[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 2, 2010)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 5261-5263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-2150]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

49 CFR Part 1244

[STB Ex Parte No. 385 (Sub-No. 7)]


Waybill Data Reporting for Toxic Inhalation Hazards

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Board proposes to amend its rules with respect to Waybill 
Sample information railroads are required to submit to the Board. 
Currently, railroads that are required to file Waybill Sample 
information report a random sample of as little as 1% of carloads on a 
waybill. The proposed amendment, set forth below, would expand the 
carload Waybill Sample information submitted to include all traffic 
movements designated as a TIH (Toxic Inhalation Hazard). The revised 
reporting would commence with the January 2011 Waybill Sample 
collection.

DATES: Comments on this proposal are due by March 4, 2010. Replies are 
due by April 5, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted either via the Board's e-filing 
format or in the traditional paper format. Any person using e-filing 
should attach a document and otherwise comply with the instructions at 
the E-FILING link on the Board's Web site, at http://www.stb.dot.gov. 
Any person submitting a filing in the traditional paper format should 
send an original and 10 copies to: Surface Transportation Board, Attn: 
STB Ex Parte No. 385 (Sub-No. 7), 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20423-0001.
    Copies of written comments received by the Board will be posted to 
the Board's Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov and will be available 
for viewing and self-copying in the Board's Public Docket Room, Suite 
131, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Aguiar, (202) 245-0323. 
[Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A carload waybill is a document describing 
the

[[Page 5262]]

characteristics of an individual rail shipment, and includes the 
following information: the originating and terminating freight 
stations, the railroads participating in the movement, the points of 
all railroad interchanges, the number of cars, the car initial and 
number, the movement weight in hundredweight, the commodity, and the 
freight revenue. Under 49 CFR 1244.2, a railroad is required to file 
Waybill Sample information for all line-haul revenue waybills 
terminating on its lines if: (a) It terminated at least 4,500 revenue 
carloads in any of the 3 preceding years; or (b) it terminated at least 
5% of the revenue carloads terminating in any state in any of the 3 
preceding years. The Board recognizes that some of the submitted 
information is commercially sensitive, and thus the Board's regulations 
place limitations on releasing Waybill Sample data. See 49 CFR 1244.9.
    The Waybill Sample is the Board's primary source of information 
about freight rail shipments terminating in the United States. The 
expanded information gathered from this proposed rule would permit the 
Board to assess more accurately TIH traffic within the United States, 
and specifically would be beneficial in Three-Benchmark rail rate cases 
involving TIH traffic. In those cases, the parties would have more data 
to draw upon when forming their comparison groups; therefore, the 
parties could construct comparison groups that would be more comparable 
to the issue traffic.\1\ The additional information would also assist 
the Board in quantifying the magnitude of TIH traffic, and would help 
the Board more accurately measure the associated costs of handling such 
traffic.
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    \1\ See US Magnesium, L.L.C. v. Union Pacific Railroad Company, 
STB Docket No. 42114, at 5-12 (STB served Jan. 28, 2010); Simplified 
Standards for Rail Rate Cases, STB Docket No. 646 (Sub-No. 1), at 
82-84 (STB served Sept. 5, 2007), aff'd sub nom. CSX Transp., Inc. 
v. STB, 568 F.3d 236 (D.C. Cir. 2009), and vacated in part on reh'g, 
CSX Transp., Inc. v. STB, 584 F.3d 1076 (D.C. Cir. 2009).
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    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 605(b), the Board certifies that the 
regulations proposed herein would not have a significant impact on a 
substantial number of small entities within the meaning of the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, 5 U.S.C. 601-612. Most railroads 
that are required to report Waybill Sample information are not small 
entities. As explained above, these reporting requirements would apply 
only to railroads that terminate a large number of carloads. See 49 CFR 
1244.2. Because small entities (small railroads) typically do not 
terminate the number of carloads necessary to trigger the reporting 
requirement, any resulting impact would not affect a substantial number 
of that group. Moreover, any resulting impact on small entities that 
report TIH movements would not be significant. The Board's regulations 
allow for either computerized or manual reporting. 49 CFR 1244.4(a). In 
the most recent submission of Waybill Sample information--representing 
2008--all railroads that reported TIH traffic did so using a 
computerized system, and it is likely that such computerized systems 
are easily adaptable to expanding the traffic to be reported under the 
proposed rule. A copy of this decision will be served upon the Chief 
Counsel for Advocacy, Office of Advocacy, U.S. Small Business 
Administration, Washington, DC 20416.
    Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501-3549, 
and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)(3), the Board seeks comments regarding: (1) Whether this 
collection of information, as modified in the proposed rule and further 
described in the Appendix, is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the Board, including whether the collection has 
practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the Board's burden estimates; 
(3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on the respondents, including the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, when appropriate. Information pertinent to these issues is 
included in the Appendix. This proposed rule has been submitted to OMB 
for review as required under 44 U.S.C. 3507(d) and 5 CFR 1320.11.
    This action will not significantly affect either the quality of the 
human environment or the conservation of energy resources.

    Decided: January 27, 2010.

    By the Board, Chairman Elliott, Vice Chairman Mulvey, and 
Commissioner Nottingham.

Kulunie L. Cannon,
Clearance Clerk.

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 1244

    Freight, Railroads, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Surface 
Transportation Board proposes to amend part 1244 of title 49, chapter 
X, of the Code of Federal Regulations as follows:

PART 1244--WAYBILL ANALYSIS OF TRANSPORTATION OF PROPERTY--
RAILROADS

    1. The authority citation for Part 1244 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority:  49 U.S.C. 721, 10707, 11144, 11145.

    2. In Sec.  1244.4, add paragraphs (b)(5) and (c)(3) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  1244.4  Sampling of waybills.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (5) Subject railroads shall submit all waybill information for 
movements of Toxic Inhalation Hazards (TIH). For purposes of this 
section, TIH shall be defined in accordance with 49 CFR 171.8, 173.115, 
and 173.132 to include materials that, when inhaled, are known or 
presumed on the basis of testing to be so toxic to humans as to pose a 
hazard to health in the event of a release during transportation. These 
materials include, but are not limited to, hazardous materials listed 
at 49 CFR 172.101 as either Division 2.3 materials, or Division 6.1 
materials that can be characterized as an inhalant under Sec.  173.132.
    (c) * * *
    (3) Subject railroads shall submit all waybill information for 
movements of Toxic Inhalation Hazards (TIH). For purposes of this 
section, TIH shall be defined in accordance with 49 CFR 171.8, 173.115, 
and 173.132 to include materials that, when inhaled, are known or 
presumed on the basis of testing to be so toxic to humans as to pose a 
hazard to health in the event of a release during transportation. These 
materials include, but are not limited to, hazardous materials listed 
at 49 CFR 172.101 as either Division 2.3 materials, or Division 6.1 
materials that can be characterized as an inhalant under Sec.  173.132.
* * * * *

    Note:  The following appendix will not appear in the Code of 
Federal Regulations.

Appendix

    The additional information below is included to assist those who 
may wish to submit comments pertinent to review under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act:

Description of Collection

    Title: Waybill Sample.
    OMB Control Number: 2140-0015.
    STB Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Modification of approved collection.
    Respondents: Any railroad that did one of the following: (a) 
Terminated at least 4,500 revenue carloads in any of the 3 preceding 
years; or (b) terminated at least 5% of the

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revenue carloads terminating in any state in any of the 3 preceding 
years.
    Number of Respondents: 50.
    Estimated Time per Response: 75 minutes.
    Frequency: 7 respondents report monthly; 43 report quarterly.
    Total Burden Hours (annually including all respondents): 320 
hours.
    Total ``Non-hour Burden'' Cost: No ``non-hour cost'' burdens 
associated with this collection have been identified.
    Needs and Uses: The Surface Transportation Board is, by statute, 
responsible for the economic regulation of common carrier rail 
transportation in the United States and it is authorized to collect 
information about rail costs and revenues under 49 U.S.C. 11144 and 
11145. Under 49 CFR 1244, a railroad is required to file Waybill 
Sample information for all line-haul revenue waybills terminating on 
its lines if it did one of the following: (a) Terminated at least 
4,500 revenue carloads in any of the 3 preceding years; or (b) 
terminated at least 5% of the revenue carloads terminating in any 
state in any of the 3 preceding years. The information in the 
Waybill Sample is used by the Board, other Federal and state 
agencies, and industry stakeholders to monitor traffic flows and 
rate trends in the industry, and to develop evidence in Board 
proceedings.
    The expanded information gathered from this proposed rule would 
permit the Board to assess more accurately TIH traffic within the 
United States, and specifically would be beneficial in Three-
Benchmark rail rate cases involving TIH traffic. In those cases, the 
parties would have more data to draw upon when forming their 
comparison groups; therefore, the parties could construct comparison 
groups that would be more comparable to the issue traffic. The 
additional information would also assist the Board in quantifying 
the magnitude of TIH traffic, and would help the Board more 
accurately measure the associated costs of handling such traffic.
    Retention Period: Information in this report will be maintained 
on the Board's Web site for a minimum of 1 year and will be 
otherwise maintained permanently.

[FR Doc. 2010-2150 Filed 2-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P