Federal Register, Volume 83 Issue 98 (Monday, May 21, 2018)
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23524-23525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10763]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
[Docket No. DOT-OST-2010-0211]
RIN 2105-AE07
Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB
Agency Request for Renewal of a Previously Approved Information
Collection Request: Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving
Animals During Air Transport
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation
(Department or DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the Department's intention to apply to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to renew the previously approved
information collection request (ICR) OMB No. 2105-0552, ``Reports by
Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport.'' The
current information collection request approved by OMB expires August
31, 2018.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by July 20, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. DOT-OST-
2010-0211) through one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-140,
Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, West
Building Ground Floor, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W12-140,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except on Federal Holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vinh Q. Nguyen, Senior Trial Attorney,
Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590,
202-366-9342 (Voice), 202-366-7152 (fax), or vinh.nguyen@dot.gov
(email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals
During Air Transport.
OMB Control Number: 2105-0552.
Type of Request: Renewal of currently approved Information
Collection Request.
Background: The Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act
for the 21st Century or ``AIR-21'' (Pub. L. 106-181), which was signed
into law on April 5, 2000, includes section 710, ``Reports by Carriers
on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport.'' This provision
was codified as 49 U.S.C. 41721. The statute requires air carriers that
provide scheduled passenger air transportation to submit monthly to the
Secretary of Transportation a report on any incidents involving the
loss, injury, or death of an animal (as defined by the Secretary of
Transportation) during air transport provided by the air carrier.
On August 11, 2003, DOT, through its Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), issued a final rule implementing section 710 of
AIR-21.\1\ The rule required air carriers that provide scheduled
passenger air transportation to submit a report to APHIS on any
incident involving the loss, injury, or death of an animal during air
transportation provided by the air carrier. Due to issues regarding
whether APHIS had the
[[Page 23525]]
capability to accept such information directly from the carriers, DOT
made a technical change in the rule on February 14, 2005, to require
air carriers to submit the required information directly to DOT's
Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD) rather than APHIS and to
make the rule part of DOT's economic regulations.\2\
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\1\ Reporting Directive Regarding Incidents Involving Animals
During Air Transport, 68 FR 47798 (August 11, 2003).
\2\ Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals
During Air Transport, 70 FR 7392 (February 14, 2005).
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On July 3, 2014, DOT published a final rule amending the
requirement that air carriers file reports with DOT on the loss,
injury, or death of animals during air transport.\3\ The rule (1)
expanded the reporting requirement from the largest U.S. carriers
(i.e., U.S. carriers that account for at least 1 percent of domestic
scheduled passenger revenue) to U.S. carriers that operate scheduled
service with at least one aircraft with a design capacity of more than
60 seats; (2) expanded the definition of ``animal'' from only a pet in
a family household to include all cats and dogs transported by covered
carriers, regardless of whether the cat or dog is transported as a pet
by its owner or as part of a commercial shipment (e.g., shipped by a
breeder); (3) required covered carriers to file a calendar-year report
in December, even if the carrier did not have any reportable incidents
during the calendar year; (4) required covered carriers to provide in
their December reports the total number of animals that were lost,
injured, or died during air transport in the calendar year; and (5)
required covered carriers to provide in their December reports the
total number of animals transported in the calendar year. On August 25,
2015, OMB approved the information collection request, ``Reports by Air
Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport,'' through
August 31, 2018.
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\3\ Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals
During Air Transport, 79 FR 37938 (July 3, 2014) (codified at 14 CFR
part 235).
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In order to reduce burden to covered carriers, the ACPD established
a website and online system for filing the required reports, http://animalreport.ost.dot.gov. This system enables covered carriers to
easily and efficiently submit their reports through the internet rather
than sending the reports to the Department by mail or email.
Respondents: U.S. carriers that operate scheduled passenger service
with at least one aircraft having a designed seating capacity of more
than 60 seats.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 32.
Frequency: For each respondent, one information set for the month
of December, plus one information set during some other months (1 to
12).
Estimated Total Burden on Respondents: (1) Monthly reports of
incidents involving the loss, injury, or death of animals during air
transport: 0 to 384 hours (Respondents [32] x Time to Prepare One
Monthly Report [1 hour] x Frequency [0 to 12 per year]). (2) December
report containing the total number of animals that were lost, injured,
or died during air transport in the calendar year and the total number
of animals that were transported in the calendar year: 16 hours
(Respondents [32] x Time to Prepare One December Report [0.5 hour] x
Frequency (1 per year)].
Public comments invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of
this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the Department's
performance; (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for the
Department to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information collection; and (d) ways that the burden could be minimized
without reducing the quality of the collected information.
All comments will become a matter of public record. All responses
to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB
approval.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.27(n).
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 15, 2018, under the authority
delegated at 49 CFR 1.27(n).
Blane A. Workie,
Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings.
[FR Doc. 2018-10763 Filed 5-18-18; 8:45 am]
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