[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 49 (Friday, March 12, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11830-11831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-5627]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 49 / Friday, March 12, 2004 / 
Notices  

[[Page 11830]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 04-015-1]


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 under which eligible persons can 
receive compensation for losses and expenses incurred because of Karnal 
bunt.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 
11, 2004.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send 
four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket 
No. 04-015-1, 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. 04-015-1.
     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. 04-015-1'' on the subject 
line.
     Agency Web site: Go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/cominst.html for a form you can use to 
submit an e-mail comment through the APHIS Web site.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for locating this 
docket and submitting comments.
    Reading Room: 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.
    Other Information: You may view APHIS documents published in the 
Federal Register and related information, including the names of groups 
and individuals who have commented on APHIS dockets, on the Internet at 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the regulations for 
Karnal bunt compensation, contact Mr. Stephen Poe, Operations Officer, 
Pest Detection and Management Programs, PPQ APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 
134, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-8899. 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: Karnal Bunt; Compensation for the 1999-2000 Crop Season and 
Subsequent Seasons.
    OMB Number: 0579-0182.
    Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information 
collection.
    Abstract: The Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701-7772) authorizes 
the Secretary of Agriculture, either independently or in cooperation 
with States, to carry out operations or measures to detect, eradicate, 
suppress, control, prevent, or retard the spread of plant pests, such 
as Karnal bunt, that are new to or not widely distributed within the 
United States.
    Karnal bunt is a fungal disease of wheat (Tricum aestivum), durum 
wheat (Triticum durum), and triticale wheat (Triticum aestivum X Secale 
cereale), a hybrid of wheat and rye. Karnal bunt is caused by the smut 
fungus Tilletia indica (Mitra) Mundkur and is spread by spores, 
primarily through the movement of infected seed. In the absence of 
measures taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prevent its 
spread, the establishment of Karnal bunt in the United States could 
have significant consequences with regard to the export of wheat to 
international markets.
    The regulations regarding Karnal bunt are set forth in 7 CFR 
301.89-1 through 301.89-16. Among other things, the regulations define 
areas regulated for Karnal bunt and restrict the movement of certain 
regulated articles, including wheat seed and grain, from the regulated 
areas.
    The regulations also provide for the payment of compensation to 
eligible persons in order to reduce the economic impact of our Karnal 
bunt quarantine on wheat producers and other individuals, and to help 
obtain their cooperation in our eradication efforts. The compensation 
program requires individuals to engage in several information 
collection activities, including the completion of a Karnal bunt 
compensation worksheet and compensation form.
    We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve 
our use of these information collection activities 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 0.5 hours per response.

[[Page 11831]]

    Respondents: Wheat growers, shippers, seed companies, State plant 
regulatory authorities, and Farm Service Agency personnel.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 170.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 1.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 170.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 85 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 8th day of March 2004.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 04-5627 Filed 3-11-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P