32952 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 136 / Monday, July 16, 2018 / Notices 

carrier vehicle maintenance practices as 

a result of an intervention; significant 

benefits of interventions; and ways the 

intervention process could be improved. 

Information provided by the IE Group 

will address the portion of Objective 2 

regarding sufficiency of regulations and 

where interventions need to be 

improved to facilitate complying with 

these regulations. 

Survey responses will be summarized 

and reported using plots, tables, content 

analysis, and calculated summary 

statistics. Plots and tables will provide 

a visual comparison of multiple choice 

and checkbox survey responses for 

successful carriers (i.e., carriers in the 

RP Group) and those receiving 

interventions in the last 24 months (i.e., 

carriers in the IE Group). These methods 

will also allow researchers to 

summarize responses by carrier 

operation type (i.e., truck or bus) and 

size. Bar charts will be used to plot 

responses to many survey questions. 

Some survey responses may be 

summarized with tables with rows for 

each of the carrier operation types (truck 

or bus) and each carrier-size subgroup. 

To explore and summarize responses to 

open-ended survey questions, 

researchers will use content analysis 

methods. An illustration of an openended question in the survey is ‘‘List 

examples of critical safety-related 

maintenance activities for trailer vehicle 

milestones.’’ The goal of content 

analysis of open-ended questions will 

be to identify common answers. 

The results of this information 

collection will be documented in a 

technical report to be delivered to and 

published by FMCSA. In addition, the 

results will be used to create a 

‘‘recommended best practices’’ report 

that will outline minimum standards for 

inspection intervals, mechanic 

qualifications and training, and 

certification of maintenance facilities. 

Finally, VTTI is required under the 

contract with FMCSA to compile and 

analyze the collected information and 

develop a public-use data set. 

This ICR is for a one-time data 

collection. If this data collection does 

not take place, the truck and bus 

industry would continue to operate with 

the uncertainty of what a ‘‘systematic 

maintenance’’ program, as currently 

worded in section 396.3(a), consists of. 

This term’s ambiguous definition makes 

it difficult for federal and state 

inspectors to evaluate the effectiveness 

of a carrier’s maintenance program or its 

compliance with this provision. 

Furthermore, this uncertainty may make 

it difficult for carriers to ascertain and 

therefore comply with the regulation’s 

intent. 

Title: Truck and Bus Maintenance 

Requirements and Their Impact on 

Safety. 

OMB Control Number: 2126–XXXX. 

Type of Request: New information 

collection. 

Respondents: Freight motor carriers 

and passenger carriers. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

578 respondents [578 respondents will 

complete the Online Recruitment 

Survey. Of those 578 respondents, 289 

will also complete the Carrier 

Maintenance Manager Survey]. 

Estimated Time per Response: Varies 

[Online Recruitment Survey: 5 minutes. 

Carrier Maintenance Manager Survey: 

45 minutes]. 

Expiration Date: 3 years after 

approval. 

Frequency of Response: Once. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 265 

hours [Online Recruitment Survey: 578 

respondents × (5 minutes ÷ 60 minutes) 

= 48 hours; Carrier Maintenance 

Manager Survey: 289 respondents × (45 

minutes ÷ 60 minutes) = 217 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 performance of 

FMCSA’s functions; (2) the accuracy of 

the estimated burden; (3) ways for 

FMCSA to enhance the quality, 

usefulness, and clarity of the collected 

information; and (4) ways that the 

burden could be minimized without 

reducing the quality of the collected 

information. The agency will summarize 

or include your comments in the request 

for OMB’s clearance of this information 

collection. 

Issued under the authority of 49 CFR 1.87 

on: July 10, 2018. 

Kelly Regal, 

Associate Administrator for Office of 

Research and Information Technology. 

[FR Doc. 2018–15151 Filed 7–13–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Notice of Intent To Prepare a 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement of the Department of 

Veterans Affairs Housing Loan 

Program 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: Under the authority of the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) and its implementing 

regulations, VA intends to prepare a 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement (PEIS) to evaluate the 

potential direct, indirect, and 

cumulative environmental 

consequences of continued operation 

and administration of VA’s Housing 

Loan Program (HLP). VA’s reference to 

the HLP includes federal assistance, 

administered by the Veterans Benefits 

Administration (VBA), in the form of 

loans made, insured, or guaranteed by 

VA. It also includes housing benefits 

that can be used in conjunction with the 

HLP (e.g., the Specially Adapted 

Housing program). Under the HLP, VBA 

is also responsible for the management, 

marketing, and disposition of real estate 

owned (REO) properties that VA 

acquires following the foreclosure of 

certain VA-guaranteed loans and loans 

held in VA’s portfolio. This notice 

opens the public scoping phase and 

invites interested parties to identify 

potential issues, concerns, and 

reasonable alternatives that should be 

considered in the PEIS. Following the 

scoping meeting referenced below, a 

Draft PEIS will be prepared and 

circulated for public comment. 

DATES: All written comments should be 

submitted by August 15, 2018. 

VA invites federal, state, tribal, and 

local entities; non-profit organizations; 

businesses; interested parties; and the 

general public to comment on the 

proposed scope and content of the PEIS. 

VA will consider all scoping comments 

in developing the PEIS. VA will conduct 

a public scoping meeting on Thursday, 

August 2, 2018, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. 

at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel 

and Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli 

Road, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The 

scoping meeting will afford the public 

an opportunity to learn more about the 

project and provide input on the 

environmental analysis process. During 

the meeting, VA will provide an 

overview of the project, as well as 

details regarding the PEIS scope, 

purpose, and need. VA will also outline 

the overall NEPA process. Additionally, 

VA will post a scoping presentation on 

a publicly available website during the 

30-day scoping period. Such 

presentation will be available at http:// 

www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/ 

environmental_impact.asp. 

Proposed Actions and Alternatives: 

VA’s Proposed Action is to continue 

administering the HLP and 

incorporating programmatic changes as 

necessitated by amendments to program 

authorities, Veteran need, market 

conditions, and factors not foreseen at 

the time of this publication. 

VA’s No Action Alternative refers to 

a scenario wherein VA operates the HLP 

in a manner consistent with policies 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 136 / Monday, July 16, 2018 / Notices 32953 

and procedures as of fiscal year 2017 

(October 1, 2016 through September 30, 

2017). The No Action Alternative is 

being presented as a snapshot in time to 

provide a baseline from which to 

compare the Proposed Action. 

Nevertheless, the No Action Alternative 

is likely unrealistic, as it assumes that 

HLP policies and requirements are 

frozen, and thereby does not account for 

subsequent programmatic 

improvements, legislation, Executive 

Branch directives, or other 

requirements. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be 

submitted through http://

www.regulations.gov; by mail or hand 

delivery to the Director, Office of 

Regulation Policy and Management 

(00REG), Department of Veterans 

Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, 

Room 1063B, Washington DC 20420; or 

by fax to 202–273–9026. Comments 

should indicate that they are submitted 

in response to ‘‘Notice of Intent to 

Prepare a Programmatic Environmental 

Impact Statement of the Department of 

Veterans Affairs Housing Loan 

Program’’. Copies of comments received 

will be available for public inspection in 

the Office of Regulation Policy and 

Management (00REG), Department of 

Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave. NW, 

Room 1063B, Washington, DC 20420, 

between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 

p.m., Monday through Friday (except 

Federal holidays). Please call (202) 461– 

4902 (this is not a toll-free number) for 

an appointment. During the comment 

period, comments may also be viewed 

online through the Federal Docket 

Management System at 

www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Elysium Drumm, VA Housing Loan 

Program, at 202–632–8790 or 

VAHLPNEPA.VBAVACO@va.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The most 

significant element of the HLP is the 

provision of housing benefits that assist 

eligible Veterans in financing the 

purchase, construction, repair, or 

improvement of a home for their 

personal occupancy. See 38 U.S.C. 3701 

et seq. VBA administers these and other 

housing benefits, such as assistance to 

Veterans who want to adapt their 

homes, to assist Veterans in readjusting 

to civilian life. The HLP provides what 

can be, for some Veterans, their sole 

opportunity to obtain crucial housing 

loans and adaptations. 

Through this PEIS, VA is using the 

NEPA process to evaluate the potential 

physical, environmental, cultural, and 

socioeconomic effects of the HLP; to 

invite public participation; and to assist 

with and inform future agency planning 

and decision making related to the HLP. 

The PEIS will also evaluate the HLP, 

which assists hundreds of thousands of 

Veterans each year across the United 

States and its territories, to ensure that 

VA appropriately considers the human 

environmental elements and effects 

specified in 40 CFR 1508.8 (i.e., 

ecological, aesthetic, historic, cultural, 

economic, social, or health, whether 

direct, indirect, or cumulative) in 

carrying out the various elements and 

aspects of the program. This PEIS is 

unique in that it addresses an existing 

program, and VA has no specific or 

immediate need to change its 

operational structure or procedures to 

address environmental impacts. 

Furthermore, the making of loan 

guaranties, direct loans, and grants do 

not typically, in and of themselves, 

result in direct environmental impacts. 

Environmental impacts, if they occur, 

would be the result of private citizen 

actions (e.g., construction of a house 

funded by VA-guaranteed loan 

financing) related to a specific property. 

In this case, the primary environmental 

impacts of concern for VA would be the 

potential indirect impacts from 

homeowner actions and the potentially 

significant cumulative impacts of small 

incremental actions on local and 

regional resources. 

As part of the scoping process, VA 

encourages federal, state, tribal, and 

local entities; non-profit organizations; 

businesses; interested parties; and the 

general public to provide input on any 

areas of environmental concern relevant 

to the HLP, and suggestions regarding 

potential environmental impacts that 

should be evaluated. VA will consult 

with such parties during VA’s 

preparation of the PEIS. 

Signing Authority 

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or 

designee, approved this document and 

authorized the undersigned to sign and 

submit the document to the Office of the 

Federal Register for publication 

electronically as an official document of 

the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Jacquelyn Hayes-Byrd, Deputy Chief of 

Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, 

approved this document on July 10, 

2018, for publication. 

Dated: July 10, 2018. 

Jeffrey M. Martin, 

Impact Analyst, Office of Regulation Policy 

& Management, Office of the Secretary, 

Department of Veterans Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2018–15073 Filed 7–13–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

[OMB Control No. 2900–0609] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activity: Survey of Veteran Enrollees’ 

Health and Use of Health Care 

AGENCY: Veterans Health 

Administration, Department of Veterans 

Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Veterans Health 

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 renewal 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 September 14, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments 

on the collection of information through 

Federal Docket Management System 

(FDMS) at www.Regulations.gov or to 

Brian McCarthy, Office of Regulatory 

and Administrative Affairs (10B4), 

Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 

Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 

20420 or email to Brian.McCarthy4@

va.gov. Please refer to ‘‘OMB Control 

No. 2900–0609’’ in any correspondence. 

During the comment period, comments 

may be viewed online through FDMS. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brian McCarthy at (202) 615–9241. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

PRA of 1995, Federal agencies must 

obtain approval from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for each 

collection of information they conduct 

or sponsor. This request for comment is 

being made pursuant to Section 

3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA. 

With respect to the following 

collection of information, VHA invites 

comments on: (1) Whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of VHA’s 

functions, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) the accuracy of VHA’s estimate of 

the burden of the proposed collection of 

information; (3) ways to enhance the 

quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (4) 

ways to minimize the burden of the 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES