
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 23, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9078-9079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03702]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary


Port Performance Freight Statistics Working Group

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of 
Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of Establishment of Port Performance Freight Statistics 
Working Group and Solicitation of Nominations for Membership.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 6314 of title 49, United States Code, as 
codified by section 6018 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation 
(FAST) Act (Pub. L. 114-94; 129 Stat. 1312) and section 9(a)(1) of the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), and following consultation with 
the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration, 
notice is hereby given that the Port Performance Freight Statistics 
Working Group (hereafter, ``Working Group'') will be established and 
make its recommendations on or before December 4, 2016. Further, this 
notice serves as a request for nominations for representatives to the 
Working Group.
    The establishment of the Working Group is necessary for the 
Department to carry out its mission and in the best interest of the 
public. The Working Group will operate in accordance with the 
provisions of the FACA and the rules and regulations issued in 
implementation of that Act.

DATES: The deadline for nominations for Working Group representatives 
must be received on or before March 24, 2016.

ADDRESSES: All nomination material should be emailed to the BTS 
Director Patricia Hu at: portstatistics@dot.gov or mailed to Office of 
the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics, Attn: Port Performance Freight Statistics 
Working Group, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Room # E34-429, Washington, DC 20590. Any person requiring 
accessibility accommodations should contact the Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics at (202) 366-1270; or email BTS Director 
Patricia Hu at: portstatistics@dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Research and Technology, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Attn: 
Port Performance Freight Statistics Working Group, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room # E34-429, Washington, 
DC 20590; phone: (202) 366-1270; or email: portstatistics@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of meeting the requirement under 49 
U.S.C. 6314(c), the BTS Director is establishing the Working Group to 
receive recommendations on matters related to port performance 
measures, including:
    (a) Identifying a generally accepted industry standard for port 
data collection and reporting.
    (b) Specifying standards for collecting data and reporting 
nationally consistent port performance measures.
    (c) Making recommendations for statistics measuring on U.S. port 
capacity and throughput.
    (d) Developing a process for the U.S. Department of Transportation 
(hereafter, ``Department'') to collect timely and consistent data, 
including identifying safeguards to protect proprietary information.
    The Department is hereby soliciting nominations for Working Group 
representatives. The BTS Director on behalf of the Secretary of 
Transportation will appoint the Working Group members. In accordance 
with 49 U.S.C. 6314(c), the Working Group shall be comprised of 
representatives from a number of Federal agencies, organizations, and 
industries. The Department is seeking nominations to fill the following 
positions on the Working Group:
     1 representative from the rail industry;
     1 representative from the trucking industry;
     1 representative from the maritime shipping industry;
     1 representative from a labor organization for each 
industry [rail, trucking, and maritime shipping];
     1 representative from the International Longshoremen's 
Association;
     1 representative from the International Longshore and 
Warehouse Union;
     1 representative from a port authority;
     1 representative from a terminal operator; and
     representatives of the Transportation Research Board of 
the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
    In establishing the Working Group, the Department shall establish a 
Chair and Vice Chair of the Working Group from among those selected 
representatives, and the Working Group is expected to meet as necessary 
to fulfill the purpose for which it was established. Working Group 
representatives shall serve without compensation and those who are not 
Government employees shall be appointed as Special Government 
Employees, subject to certain ethics restrictions, and required to 
submit certain information in connection with the appointment process.
    The Working Group may seek subject matter experts (SMEs) from 
organizations which are not represented on the Working Group to serve 
on subcommittees. These SMEs who are called upon solely for their 
expertise may also be appointed as Special Government Employees and 
will be subject to certain ethics restrictions, and such subcommittee 
members will be required to submit certain information in connection 
with the appointment process.
    Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Qualified 
individuals may self-nominate or be nominated by any individual or 
organization. To be considered for the Port Performance Freight 
Statistics Working Group,

[[Page 9079]]

nominators should submit the following information:
    (1) Name, title, and relevant contact information (including phone, 
fax, and email address) of the individual under consideration;
    (2) A letter, on letterhead, from a company, union, trade or 
membership association, or non-profit organization containing a brief 
description why the nominee should be considered for membership;
    (3) Short biography of nominee including professional and academic 
credentials;
    (4) An affirmative statement that the nominee meets all Working 
Group eligibility requirements.
    Please do not send company, trade association, or organization 
brochures or any other information. Materials submitted should total 
two pages or less. Should more information be needed, Departmental 
staff will contact the nominee, obtain information from the nominee's 
past affiliations, or obtain information from publicly available 
sources, such as the Internet.
    Nominations may be emailed to BTS Director Patricia Hu at: 
portstatistics@dot.gov or mailed to Office of the Assistant Secretary 
for Research and Technology, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Attn: 
Port Performance Freight Statistics Working Group, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room # E34-429, Washington, 
DC 20590. Nominations must be received before March 24, 2016. Nominees 
selected for appointment to the Working Group will be notified by 
return email and receive a letter of appointment.
    A selection team comprising representatives from several Department 
operating administrations will review the nomination packages. The 
selection team will make recommendations regarding membership to the 
BTS Director based on criteria including:
    (1) Professional or academic expertise, experience, and knowledge;
    (2) stakeholder representation;
    (3) availability and willingness to serve; and
    (4) skills working collaboratively on committees and advisory 
panels.
    Based upon the selection team's recommendations, the BTS Director 
on behalf of the Secretary of Transportation will select 
representatives. In the selection of members for the advisory 
committee, the Department will seek to ensure a balanced representation 
and consider a cross-section of those directly affected, interested, 
and qualified, as appropriate to the nature and functions of the 
advisory committee.
    Nominations are open to all individuals without regard to race, 
color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical 
disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. To ensure that 
recommendations to the Secretary take into account the needs of the 
diverse groups served by the Department, membership shall include, to 
the extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated ability to 
represent minorities, women, and persons with disabilities.

Rolf R. Schmitt,
Deputy Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2016-03702 Filed 2-22-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P


