[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21729-21730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-10745]


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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. 66, No. 84 / Tuesday, May 1, 2001 / Notices  

[[Page 21729]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

April 25, 2001.
    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, Public Law 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.

Rural Business Cooperative Service

    Title: 7 CFR 4284-G, Rural Business Opportunity Grants.
    OMB Control Number: 0570-0024.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) 
program was authorized by section 741 of the Federal Agriculture 
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, Public Law 104-127. The objective 
of the RBOG program is to promote sustainable economic development in 
rural areas. This purpose is achieved through grants made by the Rural-
Business Cooperative Service (RBS) to public and private non-profit 
organizations and cooperatives to pay costs of economic development 
planning and technical assistance for rural businesses.
    Need and Use Of The Information: The information collected is from 
grant applicants and grant recipients. Grantees are required to keep 
complete and accurate accounting records as evidence that the grant 
funds were used properly. The information is necessary for RBS to 
process applications in a responsible manner, make prudent program 
decisions, and effectively monitor the grantees' activities to ensure 
that funds obtained from the Government are used appropriately.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; State, 
Local or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 100.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion; 
Quarterly; Monthly .
    Total Burden Hours: 8,044.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

    Title: Fruit from Hawaii.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0123.
    Summary of Collection: The United States Department of Agriculture 
is responsible for preventing plant diseases or insect pests from 
spreading within the United States. The Plant Quarantine Act authorizes 
the Department to carry out this mission. Chapter 8 of the Plant 
Quarantine Act (& U.S.C. 161) provides authority for the Secretary of 
Agriculture and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 
to Quarantine any State, Territory, or District of the United States to 
prevent the spread of plant diseases and insect pests (such as fruit 
flies) new or widely distributed throughout the United States. APHIS 
regulates the interstate movement of fruits and vegetables from Hawaii 
to prevent the spread of Mediterranean fruit fly, the melon fly, the 
Oriental fruit fly, and the Malaysian fruit fly pests that occur in 
Hawaii and can cause millions of dollars in damage to U.S. agriculture. 
APHIS will collect information using several forms to ensure fruits 
from Hawaii are free from pests and disease.
    Need and Use of the Information: APHIS will collect information 
using forms PPQ 540, PPQ 530, PPQ 519 to ensure abui, atemoya, bananas, 
longan, rambutan, sapodilla, and durian from Hawaii are brought safely 
into the United States.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 300.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 327.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

    Title: Imported Seed and Screening.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0124.
    Summary of Collection: The United States Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) is responsible for preventing plant diseases or insect pests 
from entering the United States, preventing the spread of pests not 
widely distributed in the United States, and eradicating those imported 
pest when eradication is feasible. The Plant Quarantine Act and the 
Federal Plant Pest Act authorizes the Department to carry out this 
mission. Under the authority of the Federal Seed Act of 1939, as 
amended, the USDA regulates the importation and interstate movement of 
certain agricultural and vegetable seeds. The Plant Protection & 
Quarantine Division of USDA's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service 
(APHIS) has established a seed analysis program with Canada that allows 
U.S. companies that import seed for cleaning or processing to enter 
into compliance agreements with APHIS. This program eliminates the need 
for sampling shipments of Canadian-origin seed at the border and allows 
certain seed importers to clean seed without the direct supervision of 
an APHIS inspector. APHIS will collect information using forms PPQ 925 
and PPQ 519.

[[Page 21730]]

    Need and Use of the Information: APHIS will collect information to 
prevent the spread of insect pests and noxious weeds in the United 
States. If the information were not collected there would be no way of 
preventing noxious weeds from entering the United States.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 30,000.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 11,345.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

    Title: Plum Pox Compensation.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0159.
    Summary of Collection: Plum Pox is an extremely serious viral 
disease of plants that can affect may stonefruit species, including 
plum, peach, apricot, almond, and nectarine. The United States 
Department of Agriculture is responsible for preventing plant pest 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. Chapter 8 of the Plant Quarantine Act (7 U.S.C. 161) provides 
authority for the Secretary of Agriculture to quarantine any State, 
Territory, or District of the United States to prevent the spread of 
insect pests and plant diseases new or not widely distributed 
throughout the United States. Section 102 of the Organic Act (7 U.S.C. 
147a) states, in part, that ``the Secretary of Agriculture, either 
independently or in cooperation with the States * * * is authorized to 
carry out operations or measures to detect, eradicate, suppress, 
control, prevent, or retard the spread of plant pests.'' The Animal & 
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will collect information using 
form PPQ 651, Application for Plum Pox Compensation, in order to 
qualify agricultural producers for disaster payments in conjunction 
with losses suffered as a result of Plum Pox.
    Need and Use of the Information: APHIS will collect the owner's 
name and address, a description of the owner's property, and a 
certification statement that the plums removed from the owner's 
property were commercial plums. The owners will also need to send APHIS 
a copy of the public order or destruction order that describes the 
number of plum trees removed. The information will be used to obtain 
the correct address to which funds are to be sent, and to verify the 
location and number of plum trees for which the owner is requesting 
replacement funds. If the information were not collected, APHIS would 
be unable to reimburse eligible grove and nursery owners for the loss 
of their trees.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 12.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 2.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

    Title: District of Columbia Plant Health Certificate.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0166.
    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. The Federal 
Plant Protection Act authorized the Department to carry out this 
mission. The Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Division of the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) provides 
certification services for plant material moving interstate to ensure 
other states that the plants and plant products they are receiving from 
the District of Columbia are free of prohibited or otherwise regulated 
plant pests. APHIS will collect information using form PPQ 571, 
District of Columbia Plant Health Certificate.
    Need and Use of the Information: APHIS will collect information to 
certify that the domestic plant or other plant material described by 
the shipper has been inspected according to appropriate procedures and 
that it is considered free from certain plant diseases, insects, or 
other pests, and is considered to conform with the requirements of the 
importing State. If the information is not collected, it would likely 
result in the interstate spread of damaging agricultural pests. 
Further, entities in the District of Columbia would be unable to ship 
their products to other States, as other States require this 
certification.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-
profit institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 4.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 40.

Nancy B. Sternberg,
Departmental Clearance Office.
[FR Doc. 01-10745 Filed 4-30-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-01-M