[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 185 (Friday, September 26, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46381-46382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-18744]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2025-0037]
Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information
Collection; Standardizing Phytosanitary Treatment Regulations: Approval
of Cold Treatment and Irradiation Facilities; Cold Treatment Schedules;
and Establishment of Fumigation and Cold Treatment Compliance
Agreements
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 the phytosanitary treatment regulations to
establish generic criteria that would allow for the approval of new
cold treatment facilities in the Southern and Western States of the
United States.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
November 25, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov.
Enter APHIS-2025-0037 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab,
then select the Comment button in the list of documents.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2025-0037, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD,
APHIS, 5601 Sunnyside Ave., #AP760, Beltsville, MD 20705.
Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov 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 environmental
monitoring, contact Mr. Xiangbing Yang, Laboratory Director, APHIS,
PPQ, ST, 13601 Old Cutler Rd., Miami, FL 33158; (305) 278-4881. For
more detailed information on the information collection process,
contact Ms. Sheniqua Harris, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator,
at 301-851-2528 or email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Standardizing Phytosanitary Treatment Regulations: Approval
of Cold Treatment and Irradiation Facilities; Cold Treatment Schedules;
and Establishment of Fumigation and Cold Treatment Compliance
Agreements.
OMB Control Number: 0579-0450.
Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information
collection.
Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is
responsible for preventing plant diseases or insect pests from entering
the United States, preventing the spread of pests and noxious weeds not
widely distributed into the United States, and eradicating those
imported pests when eradication is feasible. The Plant Protection Act
(PPA, 7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) authorizes the Department to carry out
this mission. Under the PPA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) is authorized, among other things, to regulate the
importation of plants, plant products, and other articles to prevent
the introduction of plant pests into the United States.
The Phytosanitary treatment regulations contained in 7 CFR part
305.1 thru 305.9 (referred to below as the regulations), set out the
general requirements for performing treatments and certifying or
approving treatment facilities for fruits, vegetables, and other
articles to prevent the introduction or dissemination of plant pests or
noxious weeds into or throughout the United States.
The phytosanitary treatment regulations establish generic criteria
that would allow for the approval of new cold treatment and irradiation
facilities; cold treatment schedules; and establishment of fumigation
and cold treatment compliance agreements. These criteria, if met, would
allow APHIS to approve new cold treatment facilities without rulemaking
and facilitate the importation of fruit requiring cold treatment while
continuing to provide protection against the introduction of pests of
concern into the United States. The fruit cutting and inspection
requirements in the cold treatment regulations expands cutting and
inspection to commodities that have been treated for a wider variety of
pests of concern. These actions provide for a greater degree of
phytosanitary protection. APHIS also requires the establishment of
compliance agreements for those entities that operate fumigation
facilities. Finally, APHIS requires harmonized language concerning
State compliance with facility establishment and parameters for the
movement of consignments from the port of entry or points of origin in
the United States to the treatment facility in the irradiation
treatment regulations language in the cold treatment regulations.
APHIS is asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to
approve the use of these information collection activities, for an
additional 3 years, associated with its efforts to prevent the spread
of plant pests and plant diseases in the United States.
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 0.51 hours per response.
Respondents: National plant protection organizations, facility
operators, importers, and State governments.
Estimated annual number of respondents: 205.
[[Page 46382]]
Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 2.
Estimated annual number of responses: 385.
Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 205 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 22nd day of September 2025.
Michael Watson,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-18744 Filed 9-25-25; 8:45 am]
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