BILLING CODE: 4910-9x DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Office of the Secretary [Docket No. DOT-OST-2010-0211] RIN No. 2105-AE07 Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB Agency Request for Reinstatement 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 (DOT). ACTION: Notice of submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and request for comments. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and DOT Order 1351.29A, this notice confirms DOT’s intention to reinstate the previously approved information collection request (ICR) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number 2105–0552, “Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport.†DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by [INSERT DATE 30 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER]. ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular ICR by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review - Open for Public Comments†or by using the search function. PRIVACY ACT: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received in any of DOT’s dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT’s complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000.1 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 (E-mail). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 24, 2024, DOT published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register soliciting comment on the reinstatement of the previously approved ICR OMB control number 2105–0552, “Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport.â€2 DOT received one comment on the 60-day notice, which is summarized below. Title: Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport OMB Control Number: 2105-0552 Type of Request: Reinstatement of a previously approved ICR 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–21.3 The rule required air carriers that provide 65 FR 19477-78 89 FR 4657. Reporting Directive Regarding Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport, 68 FR 47798 (August 11, 2003). 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.4 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.5 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. The ICR, “Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport,†OMB Control Number 2105–0552, was renewed twice: on August 25, 2015, OMB approved the reinstatement of the ICR through August 31, 2018, and on October 11, 2018, OMB approved the reinstatement of the ICR through October 31, 2021. Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport, 70 FR 7392 (February 14, 2005). Reports by Air Carriers on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport, 79 FR 37938 (July 3, 2014) (codified at 14 CFR part 235). 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. A Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to an information collection, unless it is approved by the OMB under the PRA and displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to monetary penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if the collection of information does not display a valid OMB Control Number. As noted above, on January 24, 2024, DOT published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register soliciting comment on the reinstatement of this previously approved ICR. DOT received one comments in response to the notice. However, this comment is outside the scope of the ICR and does not discuss the proposed collection of information and the estimated burden. DOT 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.6 Federal law requires OMB to approve or disapprove paperwork packages between 30 and 60 days after the 30-day notice is published.7 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.8 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. 44 U.S.C. 3507(b); 5 CFR 1320.12(d). 44 U.S.C. 3507(b)-(c); 5 CFR 1320.12(d). 60 FR 44978, 44983 (August 29, 1995). 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: 30. 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 360 hours (Respondents [30] 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: 15 hours (Respondents [30] 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, D.C. Kimberly Graber, Deputy Assistant General Counsel, Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. [FR Doc. 2024-13498 Filed: 6/18/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 6/20/2024]