22702 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 78 / Thursday, April 23, 2015 / Notices 

1The PPQ Treatment Manual is available at 

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

manuals/index.shtml or by contacting the Animal 

and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant 

Protection and Quarantine, Manuals Unit, 92 

Thomas Johnson Drive, Suite 200, Frederick, MD 

21702. 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2015–0006] 

Notice of Availability of a Treatment 

Evaluation Document; Hot Water 

Treatment of Oversized Mangoes 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we have determined that it is 

necessary to amend hot water treatment 

schedule T102-a in the Plant Protection 

and Quarantine Treatment Manual to 

extend the applicability of the treatment 

to additional mango commodities. We 

have prepared a treatment evaluation 

document that describes the revised 

treatment schedule and explains why 

we have determined that it is effective 

at neutralizing certain target pests. We 

are making this treatment evaluation 

document available to the public for 

review and comment. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before June 22, 

2015. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2015-0006. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2015–0006, 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-2015-0006 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: Dr. 

Inder P.S. Gadh, Senior Risk Manager— 

Treatments, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River 

Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737– 

1231; (301) 851–2018. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

regulations in 7 CFR chapter III are 

intended, among other things, to 

prevent the introduction or 

dissemination of plant pests and 

noxious weeds into or within the United 

States. Under the regulations, certain 

plants, fruits, vegetables, and other 

articles must be treated before they may 

be moved into the United States or 

interstate. The phytosanitary treatments 

regulations contained in 7 CFR part 305 

(referred to below as the regulations) set 

out standards for treatments required in 

7 CFR parts 301, 318, and 319 for fruits, 

vegetables, and other articles. 

In § 305.2, paragraph (b) states that 

approved treatment schedules are set 

out in the Plant Protection and 

Quarantine (PPQ) Treatment Manual.1

Section 305.3 sets out the processes for 

adding, revising, or removing treatment 

schedules in the PPQ Treatment 

Manual. In that section, paragraph (b) 

sets out the process for adding, revising, 

or removing treatment schedules when 

there is an immediate need to make a 

change. The circumstances in which an 

immediate need exists are described in 

§ 305.3(b)(1). They are: 

• PPQ has determined that an 

approved treatment schedule is 

ineffective at neutralizing the targeted 

plant pest(s). 

• PPQ has determined that, in order 

to neutralize the targeted plant pest(s), 

the treatment schedule must be 

administered using a different process 

than was previously used. 

• PPQ has determined that a new 

treatment schedule is effective, based on 

efficacy data, and that ongoing trade in 

a commodity or commodities may be 

adversely impacted unless the new 

treatment schedule is approved for use. 

• The use of a treatment schedule is 

no longer authorized by the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency or by 

any other Federal entity. 

A treatment currently listed in the 

PPQ Treatment Manual (T102–a) 

requires mango (Mangifera indica) to be 

treated with hot water immersion to 

prevent the introduction into the United 

States of Ceratitis capitata 

(Mediterranean fruit fly) and 

Anastrepha spp. fruit flies, including A. 

ludens (Mexican fruit fly). Historically, 

the treatment schedules for T102–a 

required the fruit to undergo different 

immersion times based on the fruit’s 

country of origin, shape, and size 

(weight). While rounded mango 

varieties weighing up to 900 grams were 

authorized for importation from Mexico, 

Central America (north of and including 

Costa Rica), Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin 

Islands, and the West Indies excluding 

islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, 

Margarita, Tortuga, and Trinidad and 

Tobago, the maximum allowable size of 

rounded mango varieties that could be 

treated with T102–a and imported into 

the United States from Panama, 

countries in South America, and the 

West Indies islands of Aruba, Bonaire, 

Curacao, Margarita, Tortuga, and 

Trinidad and Tobago was only 650 

grams. 

In 2009, the national plant protection 

organization (NPPO) of Peru formally 

requested that the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

amend the PPQ Treatment Manual to 

allow the use of T102–a hot-water 

immersion treatment as a phytosanitary 

treatment to mitigate fruit fly risks in 

mangoes weighing more than 650 grams. 

A similar interest had previously been 

expressed by other countries in South 

America, namely Brazil, Ecuador, and 

Venezuela. Based on research 

conducted by the NPPO of Peru in 

support of its request, APHIS has 

concluded that the T102–a treatment 

schedule of 110-minute fruit immersion 

in a constant 70 °F (41.6 °C) hot-water 

bath is an efficacious phytosanitary 

treatment for eggs and larvae of C. 

capitata and Anastrepha spp. fruit flies 

in mangoes weighing 651 to 900 grams 

and that the treatment is effective for 

these over-sized mangoes regardless of 

their country of origin. 

In 2014, APHIS inspectors working in 

Mexico and Brazil observed that 

approximately 20 percent of the 

treatments using the T102–a treatment 

schedule involving ‘‘flat’’ or 

‘‘elongated’’ mangoes weighing between 

525 grams and 570 grams contained 

fruit that did not reach the target pulp 

temperature for mitigating the risk from 

fruit flies at the end of treatment 

duration. However, after conducting a 

literature review, APHIS determined 

that mango shape did not affect the 

efficacy of the treatment. Therefore, as 

an emergency measure, the treatment 

was amended so that all would have to 

undergo hot water immersion treatment 

with treatment duration strictly 

governed by weight class. Treatment 

duration times were based on the 

treatment duration times previously put 

in place for rounded mangoes from 

those countries. As an emergency 

measure, this action was done 

administratively and was not meant to 

be permanent. 

Based on Peru’s research validating 

treatment efficacy on over-sized 

mangoes and APHIS’ conclusion that 

the 110-minute immersion at 70 °F 

treatment covers mangoes weighing up 

to 900 grams regardless of their country 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 78 / Thursday, April 23, 2015 / Notices 22703 

of origin, APHIS has determined that 

restrictions associated with shape or 

country of origin are no longer relevant. 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 305.3(b)(2), we are providing notice 

that we have determined that it is 

necessary to amend treatment schedule 

T102–a to specify the following weightbased dip times: 

If the weight is 

(grams): 

Then the dip time (minutes) is: 

Up to 375 .............. 65 

376 to 500 ............ 75 

501 to 700 ............ 90 

701 to 900 ............ 110 

Valid if the fruit is not hydro-cooled within 30 

minutes of removal from the hot-water immersion tank. Alternatively, 10 minutes may be 

added to the treatment duration to allow immediate hydro-cooling. 

In order to have minimum adverse 

impact on the ongoing trade of this 

commodity from mango exporting 

countries, we are making these changes 

effective immediately upon publication 

of this notice. 

The reasons for these revisions to the 

treatment manual are described in detail 

in the treatment evaluation document 

(TED) we have prepared to support this 

action. The TED may be viewed on the 

Regulations.gov Web site or in our 

reading room (see ADDRESSES above for 

instructions for accessing 

Regulations.gov and information on the 

location and hours of the reading room). 

You may also request paper copies of 

the TED by calling or writing to the 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the 

subject of the TED when requesting 

copies. 

After reviewing the comments we 

receive, we will announce our decision 

regarding the revised treatment 

schedule described in the TED in a 

subsequent notice, in accordance with 

paragraph (b)(3) of § 305.3. If we do not 

receive any comments, or the comments 

we receive do not change our 

determination that the proposed 

changes are effective, we will affirm 

these changes to the PPQ Treatment 

Manual and make available a new 

version of the PPQ Treatment Manual 

reflecting these changes. If we receive 

comments that cause us to determine 

that additional changes need to be made 

to treatment schedule T102–a, we will 

make available a new version of the PPQ 

Treatment Manual that reflects the 

changes. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701–7772 and 7781– 

7786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR 2.22, 

2.80, and 371.3. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 17th day of 

April 2015. 

Kevin Shea, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–09468 Filed 4–22–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit to the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) for clearance the 

following proposal for collection of 

information under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

chapter 35). 

Agency: U.S. Census Bureau. 

Title: Business Research & 

Development and Innovation Survey. 

OMB Control Number: 0607–0912. 

Form Number(s): BRDI–1 and BRD– 

1S. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Number of Respondents: 45,000. 

Average Hours per Response: BRDI– 

1—14.85 hours; BRD–1(S)—.59 hours. 

Burden Hours: 126,500. 

Needs and Uses: Companies are the 

major performers of research and 

development (R&D) in the United States 

(U.S.), accounting for over 70 percent of 

total U.S. R&D outlays each year. A 

consistent business R&D information 

base is essential to government officials 

formulating public policy, industry 

personnel involved in corporate 

planning, and members of the academic 

community conducting research. In 

order to develop policies designed to 

promote and enhance science and 

technology, past trends and the present 

status of R&D must be known and 

analyzed. Without comprehensive 

business R&D statistics, it would be 

impossible to evaluate the health of 

science and technology in the United 

States or to make comparisons between 

the technological progress of our 

country and that of other nations. 

The National Science Foundation Act 

of 1950 as amended authorizes and 

directs National Science Foundation 

(NSF) ‘‘. . . to provide a central 

clearinghouse for the collection, 

interpretation, and analysis of data on 

scientific and engineering resources and 

to provide a source of information for 

policy formulation by other agencies of 

the Federal government.’’ One of the 

methods used by the NSF to fulfill this 

mandate is The Business R&D and 

Innovation Survey (BRDIS)—the 

primary federal source of information 

on R&D in the business sector. The NSF 

together with the Census Bureau, the 

collecting and compiling agent, analyze 

the data and publish the resulting 

statistics. 

The NSF has published annual R&D 

statistics collected from the Survey of 

Industrial Research and Development 

(SIRD) (1953–2007) and BRDIS (2008– 

2013) for 60 years. The results of the 

survey are used to assess trends in R&D 

expenditures by industry sector, 

investigate productivity determinants, 

formulate science and tax policy, and 

compare individual company 

performance with industry averages. 

This survey is the Nation’s primary 

source for international comparative 

statistics on business R&D spending. 

The BRDIS will continue to collect 

the following types of information: 

• R&D expense based on accounting 

standards. 

• Worldwide R&D of domestic 

companies. 

• Business segment detail. 

• R&D related capital expenditures. 

• Detailed data about the R&D 

workforce. 

• R&D strategy and data on the 

potential impact of R&D on the market. 

• R&D directed to application areas of 

particular national interest. 

• Data measuring innovation, and 

intellectual property protection 

activities. 

The following changes were made to 

the 2014 BRDIS from the 2013 BRDIS. 

• Section 1: Moved foreign ownership 

question up above ownership question. 

Changed the EIN of owner to the 

ownership question instead of the 

foreign ownership question. 

• Section 2: Added some questions to 

gather data on monetary gifts to 

academia. 

• Section 6: Added a question on 

revenue from sale of patents. Added two 

questions in regards to how much the 

company paid others to purchase 

patents or license patents. Removed the 

question on how many agreements 

company entered into. Information from 

the BRDIS will continue to support the 

following initiatives: 

Science of Science and Innovation 

Policy (SciSIP), the NSF’s program to 

foster the development of the 

knowledge, theories, data, tools, and 

human capital needed to underwrite 

fundamental research that creates new 

explanatory models and analytic tools 

designed to inform the Nation’s public 

and private sectors about the processes 

through which investments in science 

and engineering are transformed into 

social and economic outcomes. 

America Competes Act of 2007, which 

calls for the doubling of funding for 

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