[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 121 (Monday, June 24, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37777-37778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-15046]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2013-0041]
Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information
Collection; Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey
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 Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
August 23, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0041-0001.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2013-0041, 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-2013-
0041 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 (202) 799-7039 before coming.
[[Page 37778]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the Cooperative
Agricultural Pest Survey, contact Dr. John Bowers, National Survey
Coordinator, PDEP, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 26, Riverdale, MD
20737; (301) 851-2087. 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: Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey.
OMB Number: 0579-0010.
Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information
collection.
Abstract: Under the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.),
the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, either independently or in
cooperation with States, to carry out operations or measures to detect,
eradicate, suppress, control, prevent, or retard the spread of plant
pests and noxious weeds that are new to or not widely distributed
within the United States. This authority has been delegated to the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
To carry out this mission, APHIS' Plant Protection and Quarantine
(PPQ) program has joined forces with the States and other agencies to
create a program called the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey
(CAPS). The CAPS program coordinates these efforts through cooperative
agreements with the States and other agencies to collect and manage
data on plant pests, noxious weeds, and biological control agents,
which may be used to control plant pests or noxious weeds.
This program allows the States and PPQ to conduct surveillance
activities to detect and measure the presence of exotic plant pests and
weeds and to enter surveillance data into a national computer-based
system known as the National Agricultural Pest Information System
(NAPIS). This, in turn, allows APHIS to obtain a more comprehensive
picture of plant pest conditions in the United States, as well as
detect, in collaboration with the National Plant Diagnostic Network and
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) National Institute of
Food and Agriculture (NIFA), population trends that could indicate an
agricultural bioterrorism act.
The information captured by CAPS and generated by NAPIS is used by
States to predict potential plant pest and noxious weed situations in
the United States and by Federal interests (e.g., PPQ and NIFA) to
promptly detect and respond to the occurrence of new plant pests or
noxious weeds and to provide documentation on plant pests and noxious
weeds to facilitate and record the location of those incursions that
could directly hinder the export of U.S. farm commodities. The system
also provides data management support for PPQ programs, such as
imported fire ant, Phytophthora ramorum (sudden oak death), and gypsy
moth.
The CAPS program involves certain information collection
activities, including cooperative agreements, pest detection surveys,
and the USDA, APHIS Specimens for Determination (PPQ Form 391).
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 0.2376 hours per response.
Respondents: State Cooperators participating in CAPS and not-for-
profit organizations.
Estimated annual number of respondents: 54.
Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 270.
Estimated annual number of responses: 14,580.
Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 3,465 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 19th day of June 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-15046 Filed 6-21-13; 8:45 am]
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