Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 86 / Wednesday, May 3, 2000 / Notices 25701

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 00–032–1]

Availability of Draft Pest Risk

Assessment for the Importation of

Honeybees and Honeybee Germ Plasm

from Australia

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public

that a draft pest risk assessment has

been prepared by the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service for the

importation of honeybees and honeybee

germ plasm from Australia. We are

making this draft pest risk assessment

available to the public for review and

comment.

DATES: We invite you to comment on the

draft pest risk assessment. We will

consider all comments that we receive

by July 3, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Please send your comment

and three copies to: Docket No. 00–032–

1, Regulatory Analysis and

Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03,

4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale,

MD 20737–1238.

Please state that your comment refers

to Docket No. 00–032–1.

A copy of the draft pest risk

assessment, and any comments that we

receive on it, may be reviewed 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Wayne F. Wehling, Entomologist,

Permits and Risk Assessments, PPQ,

APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133,

Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 734–

8757.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department

of Agriculture has received a request

from the Government of Australia to

allow the importation into the United

States of adult honeybees (Apis

mellifera) (specifically queens and

package bees) and honeybee germ plasm

from Australia. The request was made in

accordance with the General Agreement

on Tariffs and Trade.

To determine whether the risk

associated with such importation is low

enough for us to initiate rulemaking to

implement this change to our

regulations, we have prepared a draft

pest risk assessment, entitled ‘‘Pest Risk

Assessment: Importation of Adult

Queens, Package Bees, and Germ Plasm

of Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) From

Australia,’’ in consultation with the

Government of Australia. The draft pest

risk assessment identifies quarantine

pests associated with the importation of

honeybees and honeybee germ plasm

from Australia and qualitatively

assesses the likelihood of the

introduction of these quarantine pests

into the United States, as well as the

consequences of introduction.

We are making this draft pest risk

assessment available to the public for

review and comment. In particular, we

request feedback on the risk factors,

methodology, and documentation used

in the draft pest risk assessment. We

will consider all comments that we

receive by the date listed under the

heading DATES at the beginning of this

notice.

The draft pest risk assessment is

available in our reading room

(information on the location and hours

of the reading room is listed under the

heading ADDRESSES at the beginning of

this notice), on the Internet at http://

www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/pra/

honeybees/, by calling the Plant

Protection and Quarantine automated

fax retrieval system at (301) 734–3560

and requesting document 0029, or by

contacting the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 281; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80,

and 371.2(c).

Done in Washington, DC, this 28th day of

April 2000.

Bobby R. Acord,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 00–11054 Filed 5–2–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Agricultural Statistics Service

Notice of Intent to Extend and Revise

a Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.

L. 104–13) and Office of Management

and Budget regulations at 5 CFR part

1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995),

this notice announces the intent of the

National Agricultural Statistics Service

(NASS) to extend and revise a currently

approved information collection, the

List Sampling Frame.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by July 7, 2000 to be assured

of consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Contact Rich Allen, Associate

Administrator, National Agricultural

Statistics Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue

SW, Room 4117 South Building,

Washington, DC 20250–2000, (202) 720–

4333.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: List Sampling Frame.

OMB Number: 0535–0140.

Expiration Date of Approval: July 31,

2000.

Type of Request: Intent to extend and

revise a currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: The primary objectives of

the National Agricultural Statistics

Service are to prepare and issue state

and national estimates of crop

production, livestock production,

economic statistics, and environmental

statistics related to agriculture and also

to conduct the Census of Agriculture.

The List Sampling Frame is used to

maintain as complete a list as possible

of farm operations. The goal is to

produce for each state a relatively

complete, current, and unduplicated list

of names to sample for agricultural

operation surveys. Information from

these surveys is used by government

agencies and educational institutions in

planning, farm policy analysis, and

program administration.

These data will be collected under the

authority of 7 U.S.C. 2204(a).

Individually identifiable data collected

under this authority are governed by

Section 1770 of the Food Security Act

of 1985, 7 U.S.C. 2276, which requires

USDA to afford strict confidentiality to

non-aggregated data provided by

respondents.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average 3 minutes per

response.

Respondents: Farms.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

325,000.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 16,670 hours.

Copies of this information collection

and related instructions can be obtained

without charge from Ginny McBride, the

Agency OMB Clearance Officer, at (202)

720–5778.

25702 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 86 / Wednesday, May 3, 2000 / Notices

COMMENTS: Comments are invited on: (a)

Whether the proposed 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 the burden of the proposed collection

of information including the validity of

the methodology and assumptions used;

(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility,

and clarity of the information to be

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the

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. Comments may be sent to:

Ginny McBride, Agency OMB Clearance

Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room

4162 South Building, Washington, DC

20250–2000.

All responses to this notice will

become a matter of public record and be

summarized in the request for OMB

approval.

Signed at Washington, DC, March 24, 2000.

Rich Allen,

Associate Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–11052 Filed 5–2–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Agricultural Statistics Service

Notice of Intent to Seek Approval to

Conduct an Information Collection

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.

L. 104–13) and Office of Management

and Budget regulations at 5 CFR part

1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995),

this notice announces the intent of the

National Agricultural Statistics Service

(NASS) to request approval for an

information collection, the Nursery and

Greenhouse Production and Chemical

Use Survey.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by July 7, 2000 to be assured

of consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Contact Rich Allen, Associate

Administrator, National Agricultural

Statistics Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue

SW, Room 4117 South Building,

Washington, DC 20250–2000; (202) 720–

4333.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Nursery and Greenhouse

Production and Chemical Use Survey.

Type of Request: Intent to Seek

Approval to Conduct an Information

Collection.

Abstract: The goal of this National

Agricultural Statistics Service project is

to measure (1) Production and value of

key nursery products, (2) chemical use

in nurseries and greenhouses, and (3)

chemical use in floriculture. Nursery

and greenhouse production in the

United States was valued at more than

$10 billion in 1998 and is the fastest

growing segment of American

agriculture. USDA, however, has not

previously made regular estimates of

nursery production. The first part of this

survey will start assessing the

production and economic contribution

of the nursery industry to U.S.

agriculture every 2 years. Similarly, the

amount of chemical usage in nursery

and greenhouse operations is not

currently known. The second part of

this survey will measure the chemical

products applied to nursery and

greenhouse products, their rate of

application, and total amount of active

ingredients applied. The results of this

part of the information collection will

provide policy makers with the

information necessary to make informed

and unbiased decisions concerning

pesticide registrations.

A census of the approximately 5,500

nursery and greenhouse operations in

the 14 major producing States will be

conducted to estimate production. Most

operations will receive the productiononly mail questionnaire but a sample

will be personally interviewed with the

production questionnaire plus a

chemical use questionnaire.

Parts one and two, then, will address

the following objectives: measure

production and value of key categories

of nursery and greenhouse products,

identify chemical products used by the

nursery and greenhouse industries, and

measure application rates and total

amount of active ingredients applied.

The third part of this survey involves

the operations in the separate

Commercial Floriculture Survey,

conducted in the 12 major floricultureproducing States. Like the nursery

survey, most floriculture operations will

receive the production-only mail

questionnaire but a sample will be

personally interviewed with the

production questionnaire plus a

chemical use questionnaire.

Data collection for all three parts is

scheduled to coincide with the annual

Commercial Floriculture Survey (of

production, OMB docket #0535–0093)

in January–March 2001. Operations that

are selected for production information

only will be contacted by mail or

telephone. Operations selected for

chemical usage information will have a

face-to-face interview since chemical

use data are not adequately collected by

telephone or mail. These data will be

collected under the authority of 7 U.S.C.

2204(a). Individually identifiable data

collected under this authority are

governed by Section 1770 of the Food

Security Act of 1985, 7 U.S.C. 2276,

which requires USDA to afford strict

confidentiality to non-aggregated data

provided by respondents.

Estimate of Burden: Based on data

collected on the Commercial

Floriculture Survey and previously

conducted chemical use surveys, it is

estimated that the production-only mail

questionnaire will take about 1⁄2 hour to

complete and personal interviews will

take 1⁄2 hour for the production portion

and 1⁄2 hour for the chemical use

portion. Floriculture production data

are covered by the separate docket and

will not count toward this estimate of

burden. There will be an advance letter

to all operations. A response rate of 85%

is expected.

Respondents: Producers of nursery

and greenhouse products.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

8,000.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 4,200.

Copies of this information collection

and related instructions can be obtained

without charge from Ginny McBride,

Agency OMB Clearance Officer, at (202)

720–5778.

COMMENTS: Comments are invited on: (a)

Whether the proposed 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 the burden of the proposed collection

of information including the validity of

the methodology and assumptions used;

(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility,

and clarity of the information to be

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the

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. Comments may be sent to:

Ginny McBride, Agency OMB Clearance

Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room

4162 South Building, Washington, DC