[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 143 (Wednesday, July 25, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35273-35275]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15923]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-0266; FRL-9979-93]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Renewal of an 
Existing Collection (EPA ICR No. 0161.14); Comment Request

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), this 
document announces that EPA is planning to submit an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 
The ICR, entitled: ``Foreign Purchaser Acknowledgement Statement of 
Unregistered Pesticides'' and identified by EPA ICR No. 0161.14 and OMB 
Control No. 2070-0027, represents the renewal of an existing ICR that 
is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2019. Before submitting the ICR to 
OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting

[[Page 35274]]

comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection 
that is summarized in this document. The ICR and accompanying material 
are available in the docket for public review and comment.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 24, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-0266, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit 
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute.
     Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 
20460-0001.
     Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand 
delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the 
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html.
    Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along 
with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carolyn Siu, Field and External 
Affairs Division (7506P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (703) 347-0159; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. What information is EPA particularly interested in?

    Pursuant to PRA section 3506(c)(2)(A) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), 
EPA specifically solicits comments and information to enable it to:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed 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 the Agency's estimates of the burden of 
the proposed 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.
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from 
very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of 
specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork 
burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.

II. What information collection activity or ICR does this action apply 
to?

    Title: ``Foreign Purchaser Acknowledgement Statement of 
Unregistered Pesticides''.
    ICR number: EPA ICR No. 0161.14.
    OMB control number: OMB Control No. 2070-0027.
    ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on March 31, 
2019. An Agency 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. The OMB control numbers for EPA's 
regulations in title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), after 
appearing in the Federal Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR 
part 9, are displayed either by publication in the Federal Register or 
by other appropriate means, such as on the related collection 
instrument or form, if applicable. The display of OMB control numbers 
for certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
    Abstract: This information collection enables the EPA to provide 
notice to foreign purchasers of unregistered pesticides exported from 
the United States that the pesticide product cannot be sold in the 
United States. Section 17(a)(2) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, 
and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requires an exporter of any pesticide not 
registered under FIFRA section 3 or sold under FIFRA section 6(a)(1) to 
obtain a signed statement from the foreign purchaser acknowledging that 
the purchaser is aware that the pesticide is not registered for use in, 
and cannot be sold in, the United States. A copy of this statement; 
which is known as the Foreign Purchaser Acknowledgement Statement 
(FPAS), must be transmitted to the Designated National Authority or 
appropriate official of the government in the importing country. This 
information is submitted in the form of annual or per-shipment 
statements to the EPA, which maintains original records and transmits 
copies, along with an explanatory letter to appropriate government 
officials of the countries which are importing the pesticide.
    In addition to the export notification for unregistered pesticides, 
FIFRA requires that all exported pesticides include appropriate 
labeling. There are different requirements for registered and 
unregistered products. Export labeling requirements meet the definition 
of third-party notification. In the interests of consolidating various 
related information collection requests, this ICR includes the burden 
estimates for the FPAS requirement for unregistered pesticides, as well 
as the labeling requirement for all exported pesticides, both 
registered and unregistered. These burdens have been consolidated in 
this information collection since the implementation of the 1993 
pesticide export policy governing the export of pesticides, devices, 
and active ingredients used in producing pesticides.
    Burden statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to be 1 to 8 
hours per response, depending on the activity. Burden is defined in 5 
CFR 1320.3(b).
    The ICR, which is available in the docket along with other related 
materials, provides a detailed explanation of the collection activities 
and the burden estimate that is only briefly summarized here:
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this ICR are individuals or entities engaged that either manufacture 
and export pesticides or that reformulate or repackage and export 
pesticides. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) 
code assigned to the parties responding to this information is 3250A1.
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 2,240 annually.
    Frequency of response: On occasion.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 2.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 16,660 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $1,087,102. This includes an 
estimated burden cost of $1,087,102 and an estimated cost of $0 or 
capital investment or maintenance and operational costs.

III. Are there changes in the estimates from the last approval?

    There is a decrease of 1,333 hours in the total estimated 
respondent burden compared with that identified in the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease reflects EPA's decrease in the annual 
number of foreign purchaser acknowledgment statements submitted (from 
3,024 to 2,774) which resulted in a change to the annual burden hours 
for respondents from 3,205 in the previous renewal to 2,940 in the 
current renewal.

[[Page 35275]]

The respondent burden associated with labeling requirements for 
unregistered exported pesticides decreased from 4,888 in the previous 
renewal to 4,480 in the current renewal. The respondent burden 
associated with labeling requirements for registered exported 
pesticides decreased from 9,900 in the previous renewal to 9,240 in the 
current renewal. The decrease in burden is due to a decrease in the 
estimated number of respondents per calendar year of 2015-2017. Total 
labor costs for respondents decreased due to a decrease in the 
estimated number of respondents per calendar year from 2015-2017 and 
changes in the wage rates made to reflect current wage rates. The new 
wage estimates incorporated higher estimates for benefits than was used 
in the previous renewal. These changes are an adjustment.

IV. What is the next step in the process for this ICR?

    EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as 
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for 
review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. EPA will issue another 
Federal Register document pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to 
announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to submit 
additional comments to OMB. If you have any questions about this ICR or 
the approval process, please contact the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

    Dated: July 16, 2018.
Charlotte Bertrand,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical 
Safety and Pollution Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2018-15923 Filed 7-24-18; 8:45 am]
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