[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 113 (Wednesday, June 12, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40264-40265]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14737]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 02-047-1]


Notice of Request for Reinstatement of an Information Collection

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Reinstatement 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 reinstatement of an information collection in 
support of regulations intended to prevent the introduction of foreign 
plant pests into the United States.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
August 12, 2002.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by postal mail/commercial delivery 
or by e-mail. If you use postal mail/commercial delivery, please send 
four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to: Docket 
No. 02-047-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 
3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state 
that your comment refers to Docket No. 02-047-1. If you use e-mail, 
address your comment to

[[Page 40265]]

[email protected]. Your comment must be contained in the body 
of your message; do not send attached files. Please include your name 
and address in your message and ``Docket No. 02-047-1'' on the subject 
line.
    You may read any comments that we receive on this docket in our 
reading room. The reading room 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) 690-2817 before coming.
    APHIS documents published in the Federal Register, and related 
information, including the names of organizations and individuals who 
have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding foreign 
quarantine notices, contact Ms. Deborah Knott, Permits Branch Chief, 
PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 
734-5055. For copies of more detailed information on the information 
collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection 
Coordinator, at (301) 734-7477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Foreign Quarantine Notices.
    OMB Number: 0579-0049.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement of an information collection.
    Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture is 
responsible for preventing the introduction of foreign plant pests into 
the United States. Implementing this mission often requires us to 
collect information from a variety of individuals, both within and 
outside of the United States, who are involved in growing, packing, 
handling, transporting, and importing foreign plants, fruits, 
vegetables, roots, bulbs, seeds, and other plant products. Our 
regulations governing the importation of these articles are contained 
in 7 CFR part 319, ``Foreign Quarantine Notices.''
    For example, many plants or plant products may not be imported 
until the person wishing to import them receives a permit from us. The 
person wishing to import these items must first fill out a permit 
application.
    We consider the permit application process extremely important, 
since the information on the application enables us to determine 
whether the items for import represent a potential pest threat to U.S. 
agriculture.
    Under certain circumstances we also require importers to supply us 
with other types of information. We require, for example, that 
containers used to import various plants or plant products be marked in 
a certain way so that our inspectors can accurately identify them and 
match them to their accompanying documentation.
    We require that certain shipments be accompanied by a phytosanitary 
inspection certificate, which is a document completed by plant health 
officials in the originating country.
    This certificate attests to the plant pest condition of the 
shipment at the time it was inspected in the originating country. We 
use this important information as a guide in determining the intensity 
of the inspection we must conduct when the shipment arrives in the 
United States.
    This and other information we collect is vital to helping us ensure 
that imported plants and plant products do not harbor plant pests that, 
if introduced into the United States, could cause millions of dollars 
in damage to U.S. agriculture.
    We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve 
our use of these information collection activities for 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 0.314877 hours per response.
    Respondents: Foreign plant health protection authorities.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 92,457.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 3.1305.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 289,440.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 91,138 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 6th day of June, 2002.
Peter Fernandez,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 02-14737 Filed 6-11-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P