[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 12, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19053-19054]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-1682]


 ========================================================================
 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. 70, No. 69 / Tuesday, April 12, 2005 / 
Notices  

[[Page 19053]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 05-020-1]


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 associated with regulations to protect endangered species of 
terrestrial plants.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before June 
13, 2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
    EDOCKET: Go to http://www.epa.gov/feddocket to submit or view 
public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the 
official public docket, and to access those documents in the public 
docket that are available electronically. Once you have entered 
EDOCKET, click on the ``View Open APHIS Dockets'' link to locate this 
document. Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies of 
your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. 05-020-1, 
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. 05-020-1.
    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 on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding regulations 
to protect endangered species of terrestrial plants, contact Mr. James 
Petit de Mange, CITES and Plant Inspection Station Coordinator, 
Quarantine Policy, Analysis and Support, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, 
Unit 60, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734-7839. 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: Endangered Species Regulations and Forfeiture Procedures.
    OMB Number: 0579-0076.
    Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information 
collection.
    Abstract: Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the United States Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) is responsible for protecting endangered species of terrestrial 
plants by regulating the individuals or entities who are engaged in the 
business of importing, exporting, or reexporting these plants.
    To carry out this mission, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service (APHIS), USDA, administers regulations at 7 CFR part 355. In 
accordance with these regulations, any individual, nursery, or other 
entity wishing to engage in the business of importing, exporting, or 
reexporting terrestrial plants listed in the Convention on 
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 
regulations at 50 CFR 17.12 or 23.23 must obtain a protected plant 
permit. This includes importers, exporters, or reexporters who sell, 
barter, collect, or otherwise exchange or acquire terrestrial plants as 
a livelihood or enterprise engaged in for gain or profit. This does not 
include persons engaged in business merely as carriers or customhouse 
brokers.
    To obtain a protected plant permit, these individuals or entities 
must complete an application and submit it to APHIS for approval. When 
a permit has been issued, the plants covered by the permit may be 
imported into the United States, exported, or reexported, provided they 
are accompanied by documentation required by the regulations and 
provided all other conditions of the regulations are met.
    Effectively regulating entities who are engaged in the business of 
importing, exporting, or reexporting endangered species requires the 
use of this application process, as well as the use of other 
information collection activities, such as notifying APHIS of the 
impending importation, exportation, or reexportation of endangered 
species, marking containers used for the importation, exportation, and 
reexportation of plants, and creating and maintaining records of 
importation, exportation, and reexportation.
    The information provided by these information collection activities 
is critical to our ability to carry out the responsibilities assigned 
to us by the Endangered Species Act. These responsibilities include the 
careful monitoring of importation, exportation, and reexportation 
activities involving endangered species of plants, as well as 
investigating possible violations of the Endangered Species Act.
    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 
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

[[Page 19054]]

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 0.13575 hours per response.
    Respondents: U.S. importers, exporters, and reexporters of 
endangered species of terrestrial plants.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 8,197.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 4.4647.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 36,597.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 4,968 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 April 2005.
Elizabeth E. Gaston,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E5-1682 Filed 4-11-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P