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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 70 / Friday, April 10, 2020 / Notices

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background
As reported by CDC,1 infection with
SARS–CoV–2, the virus that causes
COVID–19, can cause a respiratory
illness that can spread from person to
person. Symptoms can range from mild
to severe, and often include a fever and
a cough or difficulty breathing. The
outbreak first started in China, but cases
have been identified in a growing
number of other areas, including the
United States. On March 11, 2020, the
World Health Organization
characterized the COVID–19 outbreak a
pandemic, meaning the disease had
spread worldwide. On March 13, 2020,
President Donald J. Trump declared a
national emergency related to COVID–
19.
SARS–CoV–2 is a novel virus, which
means there is still much to learn about
the risk factors, signs and symptoms,
and how it is spread.2 Based on what
the CDC currently knows about the
virus, it is mostly spread from personto-person in close contact (within about
6 feet) through respiratory droplets
produced when an infected person
coughs, sneezes, or talks.3 Maintaining
good social distance (about 6 feet) is
very important in preventing the spread
of COVID–19.4 It may also be possible
that a person can get COVID–19 by
touching a surface or object that has the
virus on it and then touching their own
mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but
this is not thought to be the main way
the virus spreads.5

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FRA’s Actions Related to COVID–19
Following the President’s declaration
of a national emergency related to
COVID–19, on March 13, 2020, FRA
Administrator Ronald L. Batory
determined that the imminent threat
and exposure to COVID–19 posed a risk
of serious illness that constitutes an
‘‘emergency situation’’ as related to
railroad operations. As a result,
Administrator Batory activated FRA’s
Emergency Relief Docket (ERD) (Docket
Number FRA–2020–0002), which
enabled FRA to begin considering, on an
expedited basis, requests for relief from
regulatory requirements to address
issues caused by the COVID–19 public
health emergency.
1 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
index.html.
2 The understanding of COVID–19 is constantly
evolving; FRA recommends checking the CDC
website for the most current information and
recommendations.
3 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
prepare/transmission.html.
4 Id.
5 Id.

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Through the ERD, FRA has issued
temporary, industry-wide relief from
certain FRA regulations to help enable
railroads to continue to operate for the
duration of the COVID–19 public health
emergency, and at the same time, to
ensure the safety of railroad employees.
See Docket Number FRA–2020–0002,
available on www.regulations.gov. FRA
granted temporary, conditional relief
from certain required tests and
inspections, as well as certain
operational relief. FRA conditioned
much of the relief granted in the waiver
on the existence of workforce shortages
or other constraints directly resulting
from the COVID–19 public health
emergency, meaning that individual
railroads may utilize the relief only in
situations where COVID–19 has caused
workforce shortages (i.e., employees are
out sick or quarantined) or otherwise
prevented railroads from complying
with the regulations. Other relief FRA
granted is consistent with CDC’s
recommendations for social distancing
and limiting the touching of common
surfaces.
Safety Advisory 2020–01
Railroads are a critical infrastructure
industry and have a responsibility to
ensure the timely movement of essential
goods and people. FRA encourages
railroads to review the following
guidance and information related to the
COVID–19 public health emergency:
• The President’s Coronavirus
Guidelines for America—30 Days to
Slow the Spread: https://
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/
uploads/2020/03/03.16.20_coronavirusguidance_8.5x11_315PM.pdf;
• CDC’s Coronavirus (COVID–19)
website: https://www.cdc.gov/
coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html;
• CDC’s Interim Guidance for
Businesses and Employers: https://
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
community/guidance-businessresponse.html;
• CDC’s Workplace, Home and
School Guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/
coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/
workplace-school-and-homeguidance.pdf;
• OSHA’s COVID–19 guidance page:
https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus; and
• Federal Coronavirus website:
www.coronavirus.gov.
FRA encourages railroads to take
action consistent with the
recommendations and guidance cited
above to help reduce the risk that
railroad employees and contractors
contract COVID–19 and then spread it to
others. FRA may modify this Safety
Advisory or take other appropriate

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actions necessary to ensure the highest
level of safety on the Nation’s railroads.
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety
and Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020–07559 Filed 4–9–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[FTA Docket No. FTA 2020–0003]

Agency Information Collection Activity
Under OMB Review
AGENCY:

Federal Transit Administration,

DOT.
ACTION:

Notice of request for comments.

In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the intention of the
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to
request the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) to approve the extension
of a currently approved information
collection: Metropolitan and Statewide
and Nonmetropolitan Transportation
Planning.

SUMMARY:

Comments must be submitted
before June 9, 2020.
ADDRESSES: To ensure that your
comments are not entered more than
once into the docket, submit comments
identified by the docket number by only
one of the following methods:
1. Website: www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting
comments on the U.S. Government
electronic docket site. (Note: The U.S.
Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s)
electronic docket is no longer accepting
electronic comments.) All electronic
submissions must be made to the U.S.
Government electronic docket site at
www.regulations.gov. Commenters
should follow the directions below for
mailed and hand-delivered comments.
2. Fax: 202–366–7951.
3. Mail: U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Docket Operations, M–30,
West Building, Ground Floor, Room
W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001.
4. Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Docket Operations, M–30,
West Building, Ground Floor, Room
W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001
between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except federal
holidays.
Instructions: You must include the
agency name and docket number for this
notice at the beginning of your
DATES:

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lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 70 / Friday, April 10, 2020 / Notices
comments. Submit two copies of your
comments if you submit them by mail.
For confirmation that FTA has received
your comments, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard. Note that
all comments received, including any
personal information, will be posted
and will be available to internet users,
without change, to www.regulations.gov.
You may review DOT’s complete
Privacy Act Statement in the Federal
Register published April 11, 2000, (65
FR 19477), or you may visit
www.regulations.gov. Docket: For access
to the docket to read background
documents and comments received, go
to www.regulations.gov at any time.
Background documents and comments
received may also be viewed at the U.S.
Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Docket
Operations, M–30, West Building,
Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590–0001 between
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dwayne Weeks, Office of Planning &
Environment, (202) 493–0396, or email
at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested
parties are invited to send comments
regarding any aspect of this information
collection, including: (1) The necessity
and utility of the information collection
for the proper performance of the
functions of the FTA; (2) the accuracy
of the estimated burden; (3) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
of the collected information; and (4)
ways to minimize the collection burden
without reducing the quality of The
collected information. Comments
submitted in response to this notice will
be summarized and/or included in the
request for OMB approval of this
information collection.
Title: Metropolitan and Statewide and
Nonmetropolitan Transportation
Planning (OMB Number: 2132–0529).
Background: The FTA and Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA)
jointly carry out the federal mandate to
improve urban and rural transportation.
49 U.S.C. 5303 and 5304 and 23 U.S.C.
134 and 135 authorize the use of federal
funds to assist Metropolitan Planning
Organizations (MPOs), States, and local
public bodies in developing
transportation plans and programs to
serve the transportation needs of
urbanized areas over 50,000 in
population and other areas of States
outside of urbanized areas. The
information collection activities
involved in developing the Unified
Planning Work Program (UPWP), the
Metropolitan Transportation Plan, the

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Long-Range Statewide Transportation
Plan, the Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP), and the Statewide
Transportation Improvement Program
(STIP) are necessary to identify and
evaluate the transportation issues and
needs in each urbanized area and
throughout every State. These products
of the transportation planning process
are essential elements in the reasonable
planning and programming of federally
funded transportation investments.
In addition to serving as a
management tool for MPOs, the UPWP
is used by both FTA and FHWA to
monitor the transportation planning
activities of MPOs. It also is needed to
establish national out year budgets and
regional program plans, develop policy
on using funds, monitor State and local
compliance with technical emphasis
areas, respond to Congressional
inquiries, prepare Congressional
testimony, and ensure efficiency in the
use and expenditure of Federal funds by
determining that planning proposals are
both reasonable and cost-effective. 49
U.S.C. 5303 and 23 U.S.C.134 (j) require
the development of TIPs for urbanized
areas; STIPs are mandated by 49 U.S.C.
5304 and 23 U.S.C. 135(g) for an entire
State. After approval by the Governor
and MPO, metropolitan TIPs in
attainment areas are to be incorporated
directly into the STIP. For
nonattainment areas, FTA/FHWA must
make a conformity finding on the TIPs
before including them in the STIP. The
complete STIP is then jointly reviewed
and approved or disapproved by FTA
and FHWA. These conformity findings
and approval actions constitute the
determination that States are complying
with the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 134
and 135 and 49 U.S.C. 5303 and 5304
as a condition of eligibility for federalaid funding. Without these documents,
approvals and findings, FTA and FHWA
cannot provide capital and/or operating
assistance.
The FTA and FHWA updated their
method for estimating the annual
burden hours of the transportation
planning programs on respondents to
reflect the Final Rule on Statewide and
Nonmetropolitan Transportation
Planning and Metropolitan
Transportation Planning. On July 6,
2012, the President signed into law
Public Law 112–141, the Moving Ahead
for Progress in the 21st Century Act
(MAP–21) and on December 4, 2015,
signed into law Public Law 114–94, the
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation
Act (FAST). The MAP–21 makes
significant changes to the statewide and
nonmetropolitan planning process and
the metropolitan transportation
planning process, and the FAST makes

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minor changes to existing provisions. As
a result, FHWA and FTA have issued a
final rule that makes the regulations
consistent with current statutory
requirements. The rule is central to the
implementation of the overall
performance management framework
created by MAP–21.
The changes to the FHWA/FTA
statewide and nonmetropolitan and
metropolitan transportation planning
regulations (23 CFR part 450 and 49
CFR part 613) make the regulations
consistent with current statutory
requirements. Major regulatory revisions
include a new mandate for States and
MPOs to take a performance-based
approach to planning and programming;
a new emphasis on the nonmetropolitan
transportation planning process, by
requiring States to have a higher level of
involvement with nonmetropolitan local
officials and providing a process for the
creation of regional transportation
planning organizations (RTPOs); a
structural change to the membership of
the larger MPOs; a new framework for
voluntary scenario planning; and a
process for programmatic mitigation
plans. The revised burden hour
estimates reflect the annual compliance
burden of the requirements in the Final
Rule on Statewide and Nonmetropolitan
Transportation Planning and
Metropolitan Transportation Planning
published on May 27, 2016.
Additionally, the estimates were
updated to apply revised labor costs for
inflation, a new uniform overhead rate
used by all Department of
Transportation modes, reduce the
number of respondents (due to mergers
of Metropolitan Planning
Organizations), and the addition of the
HOPE discretionary grant program.
Respondents: State Departments of
Transportation and MPOs.
Estimated Annual Burden on
Respondents: 9,206 hours for each of the
456 respondents.
Estimated Total Annual Burden:
4,198,379 hours.
Frequency: Annual.
Nadine Pembleton,
Director Office of Management Planning.
[FR Doc. 2020–07525 Filed 4–9–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[FTA Docket No. FTA 2020–0005]

Agency Information Collection Activity
Under OMB Review
AGENCY:

Federal Transit Administration,

DOT.

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