76276 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 213 / Monday, November 6, 2023 / Notices 

using Form OSC–14. Form OSC–14 can 

be submitted electronically at the OSC 

website http://www.osc.gov, under the 

tab ‘‘File a Complaint.’’ You also have 

the option to call the Case Review 

Division at 1–800–872–9855 for 

additional assistance. In the alternative 

(or in some cases, in addition), you may 

pursue a discrimination complaint by 

filing a grievance through the DOT 

administrative or negotiated grievance 

procedures, if such procedures apply 

and are available. 

If you are alleging unlawful 

compensation discrimination pursuant 

to the Equal Pay Act and wish to pursue 

your allegations through the 

administrative process, you must 

contact an EEO counselor within 45 

calendar days of the alleged 

discriminatory action, as such 

complaints are processed under EEOC’s 

regulations at 29 CFR part 1614. 

Alternatively, you can file a civil action 

in a court of competent jurisdiction 

within two years, or if the violation is 

willful, three years of the date of the 

alleged violation, regardless of whether 

you pursued any administrative 

complaint processing. The filing of a 

complaint or appeal pursuant to 29 CFR 

part 1614 shall not toll the time for 

filing a civil action. 

Whistleblower Protection Laws 

A DOT employee with authority to 

take, direct others to take, recommend, 

or approve any personnel action must 

not use that authority to take, or fail to 

take, or threaten to take a personnel 

action against an employee or applicant 

because of a disclosure of information 

by that individual that is reasonably 

believed to evidence violations of law, 

rule, or regulation; gross 

mismanagement; gross waste of funds; 

an abuse of authority; or a substantial 

and specific danger to public health or 

safety, unless the disclosure of such 

information is specifically prohibited by 

law and such information is specifically 

required by Executive Order to be kept 

secret in the interest of national defense 

or the conduct of foreign affairs. 

Retaliation against a DOT employee or 

applicant for making a protected 

disclosure is prohibited (5 U.S.C. 

2302(b)(8)). If you believe you are a 

victim of whistleblower retaliation, you 

may file a written complaint with the 

U.S. Office of Special Counsel using 

Form OSC–14. Form OSC–14 can be 

filed electronically at http://

www.osc.gov. You may also contact the 

DOT Office of Inspector General Hotline 

by phone at 1–800–424–9071, by fax at 

202–366–7749, by email at hotline@

oig.dot.gov, online at https://

www.oig.dot.gov/hotline, or by mail at 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Bldg 

7th Floor, Washington, DC 20590. 

Retaliation for Engaging in Protected 

Activity 

A Federal agency cannot retaliate 

against an employee or applicant 

because that individual exercises their 

rights under any of the Federal 

antidiscrimination or whistleblower 

protection laws listed above. If you 

believe that you are the victim of 

retaliation for engaging in protected 

activity, you must follow, as 

appropriate, the procedures described in 

the Antidiscrimination Laws and 

Whistleblower Protection Laws sections 

or, if applicable, the administrative or 

negotiated grievance procedures in 

order to pursue any legal remedy. 

Disciplinary Actions 

Under existing laws, DOT retains the 

right, where appropriate, to discipline a 

DOT employee who engages in conduct 

that is inconsistent with Federal 

Antidiscrimination and Whistleblower 

Protection laws up to and including 

removal from Federal service. If DOT 

takes an adverse action under 5 U.S.C. 

7512 against an employee for a 

discriminatory act, it must include a 

notation of the adverse action and the 

reason for the action in the employee’s 

personnel record. If OSC initiates an 

investigation under 5 U.S.C. 1214, DOT 

must seek approval from the Special 

Counsel to discipline employees for, 

among other activities, engaging in 

prohibited retaliation (5 U.S.C. 1214). 

Nothing in the No FEAR Act alters 

existing laws or permits an agency to 

take unfounded disciplinary action 

against a DOT employee, or to violate 

the procedural rights of a DOT 

employee accused of discrimination. 

Additional Information 

For more information regarding the 

No FEAR Act regulations, refer to 5 CFR 

part 724, as well as the appropriate 

office(s) within your agency (e.g., EEO/ 

civil rights offices, human resources 

offices, or legal offices). You can find 

additional information regarding 

Federal antidiscrimination, 

whistleblower protection, and 

retaliation laws at the EEOC website at 

http://www.eeoc.gov and the OSC 

website at http://www.osc.gov. 

Existing Rights Unchanged 

Pursuant to section 205 of the No 

FEAR Act, neither the No FEAR Act nor 

this notice creates, expands, or reduces 

any rights otherwise available to any 

employee, former employee, or 

applicant under the laws of the United 

States, including the provisions of law 

specified in 5 U.S.C. 2302(d). 

Issued in Washington, DC, on October 26, 

2023. 

Irene Marion, 

Director, Departmental Office of Civil Rights, 

U.S. Department of Transportation. 

[FR Doc. 2023–24446 Filed 11–3–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

Agency Information Collection: 

Activity Under OMB Review; Electric 

Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey 

(eVIUS) 

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics (BTS), Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Research and Technology 

(OST–R), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice and Request for 

Comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, this notice 

announces the intention of the Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to 

request the Office of Management and 

Budget’s (OMB) approval of a new 

information collection related to the 

nation’s battery electric vehicles (BEVs) 

and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles 

(PHEVs)—collectively referred to 

electric vehicles (EVs). The information 

collected will be used to produce 

national statistics on the characteristics 

and uses of EVs as well as the charging 

patterns and preferences related to EVs. 

A summary report of survey findings 

will also be published by BTS on the 

BTS web page: www.bts.gov. 

DATES: Send comments on or before 

December 6, 2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jina 

Mahmoudi, VIUS/eVIUS Program 

Manager, (800) 853–1351, eVIUS@

dot.gov, BTS, OST–R, Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. 

SE, Room E34–471, Washington, DC 

20590. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 

5:30 p.m., E.T., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Electric Vehicle Inventory and 

Use Survey (eVIUS). 

Type of Request: Approval for a new 

information collection. 

Affected Public: Registered owners of 

battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 

plug-in hybrid electric vehicles 

(PHEVs). 

Background: As the pace of electric 

vehicles’ adoption and use increases on 

the nation’s roadways, the U.S. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 213 / Monday, November 6, 2023 / Notices 76277 

Department of Transportation (U.S. 

DOT)’s Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics (BTS) is planning to conduct 

the first national-level Electric Vehicle 

Inventory and Use Survey (eVIUS). The 

eVIUS will be conducted to gain an indepth understanding of the 

characteristics, usage, and charging 

patterns of electric vehicles (EVs) as 

well as the demographics and charging 

preferences of EV owners. The data 

collected through eVIUS will inform 

policy and planning decisions on future 

transportation systems and 

infrastructure investments. 

The survey will be administered to 

owners of a nationally representative 

sample of battery electric vehicles 

(BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric 

vehicles (PHEVs). The survey scope will 

be inclusive of passenger cars and lightduty vehicles (up to 10,000 pounds). 

As there is no existing national-level 

data source for EV use and charging 

patterns, the eVIUS will provide 

valuable data and information that can 

assist transportation professionals and 

other stakeholders at the federal, state, 

and local levels to decipher the 

characteristics and usage of the EVs 

being driven on US roadways, as well as 

the charging preferences and needs of 

EV owners. The national-level data will 

inform policy and planning decisions 

related to EV charging infrastructure in 

the US, thereby leading to increased 

mobility, safety, air quality, and equity 

on the nation’s roadways. 

Data Confidentiality Provisions: This 

will be a voluntary data collection. A 

summary report of aggregate findings 

will be published on the BTS web page 

at www.bts.gov, and no individual and 

company’s information or names will be 

included in the published reports. The 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, its 

employees and agents, will use the 

information provided by respondents 

for statistical purposes only and will 

hold individuals’ information in 

confidence to the full extent permitted 

by law. In accordance with the 

Confidential Information Protection and 

Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 

5 of Pub. L. 107–347) and the 

Foundations for Evidence-Based 

Policymaking Act of 2018 (Title 3 of 

Pub. L. 115–435) along with other 

applicable Federal laws, no responses 

will not be disclosed in an identifiable 

form without the respondent’s informed 

consent. Per the Federal Cybersecurity 

Enhancement Act of 2016, Federal 

information systems are protected from 

malicious activities through 

cybersecurity screening of transmitted 

data. 

Frequency: One time. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Response: The burden per respondent is 

estimated to be an average of 16 minutes 

(0.27 hours). This estimation is based on 

pre-test surveys conducted (with an 

average respondent burden of 15 

minutes) plus an additional minute to 

account for log in time. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 

Based on an estimated average burden 

of 0.27 hours per respondent and a 30% 

response rate, the total annual burden is 

estimated to be in the range of 4,050 

hours (for a minimum number of 50,000 

respondents) and 12,150 hours (for a 

maximum number of 150,000 

respondents). 

Response to Comments: A 60-day 

notice requesting public comment was 

issued in the Federal Register on March 

9, 2023 (88 FR 14667, page 14667– 

14668, published 03/09/2023). Three 

comments were received by BTS in 

response to the 60-day public notice. 

The BTS’ responses to those comments 

are provided below: 

BTS’ Response to Comment 1 (from 

The Association for the Work Truck 

Industry (NTEA): 

For this initial round of eVIUS, BTS 

would like to focus on light-duty 

electric vehicles (EVs). The reasons for 

this decision are: 

• According to the International 

Energy Agency, the light-duty EV is 

becoming a fast-growing mode of 

transportation as EV sales are increasing 

substantially, and the electric vehicle 

(BEVs and PHEVs) sales in the United 

States increased 55% in 2022 reaching 

a sales share of 8%. Since the light-duty 

EVs (e.g., passenger cars) comprise the 

majority of EV population, to aid 

determination of charging infrastructure 

gaps and inform policy decisions, it is 

essential to collect timely data on use 

and charging patterns of EVs as 

currently there is no existing source of 

such data and national statistics; 

• Vehicles using the other suggested 

alternative fuels (i.e., hydrogen fuel cell, 

propane, natural gas and other possible 

future methods of propulsion) are 

operated differently from EVs. 

Consequently, expansion of the scope of 

the eVIUS to include these vehicles 

would require adding many questions to 

the survey questionnaire to measure the 

characteristics and use of such vehicles. 

This will greatly increase the 

complexity and length of the survey 

questionnaire and add to the respondent 

burden; 

• Further, adding other alternatively 

fueled vehicles in the eVIUS survey 

would require inclusion of an adequate 

number of such vehicles in the sample 

frame, which will increase the sample 

size and potentially reduce the overall 

survey estimation precision, and add to 

the time and budget required for data 

collection. As alternatively fueled 

vehicles comprise a small proportion of 

the entire vehicle population in the 

U.S., producing robust statistics will be 

a challenge due to a small population 

size, which leads to an inadequate 

sample size. 

The eVIUS sample frame is the states’ 

vehicle registration data; therefore, any 

EVs registered in the states have a 

chance to be sampled and included in 

the sample frame—i.e., governmentowned fleets (federal, state, local) will 

not be actively excluded. The eVIUS 

survey questionnaire includes multiplechoice questions that ask respondents 

about the ownership type and usage 

purpose of the vehicle—allowing them 

to select options that indicate if the 

vehicle is a government-owned vehicle 

(state or local) and if the vehicle is used 

for a government business purpose. 

Since increasing the eVIUS scope to 

include alternatively fueled vehicles 

would result in the data collection 

operation schedule and the respondent 

burden considerations becoming less 

flexible, it is not a feasible option for 

this first round of eVIUS as BTS intends 

to produce timely data (within one 

year). BTS is considering a future data 

collection specific to the other 

alternatively fueled vehicles, depending 

on availability of funds. 

BTS’ Response to Comment 2 (from 

Alliance for Automotive Innovation): 

A multiple-choice format has been 

used for the eVIUS as suggested. 

The survey includes questions related 

to vehicle background and type of use, 

home base, miles traveled, long-distance 

travel, general charging behavior and 

needs, as well as demographics— 

capturing information for most of the 

proposed targeted questions. 

BTS’ Response to Comment 3 (from 

The National Automobile Dealers 

Association (NADA)): 

The eVIUS sample frame has been 

expanded to include owners of plug-in 

hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) as 

suggested. For this initial round of 

eVIUS, BTS will focus on light-duty EVs 

due to reasons previously outlined 

(please see ‘‘BTS’ Response to Comment 

1’’ above). BTS is considering future 

data collections focusing on vehicles 

above 10,000 pounds, depending on 

availability of funds. 

A multiple-choice format has been 

used for the eVIUS as suggested. 

A draft survey was not provided in 

the sixty-day notice (88 FR 14667). The 

survey questionnaire was developed 

and finalized in collaboration with 

subject matter experts and stakeholders. 

In addition, subject matter experts from 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
76278 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 213 / Monday, November 6, 2023 / Notices 

various agencies/organizations, 

including academia, have provided BTS 

with suggestions for survey questions. 

These suggestions were carefully 

considered, and where appropriate, 

incorporated into the survey 

questionnaire. 

To test question understanding and 

clarity of instructions, a pre-test of the 

draft survey was also conducted with 

participation of five EV owners. 

Following completion of the survey, one 

hour long cognitive interviews were 

conducted with each of the pre-testers 

to collect information on their survey 

experience and other feedback for 

improving the survey. Overall, the pretesters reported that the survey was 

clear, and they did not have any major 

issues with understanding the survey 

questions/instructions. 

Public Comments Invited: Interested 

parties are invited to send comments 

regarding any aspect of this information 

collection, including, but not limited to: 

(1) the necessity and utility of the 

information collection for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

DOT; (2) the accuracy of the estimated 

burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, clarity and content of the 

collected information; and (4) ways to 

minimize the collection burden without 

reducing the quality of the collected 

information. 

Send comments to the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget, 725– 

17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503, 

Attention: BTS Desk Officer. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on 3rd of 

October, 2023. 

Cha-Chi Fan, 

Director, Office of Data Development and 

Standards, Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics, Office of the Assistant Secretary 

for Research and Technology. 

[FR Doc. 2023–24397 Filed 11–3–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

[Docket Number OST–2023–0115] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activity; Notice of Request for 

Approval To Collect New Information: 

Safe Maritime Transportation System 

(SafeMTS)—Voluntary Near-Miss 

Incident Reporting and Analysis 

System 

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics (BTS), Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Research and Technology 

(OST–R), U.S. Department of 

Transportation. 

ACTION: 30-Day notice of new 

information collection and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: On August 8, 2023, the 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

(BTS) announced its intention in a 

Federal Register Notice to request that 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) approve the following 

information collection: SafeMTS— 

Voluntary Near-Miss Reporting and 

Analysis System, a voluntary program 

for confidential reporting of ‘nearmisses’ occurring on vessels within the 

Maritime Transportation System (MTS). 

BTS encouraged interested parties to 

submit comments to docket number 

2023–0115 during the 60-day comment 

period. One comment was received, 

from the National Transportation Safety 

Board (NTSB) expressing the agency’s 

support for such a program. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

submitted within 30 days of publication 

of this notice. 

ADDRESSES: BTS seeks public comments 

on its proposed information collection. 

Comments should address whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

the accuracy of the estimated burden 

hours 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. 

Send comments to the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget, 725– 

17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503, 

Attention: BTS Desk Officer. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Allison Fischman, Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics, Office of the 

Assistant Secretary for Research and 

Technology, USDOT, Office of Safety 

Data and Analysis, RTS–34 E36–303, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001, Phone No. 

(202) 748–0546; email: 

allison.fischman@dot.gov. 

Data Confidentiality Provisions: The 

confidentiality of the Safe Maritime 

Transportation System (SafeMTS) data 

is protected under the Confidential 

Information Protection and Statistical 

Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2018 (Pub. 

L.: 115–435 Foundations for EvidenceBased Policymaking Act of 2018, Title 

III of the Foundations for EvidenceBased Policymaking Act of 2018). In 

accordance with CIPSEA, only 

aggregated and non-identifying data will 

be made publicly available by BTS 

through its reports for statistical 

purposes only. BTS will not release 

information that might reveal the 

identity of individuals or organizations 

mentioned in event notices or reports 

without explicit consent of the 

respondent and any other affected 

entities. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Federal Register Notice with a 60-day 

comment period soliciting comments on 

the following collection of information 

was published on August 8, 2023 at 88 

FR 53594. 

Title: Near-Miss Reporting and 

Analysis Program for the Maritime 

Transportation System. 

OMB Control Number: Not yet known. 

Type of Review: New collection. 

Respondents: Businesses in the 

maritime industry that involve 

ownership or operation of vessels. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

100, submitted on a quarterly basis. 

Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour. 

Total Annual Burden: 400 hours. 

Allison Fischman, 

Acting Director, Office of Safety Data and 

Analysis. 

[FR Doc. 2023–24467 Filed 11–3–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

[OMB Control No. 2900–0342] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activity: Application and Training 

Agreement for Apprenticeship and Onthe-Job Training Programs 

AGENCY: Veterans Benefits 

Administration, Department of Veterans 

Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Veterans Benefits 

Administration, Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA), is announcing an 

opportunity for public comment on the 

proposed collection of certain 

information by the agency. Under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, Federal agencies are required to 

publish notice in the Federal Register 

concerning each proposed collection of 

information, including each proposed 

extension of a currently approved 

collection, and allow 60 days for public 

comment in response to the notice. 

DATES: Written comments and 

recommendations on the proposed 

collection of information should be 

received on or before January 5, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments 

on the collection of information through 

Federal Docket Management System 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1