60- Day Federal Register Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 26, 2024 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
[Docket No. DOT–OST–2024–0124]

Transforming Transportation Advisory
Committee; Public Meeting

II. Agenda

Office of the Secretary (OST),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

At the meeting, the agenda will cover
the following topics:

AGENCY:

The Office of the Secretary of
Transportation (OST) announces a
public meeting of the Transforming
Transportation Advisory Committee
(TTAC) on Friday, December 13, 2024.
This notice announces the date, time,
and location of the meeting, which will
be virtually open to the public. The
purpose of the TTAC is to provide
information, advice, and
recommendations to the Secretary on
matters relating to transportation
innovations.
DATES: This meeting will be held on
Friday, December 13, 2024 from 8:30
a.m. until approximately 3 p.m. Eastern
Time (ET). A link allowing for live
viewing of the meeting will be posted to
https://www.transportation.gov/ttac
ahead of the meeting start time.
ADDRESSES: The TTAC members will be
meeting in-person at USDOT
Headquarters in Washington, DC. The
public may attend the meeting virtually,
with information available on the
USDOT TTAC website (https://
www.transportation.gov/ttac) at least
one week in advance of the meeting
date.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
TTAC Designated Federal Officer, c/o
Ben Levine, Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Research and Technology, Office of
the Secretary, ttac@dot.gov, (202) 941–
6180.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:

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direct, first-hand information, advice,
and recommendations by meeting and
exchanging ideas on the tasks assigned.
In addition, TTAC will respond to adhoc informational requests from OST.

I. Background
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation
(Secretary) established TTAC as a
Federal Advisory Committee in
accordance with the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463, 5 U.S.C.
Ch. 10) to provide information, advice,
and recommendations to the Secretary
on matters relating to transportation
innovations. TTAC is tasked with
advice and recommendations to the
Secretary about needs, objectives, plans,
and approaches for transportation
innovations.
Description of Duties
TTAC will undertake only tasks
assigned to it by the Secretary of
Transportation or designee and provide

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1. Call to Order, Official Statement of
the Designated Federal Officer,
Meeting Logistics
2. Opening Remarks
3. Subcommittee Updates
4. Recap of Meeting Progress and
Review of Next Steps
III. Public Participation
The meeting will be open to the
public via livestream. Members of the
public who wish to observe the virtual
meeting can access the livestream
accessible on the following website:
https://www.transportation.gov/ttac.
We are committed to providing equal
access to this meeting for all
participants. If you need alternative
formats or services because of a
disability, such as interpretation or
other ancillary aids, or if you require
translation into a language other than
English, please contact the person listed
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this notice no later
than Friday, December 6, 2024.
Members of the public may also
submit written materials, questions, and
comments to the Committee in advance
to the individual listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this notice no later than Friday,
December 6, 2024.
All advance submissions will be
reviewed by the Designated Federal
Officer. If approved, advance
submissions shall be circulated to the
TTAC members for review prior to the
meeting. All advance submissions will
become part of the official record of the
meeting.
Authority: The Committee is a
discretionary Committee under the
authority of the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT), established in
accordance with the provisions of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act
(FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C. Ch. 2.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November
21, 2024.
Benjamin Ross Levine,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and
Technology.
[FR Doc. 2024–27676 Filed 11–25–24; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[Docket No. DOT–OST–2024–0132]

Notice of Proposed Agency
Information Collection Activities;
Modification of Existing Information
Collection.
Office of the Secretary,
Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:

In accordance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the Department
of Transportation (the Department)
invites public comments on a request to
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) to approve modifications to a
currently approved Information
Collection Request (ICR). The forms
have been updated to reflect efficiencies
in the application process adopted by
the Department, provide clarifying
information, and make the forms easier
for applicants to use. The general
process of applying for credit assistance
is not changing; applications are still
accepted on a rolling basis. The ICR
continues to be necessary for the
Department to evaluate projects and
project sponsors for credit program
eligibility and creditworthiness as
required by law.
DATES: We must receive your comments
on or before January 27, 2025.
ADDRESSES: All comments should
reference Federal Docket Management
System (FDMS) Docket No. DOT–OST–
2024–0132. Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments on
the proposed information collection
through one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
• Mail Delivery: Docket Management
Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12–
140, Washington, DC 20590.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The
Build America Bureau at
BuildAmerica@dot.gov or (202) 366–
2300.
SUMMARY:

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 2105–0569.
Title: Letter of Interest and
Application Forms for the Railroad
Rehabilitation and Improvement
Financing and Transportation
Infrastructure Financing and Innovation
Act Credit Programs.
Type of Review: Modification of
existing information collections.

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 26, 2024 / Notices

Background: The RRIF credit program
has its origins in Title V of the Railroad
Revitalization and Regulatory Reform
Act of 1976, 45 U.S.C. 821 et seq., which
authorized the Federal Railroad
Administration to provide railroads
certain financial assistance. This Title V
financing program was replaced by the
RRIF program under section 7203 of the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century of 1998, Pub. L. 105–178 (1998)
(TEA 21). RRIF was subsequently
amended by: the Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity
Act: A Legacy for Users, Pub. L. 109–59
(2005) (SAFETEA–LU); the Rail Safety
Improvement Act of 2008, Division A of
Pub. L. 110–432; the Fixing America’s
Surface Transportation Act (Pub. L.
114–94) (2015) (FAST Act) and the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)
(Pub. L. 117–58). All applicants for RRIF
credit program assistance are required to
submit a completed application. 49
U.S.C. 22403(a). The information
collection activity request for the RRIF
credit program application was most
recently approved in 2021 (OMB
Control Number 2105–0569). See 86 FR
51717 and 86 FR 33475.
The Transportation Infrastructure
Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 was
enacted as part of TEA 21. The TIFIA
program was subsequently amended by
SAFETEA–LU, the Moving Ahead for
Progress in the 21st Century Act (Pub.
L. 112–141) (2012) (MAP–21), the FAST
Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law (BIL). All applicants for TIFIA
credit program assistance are required to
submit a completed LOI and
application. 23 U.S.C. 602(a)(1)(A). The
existing information collection activity
request for the TIFIA credit program
letter of interest and application was
most recently approved in 2021 (OMB
Control Number 2105–0569). See 86 FR
51717 and 86 FR 33475.
The National Surface Transportation
and Innovative Finance Bureau
(referenced hereafter as the Build
America Bureau or the Bureau),
established by the Secretary on July 20,
2016, in accordance with the FAST Act,
was created to streamline and improve
access to the Department’s Federal
credit programs, including RRIF and
TIFIA. The Bureau was made
responsible for administering the
application processes for the TIFIA and
RRIF credit programs. To streamline and
conform these application processes, the
Bureau created a single LOI form and a
single application form that can be used
by applicants of either credit program.
Both the LOI form and the application
form have been updated to reflect
efficiencies in the application process
adopted by the Department, provide

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clarifying information, and make the
forms easier for applicants to use.
Because some key statutory differences
exist between the two programs’
application processes and eligibility
criteria, the forms have been
reorganized to clearly identify where an
item of information applies only for one
of the programs and need not be
answered by applicants of the other
program. The Department seeks OMB
approval to modify the LOI and
application. The forms have also been
reviewed to ensure that all information
requested is necessary for the
Department to properly perform its
functions in administering its credit
programs and updated to reflect the
current statutory requirements.
The LOI asks the applicant to
describe, among other things, the project
and its location, purpose and cost; the
proposed financial plan, the status of
environmental review, and certain
information regarding satisfaction of
other eligibility requirements under the
applicable credit program. The
application serves as the official request
for credit and, therefore, requires the
same information required of the LOI,
plus detailed information about the
applicant’s legal and management
structure, its financial health, the
revenue stream pledged to repay the
loan, and other information regarding
satisfaction of eligibility requirements.
TIFIA and RRIF credit assistance is
awarded based on a project’s
satisfaction of TIFIA and RRIF (as
applicable) eligibility requirements. The
Department is authorized to prescribe
the form and contents of the LOI and
application. 49 U.S.C. 22403(a) and 23
U.S.C. 601(a)(6).
Respondents: State and local
governments, transit agencies,
government-sponsored authorities,
special authorities, special districts,
ports, private railroads, and certain
other private entities.
Estimated Annual Number of
Respondents: Based on the number and
type of interested stakeholders that have
contacted the Department about the
RRIF and TIFIA programs in fiscal years
(FY) 2021–2024, the Department
estimates that it will receive, on an
annual basis, twenty (20) RRIF letters of
interest (LOIs), twenty (20) TIFIA LOIs,
five (5) RRIF applications, and nine (9)
TIFIA applications.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: The Department estimates that it
will generally take applicants not fewer
than twenty (20) person-hours to
assemble a single LOI (for either credit
program) and not fewer than one
hundred (100) person-hours to assemble
a single application (for either credit

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program). (Person-hour estimates
provided for a RRIF application assume
that the applicant will initially submit
an LOI, reducing the number of personhours spent on the application.) Based
on the anticipated annual total number
of respondents, the total annual hour
burden of this collection for RRIF LOIs
and applications is 960 and for TIFIA
LOIs and applications is 1,440 hours.
Frequency of Collection: This
information collection will occur on a
rolling basis as interested entities seek
RRIF or TIFIA credit assistance.
Public Comments Invited: The
Department invites interested
respondents to comment on a proposed
information collection activity
(summarized below) with respect to: (i)
whether the information collection
activities are necessary for the
Department to properly execute its
functions, including whether the
activities will have practical utility; (ii)
the accuracy of the Department’s
estimates of the burden of the
information collection activities,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used to
determine the estimates; (iii) ways for
the Department to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information
being collected; and (iv) ways for the
Department to minimize the burden of
information collection activities on the
public by automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology (e.g., permitting
electronic submission of responses). See
44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)(i)–(iv); 5 CFR
1320.8(d)(1)(i)–(iv). The Department
believes that soliciting public comment
will promote its efforts to reduce the
administrative and paperwork burdens
associated with the collection of
information mandated by Federal
regulations. In summary, the
Department reasons that comments
received will advance three objectives:
(i) reduce reporting burdens; (ii) ensure
that it organizes information collection
requirements in a ‘‘user friendly’’ format
to improve the use of such information;
and (iii) accurately assess the resources
expended to retrieve and produce
information requested. See 44 U.S.C.
3501.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as
amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.
Duane Callender,
Executive Director (Acting), the Build
America Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2024–27702 Filed 11–25–24; 8:45 am]
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