[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 46 (Monday, March 10, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11354-11355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-5598]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 03-027-1]


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 under which softwood (coniferous) 
packing materials used with goods exported from the United States may 
be certified as having been heat treated.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 
9, 2003.

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. 03-027-1, 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. 03-027-1. If you use e-mail, 
address your comment to [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. 
03-027-1'' on the subject line.
    You may read any comments that we receive on this docket in our 
reading

[[Page 11355]]

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 the 
regulations for softwood packing materials exported from the United 
States, contact Mr. David B. Lamb, Export Certification Specialist, 
Phytosanitary Issues Management, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 140, 
Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734-3818. 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: Export Certification; Heat Treatment of Softwood Packing 
Materials Exported to China.
    OMB Number: 0579-0147.
    Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information 
collection.
    Abstract: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of 
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides, among 
other things, export certification services to assure other countries 
that the plants and plant products that they are receiving from the 
United States are free of plant pests specified by the receiving 
country.
    The export certification regulations contained in 7 CFR part 353 
(referred to below as the regulations) set forth the procedures for 
obtaining certification for plants and plant products offered for 
export or reexport. It should be noted that export certification is not 
required by the regulations; rather, it is provided by the Plant 
Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program of APHIS as a service to 
exporters.
    Effective January 1, 2000, the Government of the People's Republic 
of China required goods from the United States to be accompanied by 
either a statement from the exporter that the shipment does not contain 
any softwood (conifer) packing materials, or by an APHIS-issued 
certificate certifying that the conifer packing materials in the 
shipment have been heat treated to a minimum core temperature of 56 
[deg]C for 30 minutes.
    In response to this requirement, we developed a new certificate of 
heat treatment and procedures for issuing it to exporters who need to 
heat treat their packing materials in order to ship goods to China. 
This certificate, PPQ Form 553, is divided into two parts and serves as 
both a certification by the exporter that the required heat treatment 
was performed and USDA endorsement of industry compliance with the 
certification requirements.
    We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve 
our use of this information collection activity 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;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 
information collection, 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 information collection 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 0.01728 hours per response.
    Respondents: U.S. exporters, State and county cooperators 
(inspectors).
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 6,500.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 25.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 162,500.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 2,808 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 5th day of March 2003.
Peter Fernandez,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 03-5598 Filed 3-7-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P