Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments for the Renewal of a Previously Approved Information Collection.

Michael Howell
Federal Highway Administration
17 April 2018

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16915-16916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07986]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2018-0024]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments 
for the Renewal of a Previously Approved Information Collection.

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
this notice announces that FHWA will submit the collection of 
information described below to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day 
comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of 
information was published on February 8, 2018. The PRA submission 
describes the nature of the information collection and its expected 
cost and burden.

DATES: Please submit comments by May 17, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID 2014-
0027 by any of the following methods:
    Website: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of Transportation, West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Emergency Relief Funding Applications.
    OMB Control Number: 2125-0525.
    Background: Congress authorized in Title 23, United States Code, 
Section 125, a special program from the Highway Trust Fund for the 
repair or reconstruction of Federal-aid highways and roads on Federal 
lands which have suffered serious damage as a result of natural 
disasters or catastrophic failures from an external cause. This 
program, commonly referred to as the Emergency Relief or ER program, 
supplements the commitment of resources by States, their political 
subdivisions, or other Federal agencies to help pay for unusually heavy 
expenses resulting from extraordinary conditions. The applicability of 
the ER program to a natural disaster is based on the extent and 
intensity of the disaster. Damage to highways must be severe, occur 
over a wide area, and result in unusually high expenses to the highway 
agency. Examples of natural disasters include floods, hurricanes, 
earthquakes, tornadoes, tidal waves, severe storms, and landslides. 
Applicability of the ER program to a catastrophic failure due to an 
external cause is based on the criteria that the failure was not the 
result of an inherent flaw in the facility but was sudden, caused a 
disastrous impact on transportation services, and resulted in unusually 
high expenses to the highway agency. A bridge suddenly collapsing after 
being struck by a barge is an

[[Page 16916]]

example of a catastrophic failure from an external cause. The ER 
program provides for repair and restoration of highway facilities to 
pre-disaster conditions. Restoration in kind is therefore the 
predominate type of repair expected to be accomplished with ER funds. 
Generally, all elements of the damaged highway within its cross section 
are eligible for ER funds. Roadway items that are eligible may include: 
Pavement, shoulders, slopes and embankments, guardrail, signs and 
traffic control devices, bridges, culverts, bike and pedestrian paths, 
fencing, and retaining walls. Other eligible items may include: 
Engineering and right-of-way costs, debris removal, transportation 
system management strategies, administrative expenses, and equipment 
rental expenses. This information collection is needed for the FHWA to 
fulfill its statutory obligations regarding funding determinations for 
ER eligible damages following a disaster. The regulations covering the 
FHWA ER program are contained in 23 CFR part 668.
    Respondents: 50 State Transportation Departments, the District of 
Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, 
and the Virgin Islands.
    Estimated Average Annual Burden: The respondents submit an 
estimated total of 30 applications each year. Each application requires 
an estimated average of 250 hours to complete.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Total estimated average annual 
burden is 7,500 hours.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the U.S. DOT's performance, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the 
accuracy of the U.S. DOT's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
information collection; (3) ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, 
and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that the burden 
could be minimized, including the use of electronic technology, 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.

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued On: April 11, 2018.
Michael Howell,
Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-07986 Filed 4-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-22-P