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,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

904 

Vol. 71, No. 4 

Friday, January 6, 2006 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Office of the Secretary 

Notice of Request for Extension of a 

Currently Approved Information 

Collection 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA. 

ACTION: Proposed collection; comments 

requested. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the Office of 

Community Development’s intention to 

request an extension for a currently 

approved information collection in 

support of the program for 7 CFR part 

25 Rural Empowerment Zones and 

Enterprise Communities (EZ/EC). 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by March 7, 2006 to be assured 

of consideration. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Yvette Butler, Program Specialist, Office 

of Community Development, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, STOP 3203, 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–3203, or by email: Yvette.Butler@wdc.usda.gov. 

Telephone: 202–690–4743. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Rural Empowerment Zones and 

Enterprise Communities (EZ/EC). 

OMB Number: 0570–0027. 

Expiration Date of Approval: May 31, 

2006. 

Type of Request: Extension for a 

currently approved information 

collection. 

Abstract: USDA Rural Development’s 

Office of Community Development 

administers the rural Empowerment 

Zones and Enterprise Communities (EZ/ 

EC) program, an initiative designed to 

provide economically depressed rural 

areas and communities with real 

opportunities for growth and 

revitalization. Its mission: To create selfsustaining, long-term economic 

development in areas of pervasive 

poverty, unemployment, and general 

distress, and to demonstrate how 

distressed communities can achieve 

self-sufficiency through innovative and 

comprehensive strategic plans 

developed and implemented by 

alliances among private, public, and 

nonprofit entities. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 11 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Rural Empowerment 

Zones, Rural Enterprise Communities 

and Champion Communities. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

110. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 2. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 220. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 2,402 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Cheryl Thompson, 

Regulations and Paperwork 

Management Branch, Support Services 

Division at (202) 692–0043. 

Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the Office of the 

Secretary, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the Office of the 

Secretary’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 Cheryl 

Thompson, Regulations and Paperwork 

Management Branch, Support Services 

Division, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Rural Development, STOP 

0742, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–0742. 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. 

Dated: December 27, 2005. 

Allan Johnson, 

Acting Under Secretary, Rural Development. 

[FR Doc. E6–35 Filed 1–5–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. 05–049–1] 

Notice of Request for Extension of 

Approval of an Information Collection; 

National Veterinary Accreditation 

Program 

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 National Veterinary Accreditation 

Program. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before March 7, 

2006. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and, in the 

‘‘Search for Open Regulations’’ box, 

select ‘‘Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service’’ from the agency 

drop-down menu, then click on 

‘‘Submit.’’ In the Docket ID column, 

select APHIS–2005–0114 to submit or 

view public comments and to view 

supporting and related materials 

available electronically. After the close 

of the comment period, the docket can 

be viewed using the ‘‘Advanced Search’’ 

function in Regulations.gov. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Please send four copies of your 

comment (an original and three copies) 

to Docket No. 05–049–1, Regulatory 

Analysis and Development, PPD, 

APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 River 

Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737– 

1238. Please state that your comment 

refers to Docket No. 05–049–1. 

Reading Room: You may read any 

comments that we receive on this 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 4 / Friday, January 6, 2006 / Notices 905 

docket 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. 

Other Information: Additional 

information about APHIS and its 

programs is available on the Internet at 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information regarding the National 

Veterinary Accreditation Program, 

contact Ms. Lynn Thomas, Management 

Analyst, Surveillance and Identification 

Programs, National Center for Animal 

Health Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River 

Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737–

1231; (301) 734–5777. For copies of 

more detailed information on the 

information collection, contact Mrs. 

Celeste Sickles, APHIS’ Information 

Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734–

7477. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: National Veterinary 

Accreditation Program. 

OMB Number: 0579–0032. 

Type of Request: Extension of 

approval of an information collection. 

Abstract: The Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture is 

responsible for, among other things, 

protecting the health of our Nation’s 

livestock and poultry populations by 

preventing the introduction and spread 

of serious diseases and pests of livestock 

and poultry and for eradicating such 

diseases and pests from the United 

States when feasible. 

To help us accomplish our mission, 

APHIS’ Veterinary Services administers 

the National Veterinary Accreditation 

Program. This program certifies private 

veterinary practitioners to work 

cooperatively with Federal 

veterinarians, as well as with State 

animal health officials, to conduct 

certain activities for us. Accredited 

veterinarians are instrumental in 

increasing our capacity to perform 

health certifications and conduct 

extensive disease surveillance and 

monitoring. 

Operating this program requires a 

number of information gathering 

activities, including: 

• Conducting veterinary accreditation 

orientation and training. 

• Completing animal health 

certificates. 

• Applying and removing official 

seals. 

• Completing test reports. 

• Reviewing applications for 

veterinary accreditation and 

reaccreditation. 

• Recordkeeping. 

• Updating information on accredited 

veterinarians. 

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 

information collection, 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 

information collection 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 

0.477348 hours per response. 

Respondents: Accredited 

veterinarians, candidates for the 

National Veterinary Accreditation 

Program, and State animal health 

officials who review applications for 

veterinary accreditation and 

reaccreditation. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 63,000. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 2.095936. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 132,044. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 63,031 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 29th day of 

December 2005. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 06–87 Filed 1–5–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. 05–085–1] 

Notice of Request for Extension of 

Approval of an Information Collection; 

Requirements for Recognizing the 

Animal Health Status of Foreign 

Regions 

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 

requirements for recognizing the animal 

health status of foreign regions. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before March 7, 

2006. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and, in the 

‘‘Search for Open Regulations’’ box, 

select ‘‘Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service’’ from the agency 

drop-down menu, then click on 

‘‘Submit.’’ In the Docket ID column, 

select APHIS–2005–0115 to submit or 

view public comments and to view 

supporting and related materials 

available electronically. After the close 

of the comment period, the docket can 

be viewed using the ‘‘Advanced Search’’

function in Regulations.gov. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Please send four copies of your 

comment (an original and three copies) 

to Docket No. 05–085–1, Regulatory 

Analysis and Development, PPD, 

APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 River 

Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–

1238. Please state that your comment 

refers to Docket No. 05–085–1. 

Reading Room: You may read any 

comments that we receive on this 

docket in our reading room. The reading 

room is located in Room 1141 of the 

USDA South Building, 14th Street and 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES