[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 203 (Wednesday, October 21, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56140-56142]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28165]


 ========================================================================
 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 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 
 appearing in this section.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 203 / Wednesday, October 21, 1998 / 
Notices  

[[Page 56140]]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

October 15, 1998.
    The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following 
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13. Comments 
regarding (a) 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; (b) the accuracy 
of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology should be addressed to: Desk 
Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Washington, DC 20503 and to 
Departmental Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, 
DC 20250-7602. Comments regarding these information collections are 
best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of 
this notification. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by 
calling (202) 720-6746.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

Food and Nutrition Service

    Title: FCS-135 Affidavit of Return or Exchange of Food Coupons.
    OMB Control Number: 0584-0052.
    Summary of Collection: Section 11(a) of the Food Stamp Act (the 
Act) requires that the State agencies assume responsibility for the 
certification of applicant households and for the issuance of coupons 
and the control and accountability thereof. Records shall be kept to 
ascertain whether the program is being conducted in compliance with the 
provisions of this Act and the regulations issued pursuant to this Act. 
Such records shall be available for inspection and audit at any 
reasonable time and shall be preserved for not less than 3 years. 
Section 13 (a) and (b) of the Act authorized the Secretary to collect 
any overissuance of coupons issued to a household by establishing 
claims. The State agency shall collect for over-issuances by any 
reasonable means including the return of food stamp coupons by 
households to repay the overissuance. The Food and Nutrition Service 
(FNS) will collect information using form FNS-135, Affidavit of Return 
or Exchange of Food Coupons.
    Need and Use of the Information: FNS will collect information on 
coupons returned or exchanged and provides verification of who returned 
the coupons and who received them. Participants return loose coupons 
that have been lost, upon death of a participant, when a participant 
departs from a rehabilitation center, upon payment of claim, mutilated 
coupons that have been received, or to exchange old-series coupons or 
improperly manufactured coupons.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or households; State, 
Local, or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 8,988.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting; On occasion.
    Total burden Hours: 17,859.

Farm Service Agency

    Title: 7 CFR 1464 Subpart B, Importer Assessments.
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0148.
    Summary of Collection: The payment of assessments on imported 
tobacco is required by statute (7 U.S.C. 1445, 1445-1, and 1445-2). The 
information collected by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is necessary to 
ensure that the proper amount has been paid for the applicable kind of 
tobacco and that payments are made timely. The collected information is 
recorded in a data base so that FSA can monitor and verify collected 
amounts compared with amounts due and verify that payments are made 
timely.
    Need and Use of the Information: FSA will collect information on 
the importers' name, import date, port of entry, and quantity imported 
to calculate the marketing assessment amount and the import assessment 
fee. The information collected is used by FSA, Tobacco and Peanuts 
Division to ensure that the marketing assessment fees and the importers 
no net cost assessment fees are timely and accurately remitted by 
importers and unmanufactured tobacco that enters into the commerce of 
the United States.
    Description of Respondents: Farms; business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 40.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Other (Assessment).
    Total Burden Hours: 540.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

    Title: Users Fee Regulations, 7 CFR 354 and 9 CFR 130.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0094.
    Summary of Collection: The Food, Agriculture, Conservation and 
Trade Act of 1990, authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to prescribe and 
collect fees to cover the cost of providing certain Agricultural 
Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) services. The Act gives the Secretary 
the authority to charge for the inspection of international passengers, 
commercial vessels, trucks, aircraft, and railroad cars, and to recover 
the costs of providing the inspection of plants and plant products 
offered for export. The Secretary is authorized to use the revenue to 
provide reimbursements to any appropriation accounts that incur costs 
associated with the AQI services provided. APHIS collects information 
using forms VS 16-3, Application for Permits to Import Controlled 
Material and/or Import or Transport Organisms or Vectors, and VS 16-7, 
Additional Information for Cell Cultures and Their Products.

[[Page 56141]]

    Need and Use of the Information: APHIS collects information which 
includes the taxpayer identification number, name, address and 
telephone number to collects fees. The procedures and the information 
requested for the passengers and aircrafts are used to ensure that the 
correct users fees are collected and remitted in full in a timely 
manner. Without the information from the respondents, APHIS would not 
be able to ensure substantial compliance with the statute. 
Noncompliance with the statute could result in misappropriation of 
public funds and lost revenue to the Federal Government.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; 
Individuals or households; Federal Government; State, Local or Tribal 
Government.
    Number of Respondents: 17,761.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 7,663.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

    Title: Endangered Species Regulations and Forfeiture Procedures.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0076.
    Summary of Collection: The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1513 et seq.) Directs Federal departments to utilize their 
authorities under the Act to conserve endangered and threatened 
species. Section 3 of the Act specifies that the Secretary of 
Agriculture is authorized to promulgate such regulations as may be 
appropriate to enforce the Act. The regulations contained in 7 CFR 355 
are intended to carry out the provisions of the Act. The Plant 
Protection & Quarantine (PRQ) division of USDA's Animal & Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for implementing these 
regulations. Specifically, Section 9(d) of the Act authorizes 7 CFR 
355.11, which requires a general permit to engage in the business of 
importing or exporting terrestrial plants listed in 50 CFR Parts 17 and 
23. APHIS will collect information using APHIS PPQ 621 application 
form.
    Need and Use of the Information: APHIS will collect information on 
the applicant's name and address, whether the applicant is affiliated 
with a business, and the address of all the applicant's business 
locations in order for the applicant to obtain a general permit. Upon 
approval of the permit, any endangered species shipped via mail must be 
sent to an authorized port of entry and must be accompanied by 
appropriate supporting documentation.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 1,400.
    Frequency of Responses: Recodkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 3,186.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

    Title: Federal Plant Pest and Noxious Weeds Regulations, 7 CFR 330 
& 360, 9 CFR 94.5.
    OMB Control Numbers: 0579-0054.
    Summary of Collection: The United States Department of Agriculture 
is responsible for preventing plant pests and noxious weeds from 
entering the United States, preventing the spread of pests and weeds 
not widely distributed in the United States, and eradicating those 
imported pests and weeds when eradication is feasible. Section 150bb of 
the Federal Plant Pest Act (7 USC 150aa-150jj) and Section 4(a) of the 
Federal Noxious Weed Act (7 U.S.C. 2801-2813) provide that no plant 
pest or noxious weed can be moved from a foreign country into or 
through the United States, or interstate, unless the movement is 
authorized under a permit issued by the Secretary of Agriculture and 
the movement is carried out in accordance with the conditions the 
Secretary may prescribe to prevent the dissemination of plant pests or 
noxious weeds into the United States. The Plant Protection and 
Quartantine Program (PPQ) of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service (APHIS), is responsible for implementing these regulations. 
APHIS will collect information using several forms.
    Need and Use of the Information: APHIS will collect information to 
determine whether certain articles destined for importation into the 
United States, or interstate movement within the United States, pose a 
threat of introducing or spreading plant pests or noxious weeds that 
could cause significant harm to American agriculture. All the data 
collected enables APHIS to evaluate the risks associated with the 
proposed importation or interstate movement of regulated articles, and 
also enables it to develop risk-mitigating conditions, if necessary, 
for the proposed importation or movement.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; 
Individual or households; Federal Government; State, Local or Tribal 
Government.
    Number of Respondents: 39,912.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 37,633.

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

    Title: Annual Survey of Cooperative Involvement in International 
Markets.
    OMB Control Number: 0570-0020.
    Summary of Collection: The Cooperative Marketing Act of 1926, 7 
U.S.C. 453(b)(5), authorizes Rural Business-Cooperative Services (RBS) 
``to acquire from all available sources, information concerning crop 
prospects, supply, demand, current receipts, exports, imports, and 
prices of agricultural products handled or marketed by cooperative 
associations, and to employ qualified commodity marketing specialists 
to summarize and analyze this information and disseminate the same 
among cooperative associations, and others.'' The mission of the 
Cooperative Services Program of RBS is to assist farmer-owned 
cooperatives in improving the economic well-being of their farmer-
members. To facilitate the program's mission and activities as 
authorized by the Cooperative Marketing Act of 1926, RBS collects, 
maintains, and analyzes data pertaining to farmer cooperatives. 
Information is collected through an annual survey mailed to all 
cooperatives.
    Need and Use of the Information: The information collected by RBS 
will be used to comply with the agency's mission to acquire and report 
such information. In addition to monitoring and reporting the progress 
of cooperatives in global markets, RBS will use the data in economic/
market research and will also produce educational materials about 
cooperatives.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 170.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 170.

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

    Title: Research on Rural Cooperative Opportunities and Problems.
    OMB Control Number: 0570-0028.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) 
was established by Public Law 103-350, the Department of Agriculture 
Reorganization Act of 1994. The mission of RBS is to improve the 
quality of life in rural America by financing community facilities and 
businesses, providing technical assistance and creating effective 
strategies for rural development. The primary objective of this funding 
is to encourage research through cooperative agreements on critical 
issues vital to the development and sustainability of cooperatives as a 
means of improving the quality of life in America's rural communities. 
RBS will collect information through research proposals prepared by 
applicants, who may be public or private colleges or

[[Page 56142]]

universities, research foundations maintained by a college or 
university, or private nonprofit organizations.
    Need and Use of the Information: RBS will collect project proposal 
information from applicants to determine (1) eligibility; (2) the 
specific purpose for which the funds will be utilized; (3) time frames 
or dates by which activities surrounding the use of funds will be 
accomplished; (4) feasibility of the project; (5) applicants' 
experience in managing similar activities; and (6) the effectiveness 
and innovation used to address critical issues vital to the development 
and sustainability of cooperatives as a means of improving the quality 
of life in America's rural communities. Without the collection of this 
information, there would be no basis on which to award funds or monitor 
project progress.
    Description of Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 50.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion; 
Quarterly.
    Total Burden Hours: 1,415.

Food and Nutrition Service

    Title: FNS 292--Report of Coupon Issuance and Commodity 
Distribution for Disaster Relief.
    OMB Control Number: 0584-0037.
    Summary of Collection: The Emergency Food Stamp Assistance Program 
is authorized by the Disaster Relief Act of 1970; the Food Stamp Act, 
as amended; and Part 274 of the Food Stamp Program regulations. This 
program is initiated in a food stamp project area by the Food and 
Nutrition Service (FNS) when all or part of the area has been affected 
by a disaster. Sections 274.7 and 274.14 of the Food Stamp Program 
regulations contain requirements that State agencies keep records and 
submit reports on food stamps issued under disaster procedures ``as may 
from time to time be required by FNS''. Food distribution in disaster 
situations is authorized under Section 32 of the Act of August 24, 
1935. Surplus foods are made available by State distributing agencies 
for relief purposes to victims of natural disasters such as hurricanes, 
floods, tornadoes, etc. Distribution to these recipients is made 
primarily through such organizations as the American Red Cross of the 
Salvation Army. These organizations use surplus foods for both central 
feeding operations and for distribution to families in homes cut off 
from normal sources of food supply. Form FNS-292 will be used by State 
welfare departments to report to FNS the number of households and 
persons who were certified for Emergency Food Stamp Assistance, and 
also to report the value of coupons issued to those households.
    Need and Use of the Information: FNS will collect information 
through the use of form FNS-292, which is used by the FNS 
Administrator, the Food Distribution Division, and the three Food Stamp 
Program divisions to monitor program activity, assess coverage provided 
to needy recipients, and to prepare budget requests. If the information 
were not collected, FNS would be unable to monitor the issuance of food 
stamp coupons and the distribution of surplus foods during disaster 
situations.
    Description of Respondents: State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 55.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 97.
Nancy Sternberg,
Departmental Information Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 98-28165 Filed 10-20-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-01-M