[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 132 (Tuesday, July 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40564-40565]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16798]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 132 / Tuesday, July 10, 2012 / 
Notices  

[[Page 40564]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2012-0050]


Notice of Request for Approval of an Information Collection; 
Asian Longhorned Beetle Consumer Research Survey

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: 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 
(APHIS) intention to request an approval of an information collection 
associated with the APHIS Asian longhorned beetle eradication program.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
September 10, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0050-0001.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2012-0050, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may 
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-
0050 or in our reading room, which 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) 799-7039 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the Asian 
longhorned beetle consumer research survey, contact Ms. Heather 
Curlett, Outreach and Risk Communications Coordinator, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 
River Road Unit 130, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-2294. For copies of 
more detailed information on the information collection, contact Mrs. 
Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 
851-2908.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Asian Longhorned Beetle Consumer Research Survey.
    OMB Number: 0579-XXXX.
    Type of Request: Approval of an information collection.
    Abstract: The APHIS Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) Cooperative 
Eradication Program is responsible for protecting the United States' 
hardwood forests and parklands, as well as urban and suburban trees, 
from ALB infestation. The program works towards halting the spread of 
this devastating pest and preventing it from becoming established. 
Through survey, control, regulatory compliance measures, and public 
education, the ALB program protects trees on private property, in 
parks, and along streets. The program also protects tree-dependent 
industries such as timber, maple syrup, nurseries, and tourism.
    One of the most common ways the ALB can spread is by human 
transport. Of particular concern is firewood cut from personal or 
neighborhood trees and moved to areas that are not currently infested 
with ALB or other invasive insects or plant diseases. The vigilance of 
residents in and around ALB regulated areas looking for the beetle and 
signs of infestation and reporting any suspicions, along with their 
adherence to rules regarding the movement of firewood, remain crucial. 
It is also important that citizens allow program officials access to 
private property for survey and treatment activities. Citizens in areas 
not currently ALB infested should also be cognizant of the beetle and 
why firewood movement should be curtailed.
    The ALB Cooperative Eradication Program has been working to 
eradicate the ALB from the United States since 1996. Although steady 
progress has been made, areas remain vulnerable to ALB infestation as 
long as the beetle exists in the United States. Parts of Massachusetts, 
New Jersey, and New York are quarantined for ALB and the insect was 
recently detected in Ohio. People who live or work in or around ALB-
affected and at-risk areas are critical to the United States Department 
of Agriculture's mission to stop the ALB. Alert community members have 
been the first to report every ALB infestation detected in the United 
States thus far. To stop the spread of this pest, the ALB Cooperative 
Eradication Program must retain the public's attention and would like 
to reach more people in different ways.
    This information collection activity will help APHIS determine if 
current public communication initiatives that support the eradication 
program are effectively communicating necessary information about the 
pest, the eradication program, and the steps the public can take to 
help prevent the spread of ALB. APHIS will use this information to 
revise ALB-specific public communication efforts to better align with 
public information needs.
    We are asking the Office of Management and Budget to approve our 
use of these information collection activities 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 0.25 hours per response.
    Respondents: Consumers 18 years of age or older living in target 
counties in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio.

[[Page 40565]]

    Estimated annual number of respondents: 1,000.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 1.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 1,000.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 250 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 29th day of June 2012.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-16798 Filed 7-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P