E7-5571. Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information Collection; District of Columbia Plant Health Certificate

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 associated with regulations for the interstate movement of plants and plant products from the District of Columbia.

DATES:

We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 29, 2007.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov,, select “Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service” from the agency drop-down menu, then click “Submit.” In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2006-0177 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket after the close of the comment period, is available through the site's “User Tips” link.
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0177, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0177.

Reading Room: 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.

Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information on an information collection associated with the regulations for the interstate movement of plants and plant products from the District of Columbia, contact Mr. Jonathan Jones, Program Manager, Emergency and Domestic Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 160, Riverdale, MD 20737; [phone]. For copies of more detailed information on the information collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: District of Columbia Plant Health Certificate.

OMB Number: 0579-0166.

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

Abstract: Under the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for facilitating the interstate movement of agricultural products and commodities in ways that will reduce the risk of disseminating plant pests and noxious weeds.

The regulations in 7 CFR part 302, “District of Columbia; Movement of Plants and Plant Products,” set out procedures for the inspection and certification of plants and plant products moving interstate from the District of Columbia. The regulations provide that, whenever inspection and documentation of plants or plant products are required by Federal or State laws or regulations prior to the interstate movement of those plants or plant products, APHIS will provide those services. APHIS, rather than the District of Columbia, provides those services because the District of Columbia, unlike most States, has no official plant protection service. The form APHIS uses to certify the plant pest status of plants or plant products to be moved interstate from the District of Columbia is the District of Columbia Plant Health Certificate (PPQ Form 571).

We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of this form 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 proposed 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 proposed collection of information, 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 collection of information 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 0.2 hours per response.

Respondents: Shippers and growers of plants and plant materials.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 2.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 50.

Estimated annual number of responses: 100.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 20 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 21st day of March 2007.

Kevin Shea,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.