[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 19 (Monday, January 29, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4023-4024]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01575]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 19 / Monday, January 29, 2018 / 
Notices  

[[Page 4023]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2017-0108]


Notice of Request for Reinstatement of Approval of an Information 
Collection; Foreign Quarantine Notices

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Reinstatement 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 a reinstatement of approval of an information 
collection associated with the regulations to prevent the introduction 
or spread of foreign plants pests and diseases into or within the 
United States.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before March 
30, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0108.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2017-0108, 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-2017-
0108 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 foreign 
quarantine notices, contact Mr. Marc Phillips, Senior Regulatory Policy 
Specialist, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737; 
(301) 851-2114. For copies of more detailed information on the 
information collection, contact Ms. Kimberly Hardy, APHIS' Information 
Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851-2483.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Foreign Quarantine Notices.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0049.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement of approval of an information 
collection.
    Abstract: The Plant Protection Act (PPA, 7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) 
authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to restrict the importation, 
entry, or interstate movement of plants, plant products, and other 
articles to prevent the introduction of plant pests and diseases into 
the United States or their dissemination 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 importation of plants, fruits, vegetables, 
roots, bulbs, seeds, unmanufactured wood articles, and other plant 
products are contained in 7 CFR part 319, ``Foreign Quarantine 
Notices.'' Regulations governing the transit of certain products or 
articles that are classified as prohibited or restricted products or 
articles are contained in 7 CFR part 352, ``Plant Quarantine Safeguard 
Regulations.''
    The movement of plants and plant products requires various 
information collection activities, such as operational workplans; 
cooperative service agreements; trust funds; production or processing 
site/facility registrations; foreign site certification of inspection 
and/or treatment; applications for permits; appeals of denial or 
revocation of permits; requests for additional mailing labels; 
compliance agreements; phytosanitary certificates; labeling; importer 
documents; agreements for post entry quarantine State screening 
notices; 30-day article notifications; requests for emergency 
transshipment or division; notices of arrival; emergency action 
notifications; and monitoring/recordkeeping from entities responsible 
for growing, packing, handling, transporting, and importing foreign 
plants parts (roots, bulbs, seeds, fruit, leaves, etc.), plant 
products, timber, and timber products. In addition, APHIS collects 
required information from national plant protection organizations 
(NPPOs) as part of the commodity import approval process.
    For efficiency, we have consolidated current information 
collections and existing activities related to 7 CFR parts 319 and 352 
into this information collection request. The information collected is 
vital to helping APHIS ensure that plants and plant products do not 
harbor plant pests or diseases that, if introduced into the United 
States, could cause millions of dollars in damage to U.S. agriculture.
    We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve 
our use of these information collection activities, as described, 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 burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 0.01 hours per response.
    Respondents: Facilities; growers; producers; production, 
processing, and packing sites; importers; individuals; businesses; 
brokers; shippers; NPPOs; and foreign plant protection authorities.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 22,115.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 2,326.

[[Page 4024]]

    Estimated annual number of responses: 51,437,932.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 535,352 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 23rd day of January 2018.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-01575 Filed 1-26-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P