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contains documents other than rules or

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Notices Federal Register

46769 

Vol. 79, No. 154 

Monday, August 11, 2014 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2014–0057] 

Notice of Request for Extension of 

Approval of an Information Collection; 

Introduction of Organisms and 

Products Altered or Produced Through 

Genetic Engineering 

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 regulations for the introduction of 

organisms and products altered or 

produced through genetic engineering. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before October 10, 

2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docket

Detail;D=APHIS-2014-0057. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2014–0057, 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-2014-0057 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) 799–7039 before 

coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information regarding the regulations 

for the introduction of organisms and 

products altered or produced through 

genetic engineering, contact Ms. Cindy 

Eck, Document Control Officer, Policy 

Coordination Programs, BRS, APHIS, 

4700 River Road Unit 146, Riverdale, 

MD 20737; (301) 851–3892. 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: 7 CFR Part 340; Introduction of 

Organisms and Products Altered or 

Produced Through Genetic Engineering. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0085. 

Type of Request: Extension of 

approval of an information collection. 

Abstract: Under the Plant Protection 

Act (PPA, 7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), the 

Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to 

prohibit or restrict the importation, 

entry, or movement in interstate 

commerce of any plant, plant product, 

biological control organism, noxious 

weed, article, or means of conveyance, 

if the Secretary determines that the 

prohibition or restriction is necessary to 

prevent the introduction or the 

dissemination of a plant pest into the 

United States. 

Under the authority, the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture’s Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

has established regulations in 7 CFR 

part 340, ‘‘Introduction of Organisms 

and Products Altered or Produced 

Through Genetic Engineering Which 

Are Plant Pests or Which There is 

Reason to Believe Are Plant Pests.’’ The 

regulations govern the introduction 

(importation, interstate movement, or 

release into the environment) of covered 

genetically engineered organisms and 

products (‘‘regulated articles’’). A permit 

must be obtained or a notification 

acknowledged before a regulated article 

may be introduced. 

The regulations set forth the permit 

application requirements and the 

notification procedures for the 

introduction of a regulated article and 

necessitate certain information and 

recordkeeping requirements, including 

APHIS-issued permits, applicants’ filed 

testing records, and the submission of 

protocols to ensure compliance. 

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 

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 

0.9451 hours per response. 

Respondents: Applicants from 

agricultural companies. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 121. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 28.93. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 3,500. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 3,308 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 4th day of 

August 2014. 

Kevin Shea, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–18922 Filed 8–8–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

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