[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 29, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44121-44123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18730]


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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 (PRA), 
this notice announces that the request to renew the previously approved 
information collection request (ICR) OMB No. 2105-0552, ``Reports by 
Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport,'' has 
been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The 
current ICR approved by OMB expires August 31, 2018. DOT published a 
Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting 
comments on the collection of information on May 21, 2018.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by September 28, 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,

[[Page 44122]]

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: The PRA and its implementing regulations, 5 
CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to issue two notices seeking 
public comment on information collection activities before OMB may 
approve paperwork packages. On May 21, 2018, the Department published a 
60-day notice in the Federal Register \1\ soliciting comment on the 
renewal of the previously approved ICR OMB No. 2105-0552, ``Reports by 
Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport.'' \2\ 
The Department received two comments in response to the notice.
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    \1\ 83 FR 23524 (May 21, 2018).
    \2\ Id.
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    The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) states that the 
current reporting requirements should be retained and renewed. PIJAC 
explains that there are an increased number of people traveling with, 
or shipping, their pets. PIJAC states even though the number of 
incidents involving the loss, injury, or death of an animal is small, 
the publicity of such incidents is growing. PIJAC believes that 
transparency is the best method for confirming that incidents involving 
the loss, injury, or death of an animal are in fact extremely rare.
    The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) also supports 
the renewal of the ICR. AVMA states that the information collected and 
provided in the reports is vital for ongoing analysis of adverse events 
and effective identification of areas of focus for prevention of future 
incidents. AMVA states that public access to these reports is important 
for animal owners researching and deciding whether air travel is a 
responsible option for their animal, as well as for veterinarians whose 
clients often approach them for recommendations regarding 
transportation options. AVMA suggests expanding the reporting 
requirement to include the following information: incidents involving 
the loss, injury, or death of an animal transported within the cabin; 
standard names for dog breeds; results of internal investigations and 
necropsies; and additional details on the nature, extent, and 
conditions of the animal's travel. AVMA also suggests a number of ways 
the reporting burden could be minimized, such as a creating a 
simplified reporting interface with drop-down selections, allowing an 
option to import veterinary health certificate information, reducing 
the frequency of the reports from monthly to quarterly, and providing 
covered carriers an option to update records with pertinent information 
after the filing deadline.
    We carefully considered all of the comments filed in response the 
notice requesting the renewal of the previously approved ICR OMB No. 
2105-0552, ``Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport.'' Accordingly, the Department announces that this 
ICR has been re-evaluated and certified under 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
forwarded to OMB for review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12(c).
    Before OMB decides whether to approve these proposed collections of 
information, it must provide 30 days for public comment.\3\ Federal law 
requires OMB to approve or disapprove paperwork packages between 30 and 
60 days after the 30-day notice is published.\4\ OMB believes that the 
30-day notice informs the regulated community to file relevant comments 
and affords the agency adequate time to digest public comments before 
it renders a decision.\5\ Therefore, respondents should submit their 
respective comments to OMB within 30 days of publication to best ensure 
their full consideration. The summaries below describe the nature of 
the ICR and the expected burden. The unchanged requirements are being 
submitted for clearance by OMB as required by the PRA.
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    \3\ 44 U.S.C. 3507(b); 5 CFR 1320.12(d).
    \4\ 44 U.S.C. 3507(b)-(c); 5 CFR 1320.12(d).
    \5\ 60 FR 44978, 44983 (August 29, 1995).
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    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.\6\ 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 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.\7\
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    \6\ Reporting Directive Regarding Incidents Involving Animals 
During Air Transport, 68 FR 47798 (August 11, 2003).
    \7\ 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.\8\ 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

[[Page 44123]]

Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport,'' through 
August 31, 2018.
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    \8\ 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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    As noted earlier, on May 21, 2018, DOT published a Federal Register 
notice with a 60-day comment period to renew this ICR. The comment 
period closed July 20, 2018.
    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.

    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 August 23, 2018
Blane A. Workie,
Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings.
[FR Doc. 2018-18730 Filed 8-28-18; 8:45 am]
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