[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 207 (Friday, October 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73932-73933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23694]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2023-0042]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments 
for a New Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to 
request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for an 
information collection, which is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal 
Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by December 26, 2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
0042 by any of the following methods:
    Website: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of Transportation, West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth Petty, Office of Planning 
(HEPP-1), 202-366-6654, and Spencer Stevens, Office of Planning (HEPP-
20), 202-366-6221, Department of Transportation, Federal Highway 
Administration, Office of Civil Rights, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 
Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal Holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Survey of Metropolitan Planning Organizations and State 
Departments of Transportation Regarding Practices for Incorporating 
Equity and Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Planning and 
Project Decision-Making.
    Background: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT, or ``the 
Department'') is committed to pursuing a comprehensive approach to 
advancing equity for all. In support of the Department's Equity Action 
Plan (https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/equity/equity-action-plan), DOT is working to support transportation agencies in better 
addressing the needs of underserved communities.
    One focus area for DOT relates to the Department's programmatic 
enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (DOT Order 1000.12C), 
including emphasizing agency review of potentially-discriminatory 
plans,

[[Page 73933]]

investment programs, and projects to prevent unlawful discrimination, 
and empower communities, including limited English proficient 
communities, in transportation decision-making (49 CFR 21.5, 21.7, 21.9 
and 28 CFR part 406). DOT is also emphasizing the requirements of 
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (28 CFR 35.104) and of the 
Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) for ensuring 
that transportation plans and investment programs do not discriminate 
on the basis of disability and provide equal opportunity and access for 
persons with disabilities.
    In August of 2022, FHWA conducted a survey of all State departments 
of transportation (State DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations 
(MPOs) to better understand how these agencies consider equity and 
comply with Title VI in transportation planning and programming 
activities (OMB Control Number 2125-0665). This survey included 
questions about how each State DOT or MPO uses quantitative data or 
tools to analyze equity factors for transportation plans and investment 
programs, as well as how each agency provides a meaningful and 
representative role to members of all communities, including 
underserved and limited English proficient communities, in shaping 
these plans and programs (28 CFR part 407). Information from the survey 
was used to help the Department form an understanding of the state of 
the practice related to equity and civil rights compliance and 
meaningful public involvement in transportation planning and 
programming, and to inform research products and capacity-building 
activities for State DOTs and MPOs, to help them improve practices.
    FHWA plans to conduct follow-up annual surveys, beginning in 2024, 
to monitor the progress of State DOTs and MPOs in advancing their 
transportation planning equity and meaningful public involvement 
practices, and to identify ongoing research, training, and technical 
assistance needs. These surveys will cover similar topics as the 2022 
survey, with reworded questions to reduce respondent burden and to 
align with updates to the Department's Equity Action Plan and other 
policies or guidance.
    Survey responses may also inform future revisions to existing 
guidance, or the development of new guidance, to DOT funding recipients 
on meeting the requirements of title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the 
National Environmental Policy Act, section 504 of the Rehabilitation 
Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, transportation planning and 
programming, or other legal or regulatory requirements that relate to 
transportation equity and public involvement.
    FHWA plans to conduct the survey on a voluntary-response basis, 
utilizing an electronic survey platform. This is planned as an annual 
information collection, and FHWA estimates that the survey will take 
approximately one hour to complete. The survey will consist of both 
multiple-choice and short-answer question formats.
    Respondents: 52 State DOTs and approximately 420 MPOs.
    Frequency: Annually, beginning in 2024.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: Approximately 60 minutes per 
respondent.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Approximately 472 hours.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed 
collection is necessary for the FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of 
the estimated burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA to enhance the quality, 
usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that 
the burden could be minimized, including the use of electronic 
technology, without reducing the quality of the collected information. 
The agency will summarize and/or include your comments in the request 
for OMB's clearance of this information collection.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter 
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued On: October 23, 2023.
Jazmyne Lewis,
Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-23694 Filed 10-26-23; 8:45 am]
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