[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 47 (Friday, March 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12393-12394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3365]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection To Be Sent to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction Act; OMB 
Control Number 1018-0130; Import/Export of Wildlife and Wildlife Parts 
and Products and Plant Rescue, 50 CFR Parts 12 and 23

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service) will submit the collection of 
information described below to OMB for approval under the provisions of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. We will use this information to make 
decisions on whether to issue, suspend, revoke, amend, or deny a 
request for export approval or registration under the Convention on 
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 
(CITES).

DATES: You must submit comments on or before May 9, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection to Hope 
Grey, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife 
Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 
(mail); [email protected] (e-mail); or (703) 358-2269 (fax).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection requirement, explanatory information, or related forms, 
contact Hope Grey at the addresses above or by telephone at (703) 358-
2482.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, which 
implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.), require that interested members of the public and 
affected agencies be given an opportunity to comment on information 
collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). On 
February 21, 2006, OMB approved our emergency request for information 
collection associated with the regulations (50 CFR parts 12, 13, and 
23) that implement CITES. The OMB control number for this collection is 
1018-0130, which expires on August 31, 2006. The supporting statements 
for our emergency request are available online at http://www.fws.gov/pdm/0130SupCurrent.pdf. We plan to request that OMB approve this 
information collection for a 3-year term. The information that we 
collect is the minimum information necessary to enable us to make the 
necessary findings and decisions under CITES. Federal agencies may not 
conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.
    CITES regulates international trade in listed species through a 
system of permits and certificates. Before issuing a CITES Appendix II 
export permit, the Fish and Wildlife Service must find that: (1) The 
specimens to be exported were legally acquired and (2) the export will 
not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.
    We have set up programs to streamline the process for making the 
findings for export of certain native species listed in CITES Appendix 
II. Working with State and tribal governments, we have established 
export programs for American alligators, American ginseng, and certain 
native furbearers. For States and tribes that request export approval 
for one or more of these species, we collect information from the State 
and tribal governments on: (1) The conservation management of the 
relevant CITES-listed species in their territory and (2) their laws 
regulating the harvest of these species. This information allows us to 
make findings on a State or tribal basis, rather than requiring 
individual permit applicants to provide the information on a permit-by-
permit basis.
    After we approve a State or tribal export program, we collect 
information from the State or tribal government in the form of annual 
reports. These reports request information on annual harvest levels and 
any changes to the State or tribal regulatory procedures over the past 
year. States and tribes may refer to information that they provided in 
previous years if there has been no change. The annual reports provide 
information that enables us to make findings on an annual or multi-year 
basis. Regular reporting from States and tribes helps us ensure that 
our findings remain valid. We use FWS Form 3-200-61 (American Ginseng 
Export Program) to collect information on ginseng programs. We collect 
information on the other export programs via letter or e-mail.
    This information collection also pertains to plant rescue. Live 
plant specimens traded in violation of CITES are subject to seizure. 
CITES requires that seized live plant material either be returned to 
the country of export or placed in a qualified rescue center in the 
country in which the seizure occurred. In the United States, we have a 
Plant Rescue Center program consisting of a network of botanical 
gardens, arboreta, zoological parks, and research institutions that 
have agreed to care for seized plant material. We collect nonform 
information to determine if an institution is qualified to participate 
in the Plant Rescue Center program as well as follow-up information 
from Plant Rescue Center participants confirming receipt of shipments 
and the condition of plants upon receipt.
    Title: Import/Export of Wildlife and Wildlife Parts and Products 
and Plant Rescue, 50 CFR 12 and 23.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0130.
    Service Form Number: 3-200-61.

[[Page 12394]]

    Frequency of Collection: Annually (reports from approved State or 
tribal programs); on occasion (initial requests for program approval 
and reports from Plant Rescue Centers regarding shipments received).
    Description of Respondents: State and tribal governments; botanical 
gardens, arboreta, zoological parks and research institutions.

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                                                                                     Estimated
                    Activity                         Number of       Number of      completion     Total annual
                                                    respondents      responses      time  (hrs)    burden  (hrs)
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Approval of a CITES Export Program (American                   2               2              12              24
 ginseng, furbearers, American alligator).......
Reports--American Ginseng (FWS Form 3-200-61)...              25              25               2              50
Reports--Furbearer..............................              52              52               1              52
Reports--American Alligator.....................              10              10               1              10
Participation in the Plant Rescue Center Program               3               3               1               3
Plant Rescue Center Status Reports..............              69             140             0.5              70
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................             161             232  ..............             209
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    We invite comments concerning this collection on: (1) Whether or 
not the collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of our functions under CITES, including whether or not the 
information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of our 
estimate of burden on the public; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents.

    Dated: March 2, 2006.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E6-3365 Filed 3-9-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P