### 40322 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 131 / Monday, July 9, 2012 / Notices

this information there would be no basis on which to award funds.

Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Farms; State, Local or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 18. Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Quarterly.

Total Burden Hours: 728.

Charlene Parker, Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012–16609 Filed 7–6–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3410–XT–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service** 

**[Docket No. APHIS–2012–0052]**

**Oral Rabies Vaccine Trial; Availability of an Environmental Assessment** 

**AGENCY :**  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

**ACTION :**  Notice of availability and request for comments.

**SUMMARY :**  We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment relative to an oral rabies vaccination field trial in New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia. The environmental assessment analyzes the use of an experimental rabies vaccine in field safety and immunogenicity trials in portions of New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia. The proposed field trial is necessary to evaluate a wildlife rabies vaccine that will produce sufficient levels of population immunity in raccoons and striped skunks. We are making the environmental assessment available to the public for review and comment.

**DATES :**  We will consider all comments that we receive on or before August 8,
2012.

**ADDRESSES :**  You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/ #!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0052-
0001.

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS–2012–0052, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.

The environmental assessment and any comments we receive may be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0052 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.

This notice and the environmental assessment are also posted on the APHIS Web site at http://www.aphis. usda.gov/regulations/ws/ws

_nepa

_ environmental

_documents.shtml.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Mr. Richard Chipman, Acting Rabies Program Coordinator, Wildlife Services, APHIS, 59 Chennell Drive, Suite 7, Concord, NH 03301; (603) 223–9623. To obtain copies of the environmental assessment, contact Ms. Beth Kabert, Environmental Coordinator, Wildlife Services, 140–C Locust Grove Road, Pittstown, NJ 08867; (908) 735–5654, fax (908) 735–0821, email: beth.e.kabert@ aphis.usda.gov.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Background

The Wildlife Services (WS) program in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) cooperates with Federal agencies, State and local governments, and private individuals to research and implement the best methods of managing conflicts between wildlife and human health and safety, agriculture, property, and natural resources. Wildlife-borne diseases that can affect domestic animals and humans are among the types of conflicts that APHIS–WS addresses. Wildlife is the dominant reservoir of rabies in the United States.

One of the activities undertaken by APHIS–WS to address rabies is an Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) program involving the distribution of baits containing vaccinia-rabies glycoprotein (V–RG) vaccine to stop the spread of specific raccoon (eastern States), coyote (Texas), and gray fox (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) rabies virus variants to new areas. While this vaccine has proven to be orally effective in raccoons, coyotes, and foxes, it does not produce detectable levels of population immunity in striped skunks. Because skunks infected with raccoon rabies likely serve as a source of perpetuating and maintaining this rabies virus variant (i.e., raccoon rabies), they may compromise the effectiveness of our ORV program.

APHIS–WS is the lead agency regarding a proposed action that will test the safety and immunogenicity of a new human adenovirus type 5-rabies glycoprotein recombinant virus (AdRG1.3) rabies vaccine in an effort to find a rabies vaccine that will be safe and immunogenic in a variety of animal species including raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes. The proposed field trial would take place within approximately 10,483 square miles of portions of New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia, including portions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service National Forest System lands, excluding Wilderness Areas. The proposed field trial is a collaborative effort among APHIS–WS; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the vaccine manufacturer (Artemis Inc.); the appropriate agriculture, health, and wildlife agencies for the states of New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia; the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources; and the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife.

APHIS’ review and analysis of the proposed action are documented in detail in an environmental assessment (EA) titled ‘‘Field Trial of an Experimental Rabies Vaccine, Human Adenovirus Type 5 Vector in New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia’’ (May 2012). The EA analyzes a number of environmental issues or concerns with the oral rabies vaccine and activities associated with ORV field trials, such as capture and handling animals for monitoring and surveillance purposes. The EA also analyzes alternatives to the proposed action, including no action (continuation of the current program, which involves field trials in West Virginia only) and no ORV field trials. We are making the EA available to the public for review and comment. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before the date listed under the heading DATES at the beginning of this notice.

The EA 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). In addition, paper copies may be obtained by calling or writing to the individual listed under **FOR FURTHER**
**INFORMATION CONTACT**

.

The EA has been prepared in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq. ), (2) regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508), (3) USDA regulations implementing NEPA


### 40323 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 131 / Monday, July 9, 2012 / Notices

(7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).

Done in Washington, DC, this 29th day of June 2012. Kevin Shea, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2012–16799 Filed 7–6–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3410–34–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**National Agricultural Statistics Service**

**Notice of Intent To Request Revision and Extension of 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, this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to request revision and extension of a currently approved information collection, the Mink Survey. Revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in the size of the target population and/or questionnaire length. The target population will be pulled from positive historical data, trade magazines, or grower’s association’s lists. The questionnaire that NASS is planning to use is the same as what was used in previous years. Any changes to the questionnaire would result from requests by industry data users.

**DATES :**  Comments on this notice must be received by September 7, 2012 to be assured of consideration.

**ADDRESSES :**  You may submit comments, identified by docket number 0535–0212, by any of the following methods:

• Email: ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. Include docket number above in the subject line of the message.

• Fax: (202) 720–6396.

• Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD– ROM submissions to: David Hancock, NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250–
2024.

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand deliver to: David Hancock, NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250–2024.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Joseph T. Reilly, Associate Administrator, National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, (202) 720–4333.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :** 

Title: Mink Survey. OMB Control Number: 0535–0212. Expiration Date of Approval: October 31, 2012.

Type of Request: Intent to Seek Approval to Revise and Extend an Information Collection for 3 years.

Abstract: The primary objective of the National Agricultural Statistics Service is to prepare and issue State and national estimates of crop and livestock production, prices, and disposition. The Mink Survey collects data on the number of mink pelts produced, the number of females bred, and the number of mink farms. Mink estimates are used by the federal government to calculate total value of sales and total cash receipts, by State governments to administer fur farm programs and health regulations, and by universities in research projects. The current expiration date for this docket is October 31, 2012. NASS intends to request that the Mink Survey be approved for another 3 years.

Authority: 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 as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2276, which requires USDA to afford strict confidentiality to non-aggregated data provided by respondents. This Notice is submitted in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, (44 U.S.C. 3501, et
seq. ) and Office of Management and Budget regulations at 5 CFR part 1320.

NASS also complies with OMB Implementation Guidance, ‘‘Implementation Guidance for Title V of the E-Government Act, Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA),’’ 72 FR 33362, Jun. 15, 2007.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response. NASS plans to mail out publicity materials with the questionnaires to inform producers of the importance of this survey. NASS will also use multiple mailings, followed up with phone and personal enumeration to increase response rates and to minimize data collection costs.

Respondents: Farmers and ranchers. Estimated Number of Respondents:
350.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 90 hours.

Copies of this information collection and related instructions can be obtained without charge from David Hancock, NASS Clearance Officer, at ombofficer@nass.usda.gov or at (202)
690–2388. 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, through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, technological, or other forms of information technology collection methods.

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, June 19, 2012. Joseph T. Reilly,
Associate Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2012–16673 Filed 7–6–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3410–20–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**National Agricultural Statistics Service**

**Notice of Invitation for Nominations to the Advisory Committee on Agriculture**  **Statistics**

**AGENCY :**  National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), USDA.

**ACTION :**  Solicitation of Nominations to the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics.

**SUMMARY :**  In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, this notice announces an invitation from the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture for nominations to the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics.

On June 5, 2012, the Secretary of Agriculture renewed the Advisory Committee charter for a two-year term to expire on June 5, 2014. The purpose of the Committee is to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the scope, timing, content, etc., of the periodic censuses and surveys of agriculture, other related surveys, and the types of information to obtain from respondents concerning agriculture. The Committee also prepares recommendations regarding the content of agriculture reports and presents the views and needs for data of major suppliers and users of agriculture statistics.

**DATES :**  Written nominations must be received on or before July 27, 2012.