[Federal Register: April 12, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 69)]
[Notices]
[Page 19053-19054]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12ap05-34]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
[[Page 19053]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 05-020-1]
Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information
Collection
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Extension of approval of an information collection; comment
request.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 with regulations to protect endangered species of
terrestrial plants.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before June
13, 2005.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
EDOCKET: Go to http://www.epa.gov/feddocket to submit or view
public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the
official public docket, and to access those documents in the public
docket that are available electronically. Once you have entered
EDOCKET, click on the ``View Open APHIS Dockets'' link to locate this
document. Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies of
your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. 05-020-1,
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700
River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your
comment refers to Docket No. 05-020-1.
Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on this
docket in our reading room. The reading room 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) 690-2817 before coming.
Other Information: You may view APHIS documents published in the
Federal Register and related information on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html
.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding regulations
to protect endangered species of terrestrial plants, contact Mr. James
Petit de Mange, CITES and Plant Inspection Station Coordinator,
Quarantine Policy, Analysis and Support, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road,
Unit 60, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734-7839. For copies of more
detailed information on the information collection, contact Mrs.
Celeste Sickles, APHIS Information Collection Coordinator, at (301)
734-7477.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Endangered Species Regulations and Forfeiture Procedures.
OMB Number: 0579-0076.
Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information
collection.
Abstract: Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) is responsible for protecting endangered species of terrestrial
plants by regulating the individuals or entities who are engaged in the
business of importing, exporting, or reexporting these plants.
To carry out this mission, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS), USDA, administers regulations at 7 CFR part 355. In
accordance with these regulations, any individual, nursery, or other
entity wishing to engage in the business of importing, exporting, or
reexporting terrestrial plants listed in the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
regulations at 50 CFR 17.12 or 23.23 must obtain a protected plant
permit. This includes importers, exporters, or reexporters who sell,
barter, collect, or otherwise exchange or acquire terrestrial plants as
a livelihood or enterprise engaged in for gain or profit. This does not
include persons engaged in business merely as carriers or customhouse
brokers.
To obtain a protected plant permit, these individuals or entities
must complete an application and submit it to APHIS for approval. When
a permit has been issued, the plants covered by the permit may be
imported into the United States, exported, or reexported, provided they
are accompanied by documentation required by the regulations and
provided all other conditions of the regulations are met.
Effectively regulating entities who are engaged in the business of
importing, exporting, or reexporting endangered species requires the
use of this application process, as well as the use of other
information collection activities, such as notifying APHIS of the
impending importation, exportation, or reexportation of endangered
species, marking containers used for the importation, exportation, and
reexportation of plants, and creating and maintaining records of
importation, exportation, and reexportation.
The information provided by these information collection activities
is critical to our ability to carry out the responsibilities assigned
to us by the Endangered Species Act. These responsibilities include the
careful monitoring of importation, exportation, and reexportation
activities involving endangered species of plants, as well as
investigating possible violations of the Endangered Species Act.
We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve
our use of these information collection activities for an additional 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
[[Page 19054]]
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 0.13575 hours per response.
Respondents: U.S. importers, exporters, and reexporters of
endangered species of terrestrial plants.
Estimated annual number of respondents: 8,197.
Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 4.4647.
Estimated annual number of responses: 36,597.
Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 4,968 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 6th day of April 2005.
Elizabeth E. Gaston,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E5-1682 Filed 4-11-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P