57404 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 192 / Thursday, October 2, 2008 / Notices 

in accordance with FAA’s Policy and 

Procedures Concerning the Use of 

Airport Revenue, published in the 

Federal Register on February 16, 1999. 

In accordance with section 47107(h) 

of title 49, United States Code, this 

notice is required to be published in the 

Federal Register 30 days before 

modifying the land-use assurance that 

requires the property to be used for an 

aeronautical purpose. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before November 3, 2008. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephanie Swann, Program Manager, 

Detroit Airports District Office, 11677 

South Wayne Road, Suite 107, Romulus, 

Michigan 48174. Telephone Number: 

(734) 229–2945/FAX Number: (734) 

229–2950. Documents reflecting this 

FAA action may be reviewed at this 

same location or at Mansfield Lahm 

International Airport, Mansfield, Ohio. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Following 

is a legal description of the property 

located in Franklin Township, County 

of Richland, State of Ohio, and 

described as follows: 

Legal Description of Property 

Being a part of the southwest quarter 

of section 33, township 22, range 18 and 

being more particularly described as 

follows: 

Beginning at the base of an 8′′ wood 

fence post found at the northeast corner 

of said southwest quarter, referenced by 

a 5⁄8′′ rebar found bearing N 

89°¥12′¥33′′ E, 0.79 feet; 

Thence with the following eight 

courses: 

S 00°¥08′¥51′′ E, 508.28 feet along 

the east line of said southwest quarter 

to a 5⁄8 inch rebar found at the northeast 

corner of a conveyed to Charles R. and 

Dorothy A. Miller, Trustees by official 

record volume 177, page 252; 

N 84°¥13′¥51′′ W, 148.00 feet along 

the northerly line of said land of Charles 

R. and Dorothy A. Miller to a 5⁄8 inch 

rebar found in the northwest corner of 

said land. 

S 00°¥08′¥51′′ E, 296.00 feet along 

the west line of said land of Charles R. 

and Dorothy A. Miller to a 5⁄8 inch rebar 

with plastic cap stamped ‘‘Richland 

Eng. RLS 7209’’ in the southwest corner 

of said land. 

S 89°¥12′¥33′′ W, 1,244.71 feet to an 

iron pin set; S 00°¥08′¥51′′ E, 1,825.57 

feet to an iron pin set; S 89°¥28′¥00′′ 

W, 1,262.88 feet to an iron set in the 

west line of said southwest quarter; 

N 00°¥38′¥10′′ W, 2,607.11 feet 

along said west line of said southwest 

quarter to a inch water pipe found in the 

northwest corner of said southwest 

quarter and passing through an iron pin 

found at 21.04 feet; 

Thence, N 89°¥12′¥33′′ E, 2,677.09 

along the north line of said southwest 

quarter to the place of beginning, 

containing 100.521 acres, more or less of 

which 1,689 acres are in the southwest 

quarter of section 33, Franklin 

Township and 96.832 acres are in the 

City of Mansfield and subject to all legal 

highways and easements of record. 

Bearings: Survey X–230. 

According to a survey made in 

September 2007 by Roger L. Stevens, 

Ohio Registered surveyor NO: 7052. 

All iron pins set are 5⁄8 inch diameter 

rod with plastic cap stamped ‘‘S.J.L. 

INC.’’ 

Issued in Romulus, Michigan on July 28, 

2008. 

Matthew J. Thys, 

Manager, Detroit Airports District Office, 

FAA, Great Lakes Region. 

[FR Doc. E8–22982 Filed 10–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Proposed Agency Information 

Collection Activities; Comment 

Request 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 

its implementing regulations, the 

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 

hereby announces that it is seeking 

approval of the following information 

collection activities. Before submitting 

these information collection 

requirements for clearance by the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB), FRA 

is soliciting public comment on specific 

aspects of the activities identified 

below. 

DATES: Comments must be received no 

later than December 1, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments 

on any or all of the following proposed 

activities by mail to either: Mr. Robert 

Brogan, Office of Safety, Planning and 

Evaluation Division, RRS–21.1, Federal 

Railroad Administration, 1200 New 

Jersey Ave., SE., Room Number W33– 

497, Washington, DC 20590, or Ms. 

Nakia Jackson, Office of Information 

Technology, RAD–20, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., 

SE., Room Number W34–204, 

Washington, DC 20590. Commenters 

requesting FRA to acknowledge receipt 

of their respective comments must 

include a self-addressed stamped 

postcard stating, ‘‘Comments on OMB 

control number 2130–New.’’ 

Alternatively, comments may be 

transmitted via facsimile to (202) 493– 

6216 or (202) 493–6170, or via e-mail to 

Mr. Brogan at robert.brogan@dot.gov, or 

to Ms. Jackson at 

nakia.jackson@dot.gov. Please refer to 

the assigned OMB control number or 

information collection title in any 

correspondence submitted. FRA will 

summarize comments received in 

response to this notice in a subsequent 

notice and include them in its 

information collection submission to 

OMB for approval. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Robert Brogan, Office of Planning and 

Evaluation Division, RRS–21.1, Federal 

Railroad Administration, 1200 New 

Jersey Ave., SE., Room Number W33– 

497, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: 

(202) 493–6292) or Ms. Nakia Jackson, 

Office of Information Technology, RAD– 

20, Federal Railroad Administration, 

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Room 

Number W34–204, Washington, DC 

20590 (telephone: (202) 493–6073). 

(These telephone numbers are not tollfree.) 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), Public Law No. 104–13, § 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 

provide 60-days notice to the public for 

comment on information collection 

activities before seeking approval by 

OMB. 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 

1320.8(d)(1), 1320.10(e)(1), 1320.12(a). 

Specifically, FRA invites interested 

respondents to comment on the 

following summary of proposed 

information collection activities 

regarding (i) whether the information 

collection activities are necessary for 

FRA to properly execute its functions, 

including whether the activities will 

have practical utility; (ii) 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; (iii) ways for 

FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information being 

collected; and (iv) ways for FRA to 

minimize the burden of information 

collection activities on the public by 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology (e.g., permitting electronic 

submission of responses). See 44 U.S.C. 

3506(c)(2)(A)(i)–(iv); 5 CFR 

1320.8(d)(1)(i)–(iv). FRA believes that 

soliciting public comment will promote 

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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 192 / Thursday, October 2, 2008 / Notices 57405 

its efforts to reduce the administrative 

and paperwork burdens associated with 

the collection of information mandated 

by Federal regulations. In summary, 

FRA reasons that comments received 

will advance three objectives: (i) Reduce 

reporting burdens; (ii) ensure that it 

organizes information collection 

requirements in a ‘‘user friendly’’ format 

to improve the use of such information; 

and (iii) accurately assess the resources 

expended to retrieve and produce 

information requested. See 44 U.S.C. 

3501. 

Below is a brief summary of proposed 

new information collection activities 

that FRA will submit for clearance by 

OMB as required under the PRA: 

Title: Factors for Selection of 

Railroads for Evaluation of Bridge 

Management Practices. 

OMB Control Number: 2130–New. 

Abstract: The Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA) has conducted a 

Railroad Bridge Safety Program at 

various levels of effort ever since the 

enactment of the Railroad Safety Act of 

1970. FRA is authorized under that act 

to issue regulations addressing a wide 

variety of subjects regarding railroad 

safety, but FRA has found that bridge 

safety has been well served by a nonregulatory policy. 

The resulting Statement of Agency 

Policy on the Safety of Railroad Bridges, 

published in the Federal Register in 

2000, is based on the findings of a 

survey conducted by FRA in 1992 and 

1993. That survey showed that a large 

majority of railroads were managing 

their bridges in a manner which 

promoted the immediate safety of those 

bridges. FRA therefore adopted that 

Bridge Safety Policy, which 

incorporates non-regulatory guidelines. 

The non-regulatory guidelines of the 

Bridge Safety Policy are promulgated as 

Appendix C of the Federal Track Safety 

Standards, Title 49 Code of Federal 

Regulations, Part 213. 

Since the initial bridge management 

survey was completed, FRA has 

continued to conduct evaluations of the 

bridge management practices of the 

Nation’s railroads. Regular, continuing 

contact has been in place between FRA 

and the larger railroads (Class I and 

major passenger carriers). However, the 

selection of smaller railroads (Class III 

short lines and smaller Class II regional 

railroads) has been on an ad hoc basis. 

FRA has based decisions to evaluate 

individual smaller railroads on 

recommendations from FRA regional 

staff, complaints from the public, and 

the small number of bridge-related train 

accidents. 

The Government Accountability 

Office (GAO) in 2006 and 2007 

conducted a study to evaluate the safety 

and serviceability of our Nation’s 

railroad bridges and tunnels. GAO 

reported to the Congress on that study 

in August 2007. That report, 

‘‘RAILROAD BRIDGES AND 

TUNNELS—Federal Role in Providing 

Safety Oversight and Freight 

Infrastructure Investment Could Be 

Better Targeted’’ includes the following 

recommendation: 

To enhance the effectiveness of its bridge 

and tunnel safety oversight function, we 

recommend that the Secretary of 

Transportation direct the Administrator of 

the Federal Railroad Administration to 

devise a systematic, consistent, risk-based 

methodology for selecting railroads for its 

bridge safety surveys to ensure that it 

includes railroads that are at higher risk of 

not following the FRA’s bridge safety 

guidelines and of having bridge and tunnel 

safety issues.’’ FRA agrees with that 

recommendation, and is implementing it. 

A vital part of that methodology is the 

development of information on which to 

base the factors by which railroads will 

be selected for surveys and evaluations. 

The factors developed by FRA, in 

conjunction with the railroads 

themselves, include such statistics as 

the length of a railroad in miles, the 

number, types and total length of its 

bridges, its level of traffic, the presence 

of hazardous material traffic, the 

operation of passenger trains, and the 

railroad’s record of train accidents. 

Several of those factors, particularly 

regarding the railroad’s bridge 

population, are not found in data 

already held or collected by FRA. 

An attempt to characterize the 

selection factors without incorporating 

that data on a railroad’s bridge 

population would seriously compromise 

the accuracy and usefulness of the 

information. FRA has, therefore, 

determined that the effectiveness of its 

bridge safety program depends on this 

data, and has identified two options for 

collecting it. In one case, FRA 

inspectors could visit each railroad in 

turn, interview the managers of the 

railroad, and record the information 

presented. In the other case, FRA could 

request that each railroad provide its 

data to FRA in a convenient format. 

FRA believes that the second option, 

self-reporting by the railroads, is more 

convenient for the responding universe, 

and that it represents the most efficient 

use of agency resources. Railroad 

managers will be able to gather the data 

on their own time schedules, within 

reason, and FRA would not have to 

devote employee time and travel 

expenses to visit the responding 

railroads. 

FRA will use the data received in this 

project to rank individual railroads for 

scheduling bridge program evaluations 

by FRA’s Bridge Safety Staff. The data 

will be analyzed against weighting 

factors, and railroads will be prioritized 

according to the resulting scores. The 

weighting factors are presently being 

reviewed by a committee of the 

American Short Line and Regional 

Railroad Association (ASLRRA). FRA 

will consider the recommendation of 

ASLRRA in this regard, and will make 

the weighting factors available to the 

respondent universe and the public as 

part of this project. 

It should be noted that a high 

selection ranking of any railroad by FRA 

will not necessarily indicate that the 

railroad has a bridge safety problem. 

That determination, one way or the 

other, will only be made by FRA during 

its evaluation of that railroad’s bridge 

management practices. 

Form Number(s): FRA F 6180.129. 

Affected Public: Railroads. 

Respondent Universe: 567 Railroads. 

Frequency of Submission: On 

occasion. 

Reporting Burden: 

Form No. Respondent universe Total annual responses 

Average time 

per response 

(hours) 

Total annual 

burden hours 

Total annual 

burden cost 

Form FRA F 6180.129 .......... 567 Railroads ....................... 475 forms .............................. 3 1,425 $57,000 

Estimated Annual Burden: 1,425 

hours. 

Status: Regular Review. 

Pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 

CFR 1320.5(b), 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), 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 unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520. 

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57406 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 192 / Thursday, October 2, 2008 / Notices 

Issued in Washington, DC on September 

26, 2008. 

D.J. Stadtler, 

Director, Office of Financial Management, 

Federal Railroad Administration. 

[FR Doc. E8–23276 Filed 10–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

Maritime Security Program 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Applications are now being 

received for one Maritime Security 

Program (MSP) Operating Agreement. 

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration 

(MARAD) is issuing this request for 

applications for one eligible vessel to fill 

one MSP Operating Agreement in 

accordance with the provisions of 

Subtitle C, Title XXXV of the National 

Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

Year 2004, the Maritime Security Act of 

2003 (MSA 2003). The MSA 2003 

authorizes the creation of a Maritime 

Security Program (MSP) that establishes 

a fleet of active, commercially viable, 

privately owned vessels to meet 

national defense and other security 

requirements and to maintain a United 

States presence in international 

commercial shipping. This request for 

applications provides, among other 

things, application criteria and a 

deadline for submitting applications for 

enrollment of one vessel in the MSP. 

Applications 

Applications are available by 

electronic mail. Please send requests for 

applications to Peter.Petrelis@dot.gov. 

DATES: Application Due Date: 

Applications for enrollment of one 

vessel in the MSP are November 3, 

2008. Applications should be submitted 

to the address listed in the ADDRESSES

section below. 

ADDRESSES: Application Submission: 

Submit applications for enrollment of 

vessels in the MSP to Peter E. Petrelis, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sealift 

Support, W25–324, Maritime 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Peter E. Petrelis, Acting Deputy 

Director, Office of Sealift Support, 

Maritime Administration, Telephone 

202–366–6252. For legal questions, call 

Murray Bloom, Chief, Division of 

Maritime Programs, Maritime 

Administration, 202–366–5320. For 

military utility questions, call LTC Tony 

Moritz, United States Transportation 

Command, 618–229–1451/1529. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On November 24, 2003, the President 

signed the National Defense 

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, 

which contained the MSA 2003 creating 

a new MSP from FY 2006 through FY 

2015. This program also provides 

financial assistance to operators of U.S.- 

flag vessels that meet certain 

qualifications. The MSA 2003 requires 

that the Secretary of Transportation 

(Secretary), in consultation with the 

Secretary of Defense (Sec Def), establish 

a fleet of active, commercially viable, 

militarily useful, privately-owned 

vessels to meet national defense and 

other security requirements. Section 

53111 of the MSA 2003 authorizes $156 

million annually for FYs 2006, 2007, 

and 2008; $174 million annually for FYs 

2009, 2010, and 2011; and $186 million 

annually for FYs 2012, 2013, 2014, and 

2015 to support the operation of up to 

60 U.S.-flag vessels in the foreign 

commerce of the United States. 

Payments to participating operators are 

limited to $2.6 million per ship per year 

for FYs 2006 through 2008, $2.9 million 

per ship per year for FYs 2009 through 

2011, and $3.1 million per ship per year 

for FYs 2012 through 2015. Payments 

are subject to annual appropriations. 

Participating operators are required to 

make their commercial transportation 

resources available upon request by the 

SecDef during times of war or national 

emergency. 

Application Criteria 

The implementing MSP Regulations 

at 46 CFR 296.24(b)(2) provide that 

awards made subsequent to October 1, 

2005, including the re-award of 

temporary agreements, must meet the 

ownership and operational 

requirements of 46 U.S.C. 53103(c) (i.e., 

priority of awards), and 46 CFR 

296.24(b)(3) further stipulates that 

priority of subsequent awards will be 

assigned in accordance with 

requirements specified by the SecDef. 

Any re-award of an MSP Operating 

Agreement, or replacement of a vessel 

under an Agreement, is subject to 

approval by the SecDef, by and through 

the United States Transportation 

Command (USTRANSCOM). 

The recipient of an Agreement is 

required to meet the citizenship 

eligibility requirements specified in 46 

U.S.C. Chapter 531 and the 

implementing regulations at 46 CFR Part 

296. Applicants with a vessel that meets 

program requirements, and who are 

citizens of the United States within the 

meaning of 46 U.S.C. 50501 will be 

given first consideration. In the event 

that no applicants meet this citizenship 

requirement, the Maritime 

Administration and USTRANSCOM 

will consider other citizenship 

categories. 

Vessel Requirements 

Acceptable vessels for this MSP 

Operating Agreement must meet the 

requirements of 46 U.S.C. 53102(b) and 

46 CFR § 296.11. The Commander, 

USTRANSCOM, established general 

evaluation criteria for operational 

requirements for eligible MSP vessels. 

Payments 

The applicant chosen for this MSP 

Operating Agreement will be eligible for 

payments in accordance with 46 U.S.C. 

53106 and 46 CFR 296.41. 

Maintenance and Repair (M&R) Work 

Agreement Requirement 

Subtitle A, section 3517 of the MSA 

2003 provides for a pilot program under 

which the Secretary of Transportation 

shall, subject to the availability of 

appropriations, require one or more 

persons to enter into an agreement 

under this section as a condition of 

awarding an operating agreement to the 

person under chapter 531 of title 46, 

United States Code, for one or more 

vessels that normally make port calls in 

the United States. All qualified 

maintenance and repair on the vessel 

shall be performed in the United States. 

The MSP contractor shall be reimbursed 

for the costs of qualified maintenance or 

repair performed in the United States 

versus the difference in cost of 

performing this work in a geographic 

region in which the MSP vessel 

generally operates. The recipient of this 

Agreement is required to sign an MSP 

M&R agreement which stipulates that in 

the event that sufficient M&R funding is 

available, the MSP contractor will 

commit to perform M&R work in a U.S. 

shipyard. 

National Security Requirements 

The applicant chosen to receive the 

MSP Operating Agreement will be 

required to enter into an Emergency 

Preparedness Agreement (EPA) 

pursuant to section 53107 of the MSA 

2003. The EPA shall be a document 

incorporating the terms of the Voluntary 

Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA), as 

approved by the Secretary and the 

SecDef, or other agreement approved by 

the Secretaries. 

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