33574 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 106 / Thursday, June 2, 2022 / Notices 

obtain extended approval for this 

proposed information collection. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kevin Osborn, Office of Program 

Management—Urbanized Area Program 

Division, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Mail Stop TPM–11, Washington, DC 

20590, (202) 366–7519 or 

Kevin.Osborn@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FTA 

requests public comment on this 

information collection, including (a) 

whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden (including hours 

and cost); (c) ways for FTA to enhance 

the quality, utility and clarity of the 

information collection; and (d) ways to 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

information on respondents, including 

through the use of automated collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. Comments submitted in 

response to this notice will be 

summarized and/or included in the 

request for OMB approval of this 

information collection. 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: All Stations Accessibility 

Program. 

OMB Control Number: 2132–New. 

Type of Request: Request for 

emergency approval of an information 

collection. 

Abstract: The Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law, enacted as the 

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

(Pub. L. 117–58), establishes a new All 

Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) 

to provide Federal competitive grants to 

assist eligible entities in financing 

capital and planning projects to upgrade 

the accessibility of legacy rail fixed 

guideway public transportation systems 

for people with disabilities, including 

those who use wheelchairs, by 

increasing the number of existing 

stations or facilities for passenger use 

that meet or exceed the new 

construction standards of Title II of the 

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 

Funding under this program can be used 

to repair, improve, modify, retrofit, or 

relocate infrastructure of legacy stations 

or facilities for passenger use, including 

load-bearing members that are an 

essential part of the structural frame, to 

meet or exceed current ADA standards 

for buildings and facilities; or planning 

related to pursuing public 

transportation accessibility projects, 

assessments of accessibility, or 

assessments of planned modifications to 

legacy stations or facilities for passenger 

use. 

FTA anticipates using an online, grant 

management system to collect the 

following information: 

• Legal name of the applicant (i.e., 

the legal name of the business entity), as 

well as any other identities under which 

the applicant may be doing business. 

• Address, telephone, and email 

contact information for the applicant. 

• Legal authority under which the 

applicant is established. 

• Name and title of the authorized 

representative of the applicant (who 

will attest to the required certifications). 

• DOT may also require the identity 

of external parties involved in 

preparation of the application, 

including outside accountants, 

attorneys, or auditors who may be 

assisting the business entity that is 

applying for assistance under this 

program. 

• The specific statutory criteria that 

the applicant meets for eligibility under 

this program. The statute defines 

eligible applicants as state or local 

government authorities. Accordingly, 

DOT will require the applicant to 

identify which of these categories they 

meet, and how. 

• Other identification numbers, 

including but not limited to the 

Employer/Taxpayer Identification 

Number (EIN/TIN), Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number, 

Unique Entity Identifier under 2 CFR 

part 25, etc. All applicants will be 

required to have pre-registered with the 

System for Award Management (SAM) 

at https://sam.gov/SAM/. 

• Description of the applicant’s 

business operations, in sufficient detail 

to demonstrate how the applicant meets 

the statutory requirement as a 

municipality or community owned 

utility. 

• Responses to evaluation criteria 

listed in the Notice of Funding 

Opportunity. 

FTA estimates that it will take 

applicants approximately 10 hours to 

complete the application process. FTA 

estimates that grant recipients will 

spend another 4 hours, annually, 

submitting post-award reports. The 

burden estimate below accounts for the 

total amount of effort involved. 

Respondents: States and Local 

Government Authority. 

Estimated Average Total Annual 

Respondents: 20. 

Estimated Average Total Responses: 

40. 

Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 280. 

Estimated Annual Burden Hours per 

Respondent: 14 Hours. 

Frequency: Annually. 

Nadine Pembleton, 

Deputy Associate Administrator for 

Administration, Office of Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2022–11860 Filed 6–1–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

[Docket No. FTA–2022–0012] 

Request for Information on Transit Bus 

Automation Research and 

Demonstrations 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), Department of Transportation 

(DOT). 

ACTION: Request for information. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) continues to 

research Advanced Driver Assistance 

Systems (ADAS) and Automated 

Driving Systems (ADS) in public 

transportation use cases. In 2018, FTA 

completed its five-year Strategic Transit 

Automation Research Plan (STAR Plan). 

In preparation for the next five-year 

plan, FTA is issuing this request for 

information (RFI). This RFI seeks input 

from public and industry stakeholders 

on the next phase of research, 

collaboration and engagement, 

technology development, and 

demonstration of ADS or ADAS 

necessary to improve the safe, efficient, 

equitable and climate-friendly provision 

of public transportation and sustain the 

associated workforce. Comments 

received through this RFI will provide 

critical information for FTA to develop 

STAR Plan 2.0. 

DATES: Comments are requested by 

August 1, 2022. Comments received 

after the closing date will be considered 

to the extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: You may file comments 

identified by docket number FTA– 

2022–0012 by any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov and follow 

the online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Ave. SE, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, between 9:00 

a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 106 / Thursday, June 2, 2022 / Notices 33575 

1https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/ 

innovation/us-dot-innovation-principles. 

2https://www.transportation.gov/AV. 

3SAE International has defined six levels of 

driving automation, ranging from L0 (no driving 

automation) to L5 (full driving automation: https:// 

www.sae.org/standards/content/j3016_202104/. 

ADAS is generally categorized as L2–L3 while ADS 

is L4–L5. 

Note that all comments received will 

be posted without change to http://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided. 

Privacy Act: Except as provided 

below, all comments received into the 

docket will be made public in their 

entirety. The comments will be 

searchable by the name of the 

individual submitting the comment (or 

signing the comment, if submitted on 

behalf of an association, business, labor 

union, etc.). You should not include 

information in your comment that you 

do not want to be made public. You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78) or at https://

www.transportation.gov/privacy. 

FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Danyell Diggs, Office of Research, 

Demonstration, and Innovation, (202) 

366–1077 or danyell.diggs@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In January 

2022, Secretary Buttigieg released 

USDOT’s Innovation Principles, which 

call for experimentation and learning, 

collaboration, and flexibility to 

accommodate changing technologies, 

while serving the Department’s policy 

priorities and supporting workers.1 A 

major technology innovation area in 

surface transportation is the 

development and commercialization of 

ADAS and ADS. As a convener and 

facilitator, USDOT partners with a broad 

coalition of stakeholders to support the 

safe development, testing and 

integration of automated vehicle 

technologies.2 Though automation is 

relatively mature in rail transit 

operations, the application of ADAS/ 

ADS in transit bus operations continues 

to lag behind, despite its potential to 

enhance safety for operators, transit 

passengers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and 

those using micro-mobility devices such 

as scooters.3

FTA’s transit bus automation research 

plan has been organized around four 

complementary work areas: (1) Enabling 

research; (2) integrated demonstrations; 

(3) strategic partnerships; and (4) 

stakeholder engagement, knowledge 

transfer, and technical assistance. Each 

work area encompasses several priority 

topics including, but not limited to, 

safety, accessibility, workforce impacts, 

and others. Enabling research explores 

fundamental questions for the transit 

industry to understand the costs, 

benefits, opportunities, and 

consequences of driver assist and fully 

automated technologies in the transit 

industry and implications for safe, 

accessible, and sustainable operations 

and maintenance. Integrated 

demonstrations provide real-world, testbed studies of market-ready or near 

market-ready technologies. 

Demonstrations provide insight into 

technical performance, user acceptance, 

and capital and operational costs and 

aid in the development of standards, 

policies, and regulatory modernization. 

Strategic partnerships leverage the 

research of other agencies for 

applicability in the transit sphere. 

Stakeholder engagement involves broad 

outreach to gather input from diverse 

stakeholders. 

To date, FTA has a number of 

demonstrations underway and has 

completed important research studies 

recommended in the STAR Plan. 

Information on all activities is available 

at: https://www.transit.dot.gov/ 

automation-research. 

Questions for the Public 

Automation technologies have 

evolved and advanced within public 

transportation since the initial STAR 

Plan was published in 2018. More 

changes are expected as the transit 

industry further invests in automation 

solutions. To structure input and 

feedback to FTA on STAR Plan 2.0, 

please use the corresponding number 

and heading when providing responses 

to this request for information: 

1. Priority Areas 

The STAR Plan 2.0 needs to reassess 

the priorities and areas of activity for 

the next five years. Examples may 

include workforce development, 

sustainability and climate impacts, 

guidance for investment or deployment, 

accessibility, cybersecurity, equity, 

regulations and standards, and domestic 

manufacturing market support, among 

others. 

FTA seeks information from 

stakeholders on: 

Æ What topics should be a priority for 

FTA’s transit bus automation research 

and demonstrations over the next five 

years? What specific activities or 

products should be a priority for FTA 

within these areas? 

Æ For any priority areas identified, 

are there activities that stakeholders 

have undertaken? What were the 

challenges? Are there specific areas 

where FTA engagement may be needed? 

2. Enabling Research 

FTA has completed extensive 

enabling research, including: 

Æ Market Analysis for Automated 

Transit Buses and Supporting Systems; 

Æ Automation Policy Review; 

Æ Business Case for Transit 

Automation; 

Æ Transit Bus Applications of Light 

and Commercial Vehicle Automation 

Technology; 

Æ Hazard and Safety Analysis of 

Automated Transit Bus Applications; 

and 

Æ Test Facility Requirements for 

Automated Transit Vehicles; 

FTA seeks information from 

stakeholders on: 

Æ What specific research questions 

should be addressed by FTA-supported 

foundational research within the next 

five years? Possible topic areas for 

research include, but are not limited to, 

cybersecurity, equity, standards, and 

workforce training. 

3. Integrated Demonstrations 

The STAR Plan currently identifies 

five integrated demonstrations: Transit 

Bus Advanced Driver Assistance System 

(ADAS); Automated Shuttle; 

Maintenance, Yard, and Parking 

Operations; Mobility-on-Demand (MOD) 

Service; and Automated Bus Rapid 

Transit. 

FTA seeks information from 

stakeholders on: 

Æ Are these demonstration areas still 

needed? What additional or alternative 

demonstration areas are a priority? 

Æ What are the biggest successes or 

challenges to deploying ADAS or ADS 

technologies for transit? 

4. Strategic Partnerships 

FTA routinely collaborates with other 

modal agencies across USDOT and 

participates in the community of 

practice to identify cross-cutting 

technologies with positive applicability 

for the transit industry. 

FTA seeks information from 

stakeholders on: 

Æ What ADAS/ADS technologies 

proven in other transportation 

applications would be useful and 

applicable to transit use cases? Please be 

specific and include examples where 

possible. 

5. Stakeholder Engagement and 

Knowledge Transfer 

To drive research into practice, FTA 

conducts multiple types of stakeholder 

engagement, including webinars, 

interviews, convening peer agencies, 

and presentations at conferences. 

FTA seeks information from 

stakeholders on: 


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33576 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 106 / Thursday, June 2, 2022 / Notices 

Æ Are FTA’s methods of stakeholder 

engagement sufficient? What other 

methods should FTA consider? 

6. Workforce 

Automation will not replace transit 

bus operators in the foreseeable future, 

nonetheless, transit bus automation and 

automated features will impact the 

transit workforce, including bus 

operators, maintenance workers, and the 

domestic supply chain, including bus 

manufacturers. 

FTA seeks information from 

stakeholders on: 

Æ What activities have agencies 

undertaken to understand and prepare 

for the impacts of automation on their 

workforce? Please be specific and 

include examples where possible. 

Æ What types of new skills, training, 

and resources may be required for 

transit workforce development and 

transition? 

Æ What specific areas of workforcerelated research should FTA consider? 

Æ What types of resources could FTA 

provide to help agencies and their 

workers adopt transit bus automation? 

Please note, this RFI will serve as a 

planning document. The RFI should not 

be interpreted as policy, a solicitation 

for applications, or an obligation on the 

part of the Government. 

Nuria I. Fernandez, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2022–11782 Filed 6–1–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

Safety Administration 

[Docket No. PHMSA–2022–0063] 

Pipeline Safety: Potential for Damage 

to Pipeline Facilities Caused by Earth 

Movement and Other Geological 

Hazards 

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration 

(PHMSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of updated 

advisory bulletin. 

SUMMARY: PHMSA is issuing this 

updated advisory bulletin to remind 

owners and operators of gas and 

hazardous liquid pipelines, including 

supercritical carbon dioxide pipelines, 

of the potential for damage to those 

pipeline facilities caused by earth 

movement in variable, steep, and rugged 

terrain and terrain with varied or 

changing subsurface geological 

conditions. Additionally, changing 

weather patterns due to climate change, 

including increased rainfall and higher 

temperatures, may impact soil stability 

in areas that have historically been 

stable. These phenomena can pose a 

threat to the integrity of pipeline 

facilities if those threats are not 

identified and mitigated. Owners and 

operators should consider monitoring 

geological and environmental 

conditions, including changing weather 

patterns, in proximity to their facilities. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mary McDaniel at 202–366–4595 or 

Mary.McDaniel@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

The purpose of this updated advisory 

bulletin is to remind owners and 

operators of gas and hazardous liquid 

pipelines, particularly those with 

facilities located onshore or in inland 

waters, about the serious safety-related 

issues that can result from earth 

movement and other geological hazards. 

Additionally, changing weather patterns 

due to climate change may result in 

heavier than normal rainfall and 

increased temperatures causing soil 

saturation and flooding or soil erosion. 

Either phenomenon may adversely 

impact the stability of soil surrounding 

or supporting nearby pipeline facilities. 

The United States Geological Survey 

(USGS) is a resource for pipeline owners 

and operators in evaluating earth 

movement vulnerabilities of pipeline 

facilities. 

Gas and hazardous liquid pipelines 

are required to be designed to withstand 

external loads including those that may 

be imposed by geological forces. 

Specifically, gas pipelines must be 

designed in accordance with 49 CFR 

192.103 and hazardous liquid pipelines 

must be designed in accordance with 49 

CFR 195.110. To comply with these 

regulations, the design of new pipelines, 

including repairs or replacement, must 

consider the load that may be imposed 

by geological forces. 

Once operational, § 192.317(a) states 

that for gas transmission and part 192- 

regulated gathering pipelines ‘‘[t]he 

operator must take all practicable steps 

to protect each transmission line or 

main from washouts, floods, unstable 

soil, landslides, or other hazards that 

may cause the pipeline to move or to 

sustain abnormal loads. In addition, the 

operator must take all practicable steps 

to protect offshore pipelines from 

damage by mudslides, water currents, 

hurricanes, ship anchors, and fishing 

operations.’’ This advisory bulletin 

addresses those protective requirements 

associated with damage caused by 

geological factors. 

In addition, § 192.705 requires 

operators of gas transmission lines, and 

applicable gas gathering lines, to have a 

patrol program to observe surface 

conditions on and adjacent to the 

pipeline right-of-way for indications of 

leaks, construction activity, and other 

factors affecting safety and operation. 

The frequency of these patrols must be 

based upon the size of the line, 

operating pressures, class locations, 

terrain, seasonal weather conditions, 

and other relevant factors. One of the 

primary reasons for this patrol 

requirement is to monitor geological 

movement, both slowly occurring and 

acute changes, which may affect the 

current or future safe operation of the 

pipeline. 

Furthermore, for applicable gas 

pipelines § 192.613(a) states that ‘‘each 

operator shall have a procedure for 

continuing surveillance of its facilities 

to determine and take appropriate 

action concerning changes in class 

location, failures, leakage history, 

corrosion, substantial changes in 

cathodic protection requirements, and 

other unusual operating and 

maintenance conditions.’’ Section 

192.613(b) further states that ‘‘[i]f a 

segment of pipeline is determined to be 

in unsatisfactory condition but no 

immediate hazard exists, the operator 

shall initiate a program to recondition or 

phase out the segment involved, or, if 

the segment cannot be reconditioned or 

phased out, reduce the maximum 

allowable operating pressure in 

accordance with § 192.619(a) and (b).’’ 

For hazardous liquid pipelines, 

§ 195.401(b)(1) states that ‘‘[w]henever 

an operator discovers any condition that 

could adversely affect the safe operation 

of its pipeline system, it must correct 

the condition within a reasonable time. 

However, if the condition is of such a 

nature that it presents an immediate 

hazard to persons or property, the 

operator may not operate the affected 

part of the system until it has corrected 

the unsafe condition.’’ Section 

195.401(b)(2) further states that ‘‘[w]hen 

an operator discovers a condition on a 

pipeline covered under [the integrity 

management requirements in] § 195.452, 

the operator must correct the condition 

as prescribed in § 195.452(h).’’ Land 

movement, soil instability due to 

saturation, severe flooding, river scour, 

and river channel migration are the 

types of conditions that can adversely 

affect the safe operation of a pipeline 

and require corrective action under 

§§ 192.613(a) and 195.401(b). 

Additional guidance for identifying risk 

factors and mitigating natural force 


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