[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 248 (Monday, December 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80792-80793]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32546]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FW-HQ-LE-2015-N243; FF09L00200-FX-LE18110900000]


Proposed Renewal of Information Collection; Declaration for 
Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Service) will ask the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information 
collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork 
and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal 
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is 
scheduled to expire on April 30, 2016. We 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.

DATES: To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC, 
we must receive them by February 26, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to the Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or [email protected] 
(email). Please include ``1018-0012'' in the subject line of your 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this IC, contact Hope Grey at [email protected] (email) or 703-
358-2482 (telephone).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) makes it 
unlawful to import or export fish, wildlife, or plants without filing a 
declaration or report deemed necessary for enforcing the Act or 
upholding the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 
(CITES) (see 16 U.S.C. 1538(e)). With a few exceptions, businesses, 
individuals, or government agencies importing into or exporting from 
the United States any fish, wildlife, or wildlife product must complete 
and submit to the Service an FWS Form 3-177 (Declaration for 
Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife). This form as well as 
FWS Form 3-177a (Continuation Sheet) and instructions for completion 
are available for electronic submission at https://edecs.fws.gov. These 
forms are also available in fillable format at http://www.fws.gov/forms/.
    The information that we collect is unique to each wildlife shipment 
and enables us to:
     Accurately inspect the contents of the shipment;
     Enforce any regulations that pertain to the fish, 
wildlife, or wildlife products contained in the shipment; and
     Maintain records of the importation and exportation of 
these commodities.
    Businesses or individuals must file FWS Forms 3-177 and 3-177a with 
us at the time and port where they request clearance of the import or 
export of wildlife or wildlife products. Our regulations allow for 
certain species of wildlife to be imported or exported between the 
United States and Canada or Mexico at U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection ports, even though our wildlife inspectors may not be 
present.
    In these instances, importers and exporters may file the forms with 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. We collect the following 
information:
    (1) Name of the importer or exporter and broker.
    (2) Scientific and common name of the fish or wildlife.
    (3) Permit numbers (if permits are required).
    (4) Description, quantity, and value of the fish or wildlife.
    (5) Natural country of origin of the fish or wildlife.
    In addition, certain information, such as the airway bill or bill 
of lading number, the location of the shipment containing the fish or 
wildlife for inspection, and the number of cartons containing fish or 
wildlife, assists our wildlife inspectors if a physical

[[Page 80793]]

examination of the shipment is necessary.
    In 2009, we implemented a new user fee system intended to recover 
the costs of the compliance portion of the wildlife inspection program. 
Since that time, we have been made aware that we may have placed an 
undue economic burden on businesses that exclusively trade in small 
volumes of low-value, non-federally protected wildlife parts and 
products. To address this issue, we implemented a program that exempts 
certain businesses from the designated port base inspection fees as an 
interim measure while we reassess the current user fee system. 
Businesses that possess a valid Service import/export license may 
request to participate in the fee exemption program through our 
electronic filing system (eDecs). Qualified licensees must create an 
eDecs filer account as an importer or exporter, if they do not already 
have one, and file their required documents electronically. To be an 
approved participating business in the program and receive an exemption 
from the designated port base inspection fee, the licensed business 
must certify that it will exclusively import or export nonliving 
wildlife that is not listed as injurious under 50 CFR part 16 and does 
not require a permit or certificate under 50 CFR parts 15 (Wild Bird 
Conservation Act), 17 (Endangered Species Act), 18 (Marine Mammal 
Protection Act), 20 and 21 (Migratory Bird Treaty Act), 22 (Bald and 
Golden Eagle Protection Act), or 23 (the Convention on International 
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). The requesting 
business also must certify that it will exclusively import or export 
the above types of wildlife shipments where the quantity in each 
shipment of wildlife parts or products is 25 or fewer and the total 
value of each wildlife shipment is $5,000 or less. Any licensed 
business that has more than two wildlife shipments that were refused 
clearance in the 5 years prior to its request is not eligible for the 
program. In addition, any licensees that have been assessed a civil 
penalty, issued a Notice of Violation, or convicted of a misdemeanor or 
felony violation involving wildlife import or export will not be 
eligible to participate in the program.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1018-0012.
    Title: Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or 
Wildlife, 50 CFR 14.61-14.64 and 14.94.
    Service Form Numbers: 3-177 and 3-177a.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Description of Respondents: Businesses or individuals that import 
or export fish, wildlife, or wildlife products; scientific institutions 
that import or export fish or wildlife scientific specimens; and 
government agencies that import or export fish or wildlife specimens 
for various purposes.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

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                                                                                    Completion
                                                     Number of       Number of       time per      Total annual
                    Activity                        respondents      responses       response      burden hours
                                                                                     (minutes)
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3-177 hard copy submission......................           3,148          28,332              15           7,083
3-177 electronic submission.....................          17,593         154,971              10          25,829
Fee waiver certification........................           1,000           1,000               1              17
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................          21,741         184,303  ..............          32,929
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    Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

III. Comments

    We invite comments concerning this information collection on:
     Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
     The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 
collection of information;
     Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this IC. Before including your address, phone number, 
email address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your 
personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

    Dated: December 21, 2015.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-32546 Filed 12-24-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P