Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2014-0011-N-02]
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
AGENCY:
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION:
Notice and request for comments.
SUMMARY:
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Requests (ICRs) abstracted below are being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on May 7, 2014 (79 FR 26299).
DATES:
Comments must be submitted on or before August 20, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Kimberly Toone, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 35, Washington, DC 20590 (Telephone: (202) 493-6132). (This telephone number is not toll-free.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104-13, sec. 2, 109 Stat. 163 (1995) (codified as revised at 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to issue two notices seeking public comment on information collection activities before OMB may approve paperwork packages. 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.5, 1320.8(d)(1), 1320.12. On May 7, 2014, FRA published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register soliciting comment on ICRs that the agency was seeking OMB approval. See 79 FR 26299. FRA received no comments after issuing this notice. Accordingly, these information collection activities have been re-evaluated and certified under 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and are being forwarded to OMB for review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12(c).
Before OMB decides whether to approve these proposed collections of information, it must provide 30 days for public comment. 44 U.S.C. 3507(b); 5 CFR 1320.12(d). Federal law requires OMB to approve or disapprove paperwork packages between 30 and 60 days after the 30 day notice is published. 44 U.S.C. 3507 (b)-(c); 5 CFR 1320.12(d); see also 60 FR 44978, 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. OMB believes that the 30 day notice informs the regulated community to file relevant comments and affords the agency adequate time to digest public comments before it renders a decision. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. Therefore, respondents should submit their respective comments to OMB within 30 days of publication to best ensure having their full effect. 5 CFR 1320.12(c); see also 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995.
The summary below describes the nature of the information collection requirements (ICRs) and the expected burden. The revised requirements are being submitted for clearance by OMB as required by the PRA.
Title: Capital Grants for Rail Line Relocation and Improvement Projects.
OMB Control Number: 2130-0578.
Type of Request: Extension without change of a previously approved collection.
[top] Abstract: Section 9002 of SAFETEA-LU amended chapter 201 of Title 49 of the United States Code by adding new section 20154, which establishes the basic elements of a funding program for capital grants for rail relocation and improvement projects. Subsection (b) of the new section 20154 mandates that the Secretary of Transportation issue "temporary regulations" to implement the capital grants program and then issue final regulations by October 1, 2006.
In FY 2008, Congress appropriated $20,145,000 for the Program, reduced by rescission to $20,040,200. Of this sum, $14,905,000 was available for discretionary (competitive) grants. After evaluating and scoring 37 applications, FRA awarded $14,315,300 to seven different projects, leaving $589,700. In FY 2009, Congress appropriated $25,000,000 and directed that $17,100,000 be awarded to 23 specific projects, with $7,900,000 left over for discretionary grants. Subsequently, in FY 2010, Congress appropriated $34,532,000 for the Program, and directed that $24,519,200 go to 27 specifically enumerated projects. FRA combined the remaining $10,012,800 with the $589,700 that was not awarded from the FY 2008 competition, $2,000,000 that was awarded to one of the FY 2008 projects but which the project sponsors ultimately turned down, and the $7,900,000 in FY 2009 discretionary funding for a total of $20,502,500. These funds were the subject of a Notice of Funding Availability that FRA published in the Federal Register on September 10, 2010. The application period closed on October 29, 2010.
Annual Estimated Burden: 26,083 hours.
Addressee: Send comments regarding these information collections to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 Seventeenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: FRA Desk Officer. Comments may also be sent via email to OMB at the following address: oira_submissions@omb.eop.gov.
Comments are invited on the following: Whether the proposed collections of information are necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimates of the burden of the proposed information collections; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the collections of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
A comment to OMB is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication of this notice in the Federal Register .
Authority:
44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.
Issued in Washington, DC, on July 15, 2014.
Rebecca Pennington,
Chief Financial Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-16984 Filed 7-18-14; 8:45 am]
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