[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 119 (Tuesday, June 23, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29657-29658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-14715]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2009-0044]
Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information
Collection; Beetle Busters Survey; Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative
Eradication Program
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 an information
collection associated with the Asian longhorned beetle cooperative
eradication program.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
August 24, 2009.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2009-0044 to submit or view comments and
to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send two copies of
your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2009-0044, 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-2009-0044.
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 (202) 690-2817 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 the Beetle Busters
Survey, contact Ms. Suzanne Bond, Assistant Director, Public Affairs,
LPA, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 51, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734-
5175. For copies of more detailed information on the information
collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection
Coordinator, at (301) 851-2908.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Beetle Busters Survey; Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative
Eradication Program.
OMB Number: 0579-0311.
Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information
collection.
Abstract: The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB, Anoplophora
glabripennis), an insect native to China, Japan, Korea, and the Isle of
Hainan, is a destructive pest of hardwood trees. It attacks many
healthy hardwood trees, including maple, horse chestnut, birch, poplar,
willow, and elm. The beetle bores into the heartwood of a host tree,
eventually killing the tree. Immature beetles bore into tree trunks and
branches, causing heavy sap flow from wounds and sawdust accumulation
at tree bases. They feed on, and over-winter in, the interiors of
trees. Adult beetles emerge in the spring and summer months from round
holes approximately three-eighths of an inch in diameter (about the
size of a dime) that they bore through branches and trunks of trees.
After emerging, adult beetles feed for 2 to 3 days and then mate. Adult
females then lay eggs in oviposition sites that they make on the
branches of trees. A new generation of ALB is produced each year. If
this pest moves into the hardwood forests of the United States, the
nursery, maple syrup, and forest product industries could experience
severe economic losses. In addition, urban and forest ALB infestations
will result in environmental damage, aesthetic deterioration, and a
reduction in public enjoyment of recreational spaces. If the ALB were
to become established in North America, approximately 1.2 billion trees
would be at risk of being infested, resulting in potential losses of up
to $669 billion.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) has administered an ALB Cooperative
Eradication Program (the program) since 1996 to eradicate this
destructive pest from the United States. Areas found to be infested are
quarantined, and the movement of host material from the area is
restricted to prevent the spread of the ALB. Infested host material is
removed or treated. Successful eradication efforts have resulted in a
number of infested areas being removed from quarantine, and, over the
years, the program has made steady progress. However, the ALB
[[Page 29658]]
continues to be a serious threat, and APHIS believes that public
support is crucial to eradication efforts.
In this regard, APHIS enlists the public's assistance in reporting
the presence or absence of the ALB in their local areas. APHIS invites
members of the public to report the results of any surveys they conduct
using a simple on-line form on the Internet to record sightings and
nonsightings. Such reports of surveys for the ALB conducted by members
of the general public, nature organizations, school groups, garden
clubs, and others help APHIS develop a history of the ALB's presence
and activity in particular areas and supplement the work done by the
program's surveyors. If the public reports signs of the ALB, APHIS
takes appropriate steps to determine whether the ALB is indeed present
in the area and to what extent. In turn, negative reports help APHIS
affirm the absence of ALB in a particular area and facilitate progress
towards deregulation of the area.
We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve
our use of this information collection activity 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 0.1129774 hours per response.
Respondents: General public, nature organizations, school groups,
and garden clubs.
Estimated annual number of respondents: 5,000.
Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 1.0002.
Estimated annual number of responses: 5,001.
Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 565 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 17th day of June 2009.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E9-14715 Filed 6-22-09; 8:45 am]
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