[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 199 (Wednesday, October 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61847-61848]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24531]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2014-0080]
Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of Approval of an
Information Collection; Endangered Species Regulations and Forfeiture
Procedures
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revision to and 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 a revision to and extension of approval of an
information collection associated with the regulations for protection
of endangered species of terrestrial plants and for procedures related
to the forfeiture of plants or other property.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
December 15, 2014.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2014-0080.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2014-0080, 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-
0080 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 regulations to
protect endangered species of terrestrial plants and forfeiture
procedures, contact Dr. John Veremis, National CITES Director, PHP,
PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 52, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-
2347. For copies of more detailed information on the information
collection, contact Ms. Kimberly Hardy, APHIS' Information Collection
Coordinator, at (301) 851-2727.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Endangered Species Regulations and Forfeiture Procedures.
OMB Control Number: 0579-0076.
Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an
information collection.
Abstract: Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is
responsible for enforcing provisions of the Act and the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) that pertain to the importation, exportation, or reexportation
of plants.
As part of this mission, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Services (APHIS) administers the regulations in 7 CFR part 355,
``Endangered Species Regulations Concerning Terrestrial Plants.'' In
accordance with these regulations, any individual, nursery, or other
entity wishing to engage in the business of importing, exporting, or
reexporting terrestrial plants listed in the CITES regulations at 50
CFR 17.12 or 23.23 must obtain a protected plant permit from APHIS.
Such entities include importers, exporters, or reexporters who sell,
barter, collect, or otherwise exchange or acquire terrestrial plants as
a livelihood or enterprise engaged in for gain or profit. The
requirement does not apply to persons engaged in business merely as
carriers or customhouse brokers.
To obtain a protected plant permit, entities must complete an
application (Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Form 621) and submit
it to APHIS for approval. When a permit has been issued, the plants
covered by the permit may be imported into the United States, exported,
or reexported, provided they are accompanied by documentation required
by the regulations and all other conditions of the regulations are met.
Effectively regulating entities who are engaged in the business of
importing, exporting, or reexporting endangered species of terrestrial
plants requires the use of this application process, as well as the use
of other information collection activities including, but not limited
to, notifying APHIS of the impending importation, exportation, or
reexportation of the plants; marking containers used for the
importation, exportation, or reexportation of the plants; and creating
and maintaining records of importation, exportation, and reexportation.
APHIS also administers regulations at 7 CFR part 356, ``Forfeiture
Procedures,'' which sets out procedures for the forfeiture of plants or
other property by entities found to be in violation of the Endangered
Species Act or the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3371 et
seq.). Entities whose property is subject to forfeiture may file with
APHIS a waiver of forfeiture procedures, a petition for remission or
mitigation of forfeiture, or a request for release of property.
The information provided by these information collection activities
is critical to APHIS' ability to carry out its responsibilities under
the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act. These responsibilities
include monitoring importation, exportation, and reexportation
activities involving endangered species of plants, as well as the
investigation of possible violations and the forfeiture of plants or
other property. However, since the last approval of this collection,
APHIS no longer requires completion of PPQ Form 625 (Claim and Bond)
due to implementation of the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act.
We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve
these information collection activities, as described, 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;
[[Page 61848]]
(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 0.0929 hours per response.
Respondents: U.S. importers and exporters of endangered species of
terrestrial plants.
Estimated annual number of respondents: 16,578.
Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 4.901.
Estimated annual number of responses: 81,264.
Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 7,552 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 8th day of October 2014.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-24531 Filed 10-14-14; 8:45 am]
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