01-30002. Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information Collection

AGENCY:

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION:

Extension of approval of an information collection; comment request.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection that is used to evaluate the plant pest risk posed by the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms and products.

DATES:

We invite you to comment on this docket. We will consider all comments we receive that are postmarked, delivered, or e-mailed by February 4, 2002.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments by postal mail/commercial delivery or by e-mail. If you use postal mail/commercial delivery, please send four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to: Docket No. 01-106-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. 01-106-1. If you use e-mail, address your comment to [e-mail]. Your comment must be contained in the body of your message; do not send attached files. Please include your name and address in your message and “Docket No. 01-106-1” on the subject line.

You may read any comments that we receive on this docket in our reading room. The reading room is located in room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call [phone] before coming.

APHIS documents published in the Federal Register, and related information, including the names of organizations and individuals who have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/​ppd/​rad/​webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information on the regulations for the introduction of genetically engineered organisms and products which are plant pests or which there is reason to believe are plant pests, contact Ms. Shirley Ingebritsen, Regulatory Analyst, Regulatory Coordination Staff, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 141, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; [phone]. For copies of more detailed information on the information collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Introduction of Organisms and Products Altered or Produced Through Genetic Engineering Which Are Plant Pests or Which There Is Reason To Believe Are Plant Pests.

OMB Number: 0579-0085.

Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information collection.

Abstract: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture is responsible for, among other things, preventing the introduction or spread of plant pests into or through the United States.

As part of that responsibility, APHIS regulates the introduction (importation, interstate movement, and release into the environment) of organisms and products altered or produced through genetic engineering that are plant pests or that there is reason to believe are plant pests.

In administering the regulations, the Biotechnology Permits Branch of Plant Protection and Quarantine, APHIS, collects certain information through its permitting and notification processes. The information enables us to evaluate the plant pest risk posed by the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms and products.

The information we seek with our notification and permit processes includes, among other things, a complete description of the organism or product, the safeguards that will be used in preventing escape, the destination or field test locations, and field test results that describe any unusual or harmful occurrences.

Without the information we obtain through our notification and permit application processes, we would be unable to evaluate the plant pest risk posed by the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms and products. Therefore, collecting the information is vital to preventing the introduction or spread of harmful plant pests into or through the United States.

We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information collection activities for an additional 3 years.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public (as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These comments will help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the information collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the information collection on those who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Estimate of burden: The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3.18565 hours per response.

Respondents: U.S. importers and shippers of genetically engineered organisms and products and agricultural companies that produce or test genetically engineered organisms or products or that engage in product research and development.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 239.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 13.1841.

Estimated annual number of responses: 3,151.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 10,038 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per response.)

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.

Done in Washington, DC, this 28th day of November, 2001.

W. Ron DeHaven,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.