[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27932-27933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-12694]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 01-006-1]


Notice of Request for Reinstatement of an Expired Information 
Collection

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Reinstatement of approval of an information collection; comment 
request.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's 
intention to request a reinstatement of an expired information 
collection in support of regulations preventing the spread of the Asian 
longhorned beetle and restricting the interstate movement of regulated 
articles from the quarantined areas.

DATES: We invite you to comment on this docket. We will consider all 
comments that we receive by July 20, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Please send four copies (an original and three copies) of 
your comment to: Docket No. 01-006-1, Regulatory Analysis and 
Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to 
Docket No. 01-006-1.
    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.
    APHIS documents published in the Federal Register, and related 
information, including the names of organizations and individuals who 
have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on Asian longhorned 
beetle quarantine regulations, contact Mr. Michael B. Stefan, Staff 
Officer, Invasive Species and Pest Management Staff, Plant Protection 
and Quarantine, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 134, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1231; (301) 734-7338. For copies of more detailed information on the 
information collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS' 
Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734-7477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Asian Longhorned Beetle Quarantine.
    OMB Number: 0579-0122.
    Expiration Date of Approval: January 31, 2001.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement of an expired information 
collection.
    Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is 
responsible for, among other things, the control and eradication of 
plant pests. The Plant Protection Act authorizes the Department to 
carry out this mission.
    The Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program of USDA's Animal 
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for 
implementing the provisions of the Act and does so through the 
enforcement of its domestic quarantine regulations in 7 CFR part 301.
    The Asian longhorned beetle (native to China, Japan, Korea, and the 
Isle of Hainan) is a destructive pest of hardwood trees, including 
maple, elm, ash, and horse chestnut. The beetles bore into the 
heartwood of host trees, eventually killing them.
    The Asian longhorned beetle has been found in hardwood trees in the 
boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens in New York City, NY, and 
in portions of Suffolk and Nassau Counties, NY. The Asian longhorned 
beetle has also been found in the Village of Summit and portions of 
Cook and Du Page Counties, IL. If this insect spreads into the hardwood 
forests of the United States, it could cause substantial economic harm 
to the U.S. nursery and forest products industries.
    To prevent this, we have regulations in place (contained in 7 CFR 
301.51-1 through 301.51-9) quarantining the areas described above. 
These regulations also restrict the movement of regulated articles 
(such as nursery stock, green lumber, firewood, and other items) from 
these quarantined areas.
    These regulations are designed to prevent the spread of the Asian 
longhorned beetle within the United States. Implementing the 
regulations requires us to engage in certain information collection 
activities, which necessitates the use of several forms, including 
limited permits, certificates, and compliance agreements.
    We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve 
these forms for 3 years.
    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 
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 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 0.4190 hours per response.
    Respondents: State plant health protection authorities, State 
cooperators, and individuals involved in growing, packing, handling, 
transporting, and exporting plants and plant products.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 225.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 1.4.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 315.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 132 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 for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.


[[Page 27933]]


    Done in Washington, DC, this 16th day of May 2001.
Craig A. Reed,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 01-12694 Filed 5-18-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-U