Supporting Statement - Water Carrier Tariffs 3-22-13

2140-XXXX
March 2013

SUPPORTING STATEMENT – Water Carrier Tariffs

A. Justification:
1. Why the collection is necessary. The Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board)
and the Department of Transportation share general jurisdiction over domestic (as opposed to
international) transportation by water carriage. For common carriage service by water in
noncontiguous domestic trade (i.e., domestic (as opposed to international) shipments moving to
or from Alaska, Hawaii, or the U.S. territories or possessions (Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin
Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands)), water carriers are required to
publish their rates in tariffs and file them at the STB. 49 U.S.C. § 13702(b); 49 C.F.R. § 1312.
A tariff provides a list of prices and fees that the carrier charges to the shipping public.
2. How the collection will be used. Information in this collection is used by the public to
get information about prices and fees charged by water carriers that provide freight transportation
in noncontiguous domestic trade.
3. Extent of automated information collection. This collection may be submitted
electronically.
4. Identification of duplication. No other Federal agency collects the information
reported in water carrier tariffs.
5. Effects on small business. The Board concludes that this collection does not have a
significant economic effect on a substantial number of small entities. It takes no more than 45
minutes to file the required copy of the tariff with the Board
6. Impact of less frequent collections. Failure of non-contiguous domestic water carriers
to file these tariffs as required would impact the ability of the Board to fulfill its statutory
mandate.
7. Special circumstances. No special circumstances described in question 7 apply to this
collection.
8. Compliance with 5 C.F.R. § 1320.8. As required, the Board published a notice
providing a 60-day comment period regarding this collection. See 77 Fed. Reg. 64376
(10/19/12). No comments were received. A 30-day notice is being published concurrently with
this submission to Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
9. Payments or gifts to respondents. The Board does not provide any payment or gift to

respondents.
10. Assurance of confidentiality. All information collected through this report is
available to the public.
11. Justification for collection of sensitive information. This collection contains no
information of a sensitive nature.
12. Estimation of burden hours for respondents. The following information pertains to
the estimate of burden hours associated with this collection:
(1) Number of respondents: Approximately 25.
(2) Frequency of response: On occasion, for an annual total of 1917 tariffs filed.
(3) Annual hour burden per respondent and total for all respondents: 1,438 hours
(1917 filings X .75 hour (estimated time per filing)). The information filed consists of an
existing document.
13. Other costs to respondents: There are no non-hour costs associated with this
collection. This collection may be filed electronically.
14. Estimated costs to the Board: $40,427 (based on most recent Board cost-study
setting fees and total fees collected in 2012).
15. Changes in burden hours. This is an existing collection without a control number.
16. Plans for tabulation and publication: There are no plans to tabulate or publish this
collection.
17. Display of expiration date for OMB approval. No exception is sought. The control
number and expiration date for this collection will be published in the Federal Register.
18. Exceptions to Certification Statement. Not applicable

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods:
Not applicable