75230 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 17, 2014 / Notices 

postcard, or print the acknowledgement 

page that appears after submitting 

comments online. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Richard Clemente, FMCSA Driver and 

Carrier Operations Division; Office of 

Carrier, Driver and Vehicle Safety 

Standards; Telephone: 202–366–4325. 

Email: MCPSD@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

FMCSA has authority under 49 U.S.C. 

31136(e) and 31315 to grant exemptions 

from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Regulations. FMCSA must publish a 

notice of each exemption request in the 

Federal Register (49 CFR 381.315(a)). 

The Agency must provide the public an 

opportunity to inspect the information 

relevant to the application, including 

any safety analyses that have been 

conducted. The Agency must also 

provide an opportunity for public 

comment on the request. 

The Agency reviews the safety 

analyses and the public comments, and 

determines whether granting the 

exemption would likely achieve a level 

of safety equivalent to, or greater than, 

the level that would be achieved by the 

current regulation (49 CFR 381.305). 

The decision of the Agency must be 

published in the Federal Register (49 

CFR 381.315(b)) with the reason for 

granting or denying the exemption, and, 

if granted, the specific person or class of 

persons receiving the exemption, and 

the regulatory provision or provisions 

from which exemption is granted. The 

notice must specify the effective period 

of the exemption (up to 2 years), and 

explain the terms and conditions of the 

exemption. The exemption may be 

renewed (49 CFR 381.300(b)). 

Since 2012, FMCSA has granted four 

Daimler drivers similar exemptions 

[May 25, 2012 (77 FR 31422); July 22, 

2014 (79 FR 42626); August 29, 2014 (79 

FR 51641)]. Each of these drivers held 

a valid German CDL but lacked the U.S. 

residency required to obtain a CDL. 

FMCSA has concluded that the process 

for obtaining a German CDL is 

comparable to or as effective as the U.S. 

CDL requirements and ensures that 

these drivers will likely achieve a level 

of safety equivalent to or greater than 

the level that would be obtained in the 

absence of the exemption. 

Request for Exemption 

Daimler has applied for an exemption 

for one of its engineers from 49 CFR 

383.23, which prescribes licensing 

requirements for drivers operating 

CMVs in interstate or intrastate 

commerce. This driver, Martin 

Zeilinger, holds a valid German CDL but 

is unable to obtain a CDL in any of the 

U.S. States due to residency 

requirements. A copy of the application 

is in Docket No. FMCSA–2012–0032. 

The exemption would allow Mr. 

Zeilinger to operate CMVs in interstate 

or intrastate commerce to support 

Daimler field tests designed to meet 

future vehicle safety and environmental 

requirements and to develop improved 

safety and emission technologies. 

According to Daimler, Mr. Zeilinger will 

typically drive for no more than 6 hours 

per day for 2 consecutive days, and 10 

percent of the test driving will be on 

two-lane State highways, while 90 

percent will be on interstate highways. 

The driving will consist of no more than 

200 miles per day, for a total of 400 

miles during a two-day period on a 

quarterly basis. He will in all cases be 

accompanied by a holder of a U.S. CDL 

who is familiar with the routes to be 

traveled. Daimler requests that the 

exemption cover a two-year period. 

FMCSA has determined that the 

process for obtaining a German CDL is 

comparable to the Federal requirements 

of 49 CFR part 383 and adequately 

assesses a driver’s ability to operate 

CMVs in the United States. 

Request for Comments 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 

31315(b)(4) and 31136(e), FMCSA 

requests public comment on Daimler’s 

application for an exemption from the 

CDL requirements of 49 CFR 383.23. 

The Agency will consider all comments 

received by close of business on January 

16, 2015. Comments will be available 

for examination in the docket at the 

location listed under the ADDRESSES

section of this notice. The Agency will 

consider to the extent practicable 

comments received in the public docket 

after the closing date of the comment 

period. 

Issued on: December 4, 2014. 

Larry W. Minor, 

Associate Administrator for Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29067 Filed 12–16–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

[Docket No. DOT–MARAD–2014–0156] 

Request for Comments on a New 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice 

announces that the Information 

Collection Request (ICR) abstracted 

below is being forwarded to the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and comments. A Federal 

Register Notice with a 60-day comment 

period soliciting comments on the 

following information collection was 

published on September 23, 2014 (79 FR 

56849). 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before January 16, 2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Nuns Jain, Program Excellence & 

Quality Assurance Group (MAR–600.6), 

Maritime Administration, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, 7737 

Hampton Boulevard, Building 19, Suite 

300, Norfolk, VA 23505, (757) 322–5801 

or Email: nuns.jain@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Quarterly Readiness Reporting 

of Strategic Seaport Facilities. 

OMB Control Number: 2133—NEW. 

Type of Request: New Information 

Collection. 

Abstract: Pursuant to the Defense 

Production Act of 1950, as amended 

(Pub. L. 111–67), EO 13603, E.O. 12656 

and 46 CFR part 340, MARAD works 

with the DoD to ensure national defense 

preparedness. Accordingly, MARAD 

issues a pre-emergency Port Planning 

Order (PPO) to each Department of 

Defense (DoD) designated strategic 

commercial seaport in order to provide 

the DoD port facilities in support of 

military deployments during national 

emergencies. The proposed collection of 

quarterly information is necessary to 

validate each port’s ability to provide 

the PPO delineated facilities to the DoD 

within the PPO delineated time frame. 

In a February 2, 2014 report entitled 

STRATEGIC SEAPORTS: Opportunities 

Exist to Improve Interagency 

Coordination, Readiness Reporting, and 

Port Preparedness, the Government 

Accounting Office (GAO) recommended 

that MARAD collect DoD required 

readiness data from the strategic 

commercial ports. This information will 

be used by MARAD to assist DoD in 

establishing overall contingency plans 

necessary to meet national emergency 

preparedness requirements. 

Affected Public: Strategic Commercial 

Seaports with MARAD Port Planning 

Orders. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

16. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 64. 

Annual Estimated Total Annual 

Burden Hours: 64. 

Frequency of Collection: Quarterly. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 242 / Wednesday, December 17, 2014 / Notices 75231 

1BBRR is a wholly owned subsidiary of Watco 

Holdings, Inc. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding 

the burden estimate, including 

suggestions for reducing the burden, to 

the Office of Management and Budget, 

Attention: Desk Officer for the Office of 

the Secretary of Transportation, 725 

17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503. 

Comments are invited on: Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the Department, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; the accuracy of 

the Department’s estimate of the burden 

of the proposed information collection; 

ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act 

of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; 

and 49 CFR 1:93. 

Dated: December 11, 2014. 

Julie P. Agarwal, 

Secretary, Maritime Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29468 Filed 12–16–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Surface Transportation Board 

[Docket No. FD 35882] 

Watco Holdings, Inc.—Continuance in 

Control Exemption—Bogalusa Bayou 

Railroad, L.L.C. 

Watco Holdings, Inc. (Watco), a 

noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of 

exemption pursuant to 49 CFR 

1180.2(d)(2) to continue in control of 

Bogalusa Bayou Railroad, L.L.C. (BBRR), 

upon BBRR’s becoming a Class III rail 

carrier. Watco owns, indirectly, 100 

percent of the issued and outstanding 

stock of BBRR, a limited liability 

company. 

This transaction is related to a 

concurrently filed verified notice of 

exemption in Bogalusa Bayou 

Railroad—Acquisition of Trackage 

Rights Exemption Containing 

Interchange Commitment—Illinois 

Central Railroad, Docket No. FD 35880, 

wherein BBRR seeks Board approval to 

acquire overhead trackage rights over a 

one-mile rail line owned by Illinois 

Central Railroad Company extending 

between milepost 68.85, at Leescreek, 

La., and milepost 69.85, at Bogalusa, La. 

The transaction may be consummated 

on or after December 31, 2014, the 

effective date of the exemption (30 days 

after the verified notice of exemption 

was filed). 

Watco currently controls, indirectly, 

one Class II rail carrier that operates in 

two states and 29 Class III rail carriers 

that collectively operate in 20 states. For 

a complete list of these rail carriers, and 

the states in which they operate, see 

Watco’s verified notice of exemption 

filed on December 1, 2014. The verified 

notice is available on the Board’s Web 

site at WWW.STB.DOT.GOV. 

Watco represents that: (1) The rail 

lines to be operated by BBRR do not 

connect with any of the rail lines 

operated by the carriers in the Watco 

corporate family; (2) the transaction is 

not a part of a series of anticipated 

transactions that would result in such a 

connection; and (3) the transaction does 

not involve a Class I carrier. Therefore, 

the transaction is exempt from the prior 

approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 

11323. See 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2). 

Watco states that the purpose of the 

transaction is to reduce overhead 

expenses, coordinate billing, 

maintenance, mechanical, and 

personnel policies and practices of its 

rail carrier subsidiaries, and thereby 

improve the overall efficiency of rail 

service provided by the railroads in the 

Watco corporate family. 

Under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), the Board 

may not use its exemption authority to 

relieve a rail carrier of its statutory 

obligation to protect the interests of its 

employees. Because the transaction 

involves the control of one Class II and 

one or more Class III rail carriers, the 

transaction is subject to the labor 

protection requirements of 49 U.S.C. 

11326(b) and Wisconsin Central Ltd.— 

Acquisition Exemption—Lines of Union 

Pacific Railroad, 2 S.T.B. 218 (1997). 

If the verified 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 December 24, 2014 (at least 

seven days before the exemption 

becomes effective). 

An original and 10 copies of all 

pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 

35882, must be filed with the Surface 

Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., 

Washington, DC 20423–0001. In 

addition, a copy of each pleading must 

be served on Karl Morell, Ball Janik 

LLP, 655 Fifteenth Street NW., Suite 

225, Washington, DC 20005. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our Web site at 

WWW.STB.DOT.GOV. 

Decided: December 12, 2014. 

By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Brendetta S. Jones, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29550 Filed 12–16–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Surface Transportation Board 

[Docket No. FD 35880] 

Bogalusa Bayou Railroad, L.L.C.— 

Acquisition of Trackage Rights 

Exemption Containing Interchange 

Commitment—Illinois Central Railroad 

Company 

Bogalusa Bayou Railroad, L.L.C. 

(BBRR),1 a noncarrier, has filed a 

verified notice of exemption under 49 

CFR 1150.31 to acquire overhead 

trackage rights over a one-mile rail line 

owned by Illinois Central Railroad 

Company (IC) extending between 

milepost 68.85, at Leescreek, La., and 

milepost 69.85, at Bogalusa, La., 

pursuant to an agreement between 

BBRR and IC. 

This transaction is related to a 

concurrently filed verified notice of 

exemption in Watco Holdings, Inc.— 

Continuance in Control Exemption— 

Bogalusa Bayou Railroad, Docket No. 

FD 35882, wherein Watco Holdings, 

Inc., seeks Board approval under 49 CFR 

1180.2(d)(2) to continue in control of 

BBRR, upon BBRR’s becoming a Class 

III rail carrier. 

BBRR states that the agreement 

precludes BBRR from interchanging 

traffic with a third party. As required 

under 49 CFR 1150.33(h)(1), BBRR has 

provided additional information 

concerning the interchange 

commitment. 

BBRR has certified that its projected 

annual revenues as a result of this 

transaction will not result in BBRR’s 

becoming a Class II or Class I rail carrier 

and will not exceed $5 million. 

This transaction may be 

consummated on or after December 31, 

2014, the effective date of the exemption 

(30 days after the verified notice of 

exemption was filed). 

If the verified 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 no later than December 24, 2014 

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