[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 23, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8031-8032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3433]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
February 17, 2010
The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments
regarding (a) 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; (b) the accuracy
of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to
minimize the
[[Page 8032]]
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 should be addressed to: Desk Officer for
Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), [email protected] or fax (202)
395-5806 and to Departmental Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail Stop
7602, Washington, DC 20250-7602. Comments regarding these information
collections are best assured of having their full effect if received
within 30 days of this notification. Copies of the submission(s) may be
obtained by calling (202) 720-8958.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays
a currently valid OMB control number.
Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service
Title: 7 CFR 340; Introduction of Organisms and Products Altered or
Produced Through Genetic Engineering.
OMB Control Number: 0579-0085.
Summary of Collection: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) is charged with preventing the introduction of plant
pest into the United States or their dissemination within the United
States. The statutory requirements for the information collection
activity are found in the Plant Pest Act (PPA). The regulations in 7
CFR part 340 implement the provisions of the PPA by providing the
information necessary to establish conditions for proposed
introductions of certain genetically engineered organisms and products
which present a risk of plant pest introduction. APHIS will collect
information using several APHIS forms.
Need and Use of the Information: APHIS will collect the information
through a notification procedure or a permit requirement to ensure that
certain genetically engineered organisms, when imported, moved
interstate, or released into the environment, will not present a risk
of plant pest introduction. The information collected through the
petition process is used to determine whether a genetically engineered
organism will pose a risk to agriculture or the environment if grown in
the absence of regulations by APHIS. The information is also provided
to State departments of agriculture for review, and made available to
the public and private sectors on the Internet to ensure that all
sectors are kept informed concerning any potential risks posed through
the use of genetic engineering technology.
Description of Respondents: Business or other for profit; Not-for-
profit institutions; State, Local or Tribal Government.
Number of Respondents: 121.
Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 3,308.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Title: Tuberculosis Testing for Imported Cattle.
OMB Control Number: 0579-0224.
Summary of Collection: Under the authority of the Animal Health
Protection Act of 2002, 7 U.S.C., 8301 (et seq.), the Secretary of
Agriculture is permitted to prevent, control and eliminate domestic
diseases such as tuberculosis, as well as to take actions to prevent
and to manage exotic diseases such as foot-and-mouth, rinderpest, and
other foreign diseases. Disease prevention is the most effective method
for maintaining a healthy animal population and enhancing the ability
of U.S. producers to compete in the global market of animal and animal
product trade. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
will collect information using form VS 17-129, ``Application for Import
or In Transit Permit.''
Need and Use of the Information: APHIS will collect information
from the permit application regarding the type, number, and
identification of the animals to be exported to the United States, as
well as information concerning the origin, intended date and location
of arrival, routes of travel, and destination of the animals. APHIS
will also collect information that certified that the herd in which the
cattle was born and raised has tested TB-negative to a whole herd test.
Failure to collect this information would make it impossible for APHIS
to effectively evaluate the TB risks associated with cattle importation
from Mexico, thereby increasing the likelihood that healthy cattle and
bison throughout the United States will be exposed to tuberculosis.
Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Farms.
Number of Respondents: 80,075.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 82,893.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Title: Asian Longhorn Beetle (ALB).
OMB Control Number: 0579-0311.
Summary of Collection: In accordance with 7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.,
the Secretary of Agriculture has the ability to prohibit or restrict
the importation, exportation and the interstate movement of plants,
plant products, certain biological control organisms, noxious weeds,
and plant pests. The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is a destructive
pest of hardwood trees. It attacks many healthy hardwood trees,
including maple, horse chestnut, birch, popular, willow, and elm. The
beetle bores into the heartwood of a host tree, eventually killing the
tree. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) has administered an ALB Cooperative
Eradication Program since 1996 to eradicate this destructive pest from
the United States. Areas found to be infested are quarantined, and the
movement of host material from the area is restricted. However, ALB
continues to be a serious threat, and APHIS believes that public
support is crucial to eradication efforts. APHIS plans to enlist the
public's assistance in reporting the presence or absence of the ALB in
their local areas. APHIS relies on the public to report sighting of the
beetle or beetle damage they may see in their local area. This
reporting, which is done through a simple on-line survey form to record
suspected sighting of ALB.
Need and Use of the Information: The voluntary online survey will
collect the following information from each respondent: For positive
sightings, the name of the person reporting the finding, a way to
contact then, the exact address/location of the sighting, and details
on where the tree is located are needed. Failure to collect this
information could lead to the deregulation of areas where the beetle is
still present, thus leading to a large scale outbreak.
Description of Respondents: Individuals or households.
Number of Respondents: 5,000.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 415.
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-3433 Filed 2-22-10; 8:45 am]
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