[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 1, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17295-17296]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6649]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2008-0035]


Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information 
Collection; Hawaiian and Territorial Quarantine Notices

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 to prevent the interstate spread 
of plant pests from Hawaii and U.S. territories.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before June 
2, 2008.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS- 2008-0035 to submit or view comments 
and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send two copies of 
your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2008-0035, 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-2008-0035.
    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 regarding regulations 
for the movement of fruits and vegetables from Hawaii and U.S. 
territories, contact Mr. David Lamb, Import Specialist, Commodity 
Import Analysis and Operations, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, 
Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734-4312. 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: Hawaiian and Territorial Quarantine Notices.
    OMB Number: 0579-0198.
    Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information 
collection.
    Abstract: As authorized by the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 
et seq.) (PPA), the Secretary of Agriculture may prohibit or restrict 
the importation, entry, exportation, or movement in interstate commerce 
of any plant, plant product, biological control organism, noxious weed, 
means of conveyance, or other article if the Secretary determines that 
the prohibition or restriction is necessary to prevent a plant pest or 
noxious weed from being introduced into or disseminated within the 
United States. This authority has been delegated to the Animal and 
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which administers regulations 
to implement the PPA.
    Regulations governing the interstate movement of plants and plant 
products from Hawaii and U.S. territories, including Guam, Puerto Rico, 
and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are contained in 7 CFR part 318, 
``Hawaiian and Territorial Quarantine Notices.''
    These regulations are necessary to prevent the interstate spread of 
plant pests such as the Mediterranean fruit fly, the melon fly, the 
Oriental fruit fly, green coffee scale, the bean pod borer, and other 
plant pests to noninfested areas of the United States.
    Administering these regulations requires APHIS to collect 
information from a variety of individuals who are involved in growing, 
packing, handling, and transporting plants and plant products. This 
information serves as supporting documentation required for the 
issuance of forms and documents

[[Page 17296]]

that authorize the movement of regulated articles and is vital to help 
ensure that injurious plant pests are not spread interstate from Hawaii 
and U.S. territories to noninfested areas of the United States.
    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 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 0.0786158 hours per response.
    Respondents: State plant regulatory officials, irradiation facility 
personnel, and individuals involved in growing, packing, handling, and 
transporting plants and plant products.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 1,129.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 11.108945.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 12,542.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 986 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 27th day of March 2008.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
 [FR Doc. E8-6649 Filed 3-31-08; 8:45 am]
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