23220 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 84 / Monday, May 3, 2010 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS-2010-0017] 

Notice of Revision and Request for 

Extension of Approval of an 

Information Collection; Cooperative 

Agricultural Pest Survey 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Revision and 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 

revise an information collection 

associated with the Cooperative 

Agricultural Pest Survey and to request 

extension of approval of the information 

collection. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before July 2, 

2010. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

∑ Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

(http://www.regulations.gov/ 

fdmspublic/component/ 

main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS2010-0017) to submit or view comments 

and to view supporting and related 

materials available electronically. 

∑ Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Please send two copies of your comment 

to Docket No. APHIS-2010-0017, 

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. APHIS2010-0017. 

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 

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 on the Cooperative 

Agricultural Pest Survey, contact Dr. 

John Bowers, National Survey 

Coordinator, Emergency and Domestic 

Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road 

Unit 26, Riverdale, MD 20737; 

(301) 734-3658. 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: Cooperative Agricultural Pest 

Survey. 

OMB Number: 0579-0010. 

Type of Request: Revision and 

extension of approval of an information 

collection. 

Abstract: Under the Plant Protection 

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

of Agriculture is authorized, either 

independently or in cooperation with 

States, to carry out operations or 

measures to detect, eradicate, suppress, 

control, prevent, or retard the spread of 

plant pests and noxious weeds that are 

new to or not widely distributed within 

the United States. This authority has 

been delegated to the Administrator, 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS). 

To carry out this mission, the Plant 

Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) 

program, APHIS, has joined forces with 

the States and other agencies to create 

a program called the Cooperative 

Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS). The 

CAPS program coordinates these efforts 

through cooperative agreements with 

the States and other agencies to collect 

and manage data on plant pests, noxious 

weeds, and biological control agents, 

which may be used to control plant 

pests or noxious weeds. 

This program allows the States and 

PPQ to conduct surveys to detect and 

measure the presence of exotic plant 

pests and noxious weeds and to enter 

survey data into a national computerbased system known as the National 

Agricultural Pest Information System 

(NAPIS). This, in turn, allows APHIS to 

obtain a more comprehensive picture of 

plant pest and noxious weed conditions 

in the United States as well as detect, in 

collaboration with the National Plant 

Diagnostic Network and the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture’s National 

Institute of Food and Agriculture 

(NIFA), population trends in plant pests 

or noxious weeds that could indicate an 

agricultural bioterrorism act. 

The information captured by CAPS 

and generated by NAPIS is used by 

States to predict potential plant pest and 

noxious weed situations in the United 

States and by Federal interests (e.g., 

PPQ and NIFA) to promptly detect and 

respond to the occurrence of new plant 

pests or noxious weeds and to provide 

documentation on plant pests and 

noxious weeds to facilitate and record 

the location of those incursions that 

could directly hinder the export of U.S. 

farm commodities. The system also 

provides data management support for 

PPQ programs, such as imported fire 

ant, sudden oak death, and gypsy moth. 

The CAPS program involves certain 

information collection activities, 

including cooperative agreements, pest 

detection surveys, and the Specimens 

for Determination Form (PPQ Form 

391). 

We are asking the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) to 

approve our use of these information 

collection activities for an additional 3 

years. 

We are revising the title of the current 

collection from ‘‘National Agricultural 

Pest Information System’’ to 

‘‘Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey’’ 

to convey that the activity components 

comprise the CAPS program rather than 

the computer-based NAPIS. 

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 

0.2376543 hours per response. 

Respondents: State Cooperators and 

universities participating in the CAPS 

program. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 108. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 135. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 14,580. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 3,465 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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 84 / Monday, May 3, 2010 / Notices 23221 

1To view the notice, EA, FONSI, and response to 

comments, go to (http://www.regulations.gov/ 

fdmspublic/component/ 

main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS–2009–0058). 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 27th day 

of April 2010. 

Kevin Shea 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–10279 Filed 4–30–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE: 3410–34–S 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2009–0058] 

Availability of an Environmental 

Assessment and Finding of No 

Significant Impact for a Biological 

Control Agent for Water Hyacinth 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that an environmental assessment and 

finding of no significant impact have 

been prepared by the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service relative to the 

release of an insect, Megamelus 

scutellaris, into the continental United 

States for use as a biological control 

agent to reduce the severity of water 

hyacinth infestations. Based on its 

finding of no significant impact, the 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service has determined that an 

environmental impact statement need 

not be prepared. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Shirley Wager-Page, Chief, Pest 

Permitting Branch, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 

River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 

20737–1237; (301) 734–8453. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing 

to issue permits for the release of an 

insect, Megamelus scutellaris, into the 

continental United States for use as a 

biological control agent to reduce the 

severity of water hyacinth infestations. 

On November 16, 2009, we published 

in the Federal Register (74 FR 58939– 

58940, Docket No. APHIS–2009–0058) a 

notice1 in which we announced the 

availability, for public review and 

comment, of an environmental 

assessment (EA) that examined the 

potential environmental impacts 

associated with the proposed release of 

this biological control agent into the 

continental United States. 

We solicited comments on the EA for 

30 days ending December 16, 2009. We 

received one comment, from a State 

game and fish department. Our 

responses to the issues raised in the 

comment can be found in Appendix E 

of the final EA (see footnote 1). 

In this document, we are advising the 

public of our finding of no significant 

impact (FONSI) regarding the release of 

M. scutellaris into the continental 

United States for use as a biological 

control agent to reduce the severity of 

water hyacinth infestations. The 

finding, which is based on the EA, 

reflects our determination that release of 

this biological control agent will not 

have a significant impact on the quality 

of the human environment. 

The EA and FONSI may be viewed on 

the Regulations.gov Web site (see 

footnote 1). Copies of the EA and FONSI 

are also available for public inspection 

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 copies are requested to call 

ahead on (202) 690–2817 to facilitate 

entry into the reading room. In addition, 

copies may be obtained by writing to the 

individual listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

The EA and FONSI have 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 

(7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA 

Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 

372). 

Done in Washington, DC, this 27th day 

of April 2010. 

Kevin Shea 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–10280 Filed 4–30–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–S 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Highlands Regional Study: 

Connecticut and Pennsylvania 2010 

Update 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of public meetings; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: As required by the Highlands 

Conservation Act, Public Law 108–421, 

the Forest Service has drafted the 

Highlands Regional Study: Connecticut 

and Pennsylvania 2010 Update. The 

study is now available (see link below) 

and identifies high conservation value 

areas, the impacts of land use change on 

the natural resources, and conservation 

strategies in the Connecticut and 

Pennsylvania portions of the 

Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and 

Pennsylvania Highlands Region. Public 

comment is being sought on the results 

of the update to better inform potential 

consumers of the study results. 

DATES: Comments must be received in 

writing on or before June 17, 2010 to be 

assured of consideration. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this 

notice should be addressed to Martina 

Barnes, Regional Planner, U.S. Forest 

Service, c/o U.S. EPA, Region 2, 290 

Broadway, 24th floor, New York, NY 

10007. Comments also may be 

submitted via facsimile to 212–637– 

3887 or via Internet to: http:// 

www.na.fs.fed.us/highlands/regional/ 

index.shtm. 

All comments, including names and 

addresses when provided, are placed in 

the record and are available for public 

inspection and copying. The public may 

inspect comments received by 

contacting martinabarnes@fs.fed.us. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Martina Barnes, Regional Planner, at 

212–637–3863. Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern 

Standard Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

addition to seeking public comment on 

the 2010 Update, two public meetings 

are scheduled to discuss the study. 

A public meeting to discuss the 

Pennsylvania portion of the study will 

be held on May 24, 2010 at 4 p.m. at the 

Nolde Forest Environmental Education 

Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. 

A public meeting to discuss the 

Connecticut portion of the study will be 

held on May 26, 2010 at 6 p.m. at the 

University of Connecticut Cooperative 

Extension office in Torrington, 

Connecticut. 

The study is available at http:// 

www.na.fs.fed.us/highlands/regional/ 

index.shtm. Comments received in 

response to this notice, including names 

and addresses when provided, will be a 


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