View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package

OMB Control No: 2137-0557	ICR Reference No: 202308-2137-002
Status: Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 202009-2137-002
Agency/Subagency: DOT/PHMSA	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Approvals for Hazardous Materials
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved without change	Conclusion Date: 11/30/2023
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)	Date Received in OIRA: 08/30/2023
Terms of Clearance:

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	11/30/2026	36 Months From Approved	11/30/2023
Responses	14,894	0	15,682
Time Burden (Hours)	41,535	0	51,355
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

Abstract: This is to request the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) for a revision of previously approved OMB control number titled, “Approvals for Hazardous Materials” (OMB Control No. 2137-0557), which is currently due to expire on September 30, 2023. This information collection justification addresses the burden associated with the provisions for approvals within the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-180). This information collection is voluntary, but is required when persons wish to conduct transportation activities requiring approval from the Associate Administrator, including becoming an approval or certification agency, obtaining clearance to manufacture a package with a variance from the general requirements, or manufacturing and transporting a new explosive material. There HMR contains more than 100 approval provisions, which specifies that a person must apply for an approval from the Associate Administrator, to receive authorization for that action. An entity that wishes to perform a function requiring approval from the Associate Administrator, is required to respond to this information collection. The types of entities widely range, such as persons who manufacture explosives, persons wishing to transport various quantities and types of hazardous materials by aircraft, or persons wishing to become a cylinder approval agency. This information collection is a reporting requirement, in which an entity subject to the requirement must apply for an approval when they first want to perform the function subject to approval requirements. The person may also need to reapply for an approval at a frequency, which is specified by the type of approval itself. For example, some classification approvals may never expire, while others may require renewal every 5 years. Each approval application requires that an applicant demonstrate an equivalent level of safety, in addition to information pertinent to the type of approval they are requesting. For example, classification approvals require test data, while cylinder visual inspection approvals require training records, names of persons performing inspections, and facility location. An applicant will be eligible to perform their requested activity or transport their requested material, with a formal approval letter issued by PHMSA. This collection, which is only required for a small portion of hazardous materials transportation operations, ensures that PHMSA is aware of those persons conducting specific operations, while also ensuring the continued safe transportation of hazardous materials. This information collection currently requires RIN applicants to submit for approval their RIN application and the pre-approval inspection report generated by an IIA. However, in this request, and based on a Notice of Administrative Discretion and Guidance, PHMSA is authorizing alternative documentation in lieu of the pre-approval inspection report, when an IIA inspection cannot be completed. Therefore, PHMSA is submitting a request for a non-substantive change to this burden request.

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 49 USC 5101-5127 Name of Law: Hazardous Materials Regulations

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 32815	05/22/2023
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 59561	08/29/2023
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate
Annual Number of Responses	14,894	15,682	-788
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	41,535	51,355	-9,820
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: During its recent review of this OMB Control Number, PHMSA noted that it had historically bundled "M Number" approvals under broad information collection for approvals. PHMSA has now separated “M Numbers” into its own information collections. Additionally, PHMSA has now separated new competent authority approvals into two distinct collections - one for new applications and one for modifications. Lastly, PHMSA broke out the testing and classification of explosive materials into collections for new applications and applications for modifications. By parsing these information collections based on the latest data, PHMSA has reduced the overall burden hours associated with this OMB Control Number.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $548,717

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: Steven Andrews 202 366-6199 steven.andrews@dot.gov

View ICR - OIRA Conclusion