2014-19887. Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information Collection; Lacey Act Declaration Requirement; Plants and Plant Products

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 required by the Lacey Act for the importation of certain plants and plant products.

DATES:

We will consider all comments that we receive on or before October 20, 2014.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/​#!docketDetail;​D=​APHIS-2014-0073.
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2014-0073, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.

Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/​#!docketDetail;​D=​APHIS-2014-0073 or in our reading room, which 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information on the Lacey Act declaration requirements for plants and plant products, contact Mr. Gary Lougee, Lacey Act Program Specialist, CEC, RPM, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 150, 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: Lacey Act Declaration Requirement; Plants and Plant Products.

OMB Control Number: 0579-0349.

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

Abstract: The Lacey Act, as amended, makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any plant, with some limited exceptions, taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of the laws of the United States, a State, an Indian tribe, or any foreign law that protects plants. The Act also makes it unlawful to make or submit any false record, account, or label for, or any false identification of, any plant covered by the Act.

In addition, section 3 of the Act makes it unlawful to import certain plants and plant products without an import declaration. The declaration must contain, among other things, the scientific name of the plant, value of the importation, quantity of the plant, and name of the country in which the plant was harvested. For paper and paperboard products with recycled plant content, the importer is not required to specify the species or country of harvest with respect to the recycled plant product component, but is required to provide the average percentage of recycled content. If the product also contains non-recycled plant materials, the basic declaration requirements still apply to that component of the product imported.

In addition to the declaration, there is a supplemental form that must be completed if additional space is needed to declare additional plants and plant products. Also, records of the import declaration and supplemental form must be retained for at least 5 years.

Since the last extension of approval for this information collection, APHIS has decreased the estimated annual number of respondents from 20,352 to 17,140. However, while the number of respondents has decreased, there has been an overall increase in the burden estimates due to an increase in the number declarations completed per respondent.

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 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 0.4840 hours per response.

Respondents: Importers of certain plants and plant products.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 17,140.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 30.375.

Estimated annual number of responses: 520,629.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 252,019 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 18th day of August 2014.

Kevin Shea,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.