[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 208 (Friday, October 27, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62988-62989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-18042]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2006-0155]


Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information 
Collection; Plum Pox Compensation

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 associated with regulations that provide for the payment of 
compensation to owners of commercial stone fruit orchards and fruit 
tree nurseries whose trees or nursery stock were destroyed to eradicate 
plum pox.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
December 26, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://regulations.gov, select ``Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service'' from the agency drop-down menu, then click ``Submit.'' In the 
Docket ID column, select APHIS-2006-0155 to submit or view public 
comments and to view supporting and related materials

[[Page 62989]]

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-
2006-0155, 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-2006-0155.
    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 regulations for 
plum pox compensation, contact Mr. Stephen Poe, Senior Operations 
Officer, Emergency and Domestic Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road 
Unit 36, Riverdale, MD 20737; (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: Plum Pox Compensation.
    OMB Number: 0579-0159.
    Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information 
collection.
    Abstract: The Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) 
authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, either independently or in 
cooperation with the States, to carry out operations or measures to 
detect, eradicate, suppress, control, prevent, or retard the spread of 
plant pests, such as plum pox, that are new to or not widely 
distributed within the United States.
    Plum pox is an extremely serious viral disease of plants that can 
affect many Prunus (stone fruit) species, including plum, peach, 
apricot, almond, nectarine, and sweet and tart cherry. A number of wild 
and ornamental Prunus species may also be susceptible to this disease. 
Infection eventually results in severely reduced fruit production, and 
the fruit that is produced is often misshapen and blemished. Plum pox 
virus is transmitted locally by a variety of aphid species, as well as 
by budding and grafting with infected plant material, and spreads over 
longer distances through movement of infected budwood, nursery stock, 
and other plant parts.
    There are no known effective methods for treating trees or other 
plant material infected with plum pox, nor are there any known 
effective prophylactic treatments to prevent the disease from occurring 
in trees exposed to the disease due to their proximity to infected 
trees or other plant material. Without effective treatments, the only 
option for preventing the spread of the disease is the destruction of 
infected and exposed trees and other plant material.
    The regulations in ``Subpart-Plum Pox'' (7 CFR 301.74-301.74-5) 
quarantine areas of the United States where plum pox has been detected, 
restrict the interstate movement of host material from quarantined 
areas, and provide for compensation to owners of commercial stone fruit 
orchards and fruit tree nurseries whose trees or nursery stock were 
destroyed to eradicate plum pox.
    Section 310.74-5 requires applicants for the payment of 
compensation to complete a form.
    We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve 
our use of this information collection activity for an additional 3 
years.
    This notice includes a description of the information collection 
requirement currently approved by the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for plum pox compensation under numbers 0579-0159 and 0579-0251. 
After OMB approves and combines the burden for both collections under 
one collection (number 0579-0159), the Department will retire number 
0579-0251.
    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 0.25 hours per response.
    Respondents: Owners of commercial stone fruit orchards and owners 
of fruit tree nurseries.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 4.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses: 4.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1 hour. (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 23rd day of October 2006.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
 [FR Doc. E6-18042 Filed 10-26-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P