[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 162 (Thursday, August 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49491-49492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19887]
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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. 79, No. 162 / Thursday, August 21, 2014 /
Notices
[[Page 49491]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2014-0073]
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.
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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 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 (202) 799-7039 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; (301) 851-2229. 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: 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.
[[Page 49492]]
Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of August 2014.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-19887 Filed 8-20-14; 8:45 am]
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