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,

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rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

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statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

50991 

Vol. 76, No. 159 

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2011–0083] 

Notice of Request for Extension of 

Approval of an Information Collection; 

User Fee Regulations 

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 

the collection of user fees. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before October 17, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0083- 

0001. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2011–0083, 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-2011-0083 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) 690–2817 

before coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on user fees, contact Ms. 

Kris Caraher, User Fees Section Head, 

Financial Management Division, 

MRPBS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 

55, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734– 

5743. For copies of more detailed 

information on the information 

collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, 

APHIS’ Information Collection 

Coordinator, at (301) 851–2908. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: User Fee Regulations. 

OMB Number: 0579–0094. 

Type of Request: Extension of 

approval of an information collection. 

Abstract: Section 2509 of the Food, 

Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 

Act of 1990, as amended, authorizes the 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS) to collect user fees for 

agricultural quarantine and inspection 

(AQI) services, for providing for the 

inspection and certification of plants 

and plant products offered for export or 

transiting the United States, and for 

providing veterinary diagnostic services 

and services related to the importation 

and exportation of animals and animal 

products. 

Although certain AQI functions, but 

not the laws or regulations upon which 

they are premised, were transferred 

from APHIS to the Customs and Border 

Protection (CBP) bureau of the 

Department of Homeland Security in 

2002, APHIS remains responsible for the 

regulations related to AQI activities, 

including the user fee regulations. 

APHIS also remains responsible for 

administration of the user fee programs. 

Neither APHIS nor CBP receives an 

appropriation to fund these activities; 

instead, user fees are calculated and 

assessed to ensure full cost recovery of 

each user fee program. If the 

information was not collected, the 

agencies would not be able to perform 

the services since the fees collected are 

necessary to fund the work. 

Requesters of services usually are 

repeat customers, and, in many cases, 

request that we bill them for our 

services. Also, the 1996 Debt Collection 

Improvement Act requires that agencies 

collect tax identification numbers (TINs) 

from all persons doing business with the 

Government for purposes of collecting 

delinquent debts. Without a TIN, service 

cannot be provided on a credit basis. 

The requests for services are in 

writing, by telephone, or in person. The 

information contained in each request 

identifies the specific service requested 

and the time in which the requester 

wishes the service to be performed. This 

information is necessary in order for the 

animal import centers and port offices 

to schedule the work and to calculate 

the fees due. 

APHIS is responsible for ensuring that 

the fees collected are correct and that 

they are remitted in full and in a timely 

manner. To ensure this, the party 

(ticketing agents for transportation 

companies) responsible for collecting 

and remitting fees must allow APHIS 

personnel to verify the accuracy of the 

fees collected and remitted, and 

otherwise determine compliance with 

the statute and regulations. We also 

require that whoever is responsible for 

making fee payments advise us of the 

name, address, and telephone number of 

a responsible officer who is authorized 

to verify fee calculations, collections, 

and remittances. 

This information collection is 

necessary for APHIS to effectively 

collect fees, ensure remittances in a 

timely manner, and determine proper 

credit for payment of international air 

passenger, aircraft clearance, 

commercial truck, commercial railroad 

car, commercial vessel, phytosanitary 

certificate, import/export, and 

veterinary diagnostic user fees. 

We have reviewed the paperwork 

requirements of the user fee programs 

and have made every possible effort to 

streamline our processes and minimize 

the impact on the public. Whenever 

possible, we use existing billing/ 

collection methods to minimize the cost 

to the Agency. 

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; 


Emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
50992 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 159 / Wednesday, August 17, 2011 / Notices 

(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 

0.0541 hours per response. 

Respondents: Arriving international 

passengers, owners and operators of 

arriving international means of 

conveyance, importers/exporters who 

wish to import or export plants and 

plant products, and importers/exporters 

who wish to import or export animals 

and animal products. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 51,957. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 5.69. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 295,881. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 15,997 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 10th day of 

August 2011. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–20883 Filed 8–16–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2011–0078] 

Notice of Availability of a Pest Risk 

Analysis for the Importation of 

Shredded Lettuce From Egypt 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we have prepared a pest risk 

analysis that evaluates the risks 

associated with the importation into the 

continental United States of fresh 

shredded lettuce from Egypt. Based on 

this analysis, we believe that the 

application of one or more designated 

phytosanitary measures will be 

sufficient to mitigate the risks of 

introducing or disseminating plant pests 

or noxious weeds via the importation of 

fresh shredded lettuce from Egypt. We 

are making the pest risk analysis 

available to the public for review and 

comment. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before October 17, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!documentDetail;D=APHIS–2011– 

0078–0001. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2011–0078, 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–2011–0078 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) 690–2817 

before coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Marc Phillips, Import Specialist, RCC, 

RPM, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road 

Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 

734–4394. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Under the regulations in ‘‘Subpart— 

Fruits and Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56– 

1 through 319.56–51, referred to below 

as the regulations), the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

prohibits or restricts the importation of 

fruits and vegetables into the United 

States from certain parts of the world to 

prevent plant pests from being 

introduced into and spread within the 

United States. 

Section 319.56–4 contains a 

performance-based process for 

approving the importation of 

commodities that, based on the findings 

of a pest risk analysis, can be safely 

imported subject to one or more of the 

designated phytosanitary measures 

listed in paragraph (b) of that section. 

APHIS received a request from the 

Government of Egypt to allow the 

importation of fresh shredded lettuce 

(Lactuca sativa L.) from Egypt into the 

continental United States. Currently, 

fresh shredded lettuce is not authorized 

for entry from Egypt. We have 

completed a pest risk analysis for the 

purpose of evaluating the pest risks 

associated with the importation of fresh 

shredded lettuce into the continental 

United States. The analysis consists of 

a pest list identifying pests of 

quarantine significance that are present 

in Egypt and could follow the pathway 

of importation into the United States 

and a risk management document 

identifying phytosanitary measures that 

could be applied to the commodity to 

mitigate the pest risk. 

We have concluded that fresh 

shredded lettuce can be safely imported 

into the continental United States from 

Egypt using one or more of the five 

designated phytosanitary measures 

listed in § 319.56–4(b). The measures we 

selected are: 

• Fresh shredded lettuce may be 

imported into the continental United 

States in commercial consignments 

only. 

• Each consignment of shredded 

lettuce leaves must be accompanied by 

a phytosanitary certificate issued by the 

national plant protection organization of 

Egypt with an additional declaration 

stating the following: ‘‘Shredded lettuce 

leaves in this consignment were 

inspected and found free from 

quarantine pests.’’ 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 319.56–4(c), we are announcing the 

availability of our pest risk analysis for 

public review and comment. The pest 

risk analysis may be viewed on the 

Regulations.gov Web site or in our 

reading room (see ADDRESSES above for 

a link to Regulations.gov and 

information on the location and hours of 

the reading room). You may request 

paper copies of the pest risk analysis by 

calling or writing to the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. Please refer to the subject of 

the pest risk analysis you wish to review 

when requesting copies. 

After reviewing any comments we 

receive, we will announce our decision 

regarding the import status of fresh 

shredded lettuce from Egypt in a 

subsequent notice. If the overall 

conclusions of the analysis and the 

Administrator’s determination of risk 

remain unchanged following our 

consideration of the comments, then we 

will begin issuing permits for the 

importation of fresh shredded lettuce 

from Egypt into the continental United 

States subject to the requirements 

specified in the risk management 

documents. 


Emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES