27932 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2001 / Notices

Estimated total annual burden on

respondents: 98,055 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.

Done in Washington, DC, this 16th day of

May 2001.

Craig A. Reed,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 01–12693 Filed 5–18–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–U

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.

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.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2001 / Notices 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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 01–013–2]

Protection of Sunflowers from RedWinged Blackbirds in North Dakota,

South Dakota, and Minnesota

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent and initiation of

scoping.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public

that the Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service’s Wildlife Services

program intends to prepare an

environmental impact statement for a

project to protect sunflowers from redwinged blackbird damage. The

environmental impact statement will

analyze the potential environmental

effects of reducing blackbird damage to

ripening sunflowers in North Dakota,

South Dakota, and Minnesota. We are

also requesting comments from the

public, including affected Federal, State,

and local agencies, any affected Indian

tribe, and any other interested persons

concerning issues that should be

addressed in the environmental impact

statement. The information received in

response to this notice, as well as the

information we received in response to

our March 2001 notice on this subject,

will be considered during the

development of the environmental

impact statement that will be prepared

in accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act.

DATES: We invite you to comment on

this notice of intent. We will consider

all comments that we receive by June

20, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Please send four copies of

your comment (an original and three

copies) to: Docket No. 01–013–2,

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. 01–013–2.

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: Mr.

Phil Mastrangelo, State Director,

Wildlife Services, APHIS, USDA, 2110

Miriam Circle, Suite A, Bismarck, ND

58501–2502; phone (701) 250–4405.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Wildlife

Services (WS) of the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

provides technical and operational

assistance to entities who request

assistance in reducing damage, in this

case to sunflower producers. WS loans

damage abatement equipment (e.g.,

propane cannons, pyrotechnics),

conducts training workshops, provides

informational leaflets on damage

management and sources of damage

abatement tools, and, in the case of

blackbird damage to sunflowers,

conducts roost management programs to

disperse blackbirds from sunflower

production areas.

Approximately 80 percent of

sunflower production in the United

States occurs in North Dakota, South

Dakota, and Minnesota. Sunflower

production in these States has increased

from 1 million kg in the early 1960’s to

about 1.5 billion kg, valued at $315

million, in 1999. However, increased

production of sunflowers has been

hampered by increasing blackbird

populations, and resultant damage.

Esophageal contents of red-winged

blackbirds collected in late summer and

fall reveal that 93 percent of the males

and 86 percent of the females had eaten

sunflower seeds, which comprised 69

percent and 57 percent of the male and

female diets, respectively.

Damage surveys conducted in

sunflower production areas in North

Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota

indicate that overall loss is generally 1

to 2 percent of the crop. If all producers

received less than 2 percent damage,

there would be little concern for damage

caused by blackbirds. However, damage

is not equally distributed, can be severe

for some producers, and is fairly

consistent from year-to-year within a

locality. Research has been conducted

throughout the northern Great Plains to

estimate the amount of damage birds

have caused to ripening sunflower

crops. Sunflower damage assessments

for North Dakota, South Dakota, and

Minnesota showed an estimated loss of

$5.1 million in 1979 and $7.9 million in

1980. More recent quantitative bird

damage surveys were conducted from

1996 to 1998 in Stutsman and Pierce

Counties in North Dakota and Brown

and Clark Counties in South Dakota.

Assuming damage in these four counties

is representative of the damage in

sunflower growing areas in North

Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota,

sunflower producers in these States lost

about $8.26 million annually to

blackbirds.

Sunflower growers and Government

agencies have used both lethal and

nonlethal techniques to reduce redwinged blackbird damage to ripening

sunflowers. The goal of nonlethal

methods is to decrease the availability

or attractiveness of the crop to

blackbirds or to disperse the birds so

that damage is not concentrated in any

given area. Examples of nonlethal

methods include altering farming

practices, using audio and visual

frightening devices, growing birdresistant sunflowers, increasing weed

control in fields, and growing decoy

crops. Additionally, research has shown

that opening dense cattail stands, which

are traditional roost sites for blackbirds,

aids in dispersing blackbirds from

nearby sunflower crops. To date,

nonlethal blackbird damage

management initiatives have been

somewhat effective in reducing

blackbird damage to unharvested

sunflowers, but have not alleviated the

problem for all sunflower growers.

Proposed Program

WS is proposing to implement a

blackbird damage management program

on private lands when requested in

North Dakota, South Dakota, or

Minnesota. The management approach

would employ the use of nonlethal and

lethal techniques to reduce red-winged

blackbird damage to sunflowers.

Sunflower damage and blackbird

populations would be monitored to

determine if the management

techniques are reducing damage, if there

is an effect on blackbird populations, or

if additional methods or modification of

implemented methods should occur.

Nonlethal Techniques

Under the proposed management

program, WS would continue to employ

the use of the nonlethal control methods

described earlier in this document. WS

would also continue to conduct roost

management programs to disperse redVerDate 11<MAY>2000 12:37 May 18, 2001 Jkt 194001 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\21MYN1.SGM pfrm08 PsN: 21MYN1