93396 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 26, 2024 / Notices 

the goals and objectives of 49 U.S.C. 

31136(e) and 31315(b). 

VI. Preemption

During the period the exemption is in

effect, no State shall enforce any law or 

regulation that conflicts with this 

exemption with respect to a person 

operating under the exemption. 

VII. Conclusion

Based upon its evaluation of the 13

exemption applications, FMCSA renews 

the exemptions of the aforementioned 

drivers from the hearing requirement in 

§ 391.41 (b)(11). In accordance with 49

U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315(b), each

exemption will be valid for 2 years

unless revoked earlier by FMCSA.

Larry W. Minor, 

Associate Administrator for Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27590 Filed 11–25–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA–2024–0112] 

Proposed Agency Information 

Collection Activities; Comment 

Request 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its 

implementing regulations, FRA seeks 

approval of the Information Collection 

Request (ICR) summarized below. 

Before submitting this ICR to the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) for 

approval, FRA is soliciting public 

comment on specific aspects of the 

activities identified in the ICR. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before January 

27, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed ICR 

should be submitted on regulations.gov 

to the docket, Docket No. FRA–2024– 

0112. All comments received will be 

posted without change to the docket, 

including any personal information 

provided. Please refer to the assigned 

OMB control number (2130–NEW) in 

any correspondence submitted. FRA 

will summarize comments received in a 

subsequent 30-day notice. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Arlette Mussington, Information 

Collection Clearance Officer, at email: 

arlette.mussington@dot.gov or 

telephone: (571) 609–1285 or Ms. 

Joanne Swafford, Information Collection 

Clearance Officer, at email: 

joanne.swafford@dot.gov or telephone: 

(757) 897–9908.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA, 

44 U.S.C. 3501–3520, and its 

implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 

1320, require Federal agencies to 

provide 60 days’ notice to the public to 

allow comment on information 

collection activities before seeking OMB 

approval of the activities. See 44 U.S.C. 

3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through 

1320.12. Specifically, FRA invites 

interested parties to comment on the 

following ICR regarding: (1) whether the 

information collection activities are 

necessary for FRA to properly execute 

its functions, including whether the 

activities will have practical utility; (2) 

the accuracy of FRA’s estimates of the 

burden of the information collection 

activities, including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used to 

determine the estimates; (3) ways for 

FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information being 

collected; and (4) ways for FRA to 

minimize the burden of information 

collection activities on the public, 

including the use of automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. See 44 U.S.C. 

3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1). 

FRA believes that soliciting public 

comment may reduce the administrative 

and paperwork burdens associated with 

the collection of information that 

Federal regulations mandate. In 

summary, comments received will 

advance three objectives: (1) reduce 

reporting burdens; (2) organize 

information collection requirements in a 

‘‘user-friendly’’ format to improve the 

use of such information; and (3) 

accurately assess the resources 

expended to retrieve and produce 

information requested. See 44 U.S.C. 

3501. 

The summary below describes the ICR 

that FRA will submit for OMB clearance 

as the PRA requires: 

Title: Class I Railroads Annual 

Excepted Track Inventory. 

OMB Control Number: 2130–NEW. 

Abstract: FRA’s Track Safety 

Standards (TSS; 49 CFR part 213) 

prescribe minimum safety requirements 

for railroad track that is part of the 

general railroad system of 

transportation. The TSS were first 

established in October 1971, following 

the enactment of the Federal Railroad 

Safety Act of 1970 in which Congress 

granted FRA comprehensive authority 

over ‘‘all areas of railroad safety.’’ 49 

U.S.C. 20103. The TSS are an evolving 

set of safety requirements, subject to 

continuous revision, allowing the 

regulations to keep pace with industry 

innovations and agency research and 

development. 

FRA added the excepted track 

provision (§ 213.4) to the TSS in 1982 in 

response to an industry outcry for 

regulatory relief on those rail lines 

producing little or no income. With 

some limitations, § 213.4 permits 

railroads to designate track as 

‘‘excepted’’ from compliance with 

minimum safety requirements for 

roadbed, track geometry, and track 

structure. FRA believed that without 

some relief for low density lines, 

railroads would accelerate abandonment 

of those lines rather than invest their 

slim resources where returns would be 

limited. In 1998, FRA amended § 213.4, 

by adding new safety requirements, after 

FRA and state inspectors found 

instances where railroads had taken 

advantage of the permissive language in 

the 1982 provision to conduct 

operations in a manner not envisioned 

when FRA drafted the provision. At the 

time of those revisions, it was estimated 

there were between 8,000 and 9,000 

miles of excepted track nationwide. 

Over 25 years later, to better 

understand the current condition of rail 

infrastructure in the United States, FRA 

is seeking to compare the current 

amount of excepted track to historic 

levels. FRA is also seeking to better 

understand the extent and manner in 

which the industry is utilizing the 

excepted track provision. Additionally, 

while FRA has not currently found 

systemic misuse of excepted track or 

evidence of significant safety concerns, 

FRA has received complaints alleging 

misuse of § 213.4, and the information 

FRA proposes to collect as part of this 

new ICR will be useful in ensuring that 

the provision continues to be used in a 

safe and effective manner. 

Accordingly, FRA is initiating this 

new ICR to gather excepted track data 

from all Class I freight railroads. 

Specifically, the proposed information 

collection will request that the railroads 

provide FRA with data regarding the 

amount of excepted track currently in 

operation (number of track miles and 

tonnage). The requested data will be 

collected using Excel-based form FRA F 

6180.289 Class I Railroads Annual 

Excepted Track Inventory Reporting. To 

minimize the burden of this ICR, FRA 

is requesting an annual inventory (for 

three years) only of Class I freight 

railroads’ excepted track. FRA believes 

all Class I freight railroads already 

maintain lists of excepted track 

locations and tonnage, so the effort to 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 26, 2024 / Notices 93397 

1The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 

2023 Surface Transportation Board Full Year Wage 

A&B data series using employee group 200 

(Professional Administrative Staff) hourly wage rate 

of $50.93. The total burden wage rate (straight time 

plus 75%) used is $89.13 ($50.93 × 1.75 = $89.13). 

report the requested information should 

be minimal. Once FRA has collected 

this information, it will be used to help 

confirm that the excepted track 

provision continues to be used in a safe 

and effective manner, and consistent 

with the original intent of § 213.4. 

Type of Request: Approval of a new 

collection of information. 

Affected Public: Railroads. 

Form(s): FRA F 6180.289. 

Respondent Universe: 6. 

Frequency of Submission: Annually. 

Reporting Burden: 2 hours per 

railroad per year. 

Total Estimated Annual Responses: 6. 

Total Estimated Annual Burden: 12 

hours per year. 

Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour 

Dollar Cost Equivalent: $1,069.56.1

FRA informs all interested parties that 

it may not conduct or sponsor, and a 

respondent is not required to respond 

to, a collection of information that does 

not display a currently valid OMB 

control number. 

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520. 

Christopher S. Van Nostrand, 

Deputy Chief Counsel. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27696 Filed 11–25–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

[FTA Docket No. FTA 2024–0016] 

Agency Information Collection Activity 

Under OMB Review: Generic Clearance 

for the Collection of Qualitative 

Feedback on Agency Service Delivery 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of request for comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces that the Information 

Collection Requirements (ICRs) 

abstracted below have been forwarded 

to the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and comment. The 

ICR describe the nature of the 

information collection and their 

expected burdens. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before December 26, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to https://www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under Review— 

Open for Public Comments’’ or by using 

the search function. 

Comments Are Invited On: 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tia 

Swain, Office of Administration, 

Management Planning Division, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, Mail Stop TAD– 

10, Washington, DC 20590 (202) 366– 

0354 or tia.swain@dot.gov. 

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. 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 25, 

2024, FTA published a 60-day notice 

(89 FR 78429) in the Federal Register 

soliciting comments on the ICR that the 

agency was seeking OMB approval. FTA 

received no comments after issuing this 

60-day notice. Accordingly, DOT 

announces that these information 

collection activities have been reevaluated and certified under 5 CFR 

1320.5(a) and forwarded to OMB for 

review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 

1320.12(c). 

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. 

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. 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. 

The summaries below describe the 

nature of the information collection 

requirements (ICRs) and the expected 

burden. The requirements are being 

submitted for clearance by OMB as 

required by the PRA. 

Title: Generic Clearance for the 

Collection of Qualitative Feedback on 

Agency Service Delivery. 

OMB Control Number: 2132–0572. 

Background: The information 

collection activity will garner 

qualitative customer and stakeholder 

feedback in an efficient, timely manner, 

in accordance with the Administration’s 

commitment to improving service 

delivery. By qualitative feedback we 

mean information that provides useful 

insights on perceptions and opinions, 

but are not statistical surveys that yield 

quantitative results that can be 

generalized to the population of study. 

This feedback will provide insights into 

customer or stakeholder perceptions, 

experiences and expectations, provide 

an early warning of issues with service, 

or focus attention on areas where 

communication, training or changes in 

operations might improve delivery of 

products or services. These collections 

will allow for ongoing, collaborative and 

actionable communications between the 

Federal Transit Administration and its 

customers and stakeholders. It will also 

allow feedback to contribute directly to 

the improvement of program 

management. 

The solicitation of feedback will target 

areas such as: timeliness, 

appropriateness, accuracy of 

information, courtesy, efficiency of 

service delivery, and resolution of 

issues with service delivery. Responses 

will be assessed to plan and inform 

efforts to improve or maintain the 

quality of service offered to the public. 

If this information is not collected, vital 

feedback from customers and 

stakeholders on the Agency’s services 

will be unavailable. 

The Agency will only submit a 

collection for approval under this 

generic clearance if it meets the 

following conditions: 

• The collections are voluntary; 

• The collections are low-burden for 

respondents (based on considerations of 

total burden hours, total number of 

respondents, or burden-hours per 

respondent) and are low-cost for both 


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