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

52311

Vol. 62, No. 194

Tuesday, October 7, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 97–072–2]

Supplemental Environmental Impact

Statement for the Importation of Logs,

Lumber, and Other Unmanufactured

Wood Articles

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of reopening and

extension of comment period.

SUMMARY: We are reopening and

extending the comment period for our

notice announcing that we intend to

prepare a supplement to the

environmental impact statement, issued

in July 1994, for the rulemaking

proceeding entitled ‘‘Importation of

Logs, Lumber, and Other

Unmanufactured Wood Articles.’’ This

reopening and extension will provide

interested groups and individuals with

additional time to prepare comments on

the request for information.

DATES: Consideration will be given only

to comments on Docket No. 97–072–1

that are received on or before October

24, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and

three copies of your comments to

Docket No. 97–072–1, Regulatory

Analysis and Development, PPD,

APHIS, suite 3C03, 4700 River Road

Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.

Please state that your comments refer to

Docket No. 97–072–1. Comments

received may be inspected at USDA,

room 1141, South Building, 14th Street

and Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,

except holidays. Persons wishing to

inspect comments are requested to call

ahead on (202) 690–2817 to facilitate

entry into the comment reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Richard Orr, Entomologist, Risk

Analysis Systems, PPD, APHIS, 4700

River Road Unit 117, Riverdale, MD

20737–1238, (301) 734–8939, or Jack

Edmundson, Project Leader,

Environmental Analysis and

Documentation, PPD, APHIS, 4700

River Road, Unit 149, Riverdale, MD

20737–1238, (301) 734–8565.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On August 26, 1997, we published in

the Federal Register (62 FR 45217,

Docket No. 97–072–1) a notice advising

the public that the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service would

prepare a supplement to the

environmental impact statement, issued

in July 1994, for the rulemaking

proceeding entitled ‘‘Importation of

Logs, Lumber, and Other

Unmanufactured Wood Articles.’’

Comments on that notice were invited

and a comment due date of September

25, 1997, was established. We are now

advising the public that an extension of

the comment due date, to October 24,

1997, has been granted in response to

several requests for such an extension.

This action will allow interested groups

and individuals additional time to

prepare and submit comments.

Done in Washington, DC, this 1st day of

October 1997.

Terry L. Medley,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 97–26511 Filed 10–6–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service

Notice of Request for Extension of a

Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Foreign

Agricultural Service’s (FAS) intention to

request an extension for a currently

approved information collection in

support of the USDA’s Export Sales

Reporting Program.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by December 8, 1997 assured of

consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Contact Thomas B McDonald, Jr., Chief,

Export Sales Reporting, International

Trade Policy, Foreign Agricultural

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

1400 Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20250–1025, (202) 720–

3273, FAX (202) 690–3275.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Export Sales of U.S. Agricultural

Commodities.

OMB Number: 0551–0007.

Expiration Date of Approval: March

31, 1998.

Type of Request: Extension of a

currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: The Agricultural Trade Act

of 1978 requires mandatory reporting by

all export sellers of selected U.S.

produced agricultural commodities. The

published data is an ‘‘early warning’’ of

sales activity and provides basis for

more informed decisions by producers,

exporters, futures markets participants,

consumers, and government. The

respondents include any person or

company who sells a reportable

commodity to a foreign buyer.

USDA’s export sales reporting system

has its roots in the unexpected purchase

of large amounts of U.S. wheat and corn

by the Soviet Union in 1972. To make

sure that all parties involved in the

production and export of U.S. grain

have access to up-to-date export

information, the U.S. Congress

mandated an export sales reporting

requirement in 1973. Prior to the

establishment of the export reporting

system, it was impossible for the public

to obtain information on export sales

activity until the actual shipments had

taken place. This frequently resulted in

considerable delay in the availability of

information.

Under the export sales reporting

system, U.S. exporters are required to

report all large sales of certain

designated commodities by 3 p.m.

(Eastern time) on the next business day

after the sale is made. The designated

commodities for these daily reports are

wheat (by class), barley, corn, grain

sorghum, oats, soybeans, soybean cake

and meal, and soybean oil. Large sales