Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 185 / Tuesday, September 23, 2008 / Notices 54785 

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 Animal Welfare Act 

regulations, contact Dr. Barbara Kohn, 

Senior Staff Veterinarian, Animal Care, 

APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 84, 

Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734–7833. 

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: Animal Welfare. 

OMB Number: 0579–0093. 

Type of Request: Revision and 

extension of approval of an information 

collection. 

Abstract: The regulations in 9 CFR 

parts 1 through 3 were promulgated 

under the Animal Welfare Act (the Act) 

(7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) to ensure the 

humane handling, care, treatment, and 

transportation of animals covered under 

the Act. The Act and regulations are 

enforced by the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

The regulations in 9 CFR part 3, 

subparts A, D, and E, cover dogs and 

cats, nonhuman primates, and marine 

mammals, respectively. Subparts B and 

C cover rabbits, guinea pigs, and 

hamsters. Subpart F of 9 CFR part 3 

covers warmblooded animals other than 

dogs, cats, nonhuman primates, marine 

mammals, rabbits, guinea pigs, and 

hamsters. Regulated facilities are 

required to keep certain records and 

provide specific information regarding 

health and feeding, housing, space, 

transportation, exercise, perimeter 

fencing, marine mammal interactive 

programs, and programs of veterinary 

care. We review this information to 

evaluate program compliance. 

This notice includes information 

collection requirements currently 

approved by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) under control 

numbers 0579–0092, ‘‘Animal Welfare; 

Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, and Rabbits’’ 

(transportation in commerce), and 

0579–0093, ‘‘Animal Welfare.’’ These 

information collections do not mandate 

the use of any official Government form. 

After OMB approves and combines the 

burden for both collections under a 

single collection (0579–0093), the 

Department will retire number 0579– 

0092. 

We are asking OMB to approve our 

use of these information collection 

activities for an additional 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 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 

0.302547 hours per response. 

Respondents: Dealers, exhibitors, 

research facilities, carriers, and 

intermediate handlers. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 11,687. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 13.477881. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 157,516. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 47,656 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 17th day of 

September 2008. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–22290 Filed 9–22–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2008–0106] 

A Business Plan To Advance Animal 

Disease Traceability; Final Version 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we are making available a final 

version of our Business Plan to Advance 

Animal Disease Traceability. Based on 

comments that we received on our draft 

Business Plan, which we made available 

to the public for review and comment 

through a previous notice, we have 

amended the plan in order to provide 

greater clarity regarding the points of 

integration between the National 

Animal Identification System (NAIS) 

and existing State and Federal animal 

health programs and brand programs. 

We have also added more specificity 

regarding traceability strategies for 

several animal industries, an 

explanation of how the NAIS can help 

producers meet country of origin 

labeling requirements, and a detailed 

discussion of future plans regarding 

radio frequency identification of 

animals destined for import or export. 

We have also updated the plan to reflect 

the current budget for the NAIS, to 

adjust the benchmarks and target dates 

for implementation of animal 

traceability, and to make other, 

nonsubstantive changes. The final 

Business Plan retains the seven core 

strategies for harmonizing the NAIS 

with existing programs and methods 

that we outlined in our draft plan. 

ADDRESSES: The Business Plan is 

available on the Internet at http:// 

animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/. The 

document may also be viewed 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Neil Hammerschmidt, Coordinator, 

National Animal Identification System, 

National Center for Animal Health 

Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road 

Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737–1231; 

(301) 734–5571. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

As part of its ongoing efforts to 

safeguard animal health, the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

initiated implementation of a National 

Animal Identification System (NAIS) in 

2004. The NAIS is a cooperative StateFederal-industry program administered 

by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS). The 

purpose of the NAIS is to provide a 

streamlined information system that 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
54786 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 185 / Tuesday, September 23, 2008 / Notices 

1To view the notice, go to http:// 

www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/ 

main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS–2007–0148. 

will help producers and animal health 

officials respond quickly and effectively 

to animal disease events in the United 

States. The ultimate long-term goal of 

the NAIS is to provide State and Federal 

officials with the capability to identify 

all animals and premises that have had 

direct contact with a disease of concern 

within 48 hours after its discovery. 

On December 19, 2007, we published 

in the Federal Register a notice 1

(Docket No. APHIS–2007–0148, 72 FR 

71871–71873) in which we made 

available for review and comment a 

draft Business Plan to Advance Animal 

Disease Traceability. The Business Plan 

recommended seven strategies and 

options to enable existing State and 

Federal regulated and voluntary animal 

health programs, industry-administered 

management and marketing programs, 

and various identification methods to 

work in harmony with the NAIS, with 

the goal of creating a comprehensive 

animal-disease traceability 

infrastructure in order to facilitate 48- 

hour traceback. 

We solicited comments on the draft 

Business Plan through the NAIS Web 

site (http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/ 

nais/) for 118 days, through April 15, 

2008. We received 183 comments by 

that date, from national, regional, and 

State industry groups, State departments 

of agriculture, national veterinary 

organizations, the operator of a horse 

racetrack, manufacturers and 

distributors of animal identification 

devices, veterinarians, extension agents, 

university professors, producers, and 

private citizens. In response to the 

comments we received, we have 

modified the draft plan in several 

places: 

• We now specify throughout the 

Business Plan that the long-term focus 

of the NAIS is full traceability within 

the cattle industries (both beef and 

dairy), based on the consistent recording 

of all animal movements. The draft 

Business Plan focused on implementing 

a ‘‘book-end’’ approach, based on 

knowledge of the premises of origin and 

the most recent premises for the animal, 

with fewer references to the recording of 

animal movements. 

• We now specify throughout the 

Business Plan that, while all producers 

can benefit from choosing to participate 

in national animal health safeguarding 

efforts, NAIS standards apply to the 

administration of disease programs. 

• We now separate out 

implementation strategies for the sheep 

industry from those for the goat industry 

to reflect that they are separate and 

distinct industries and species. 

• We have added an explanation of 

how NAIS participation provides 

producers with options for meeting 

forthcoming country of origin labeling 

requirements. 

• We now explain future plans for 

requiring radio frequency identification 

(commonly referred to as RFID) of 

animals destined for import and export 

when such animals are subject to 

individual identification. 

• We have added a formal 

acknowledgement of the importance of 

official brands, and a clarification that 

the NAIS is not in conflict with, or a 

replacement for, existing brand 

programs. 

• We have updated the budget for the 

NAIS to reflect the allocation for fiscal 

year 2008, have adjusted the 

benchmarks and timelines for 

implementation of animal traceability 

by species and for registration of critical 

location points, and have made other, 

nonsubstantive changes throughout the 

plan. 

It is important to note, however, that 

the final version of the Business Plan 

retains the seven core strategies for 

harmonizing the NAIS with existing 

programs and methods that we outlined 

in our draft Business Plan. 

We are making the final version of the 

Business Plan available on the NAIS 

Web site. Paper copies may be obtained 

by writing to the following address: 

NAIS Program Staff, VS, APHIS, 4700 

River Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 

20737. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 17th day of 

September 2008. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–22192 Filed 9–22–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will 

prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement (Draft EIS) to evaluate the 

environmental impacts of authorizing 

Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture (LMJV) 

to access 287.5 acres of private property 

surrounded by National Forest System 

land. The Forest Service must provide 

adequate access for the reasonable use 

and enjoyment of private land. LMJV 

intends to construct a resort and other 

facilities known as the Village at Wolf 

Creek on their property, which lies 

entirely within the Wolf Creek Ski Area. 

An alternative that evaluates combining 

the access for both the Village at Wolf 

Creek and the Wolf Creek Ski Area into 

a single grade-separated interchange 

will be analyzed. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 

October 31, 2008. The draft EIS is 

expected May 2009; the final EIS is 

expected December 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Wolf Creek Access EIS, C/O Content 

Analysis Group, 1584 South 500 West, 

Suite 202, Woods Cross, UT, 84010, or 

wolfcreek@contentanalysisgroup.com. 

Fax: 801–397–5628. Electronic copies of 

the scoping packet will be available on 

the World Wide Web at http:// 

www.fs.fed.us/r2/riogrande/projects/ 

forcomment/index.shtml. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Becky Bryan, Wolf Creek Access Project 

Leader, 401 Fairgrounds Road, Rolla, 

MO 65401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: LMJV 

acquired 300 acres surrounded by 

National Forest System lands within the 

Wolf Creek Ski Area (Ski Area) 

boundary in a land-for-land exchange 

with the Forest Service in 1987. 

Subsequently, LMJV transferred 12.5 

acres of that parcel to the Wolf Creek 

Ski Corporation for the development of 

new ski lifts and ski trails. Mineral 

County Board of County 

Commissioners, the regulatory authority 

on private property development, 

approved LMJV’s Final Planned Use 

Development (PUD) for a year-round 

resort village, known as the Village at 

Wolf Creek, on the remaining 287.5 

acres in 2004. A lawsuit challenging the 

PUD resulted in the following court 

order: ‘‘[We] conclude that [the state 

statute] requires at a minimum yeararound wheeled vehicle access between 

State Highway 160 and the Village.’’ 

Wolf Creek Ski Corp. v. Board of County 

Com’rs of Mineral County, 170 P.3d 821, 

830 (Colo.App. 2007). The result of the 

state court litigation was to void the 

county approval of LMJV’s PUD. While 

no PUD is currently in effect, the Forest 

Service takes note that the state court 

litigation upheld the PUD on all issues 

other than access. 

In March 2006, Forest Supervisor 

Peter Clark (retired), of the Rio Grande 

National Forest (RGNF) signed a Record 

of Decision (ROD) and issued a Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (Final 

EIS) for the Application for the 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES