[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 141 (Wednesday, July 23, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 39496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19363]
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Notices
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
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Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 141 / Wednesday, July 23, 1997 /
Notices
[[Page 39496]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-070-1]
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.
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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 information collection
in support of regulations intended to prevent the introduction of
foreign plant pests into the United States.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by September 22, 1997
to be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding the accuracy of burden estimate,
ways to minimize the burden (such as through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology), or any
other aspect of this collection of information to: Docket No. 97-070-1,
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, suite 3C03, 4700 River
Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please send an original and
three copies, and state that your comments refer to Docket 97-070-1.
Comments received may be inspected at USDA, room 1141, South Building,
14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m.
and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Persons wishing
to inspect comments are requested to call ahead on (202) 690-2817 to
facilitate entry into the comment reading room.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding foreign
quarantine notices, contact Mr. Peter Grosser, Senior Operations
Officer, Phytosanitary Issues Management Team, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River
Road, Unit 139, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236, (301) 734-8295; or e-mail:
pgrosser@aphis.usda.gov. For copies of more detailed information on the
information collection, contact Ms. Cheryl Jenkins, Agency Support
Service Specialist, at (301) 734-5360.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Foreign Quarantine Notices.
OMB Number: 0579-0049.
Type of Request: Extension of an approval of an information
collection.
Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture is
responsible for preventing the introduction of foreign plant pests into
the United States. Implementing this mission often requires us to
collect information from a variety of individuals, both within and
outside of the United States, who are involved in growing, packing,
handling, transporting, and importing foreign plants, fruits,
vegetables, roots, bulbs, seeds, and other plant products.
We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve
the continued use of these information collection activities.
For example, many plants or plant products may not be imported
until the person wishing to import them receives a permit from us. The
person wishing to import these items must first fill out a permit
application.
We consider the permit application process extremely important,
since the information on the application enables us to determine
whether the items for import represent a potential pest threat to U.S.
agriculture.
Under certain circumstances we also require importers to supply us
with other types of information. We require, for example, that
containers used to import various plants or plant products be marked in
a certain way so that our inspectors can accurately identify them and
match them to their accompanying documentation.
We require that certain shipments be accompanied by a phytosanitary
inspection certificate, which is a document completed by plant health
officials in the originating country. This certificate attests to the
plant pest condition of the shipment at the time it was inspected in
the originating country. We use this important information as a guide
in determining the intensity of the inspection we must conduct when the
shipment arrives in the United States.
This and other information we collect is vital to helping us ensure
that imported plants and plant products do not harbor plant pests that,
if introduced into the United States, could cause millions of dollars
in damage to U.S. agriculture.
The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public
(as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection.
We need this outside input to 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: Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average .4 hours per response.
Respondents: Importers and foreign plant health protection
authorities.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 96,028.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 2.6.
Estimated Annual Number of Responses: 249,672.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 99,869 hours.
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 17th day of July 1997.
Terry L. Medley,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 97-19363 Filed 7-22-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
