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DOT/FRA | RIN: 2130-AC49 | Publication ID: Spring 2017 |
Title: Revision of Method for Calculating Monetary Threshold for Reporting Rail Equipment Accidents/Incidents | |
Abstract:
FRA's accident/incident reporting regulations (49 CFR part 225 or part 225) require railroads to report certain train accidents that result in damages higher than a specified amount (the "reporting threshold"). The reporting threshold for calendar year 2017 is $10,700. Train accidents that yield damages in excess of the reporting threshold are severe enough in nature that FRA wants to capture specific information about those events and use the collected information to identify safety trends. Without the reporting threshold, or some other parameter, railroads would have to report every minor event. FRA periodically reviews the reporting threshold and adjusts it as necessary to accurately maintain comparability between different years of accident data by having the reporting threshold keep pace with any increases or decreases in equipment and labor costs. This approach ensures that each year train accidents involving the same minimum amount of railroad property damage are included in the reportable accident counts. FRA uses two components to calculate the reporting threshold: (1) Surface Transportation Board (STB) wage data for certain railroad employees; and (2) the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) overall rail equipment cost index (PPI). This rule proposes: (1) a minor technical correction to the mathematical formula (published at appendix B to part 225) FRA uses to periodically adjust the reporting threshold; (2) the use of full-year (12 months) STB wage and PPI equipment price data in the threshold calculation formula (FRA currently uses only 2nd-quarter (3 months) wage and equipment price data in its calculations); and (3) a change in how FRA notifies railroads of adjustments to the reporting threshold. This rule also solicits comment on the feasibility of using a new method to adjust the reporting threshold: time series analysis and forecasted labor and equipment cost data. |
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Agency: Department of Transportation(DOT) | Priority: Substantive, Nonsignificant |
RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda | Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Proposed Rule Stage |
Major: No | Unfunded Mandates: No |
CFR Citation: 49 CFR 225 | |
Legal Authority: 49 CFR 1.89 49 U.S.C. 103 49 U.S.C. 20103 49 U.S.C. 20107 49 U.S.C. 20901 to 20902 49 U.S.C. 21301 49 U.S.C. 21302 49 U.S.C. 21311 49 U.S.C. 2461, note 49 U.S.C. 322(a) |
Legal Deadline:
None |
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Timetable:
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Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No | Government Levels Affected: None |
Small Entities Affected: Businesses | Federalism: No |
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No | |
RIN Information URL: www.regulations.gov | Public Comment URL: www.regulations.gov |
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No | |
Agency Contact: Elliott Gillooly Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, Washington, DC 20590 Phone:202-366-4000 Email: elliott.gillooly@dot.gov |