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

15455

Vol. 62, No. 62

Tuesday, April 1, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 94–116–6]

Notice of Request for Extension of a

Currently Approved Information

Collection and Request for Approval of

a New Information Collection

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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 a currently

approved information collection and the

approval of a new information

collection in support of a final rule that

allows fresh Hass avocado fruit from

Michoacan, Mexico, to be imported into

certain areas of the United States under

certain conditions.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by June 2, 1997 to be assured

of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding

the accuracy of burden estimate, ways to

minimize the burden (such as the use of

automated collection techniques or

other forms of information technology),

or any other aspect of this collection of

information to: Docket No. 94–116–6,

Regulatory Analysis and Development,

PPD, APHIS, suite 3C03, 4700 River

Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–

1238. Please send an original and three

copies, and state that your comments

refer to Docket 94–116–6. 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: For

information regarding the final rule for

Hass avocados from Michoacan, Mexico,

contact Mr. Ronald Campbell, Staff

Officer, Port Operations, PPQ, APHIS,

4700 River Road Unit 139, Riverdale,

MD 20737-1236, (301) 734–6799. For

copies of more detailed information on

the information collection, contact Ms.

Cathy McDuffie, APHIS’’ Information

Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734–

5190.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Importation of Fresh Hass

Avocado Fruit Grown in Michoacan,

Mexico.

OMB Number: 0579–0049.

Expiration Date of Approval: April 30,

1997.

Type of Request: Extension of a

currently approved information

collection; approval of a new

information collection.

Abstract: On February 5, 1997, the

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service (APHIS) published a final rule

in the Federal Register (62 FR 5293-

5315, Docket No. 94–116–5) amending 7

CFR 319.56 to allow fresh Hass avocado

fruit from Michoacan, Mexico, to be

imported into certain areas of the

United States under certain conditions.

Avocados destined for the United States

must be grown only in approved

orchards in approved municipalities in

Michoacan, Mexico. The conditions to

which the importation of fresh Hass

avocado fruit will be subject (including

pest surveys and pest risk-reducing

cultural practices, packinghouse

procedures, inspection and shipping

procedures, and restrictions on the time

of year shipments may enter the United

States) will reduce, to an insignificant

level, the risk that certain exotic plant

pests from Mexico will be introduced

into the United States.

The implementation of this rule will

require us to engage in certain

information collection activities. We are

seeking Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) approval to employ these

information collection activities in

connection with this program.

Nine of the 10 information collections

described below are currently in use in

other program areas and have received

OMB approval for use in those

programs. The remaining collection, i.e.,

a sticker identification system to be

used in connection with Mexican

avocado imports, is a new information

collection requirement.

Application for Permit: A U.S.

importer who wishes to import fresh

Hass avocado fruit to the United States

must first apply for a permit from

APHIS. The permit specifies a set of

conditions under which the fruit can be

brought into the United States.

Trust Fund Agreement: Avocados can

only be imported into the United States

after the Mexican Avocado Industry

Association (which represents the

Mexican avocado growers, packers, and

exporters) completes a trust fund

agreement with APHIS for that shipping

season. In this document, the Mexican

Avocado Industry Association agrees to

pay, in advance, for all estimated costs

that we expect to incur via our

participation in this program.

Phytosanitary Certificate: Avocados

from Michoacan, Mexico, will require a

phytosanitary inspection certificate

completed by Mexican plant health

officials. This document certifies that

the avocados originated from an area

free of certain agricultural pests.

Sticker With Registration Numbers:

Packinghouse personnel in Mexico must

label each avocado with a sticker that

bears the registration number of the

packinghouse. This identification

system will facilitate any traceback

investigations we may need to conduct.

Marking Requirements: Avocados

destined for the United States must be

packed in boxes and clearly marked by

packinghouse personnel with the

identity of the grower, packinghouse,

and exporter, and a statement that the

avocados may be distributed only in

specific States within the United States.

This identification system will facilitate

any traceback investigations we may

need to conduct and will also ensure

that the avocados are distributed only in

those approved States listed in the

regulations.

Annual Work Plan: The Mexican

Ministry of Agriculture must provide an

annual work plan to us that details the

activities and actions that will be

implemented in order to meet our

requirements concerning the

exportation of fresh Hass avocado fruit

to the United States.

Pest Survey: Municipalities and

orchards participating in this program

must be surveyed via visual inspection
15456 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 62 / Tuesday, April 1, 1997 / Notices

and trapping for avocado pests and fruit

flies by Mexican plant health officials.

Registration: Growers and

packinghouse operators participating in

this program must register with the

Mexican Ministry of Agriculture’s

avocado export program. Registration

ensures that participating orchards and

packinghouses are adhering to a specific

set of APHIS requirements.

Infestation Information: If certain

plant pests are detected in a

participating orchard, packinghouse, or

municipality, the Mexican Ministry of

Agriculture must supply us with

information concerning the

circumstances of the infestation and the

pest risk mitigation measures that are

being implemented.

Seals: Boxes of avocados must be

placed in a refrigerated truck or

refrigerated container and remain there

while in transit through Mexico to the

port of first arrival in the United States.

Before leaving the packinghouse, a

representative from the Mexican

Ministry of Agriculture must secure the

truck or container with a seal that must

remain unbroken until arriving in the

United States.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit

comments from the public (as well as

affected agencies) concerning these

information collection activities. We

need this outside input to help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the information

collection is necessary for the proper

performance of our agency’s functions,

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 the use, as

appropriate, of automated, electronic,

mechanical, or other collection

technologies, e.g., permitting electronic

submission of responses.

Estimate of burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average 0.0002 hours per

response.

Respondents: U.S. importers, growers

and packinghouse operators in Mexico,

Mexican plant protection authorities.

Estimated number of respondents:

157.

Estimated number of responses per

respondent: 51,130.

Estimated total annual burden on

respondents: 3,098.

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 27th day of

March 1997.

Donald W. Luchsinger,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 97–8174 Filed 3–31–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration

Opportunity for Designation in the

Minot (ND), Southern Illinois (IL), and

Tri-State (OH) Areas

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The United States Grain

Standards Act, as amended (Act),

provides that official agency

designations will end not later than

triennially and may be renewed. The

designations of Minot Grain Inspection,

Inc. (Minot), Southern Illinois Grain

Inspection Service, Inc. (Southern

Illinois), and Tri-State Grain Inspection

Service, Inc. (Tri-State), will end

September 30, 1997, according to the

Act. GIPSA is asking persons interested

in providing official services in the

Minot, Southern Illinois, and Tri-State

areas to submit an application for

designation.

DATES: Applications must be

postmarked or sent by telecopier (FAX)

on or before April 30, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be

submitted to USDA, GIPSA, Janet M.

Hart, Chief, Review Branch, Compliance

Division, STOP 3604, 1400

Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, DC 20250–3604.

Applications may be submitted by FAX

on 202–690–2755. If an application is

submitted by FAX, GIPSA reserves the

right to request an original application.

All applications will be made available

for public inspection at this address

located at 1400 Independence Avenue,

S.W., during regular business hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Janet M. Hart, telephone 202–720–8525.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This action has been reviewed and

determined not to be a rule or regulation

as defined in Executive Order 12866

and Departmental Regulation 1512–1;

therefore, the Executive Order and

Departmental Regulation do not apply

to this action.

Section 7(f)(1) of the Act authorizes

GIPSA’s Administrator to designate a

qualified applicant to provide official

services in a specified area after

determining that the applicant is better

able than any other applicant to provide

such official services. GIPSA designated

Minot, main office located in Minot,

North Dakota; Southern Illinois, main

office located in O’Fallon, Illinois; and

Tri-State, main office located in

Cincinnati, Ohio, to provide official

inspection services under the Act on

October 1, 1994.

Section 7(g)(1) of the Act provides

that designations of official agencies

shall end not later than triennially and

may be renewed according to the

criteria and procedures prescribed in

Section 7(f) of the Act. The designations

of Minot, Southern Illinois, and TriState end on September 30, 1997,

according to the Act.

Pursuant to Section 7(f)(2) of the Act,

the following geographic area, in the

State of North Dakota, is assigned to

Minot.

Bounded on the North by the North

Dakota State line east to State Route 14;

Bounded on the East by State Route

14 south to State Route 5; State Route

5 east to State Route 60; State Route 60

southeast to State Route 3; State Route

3 south to State Route 200;

Bounded on the South by State Route

200 west to State Route 41; State Route

41 south to U.S. Route 83; U.S. Route 83

northwest to State Route 200; State

Route 200 west to U.S. Route 85; U.S.

Route 85 south to Interstate 94;

Interstate 94 west to the North Dakota

State line; and

Bounded on the West by the North

Dakota State line.

The following grain elevators, located

outside of the above contiguous

geographic area, are part of this

geographic area assignment: Harvey

Farmers Elevator, Harvey, Wells County

(located inside Grand Forks Grain

Inspection Department, Inc.’s, area); and

Benson Quinn Company, Underwood,

and Missouri Valley Grain Company,

Washburn, all in McLean County

(located inside Grain Inspection, Inc.’s,

area).

Pursuant to Section 7(f)(2) of the Act,

the following geographic area, in the

State of Illinois, is assigned to Southern

Illinois.

Bounded on the East by the eastern

Cumberland County line; the eastern

Jasper County line south to State Route

33; State Route 33 east-southeast to the

Indiana-Illinois State line; the IndianaIllinois State line south to the southern

Gallatin County line;

Bounded on the South by the

southern Gallatin, Saline, and

Williamson County lines; the southern

Jackson County line west to U.S. Route