[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 142 (Thursday, July 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44579-44580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15949]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0195 (Notice No. 2020-07)]
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, PHMSA
invites comments on a revision to the information collection pertaining
to hazardous materials public sector training and planning grants for
which PHMSA intends to request a renewal with revision from the Office
of Management and Budget.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or August
24, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Andrews or Shelby Geller,
Standards and Rulemaking Division, (202) 366-8553, Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1320.8 (d), title 5, Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) requires PHMSA to provide interested members of the
public and affected agencies an opportunity to comment on information
collection and recordkeeping requests. This notice identifies an
information collection request that PHMSA will be submitting to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for revision. Specifically, PHMSA
is notifying the public of its intent to seek additional information in
hazardous materials planning grant applications. This information
collection is contained in 49 CFR 171.6 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 a proposed revision to this information
collection. The following information is provided for this information
collection: (1) Title of the information collection, including former
title if a change is being made; (2) OMB control number; (3) summary of
the information collection activity; (4) description of affected
public; (5) estimate of total annual reporting and recordkeeping
burden; and (6) frequency of collection. PHMSA will request a 3-year
term of approval for this information collection activity.
On February 28, 2019, PHMSA published a final rule titled
``Hazardous Materials: Oil Spill Response Plans and Information Sharing
for High-Hazard Flammable Trains (FAST Act)'' [HM-251B; 84 FR 6910]
which revised and clarified requirements for Comprehensive Oil Spill
Response Plans (COSRPs) and expanded their applicability based on
petroleum oil thresholds that apply to an entire train consist. The
final rule also requires a railroad to share information about high-
hazard flammable train (HHFT) operations with each State emergency
response commissions (SERC), Tribal Emergency Response Commission
(TERC), or other appropriate State-delegated agency in each State
through which it operates to improve community preparedness. At a
minimum, railroads must provide: (1) A reasonable estimate of the
number of HHFTs that the railroad expects to operate each week, through
each county within the State or through each tribal jurisdiction; (2)
the routes over which the HHFTs will operate; (3) a description of the
hazardous materials being transported and all applicable emergency
response information required by the shipping papers and emergency
response information requirements of the HMR; (4) an HHFT point of
contact; and (5) a description of the response zones (including
counties and states) and the contact information for the qualified
individual and alternate as specified under Sec. 130.120(c) if a route
identified above is additionally subject to the comprehensive spill
plan requirements. In addition, the HHFT notification must be
maintained and transmitted in accordance with the following: (1)
Railroads must update the notifications for changes in volume greater
than 25%; (2) notifications and updates may be transmitted
electronically or by hard copy; (3) if the disclosure includes
information that a railroad believes is security sensitive or
proprietary and exempt from public disclosure, the railroad should
indicate that in the notification; (4) each point of contact must be
clearly identified by name or title, and contact role (e.g., qualified
individual, HHFT point of contact) in association with the telephone
number. One point of contact may fulfill multiple roles; and (5) copies
of the railroad's notifications made under this section must be made
available to the Department of Transportation upon request.
Following an audit conducted by the General Accounting Office
(GAO), PHMSA received a recommendation (GAO-17-91) to develop a process
for regularly collecting information from SERCs on the distribution of
the railroad-provided hazardous materials shipping information to local
planning entities. In response to this recommendation, PHMSA will have
grant applicants declare if SERCs have received copies of the railroad-
provided information detailed above. In addition, PHMSA will determine
if the SERCs are disseminating this information to local planning
entities. PHMSA expects that requesting grantees to provide this
additional information will add approximately 2 minutes of burden time
per respondent. For 62 grantees, this is approximately 2 additional
burden hours (62 grantees x 2 minutes).
A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting
comments on this information collection was published on November 26,
2019 [84 FR 65213].
PHMSA received no comments to the 60-day notice.
[[Page 44580]]
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Responses per Number of Hours per Total burden
Question/topic Respondents respondent responses response hours
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General Grantee and Sub- 62 1 62 16 992
grantee information..........
Information on LEPCs.......... 62 1 62 16 992
Assessment of Potential 62 1 62 8 496
Chemical Threats.............
Assessment of Response 62 1 62 8 496
Capabilities for Accidents/
Incidents....................
HMEP Planning and Training 62 1 62 7 434
Grant Reporting..............
HMEP Planning Goals and 62 1 62 7 434
Objectives...................
HMEP Training and Planning 62 1 62 7 434
Assessment...................
Hazmat Transportation Fees.... 62 1 62 3.23 200.26
Grant Applicant is NIMS 62 1 62 5.5 341
Compliant/Grant Application
Is Reviewed By SERC..........
HMEP Grant Program 62 1 62 5.5 341
Administration...............
HHFT Information Sharing 62 1 62 0.033 2.067
Compliance Questions.........
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As described above, PHMSA currently estimates the OMB Control
Number 2137-0586 burden to be revised as follows:
Title: Hazardous Materials Public Sector Training and Planning
Grants
OMB Control Number: 2137-0586
Summary: Part 110 of 49 CFR sets forth the procedures for
reimbursable grants for public sector planning and training in support
of the emergency planning and training efforts of States, Territories,
and Indian tribes to manage hazardous materials emergencies,
particularly those involving transportation. Sections in this part
address information collection reporting requirements regarding the
application for grants, the monitoring of expenditures, and the
reporting and requesting of modifications.
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Total annual Hours per Total annual
Information collection Respondents responses response burden hours
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Hazardous Materials Public Sector Training & 62 62 83.26 5,162
Planning Grants................................
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Affected Public: State and local governments, Indian tribes.
Increase in Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
Increase in Annual Respondents: 0.
Increase in Annual Responses: 0.
Increase in Annual Burden Hours: 2.
Frequency of collection: Annually.
Issued in Washington, DC.
William A. Quade,
Deputy Associate Administrator of Hazardous Materials Safety, Pipeline
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-15949 Filed 7-22-20; 8:45 am]
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