[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 186 (Thursday, September 25, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50284-50285]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-25485]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-046-1]
Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information
Collection
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 in support of regulations that prevent plant diseases and
pests from spreading from infested areas of the United States to
noninfested areas.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by November 24, 1997 to
be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding the accuracy of burden estimate,
ways to minimize the burden (such as through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology), or any
other aspect of this collection of information to: Docket No. 97-046-1,
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, suite 3C03, 4700 River
Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please send an original and
three copies, and state that your comments refer to Docket 97-046-1.
Comments received may be inspected at USDA, room 1141, South Building,
14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m.
and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Persons wishing to inspect comments are requested to call ahead on
(202) 690-2817 to facilitate entry into the comment reading room.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding domestic
regulations, contact Ms. Coanne E. O'Hern, Operations Officer, Domestic
and Emergency Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 131,
Riverdale, MD 20737-1237, (301) 734-8247. For copies of more detailed
information on the information collection, contact Ms. Cheryl Groves,
APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734-5086.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Domestic Quarantine Notices.
OMB Number: 0579-0088.
Type of Request: Extension of an approval of an information
collection.
Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture is
responsible for preventing the spread of plant diseases and pests
within the United States. Implementing this mission often requires the
use of domestic quarantines and regulations, which in turn require us
to collect information from a variety of individuals who are involved
in growing, packing, handling, and transporting plants, fruits,
vegetables, roots, bulbs, seeds, and other plant products.
The information we collect is vital to helping us ensure that plant
diseases and pests are not spread from infested areas to noninfested
areas of the United States.
For example, we issue permits to authorize the interstate movement
of regulated articles to specified destinations for processing,
treatment, or utilization. The person wishing to move these articles,
however, must first complete a permit application.
We consider the permit application extremely important, since this
process helps us ensure that regulated articles are moved to a
specified destination for appropriate handling. In this way, the
[[Page 50285]]
movement of items that harbor potentially harmful plant diseases and
pests can be controlled and monitored.
Another means we employ to control and monitor the movement of
these potentially harmful items is to require shippers to mark each
container, waybill, manifest, or bill of lading with certain
information, such as the nature and quantity of the contents, name and
address of the shipper/owner/forwarder, name of consignee, shipper's
identifying mark and number, and the serial number of the certificate
or limited permit authorizing the movement.
These and other information gathering tools are critical to our
mission of protecting the United States from plant diseases and pests
which, if allowed to spread, could cause millions of dollars in damage
to U.S. agriculture.
We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve
the continued use of these information collection activities.
The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public
(as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection.
We need this outside input to help us:
(1) Evaluate whether the proposed 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
proposed 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 .09838 hours per response.
Respondents: U.S. growers, shippers, and exporters; State and
county plant health protection authorities.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 174,072.
Estimated Numbers of Responses per Respondent: 5.775.
Estimated Annual Number of Responses: 1,005,331.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 98,910 hours. (Due to
rounding, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of
the annual number of responses multiplied by the average 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 22nd day of September 1997.
Terry L. Medley,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 97-25485 Filed 9-24-97; 8:45 am]
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