Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Request for Extension of Currently Approved Information Collection

Michael Howell
Federal Highway Administration
8 February 2018

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 27 (Thursday, February 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5678-5679]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02526]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2018-0006]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Request for 
Extension of Currently Approved Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for extension of currently approved 
information collection.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to 
request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for 
renewal of an existing information collection that is summarized below 
under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are required to publish this notice 
in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by April 9, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
2018-0006 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Wolf, 202-366-4655, Department of 
Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Program 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Emergency Relief Funding Applications.
    OMB Control #: 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 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.

[[Page 5679]]

    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: February 2, 2018.
Michael Howell,
Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-02526 Filed 2-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-22-P