65496 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 218 / Friday, November 12, 2004 / Notices 

to the public hearing for the proposed 

action. It is anticipated that the Draft 

EIS will be available for review in early 

2005.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning 

and Construction. The regulation 

implementing Executive Order 12372 

regarding intergovernmental consultation on 

Federal programs and activities apply to this 

program)

Issued on: November 5, 2004. 

Mr. John E. Dewar, 

Acting Chief Operating Officer, Sacramento, 

California.

[FR Doc. 04–25194 Filed 11–10–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration 

Request for Comments

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice 

announces that the Information 

Collection Requirement (ICR) abstracted 

below has been forwarded to the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and comment. The ICR describes 

the nature of the information collection 

and its expected burden. The Federal 

Register notice with a 60-day comment 

period soliciting comments on the 

following collection of information was 

published on September 2, 2004 (69 FR 

53765).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before December 13, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Robert Brogan, Office of Safety, 

Planning and Evaluation Division, RRS–

21, Federal Railroad Administration, 

1120 Vermont Ave., NW., Mail Stop 25, 

Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 

493–6292), or Ms. Debra Steward, Office 

of Information Technology and 

Productivity Improvement, RAD–20, 

Federal Railroad Administration, 1120 

Vermont Ave., NW., Mail Stop 35, 

Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 

493–6139). (These telephone numbers 

are not toll-free.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), Pub. L. No. 104–13, Section 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 September 2, 

2004, FRA published a 60-day notice in 

the Federal Register soliciting comment 

on ICRs that the agency was seeking 

OMB approval. 69 FR 53765. FRA 

received no comments in response to 

this notice. 

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 

requirement (ICR) and the expected 

burden, and is being submitted for 

clearance by OMB as required by the 

PRA. 

Title: Safety Appliance Concern 

Recommendation Report; Safety 

Appliance Standards Guidance 

Checklist Forms. 

OMB Control Number: 2130–NEW. 

Type of Request: New collection. 

Affected Public: Businesses. 

Abstract: In an ongoing effort to 

conduct more thorough and more 

effective inspections of railroad freight 

equipment and to further enhance safe 

rail operations, FRA has developed a 

safety concern recommendation report 

form, and a group of guidance checklist 

forms that will facilitate railroad, rail 

car owner, and rail equipment 

manufacturer compliance with agency 

Railroad Safety Appliance Standards 

regulations. In lieu of completing an 

official inspection form (FRA F 

6180.96), which takes subject railroad 

equipment out of service and disrupts 

rail operations, proposed new Form 

FRA F 6180.4a will enable Federal and 

State safety inspectors to report to 

agency headquarters systemic or other 

safety concerns. FRA headquarters 

safety specialists can then contact 

railroads, car owners, and equipment 

manufacturers to address the reported 

issue(s) in a timely fashion without 

unnecessarily having to take affected 

rail equipment out of service, unless 

deemed defective. Proposed forms FRA 

F 6180.4(b)–(m) will be used in 

conjunction with the Special Inspection 

of Safety Appliance Equipment form 

(Form FRA F 6180.4) to assist Motive, 

Power, and Equipment (MP&E) field 

inspectors in ensuring that critical 

sections of 49 CFR part 231 (Railroad 

Safety Appliance Standards), pertaining 

to various types of freight equipment, 

are complied with through the use of a 

check-off list. By simplifying their 

demanding work, check-off lists for 12 

essential sections of part 231 will ensure 

that FRA MP&E field personnel 

completely and thoroughly inspect each 

type of freight car for compliance with 

its corresponding section in part 231. 

The proposed Guidance Checklist forms 

may later be used by state field 

inspectors as well. FRA believes that the 

proposed collection of information will 

result in improved construction of 

newly designed freight cars and 

improved field inspections of all freight 

cars currently in use. This, in turn, will 

serve to reduce the number of accidents/

incidents and corresponding injuries 

and fatalities that occur every year due 

to unsafe or defective equipment that 

was not promptly repaired/replaced. 

Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 240 

hours. 

Addressee: Send comments regarding 

this information collection 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 Are Invited on the 

Following: Whether the proposed 

collection of information is 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 estimate of the burden of 

the proposed information collection; 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection 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.

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 218 / Friday, November 12, 2004 / Notices 65497

Issued in Washington, DC, on November 3, 

2004. 

Kathy A. Weiner, 

Director, Office of Information Technology 

and Support Systems, Federal Railroad 

Administration.

[FR Doc. 04–25135 Filed 11–10–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration 

Notice of Application for Approval of 

Discontinuance or Modification of a 

Railroad Signal System or Relief From 

Requirements 

Pursuant to Title 49 Code of Federal 

Regulations (CFR) Part 235 and 49 

U.S.C. 20502(a), the following railroad 

has petitioned the Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA) seeking approval 

for the discontinuance or modification 

of the signal system or relief from the 

requirements of 49 CFR Part 236 as 

detailed below. 

Docket Number FRA–2004–19336 

Applicant: Burlington Northern and 

Santa Fe Railway Company, Mr. 

William G. Peterson, Director Signal 

Engineering, 4515 Kansas Avenue, 

Kansas City, Kansas 66106. 

The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe 

Railway Company (BNSF) seeks relief 

from the requirements of the Rules, 

Standards and Instructions, 49 CFR, Part 

236, Section 236.110, to the extent that 

each test record, need not be signed by 

the person making the inspection or 

test. In lieu of the signature, the BNSF 

proposes to implement an electronic 

system for recording and maintaining 

signal inspection records, that uniquely 

identify the person as the author of the 

record with a PIN number or password. 

Once a record is entered and verified, it 

cannot be modified. In conjunction with 

this relief, the BNSF also requests the 

utilization of an electronic system for 

recording and maintaining applicable 

inspection and test records as defined in 

49 CFR, Part 234, subject to approval by 

the Associate Administrator for Safety, 

as required by Section 234.273. A pilot 

program is planned for approximately 

100 signal employees located in 

Washington, Idaho, Montana, Texas, 

and Louisiana. 

Applicant’s justification for relief: The 

BNSF believes that the electronic 

system will serve the best interest of the 

BNSF and the Federal and State 

Inspection authorities that are required 

to inspect records. The BNSF also 

anticipates this system will provide 

many benefits, including: improved 

availability of test records, improved 

management reporting of compliance, 

improved consistency for filing records, 

and a reduction in the need for paper 

documentation. 

Any interested party desiring to 

protest the granting of an application 

shall set forth specifically the grounds 

upon which the protest is made, and 

include a concise statement of the 

interest of the party in the proceeding. 

Additionally, one copy of the protest 

shall be furnished to the applicant at the 

address listed above. 

All communications concerning this 

proceeding should be identified by the 

docket number and must be submitted 

to the Docket Clerk, DOT Central Docket 

Management Facility, Room PI–401, 400 

7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–

0001. Communications received within 

45 days of the date of this notice will 

be considered by the FRA before final 

action is taken. Comments received after 

that date will be considered as far as 

practicable. All written communications 

concerning these proceedings are 

available for examination during regular 

business hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the 

above facility. All documents in the 

public docket are also available for 

inspection and copying on the internet 

at the docket facility’s Web site at http:/

/dms.dot.gov. 

FRA wishes to inform all potential 

commenters that anyone is able to 

search the electronic form of all 

comments received into any of our 

dockets by the name of the individual 

submitting the comment (or signing the 

comment, if submitted on behalf of an 

association, business, labor union, etc.). 

You may review DOT’s complete 

Privacy Act Statement in the Federal 

Register published on April 11, 2000 

(Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477–

78) or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov. 

FRA expects to be able to determine 

these matters without an oral hearing. 

However, if a specific request for an oral 

hearing is accompanied by a showing 

that the party is unable to adequately 

present his or her position by written 

statements, an application may be set 

for public hearing.

Issued in Washington, DC, on November 1, 

2004. 

Grady C. Cothen, Jr., 

Acting Associate Administrator for Safety.

[FR Doc. 04–25136 Filed 11–10–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

Reports, Forms and Record Keeping 

Requirements; Agency Information 

Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice 

announces that the Information 

Collection Request (ICR) abstracted 

below has been forwarded to the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and comment. The ICR describes 

the nature of the information collections 

and their expected burden. The Federal 

Register Notice with a 60-day comment 

period was published on July 23, 2004 

(69 FR 44077).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before December 13, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

directed to the Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs, Office of 

Management and Budget, 725 17th 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, 

Attention NHTSA Desk Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Kido, National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration, Office of the 

Chief Counsel (NCC–111), (202) 366–

5263, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room 

5219, Washington, DC 20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

Title: Confidential Business 

Information. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Form Number: This collection of 

information uses no standard forms. 

OMB Control Number: 2127–0025. 

Frequency: Submission of information 

pursuant to this regulation will depend 

on the frequency with which a given 

entity, such as a manufacturer of motor 

vehicles or motor vehicle equipment, 

submits information that the entity 

wishes the agency to withhold as 

confidential, generally pursuant to 

Exemption 4 of the Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552. 

Affected Public: This collection of 

information would apply to any person 

who seeks to have the agency treat as 

confidential information submitted to 

the agency either voluntarily or 

pursuant to a mandatory information 

request issued by the agency. Thus, the 

collection of information could apply to