2018-03335. Hazardous Materials: Information Collection Activities

AGENCY:

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA invites comments on an information collection pertaining to hazardous materials transportation for which PHMSA intends to request renewal from the Office of Management and Budget. On September 28, 2017, PHMSA published a notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this Information Collection Renewal [82 FR 45361] under Docket No. PHMSA-2017-0073 (Notice No. 2017-04). PHMSA received five comments; however, they were outside the scope of the September 28, 2017, notice and the Hazardous Materials Regulations.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before March 22, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. PHMSA-2017-0073 (Notice No. 2018-05), by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: [phone].
• Mail: Docket Management System; U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Routing Symbol M-30, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: To the Docket Management System; Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and Docket Number (PHMSA-2017-0073) for this notice at the beginning of the comment. To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. All comments received will be posted without change to the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) and will include any personal information provided.

Requests for a copy of an information collection should be directed to Steven Andrews or Shelby Geller, Standards and Rulemaking Division, [phone], Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

Docket: For access to the dockets to read background documents or comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov or DOT's Docket Operations Office (see ADDRESSES).

Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these comments, without edit, including any personal information the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov,, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at www.dot.gov/​privacy.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Steven Andrews or Shelby Geller, Standards and Rulemaking Division, [phone], Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 1320.8 (d), title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) requires PHMSA to provide interested members of the public and affected agencies an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping requests. This notice identifies an information collection request that PHMSA will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal and extension. This information collection is contained in 49 CFR 171.6 of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-180). PHMSA has revised burden estimates, where appropriate, to reflect current reporting levels or adjustments based on changes in proposed or final rules published since the information collection was last approved. The following information is provided for this information collection: (1) Title of the information collection, including former title if a change is being made; (2) OMB control number; (3) summary of the information collection activity; (4) description of affected public; (5) estimate of total annual reporting and recordkeeping burden; and (6) frequency of collection. PHMSA will request a 3-year term of approval for this information collection activity and will publish a notice in the Federal Register upon OMB's approval.

PHMSA requests comments on the following information collection:

Title: Hazardous Materials Shipping Papers & Emergency Response Information.

OMB Control Number: 2137-0034.

Summary: This information collection is for the requirement to provide a shipping paper and emergency response information with shipments of hazardous materials. Shipping papers are a basic communication tool in the transportation of hazardous materials and, by definition (see 49 CFR 171.8), include a shipping order, bill of lading, manifest, or other shipping document serving a similar purpose and containing the information required by §§ 172.202, 172.203, and 172.204 of the HMR. A shipping paper with emergency response information must accompany most hazardous materials shipments and be readily available at all times during transportation.

Shipping papers serve as the principal source of information regarding the presence of hazardous materials, identification, quantity, and emergency response procedures. They inform on compliance with other requirements (i.e., the placement of rail cars containing different hazardous materials in trains); prevent the loading of poisons with foodstuffs; maintain the separation of incompatible hazardous materials; and limit the amount of radioactive materials that may be transported in a vehicle or aircraft. Shipping papers and emergency response information also notify transport workers that hazardous materials are present and serve as a principal means of identifying hazardous materials during transportation emergencies. Firefighters, police, and other emergency response personnel are trained to obtain the DOT shipping papers and emergency response information when responding to hazardous materials transportation emergencies. The availability of accurate information concerning hazardous materials being transported significantly improves response efforts in these types of emergencies.

Affected Public: Shippers and carriers of hazardous materials in commerce.

Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:

Number of Respondents: 260,000.

Total Annual Responses: 175,234,493.

Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,598,685.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2018.

William S. Schoonover,

Associate Administrator of Hazard Materials Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.