37372 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 119 / Wednesday, June 22, 2022 / Notices 

1A redacted copy of the agreement is attached to 

the verified notice. An unredacted copy has been 

filed under seal along with a motion for protective 

order pursuant to 49 CFR 1104.14. That motion is 

being addressed in a separate decision. 

a different year from when the 

obligation was recorded. 

For the purposes of SBA’s Scorecard, 

a problem arises when the agency 

records the deobligation in a fiscal year 

different from the year in which the 

agency recorded the obligation, 

particularly when the obligation was for 

a small-business award. The 

deobligation on a small-business award 

(or WOSB, HUBZone, SDVO SBC, or 

SDB contract) is recorded in FPDS as a 

current-day negative-value transaction, 

even though the deobligation is an 

accounting transaction to offset the 

earlier contract award. This transaction 

decreases the agency’s contracting 

dollars in FPDS for the current fiscal 

year, thus creating discrepancy on the 

agency’s performance on that year’s 

SBA Scorecard. 

SBA was alerted to this problem on 

September 10, 2020, via letter from the 

Chair of the Federal Office of Small and 

Disadvantaged Business Utilization 

Directors Interagency Council (OSDBU 

Council). SBA then received a letter 

from the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development (HUD) on September 30, 

2020. Both sources expressed concern 

that deobligations make agencies’ smallbusiness achievements unpredictable 

and uncertain. 

II. Data Analysis and Agency 

Collaboration 

After receiving the OSDBU Council 

and HUD letters, SBA analyzed the 

FPDS data to examine the effect of 

deobligations on agencies’ prime 

contracting achievements on SBA 

Scorecard. SBA rejected the idea of 

excluding all deobligations from the 

Scorecard because it is quite common 

for an agency to obligate and deobligate 

funds on an award in the same fiscal 

year. SBA also considered but rejected 

the idea of excluding all deobligations 

associated with contracts awarded in 

prior fiscal years because doing so 

would present an opportunity to 

agencies to raise their Scorecard scores 

by obligating small-business dollars at 

the end of one fiscal year and then 

immediately deobligating in the next 

fiscal year. 

Furthermore, deobligations occur on 

all types of awards, including those held 

by other-than-small contractors. SBA 

found it incongruous to apply a 

treatment simply to deobligations of 

small-business awards. 

SBA thus analyzed what effect it 

would have to exclude deobligations 

that are associated with awards for 

which the last positive obligation 

occurred more than one fiscal year 

prior. The exclusion changed the 

governmentwide small-business primecontracting percentage by less than a 

tenth of a percentage point. For certain 

agencies, however, the exclusion 

significantly impacted the agency’s 

prime-contracting achievements. 

SBA shared these results with the 

Small Business Procurement Advisory 

Council (SBPAC) at the group’s January 

2022 meeting and solicited feedback 

from the SBPAC members. At the 

February 2022 meeting of the OSDBU 

Council, SBA further discussed the 

results and the proposal adopted below. 

SBA later updated the SBPAC at that 

body’s February 2022 meeting. 

III. Exclusion for Deobligations 

Starting in the Scorecard for FY 2022, 

SBA will interpret ‘‘awards’’ for the 

purposes of the Scorecard program to 

exclude certain deobligations that, when 

included in the Scorecard, present a 

distorted view of the opportunities for 

small businesses to participate in 

Government contracts with Federal 

agencies. Specifically, SBA will exclude 

deobligations that are associated with 

prime awards for which the most recent 

positive-dollar obligation was from a 

year earlier than the most recent prior 

fiscal year. 

SBA will identify the deobligations to 

be excluded by determining whether the 

deobligation is on an award (defined by 

the combination of Procurement 

Instrument Identifier (PIID) Indefinite 

Delivery Vehicle PIID (IDV PIID)) that 

does not have a positive obligation in 

the current fiscal year or prior fiscal 

year. The deobligations identified for 

exclusion will be removed from the 

current-year Scorecard calculations 

regardless of whether the transaction 

was associated with a small business or 

an other-than-small business. 

The following examples illustrate this 

deobligations exclusions method: 

Example 1: Agency A awards Contract 

X for $1 million, obligating $1 million 

in FY22 to a small business. Agency A 

deobligates $1 million on Contract X in 

FY22. The deobligation is not excluded, 

and the total obligation for Contract X 

is $0 for FY22. 

Example 2: Agency B awards Contract 

Y for $1 million, obligating $1 million 

in FY17 to an other-than-small business. 

Agency B then obligates $1 million in 

each of FY18, FY19, FY20, and FY21 on 

Contract Y. Agency B then deobligates 

$1 million on Contract Y in FY22. The 

deobligation is not excluded as it has 

the same contract identifier as a contract 

that had a positive obligation not more 

than one fiscal year prior. The total 

obligation for Contract Y for FY22 is 

negative $1 million. 

Example 3: Agency C awards Contract 

Z for $1 million, obligating $1 million 

in FY11. Agency C then obligates $1 

million in each of FY12, FY13, FY14, 

and FY15. Agency C then deobligates $1 

million on Contract Z in FY22. The 

deobligation is excluded from the FY22 

Scorecard calculations because the most 

recent positive obligation was from 

more than one fiscal year prior. The 

total obligation for Contract Z for FY22 

is $0. This exclusion applies regardless 

of whether Contract Z was awarded to 

a small business or an other-than-small 

business. 

SBA will track excluded obligations 

for FY22 and beyond and will continue 

monitor and refine this methodology as 

necessary. 

Antonio Doss, 

Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of 

Government Contracting and Business 

Development. 

[FR Doc. 2022–13287 Filed 6–21–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8026–09–P 

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD 

[Docket No. FD 36613] 

Commonwealth Railway, 

Incorporated—Trackage Rights 

Exemption—Norfolk Southern Railway 

Company 

Commonwealth Railway, 

Incorporated (CWRY), a Class III rail 

carrier, has filed a verified notice of 

exemption under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(7) 

for the acquisition of local trackage 

rights over approximately 2.3 miles of 

rail line owned by Norfolk Southern 

Railway (NSR) in and near Fairview, W. 

Va., between approximately States Run 

Road at milepost LR 77.3 and the end 

of the track at approximately milepost 

LR 79.6 (the Line). 

Pursuant to a written trackage rights 

agreement, NSR is granting CWRY 

trackage rights on the Line to provide 

local switching service to and from the 

American Consolidated Natural 

Resources, Inc., facility at Fairview.1

The transaction may be consummated 

on July 6, 2022, the effective date of the 

exemption (30 days after the verified 

notice was filed). 

As a condition to this exemption, any 

employees affected by the acquisition of 

the trackage rights will be protected by 

the conditions imposed in Norfolk & 

Western Railway—Trackage Rights— 

Burlington Northern, Inc., 354 I.C.C. 605 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 119 / Wednesday, June 22, 2022 / Notices 37373 

(1978), as modified in Mendocino Coast 

Railway—Lease & Operate—California 

Western Railroad, 360 I.C.C. 653 (1980). 

If the notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the 

exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) 

may be filed at any time. The filing of 

a petition to revoke will not 

automatically stay the effectiveness of 

the exemption. Petitions for stay must 

be filed by June 29, 2022 (at least seven 

days before the exemption becomes 

effective). 

All pleadings, referring to Docket No. 

FD 36613, should be filed with the 

Surface Transportation Board either via 

e-filing or in writing addressed to 395 E 

Street SW, Washington, DC 20423–0001. 

In addition, a copy of each pleading 

must be served on CWRY’s 

representative, Eric M. Hocky, Clark Hill 

PLC, Two Commerce Square, 2001 

Market St., Suite 2620, Philadelphia, PA 

19103. 

According to CWRY, this action is 

categorically excluded from 

environmental review under 49 CFR 

1105.6(c) and from historic preservation 

reporting requirements under 49 CFR 

1105.8(b)(3). 

Board decisions and notices are 

available at www.stb.gov. 

Decided: June 16, 2022. 

By the Board, Valerie O. Quinn, Acting 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Jeffrey Herzig, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2022–13389 Filed 6–21–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

[Docket No. FAA–2022–0828] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Requests for Comments; 

Clearance of a Renewed Approval of 

Information Collection: Small 

Unmanned Aircraft Registration 

System 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA 

invites public comments about our 

intention to request the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

approval to renew an information 

collection. Aircraft registration is 

necessary to ensure personal 

accountability among all users of the 

National Airspace System (NAS). 

Aircraft registration also allows the FAA 

and law enforcement agencies to 

address non-compliance by providing 

the means for identifying an aircraft’s 

owner and operator. This collection also 

permits individuals to de-register or 

update their record in the registration 

database. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

submitted by August 22, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Please send written 

comments: 

By Electronic Docket: 

www.regulations.gov (Enter docket 

number into search field). 

By mail: Kevin West, Manager, 

Aircraft Registration Branch, AFB–710, 

PO Box 25504, Oklahoma City, OK 

73125. 

By fax: 405–954–8068. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bonnie Lefko by email at: bonnie.lefko@

faa.gov; phone: 405–954–7461. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Comments Invited: You are 

asked to comment on any aspect of this 

information collection, including (a) 

Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for FAA’s 

performance; (b) the accuracy of the 

estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to 

enhance the quality, utility and clarity 

of the information collection; and (d) 

ways that the burden could be 

minimized without reducing the quality 

of the collected information. The agency 

will summarize and/or include your 

comments in the request for OMB’s 

clearance of this information collection. 

OMB Control Number: 2120–0765. 

Title: Small Unmanned Aircraft 

Registration System. 

Form Numbers: None. 

Type of Review: Renewal of an 

information collection. 

Background: The Secretary of the 

Department of Transportation (DOT) 

and the Administrator of the Federal 

Aviation Administration (FAA) affirmed 

that all unmanned aircraft, including 

model aircraft, are aircraft. As such, in 

accordance with 49 U.S.C. 44101(a) and 

as further prescribed in 14 CFR part 48, 

registration is required prior to 

operation. See 80 FR 63912, 63913 

(October 22, 2015). Registration allows 

the FAA to provide respondents with 

educational materials regarding safety of 

flight in the NAS to promote greater 

accountability and responsibility of 

these new users. Registration also 

allows the FAA and law enforcement 

agencies to address non-compliance by 

providing the means for identifying an 

aircraft’s owner and operator. 

Subject to certain exceptions 

discussed below, aircraft must be 

registered prior to operation. See 49 

U.S.C. 44101–44103. Upon registration, 

the Administrator must issue a 

certificate of registration to the aircraft 

owner. See 49 U.S.C. 44103. 

Registration, however, does not 

provide the authority to operate. 

Persons intending to operate a small 

unmanned aircraft must operate in 

accordance with the exception for 

limited recreational operations (49 

U.S.C. 44809), part 107 or part 91, in 

accordance with a waiver issued under 

part 107, in accordance with an 

exemption issued under 14 CFR part 11 

(including those persons operating 

under an exemption issued pursuant to 

49 U.S.C. 44807), or in conjunction with 

the issuance of a special airworthiness 

certificate, and are required to register. 

Respondents: 283,761 registrants and 

21,910 de-registrants based on CY 2021 

data. 

Frequency: Information is collected 

on occasion. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Response: 6 minutes per response to 

register and 3 minutes per response to 

de-register. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 

Approximately 28,376 hours to register 

and 1,096 to de-register. 

Issued in Oklahoma City, OK on June 16, 

2022. 

Bonnie Lefko, 

Program Analyst, FAA, Civil Aviation 

Registry, AFB–700. 

[FR Doc. 2022–13319 Filed 6–21–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Notice of Final Agency Actions on 

Proposed Railroad Project in California 

on Behalf of the California High Speed 

Rail Authority 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), U.S. Department 

of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: FRA, on behalf of the 

California High-Speed Rail Authority 

(Authority), is issuing this notice to 

announce actions taken by the 

Authority that are final. By this notice, 

FRA is advising the public of the time 

limit to file a claim seeking judicial 

review of the actions. The actions relate 

to the California High-Speed Rail San 

Jose to Merced Project Section (Project). 

These actions grant approvals for project 

implementation pursuant to the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) and other laws, regulations, and 

executive orders. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES