48292 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 164 / Friday, August 27, 2021 / Notices 

1BNSF initially requested expansion of the 

waiver on March 18, 2021. See https://

www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2018-0049- 

0018. Public notice of the request was issued on 

April 5, 2021. See https://www.regulations.gov/ 

document/FRA-2018-0049-0021. By letter dated 

May 5, 2021, BNSF requested an initial 30-day hold 

on processing the petition. See https://

www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2018-0049- 

0022. 

extensions or modifications if that 

Agency determines that additional 

extensions are needed. 

Public Comments Invited 

You are asked to comment on any 

aspect of this information collection, 

including: (1) Whether the proposed 

collection is necessary for FMCSA to 

perform its 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. 

Issued under the authority delegated 

in 49 CFR 1.87. 

Thomas P. Keane, 

Associate Administrator, Office of Research 

and Registration. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18442 Filed 8–26–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket Number FRA–2018–0100] 

Petition for Extension of Waiver of 

Compliance 

Under part 211 of title 49 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR), this 

document provides the public notice 

that on July 27, 2021, Norfolk Southern 

Corporation (NS) petitioned the Federal 

Railroad Administration (FRA) for an 

amendment of a waiver of compliance 

from certain provisions of the Federal 

railroad safety regulations contained at 

49 CFR part 232, Brake System Safety 

Standards for Freight and Other NonPassenger Trains and Equipment; Endof-Train Devices. The relevant FRA 

Docket Number is FRA–2018–0100. 

Specifically, NS requests to amend an 

existing waiver from the requirements of 

49 CFR 232.203, Training requirements, 

to allow electronic air brake test 

refresher training via customized 

simulation software in place of handson training. The current waiver applies 

to conductors and supervisors and is 

limited to an 18-month pilot program 

for freight car repair personnel reporting 

for duty at Birmingham, Alabama; 

Elkhart, Indiana; Enola, Pennsylvania; 

Kansas City, Missouri; Macon, Georgia; 

Norfolk, Virginia; and Portsmouth, 

Ohio. 

As the pilot period has concluded, NS 

requests to amend the waiver to allow 

electronic air brake test training as an 

optional replacement for hands-on 

training for refresher training of freight 

car repair personnel on the entire NS 

system. In support of its request, NS 

states that (1) all personnel intended for 

inclusion have already received 

electronic training; (2) feedback from 

electronically-trained personnel has 

been positive; (3) delivering training 

electronically achieves safety benefits; 

and (4) NS has improved the training 

since the original pilot waiver was 

granted. 

A copy of the petition, as well as any 

written communications concerning the 

petition, is available for review online at 

www.regulations.gov. 

Interested parties are invited to 

participate in these proceedings by 

submitting written views, data, or 

comments. FRA does not anticipate 

scheduling a public hearing in 

connection with these proceedings since 

the facts do not appear to warrant a 

hearing. If any interested party desires 

an opportunity for oral comment and a 

public hearing, they should notify FRA, 

in writing, before the end of the 

comment period and specify the basis 

for their request. 

All communications concerning these 

proceedings should identify the 

appropriate docket number and may be 

submitted at http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Communications received by October 

12, 2021 will be considered by FRA 

before final action is taken. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered if practicable. Anyone can 

search the electronic form of any written 

communications and comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comment (or signing the document, if 

submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). Under 5 

U.S.C. 553(c), the U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT) solicits comments 

from the public to better inform its 

processes. DOT posts these comments, 

without edit, including any personal 

information the commenter provides, to 

www.regulations.gov, as described in 

the system of records notice (DOT/ALL– 

14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 

https://www.transportation.gov/privacy. 

See also https://www.regulations.gov/ 

privacy-notice for the privacy notice of 

regulations.gov. 

Issued in Washington, DC. 

John Karl Alexy, 

Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, 

Chief Safety Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18509 Filed 8–26–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket Number FRA–2018–0049] 

Petition for Extension of Waiver of 

Compliance 

Under part 211 of title 49 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR), this 

document provides the public notice 

that on August 18, 2021, BNSF Railway 

(BNSF) petitioned the Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA) for an expansion 

of a waiver of compliance from certain 

provisions of the Federal railroad safety 

regulations contained at 49 CFR part 

232, Brake System Safety Standards for 

Freight and Other Non-Passenger Trains 

and Equipment; End-Of-Train Devices. 

The relevant FRA Docket Number is 

FRA–2018–0049. 

The existing waiver provides BNSF 

certain relief from 49 CFR 232.15, 

Movement of defective equipment; 49 

CFR 232.103(f), General requirements 

for all train brake systems; and 49 CFR 

232.213, Extended haul trains; and a 

statutory exemption from the 

requirements of title 49, United States 

Code section 20303. BNSF renews its 

request to expand the scope of the 

waiver to include coal trains operating 

over the Pikes Peak Subdivision in 

Colorado and across the Sand Hills 

Subdivision in Nebraska.1

On April 12, 2019, FRA granted BNSF 

a test waiver to conduct a pilot program 

on a segment of its system to 

‘‘demonstrate that the use of wheel 

temperature detectors to prove brake 

health effectiveness (BHE) will improve 

safety, reduce risks to employees, and 

provide cost savings to the industry.’’ 

BNSF asserts the expansion would 

improve train braking performance and 

safety by reducing brake pipe air losses 

on all BNSF coal trains (particularly 

important during winter operations), 

and accomplish the following goals: 

• Validation of braking performance 

of BNSF coal trains moving south 

through Colorado and east through 

Alliance, Nebraska; 

• Improvement of the braking 

performance of individual cars 

identified with cold or hot wheels; 

• Increased testing of car brake 

systems with Automatic Single Car Test 

(ASCT) devices; 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 164 / Friday, August 27, 2021 / Notices 48293 

• Increased removal of poor 

performing brake valves and brake 

system components identified by the 

ASCT; and 

• Generation of additional important 

data on air brake valve performance in 

a cold weather environment to 

supplement the program started with 

Northern grain trains. 

BNSF proposes that the processes and 

parameters would follow all conditions 

of the Southern Transcon intermodal 

BHE Program but differ in that the trains 

operate as ‘‘cycle trains’’ and stay intact 

in unit train operations, similar to the 

Northern Transcon grain trains. 

A copy of the petition, as well as any 

written communications concerning the 

petition, is available for review online at 

www.regulations.gov. 

Interested parties are invited to 

participate in these proceedings by 

submitting written views, data, or 

comments. FRA does not anticipate 

scheduling a public hearing in 

connection with these proceedings since 

the facts do not appear to warrant a 

hearing. If any interested party desires 

an opportunity for oral comment and a 

public hearing, they should notify FRA, 

in writing, before the end of the 

comment period and specify the basis 

for their request. 

All communications concerning these 

proceedings should identify the 

appropriate docket number and may be 

submitted by any of the following 

methods: 

• Website: http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• Mail: Docket Operations Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

(DOT), 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W12– 

140, Washington, DC 20590. 

Communications received by October 

12, 2021 will be considered by FRA 

before final action is taken. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered if practicable. Anyone can 

search the electronic form of any written 

communications and comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comment (or signing the document, if 

submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). Under 5 

U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments 

from the public to better inform its 

processes. DOT posts these comments, 

without edit, including any personal 

information the commenter provides, to 

www.regulations.gov, as described in 

the system of records notice (DOT/ALL– 

14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 

https://www.transportation.gov/privacy. 

See also https://www.regulations.gov/ 

privacy-notice for the privacy notice of 

regulations.gov. 

Issued in Washington, DC. 

John Karl Alexy, 

Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, 

Chief Safety Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18510 Filed 8–26–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

[OMB Control No. 2900–0885] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activity: Veteran Rapid Retraining 

Assistance Program (VRRAP) 

Approval 

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 revision of 

a previously 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 October 26, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments 

on the collection of information through 

Federal Docket Management System 

(FDMS) at www.Regulations.gov or to 

Nancy J. Kessinger, Veterans Benefits 

Administration (20M33), Department of 

Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue 

NW, Washington, DC 20420 or email to 

nancy.kessinger@va.gov. Please refer to 

‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0885’’ in any 

correspondence. During the comment 

period, comments may be viewed online 

through FDMS. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Maribel Aponte, Office of Enterprise 

and Integration, Data Governance 

Analytics (008), 1717 H Street NW, 

Washington, DC 20006, (202) 266–4688 

or email maribel.aponte@va.gov. Please 

refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0885’’ 

in any correspondence. 

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, VBA invites 

comments on: (1) Whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of VBA’s 

functions, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) the accuracy of VBA’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 

collection of information on 

respondents, including through the use 

of automated collection techniques or 

the use of other forms of information 

technology. 

Authority: Public Law 117–2 Section 

8006 (HR 1319). 

Title: Veteran Rapid Retraining 

Assistance Program (VRRAP) Approval. 

OMB Control Number: 2900–0885. 

Type of Review: Revision of a 

previously approved collection. 

Abstract: VA Form 22–1990S will 

allow Veterans to apply for VRRAP 

benefits. VA Form 22–10271 will allow 

current GI Bill educational institutions 

and VET TEC training providers to 

volunteer to participate in the VRRAP 

program by acknowledging that they 

understand and agree to the unique 

payment structure of VRRAP. The 

information collection will also allow 

them to list the programs they seek to 

have participate in VRRAP. VA 

employees will utilize the information 

provided by the applicant and the 

institutions, along with information 

residing in existing VA Information 

Technology systems, in order to make a 

determination as to whether or not the 

applicant meets the definition of an 

eligible Veteran and whether or not the 

program qualifies as specified in statute. 

Also, the information provided will be 

utilized to pay the institutions as 

agreed. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor, and a person is not required to 

respond to a collection of information 

unless it displays a currently valid OMB 

control number. The Federal Register 

Notice with a 60-day comment period 

soliciting comments on this collection 

of information was published at 86 FR 

115 on June 17, 2021, page 32330. 

Affected Public: Individuals and 

households. 

Estimated Annual Burden: 3,250 

hours. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Respondent: 25 minutes. 

Frequency of Response: Once. 


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