[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 102 (Friday, May 26, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30370-30371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8141]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2006-0071]


Notice of Request for Approval of an Information Collection; 
Beetle Busters Survey; Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication 
Program

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: New 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 initiate a new information collection activity, titled 
Beetle Busters Survey, associated with the Asian longhorned beetle 
cooperative eradication program.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before July 
25, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and, 
in the lower ``Search Regulations and Federal Actions'' box, select 
``Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service'' from the agency drop-
down menu, then click on ``Submit.'' In the Docket ID column, select 
APHIS-2006-0071 to submit or view public comments and to view 
supporting and related materials available electronically. Information 
on using Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing 
documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket after the close 
of the comment period, is available through the site's ``User Tips'' 
link.
    Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies of your 
comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0071, 
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 
River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your 
comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0071.
    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: Additional information about APHIS and its 
programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the Beetle Busters 
Survey, contact Ms. Meghan K. Thomas, Deputy Director, Public Affairs, 
LPA, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 51, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734-
3266. 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: Beetle Busters Survey; Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative 
Eradication Program.
    OMB Number: 0579-XXXX.
    Type of Request: Approval of a new information collection.
    Abstract: The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB, Anoplophora 
glabripennis), an insect native to China, Japan, Korea, and the Isle of 
Hainan, is a destructive pest of hardwood trees. It attacks many 
healthy hardwood trees, including maple, horse chestnut, birch, poplar, 
willow, and elm. The beetle bores into the heartwood of a host tree, 
eventually killing the tree. Immature beetles bore into tree trunks and 
branches, causing heavy sap flow from wounds and sawdust accumulation 
at tree bases. They feed on, and over-winter in, the interiors of 
trees. Adult beetles emerge in the spring and summer months from round 
holes approximately three-eighths of an inch in diameter (about the 
size of a dime) that they bore through branches and trunks of trees. 
After emerging, adult beetles feed for 2 to 3 days and then mate. Adult 
females then lay eggs in oviposition sites that they make on the 
branches of trees. A new generation of ALB is produced each year. If 
this pest moves into the hardwood forests of the United States, the 
nursery, maple syrup, and forest product industries could experience 
severe economic losses. In addition, urban and forest ALB infestations 
will result in environmental damage, aesthetic deterioration, and a 
reduction in public enjoyment of recreational spaces. If the ALB were 
to become established in North America, approximately 1.2 billion trees 
would be at risk of being infested, resulting in potential losses of up 
to $669 billion.
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) has administered an ALB Cooperative 
Eradication Program (the program) since 1996 to eradicate this 
destructive pest from the United States. Areas found to be infested are

[[Page 30371]]

quarantined, and the movement of host material from the area is 
restricted to prevent the spread of the ALB. Infested host material is 
removed or treated. Successful eradication efforts have resulted in a 
number of infested areas being removed from quarantine, and, over the 
years, the program has made steady progress. However, the ALB continues 
to be a serious threat, and APHIS believes that public support is 
crucial to eradication efforts.
    In this regard, APHIS plans to enlist the public's assistance in 
reporting the presence or absence of the ALB in their local areas. 
APHIS would invite members of the public to report the results of any 
surveys they conduct using a simple on-line form on the Internet to 
record sightings and nonsightings. Such reports of surveys for the ALB 
conducted by members of the general public, nature organizations, 
school groups, garden clubs, and others would help APHIS develop a 
history of the ALB's presence and activity in particular areas and 
supplement the work done by the program's surveyors. If the public 
reports signs of the ALB, APHIS would take appropriate steps to 
determine whether the ALB is indeed present in the area and to what 
extent. In turn, negative reports would help APHIS affirm the absence 
of ALB in a particular area and facilitate progress towards 
deregulation of the area.
    APHIS is asking the Office of Management and Budget for approval of 
this information collection activity in support of ALB eradication 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 0.083 hours per response.
    Respondents: General public, nature organizations, school groups, 
and garden clubs.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 5,000.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 1.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 5,000.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 415 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 22nd day of May 2006.
Elizabeth E. Gaston,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
 [FR Doc. E6-8141 Filed 5-25-06; 8:45 am]
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