[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), <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#17585e4556484462757a7e64647e787957585a553952584739505841"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c7888e95869894b2a5aaaeb4b4aea8a987888a85e9828897e9808891">[email protected]</span></a> 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]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P


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