34796 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 105 / Wednesday, May 31, 2000 / Notices

[FR Doc. 00–13548 Filed 5–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–C

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

Proposed Agency Information

Collection Activities; Comment

Request

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 collections of information was

published on February 16, 2000 (65 FR

7913).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before June 30, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Robert Brogan, Office of Planning and

Evaluation Division, RRS–21, Federal

Railroad Administration, 1120 Vermont

Ave., NW, Mail Stop 17, Washington,

DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493–6292),

or Dian Deal, Office of Information

Technology and Productivity

Improvement, RAD–20, Federal

Railroad Administration, 1120 Vermont

Ave., NW, Mail Stop 35, Washington,

DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493–6133).

(These telephone numbers are not tollfree.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(PRA), Public Law 104–13, section 2,

109 Stat. 163 (1995) (codified as revised

at 44 U.S.C. sections 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 February 16,

2000, FRA published a 60-day notice in

the Federal Register soliciting comment

on ICRs that the agency was seeking

OMB approval. 65 FR 7913. 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 summaries below describe 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: Railroad Locomotive Safety

Standards and Event Recorder.

OMB Control Number: 2130–0004.

Type of Request: Extension of a

currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Railroads.

Form(s): FRA F 6180.49A.

Abstract: Under regulations issued

pursuant to Congressional mandate, 49

U.S.C. 20137, trains must be equipped

with event recorders. Event recorders

are devices that record train speed, hot

box detection, throttle position, brake

application, brake operations, time and

signal conditions, and any other

function that FRA considers necessary

to monitor the safety of train operations.

Event recorders provide FRA with

information about how trains are

operated, and if a train is involved in an

accident, the devices afford data to FRA

and other investigators necessary to

determine the probable causes of the

accident. Moreover, under 49 CFR Part

229, railroads are required to conduct

daily, periodic, annual, and biennial

tests of locomotives to measure the level

of compliance with Federal regulations.

The collection of information requires

railroads to prepare written records

indicating the repairs needed, the

person making the repairs, and the type

of repairs made. This information

provides a locomotive engineer with

information that the locomotive has

been inspected and is in proper

condition for use in service, and enables

FRA to monitor compliance with the

regulatory standards.

Title: Railroad Signal System

Requirements.

OMB Control Number: 2130–0006.

Type of Request: Extension of the

currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Businesses.

Form(s): FRA F 6180.14; FRA F

6180.47.

Abstract: The regulations pertaining

to railroad signal systems are contained

in 49 CFR Parts 233 (Signal System

Reporting Requirements), 235

(Instructions Governing Applications for

Approval of a Discontinuance or

Material Modification of a Signal

System), and 236 (Rules, Standards, and

Instructions Governing the Installation,

Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair of

Systems, Devices, and Appliances).

Section 233.5 provides that each

railroad must report to FRA within 24

hours after learning of an accident or

incident arising from the failure of a

signal appliance, device, method, or

system to function or indicate as

required by Part 236 of this title that

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 105 / Wednesday, May 31, 2000 / Notices 34797

results in a more favorable aspect than

intended or other condition hazardous

to the movement of a train. Section

233.7 sets forth the specific

requirements for reporting signal

failures within 15 days in accordance

with the instructions printed on Form

FRA F 6180.14. Finally, Section 233.9

sets forth the specific requirements for

the ‘‘Signal System Five Year Report.’’

It requires that every five years each

railroad must file a signal system status

report. The report is to be prepared on

a form issued by FRA in accordance

with the instructions and definitions

provided.

Title 49, part 235 of the Code of

Federal Regulations, sets forth the

specific conditions under which FRA

approval of modification or

discontinuance of railroad signal

systems is required and prescribes the

methods available to seek such

approval. The application process

prescribed under Part 235 provides a

vehicle enabling FRA to obtain the

necessary information to make logical

and informed decisions concerning

carrier requests to modify or

discontinue signaling systems. Section

235.5 requires railroads to apply for

FRA approval to discontinue or

materially modify signaling systems.

Section 235.7 defines ‘‘material

modification’’ and identifies those

changes that do not require agency

approval. Section 235.8 provides that

any railroad may petition FRA to seek

relief from the requirements provided

under 49 CFR Part 236.

Sections 236.10, 235.12, and 235.13

describe where the petition must be

submitted, what information must be

included, the organizational format, and

the official authorized to sign the

application. Section 235.20 sets forth

the process for protesting the granting of

a carrier application for signal changes

or relief from the rules, standards, and

instructions. This section provides the

information that must be included in

the protest, the address for filing the

protest, the time limit for filing the

protest, and the requirement that a

person requesting a public hearing

explain the need for such a forum.

Section 236.110 required that the test

results of certain signaling apparatus be

recorded and specifically identify the

tests required under §§ 236.102-109;

§§ 236.376 to 236.387; §§ 236.576,

236.577; and §§ 236.586–236.589.

Section 236.110 further provides that

the test results must be recorded on preprinted or computerized forms provided

by the carrier and that the forms show

the name of the railroad; place and date

of the test conducted; equipment tested;

tests results; repairs, replacements, and

adjustments made; and the condition of

the apparatus. This section also requires

that the employee conducting the test

must sign the form and the record be

retained at the office of the supervisory

official having proper authority. Results

of tests made in compliance with

§ 236.587 must be retained for 92 days,

and results of all other tests must be

retained until the next record is filed,

but in no case less than one year.

Additionally, § 236.587 requires each

railroad to make a departure test of cab

signal, train stop, or train control

devices on locomotives before that

locomotive enters the equipped

territory. This section further requires

that whoever performs the test must

certify in writing that the test was

properly performed. The certification

and the test results must be posted in

the locomotive cab with a coy of the

certification and test results retained at

the office of a supervisory official

having proper authority. However, if it

is impractical to leave a copy of the

certification and test results at the

location of the test, the test results must

be transmitted to either the dispatcher

or one other designated official at each

location, who must keep a written

record of the test results and the name

of the person performing the test. All

records prepared under this section are

required to be retained for 92 days.

Finally, Section 236.590 requires the

carrier to clean and inspect the

pneumatic apparatus of automatic train

stop, train control, or cab signal devices

on locomotives every 736 days, and to

stencil, tag, or otherwise mark the

pneumatic apparatus indicating the last

cleaning date.

Annual Estimated Burden Hours:

480,326 hours.

Title: Locomotive Certification (Noise

Compliance Regulations).

OMB Control Number: 2130–0527.

Type of Request: Extension of a

currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Businesses.

Form(s): N/A.

Abstract: On January 14, 1976, the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

issued noise emission standards

pursuant to the Noise Control Act of

1972. The standards, 40 CFR Part 201,

establish limits on the noise emissions

generated by railroad locomotives under

both stationary and moving conditions.

Section 17 of the Noise Control Act also

requires the Secretary of Transportation

to enforce these regulations and

promulgate separate regulations to

ensure compliance with the same. On

December 23, 1983, FRA published 49

CFR Part 210 to ensure compliance with

the EPA standards. The certification and

testing data ensure that locomotives

built after December 31, 1979 have

passed prescribed decibel standards for

noise emissions under EPA regulations.

Addressee: Send comments regarding

these information collections to the

Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and

Budget, 725 Seventeenth Street, N.W.,

Washington, D.C., 20503; Attention:

FRA Desk Officer.

Comments are invited on the

following: Whether the proposed

collections of information are necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of FRA, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

the accuracy of FRA’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, D.C. on May 24,

2000.

Margaret B. Reid,

Acting Director, Office of Information

Technology and Support Systems, Federal

Railroad Administration.

[FR Doc. 00–13534 Filed 5–30–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA–99–6270]

Notice of Public Meeting and Internet

Forum on the Safety Implications of

Driver Distraction When Using InVehicle Technologies

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and

internet forum.

SUMMARY: NHTSA is holding two public

events that focus on the potential safety

implications associated with driver

distraction while using advanced invehicle technologies that receive,

transmit, or display various types of

information. The devices of interest

include those that allow drivers to

phone, fax, obtain route guidance, view

infrared images on a head-up display,

and use the Internet and other such

devices.