47692 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2017 / Notices 

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 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 4 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Nurseries. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 4. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 2. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 8. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 32 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 11th day of 

October 2017. 

Michael C. Gregoire, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–22346 Filed 10–12–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0081] 

Notice of Request for Revision to and 

Extension of Approval of an 

Information Collection; Karnal Bunt; 

Importation of Wheat and Related 

Articles 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Revision to 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 

request a revision to and extension of 

approval of an information collection 

associated with the regulations for the 

importation of wheat and related 

articles from regions affected with 

Karnal bunt. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before December 

12, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0081. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2017–0081, Regulatory Analysis 

and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 

3A–03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. 

Supporting documents and any 

comments we receive on this docket 

may be viewed at http://

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0081 or 

in our reading room, which 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) 799–7039 

before coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on Karnal bunt and the 

importation of wheat and related 

articles, contact Mr. George Galasso, 

National Trade Director, PPQ, APHIS, 

4700 River Road Unit 140, Riverdale, 

MD 20737; (301) 851–2050. For copies 

of more detailed information on the 

information collection, contact Ms. 

Kimberly Hardy, APHIS’ Information 

Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851– 

2483. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Karnal Bunt; Importation of 

Wheat and Related Articles. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0240. 

Type of Request: Revision to 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, among 

other things, to prohibit or restrict the 

importation, entry, or interstate 

movement of plants, plant products, 

biological control organism, noxious 

weeds, means of conveyances, and other 

articles to prevent the introduction of 

plant pests or noxious weeds into the 

United States or their dissemination 

within the United States. This authority 

has been delegated to the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service 

(APHIS). 

Karnal bunt is a fungal disease of 

wheat (Triticum aestivum), durum 

wheat (Triticum durum), and triticale 

(Triticum aestivum X Secale cereale), a 

hybrid of wheat and rye. Karnal bunt is 

caused by the smut fungus Tilletia 

indica (Mitra) Mundkhur and is spread 

by spores, primarily through movement 

of infected seed. 

To prevent the introduction and 

spread of various wheat diseases, 

including Karnal bunt, APHIS’ 

regulations in ‘‘Subpart—Wheat 

Diseases’’ (7 CFR 319.59–1 through 

319.59–4) prohibit the importation of 

wheat seed, plants, straw, and other 

products into the United States from 

regions affected with Karnal bunt. 

The regulations require that certain 

regulated articles imported from Karnal 

bunt-free areas within regions regulated 

for Karnal bunt be accompanied by a 

phytosanitary certificate that must be 

completed by an official of the national 

plant protection organization (NPPO) of 

the region of origin. The certificate must 

include a declaration stating that the 

regulated articles originated in areas 

where Karnal bunt is not known to 

occur, as attested to either by survey 

results or by testing for bunted kernels 

or spores. In addition, there are other 

information collection activities 

including notices of arrival, disinfection 

documents, and emergency action 

notice. 

We are asking the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) to 

approve our use of these information 

collection activities, as described, 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. 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2017 / Notices 47693 

Estimate of burden: The public 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 0.8 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Importers/exporters of 

wheat and related articles and the NPPO 

of the region of origin. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 4. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 56. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 224. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 186 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 6th day of 

October 2017. 

Michael C. Gregoire, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–22223 Filed 10–12–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0077] 

Notice of Request for Revision to and 

Extension of Approval of an 

Information Collection; Gypsy Moth 

Identification Worksheet and Checklist 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Revision to 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 

request a revision to and extension of 

approval of an information collection 

associated with the gypsy moth 

program. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before December 

12, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0077. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2017–0077, Regulatory Analysis 

and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 

3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. 

Supporting documents and any 

comments we receive on this docket 

may be viewed at http://

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0077 or 

in our reading room, which 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) 799–7039 

before coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on the gypsy moth program, 

contact Mr. Paul Chaloux, National 

Policy Manager, PHP, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 

River Road, Unit 137, Riverdale, MD 

20737; (301) 851–2064. For copies of 

more detailed information on the 

information collection, contact Ms. 

Kimberly Hardy, APHIS’ Information 

Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851– 

2483. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Gypsy Moth Identification 

Worksheet and Checklist. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0104. 

Type of Request: Revision to and 

extension of approval of an information 

collection. 

Abstract: Under the Plant Protection 

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

Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

either independently or in cooperation 

with the States, is authorized to carry 

out operations or measures to detect, 

eradicate, suppress, control, prevent, or 

retard the spread of plant pests new to 

the United States or not widely 

distributed throughout the United 

States. The USDA’s Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is the 

delegated authority to carry out this 

mission. 

As part of the mission, APHIS’ Plant 

Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) 

program engages in detection surveys to 

monitor for the presence of, among 

other things, the European gypsy moth 

and the Asian gypsy moth. The 

European gypsy moth is one of the most 

destructive pests of fruit and ornamental 

trees as well as hardwood forests. First 

introduced into the United States in 

Medford, MA, in 1869, the European 

gypsy moth has gradually spread to 

infest the entire northeastern portion of 

the country. The gypsy moth regulations 

can be found in 7 CFR 301.45 through 

301.45–12. 

Heavily infested European gypsy 

moth areas are inundated with actively 

crawling larvae that cover trees, fences, 

vehicles, and houses during their search 

for food. Entire areas may be stripped of 

all foliage, often resulting in heavy 

damage to trees. The damage can have 

long-lasting effects, depriving wildlife of 

food and shelter, and severely limiting 

the recreational value of forested areas. 

The Asian gypsy moth is an exotic 

strain of gypsy moth that is closely 

related to the European variety already 

established in the United States. While 

the Asian gypsy moth has been 

introduced into the United States on 

several occasions, it is currently not 

established in the United States. 

However, due to behavioral differences, 

the Asian gypsy moth is considered to 

pose an even greater threat to trees and 

forested areas than the European gypsy 

moth. 

Unlike the flightless European gypsy 

moth female adult, the Asian gypsy 

moth female adult is capable of strong 

directed flight between mating and egg 

deposition, significantly increasing its 

ability to spread over a much greater 

area and become widely established 

within a short time. In addition, Asian 

gypsy moth larvae feed on a much wider 

variety of hosts, allowing them to 

exploit more areas and cause more 

damage than the European gypsy moth. 

To determine the presence and extent 

of a European gypsy moth or an Asian 

gypsy moth infestation, APHIS sets 

traps in high-risk areas to collect 

specimens. Once an infestation is 

identified, control and eradication work 

(usually involving State cooperation) is 

initiated to eliminate the moths. 

APHIS personnel, with assistance 

from State/local officials, check traps for 

the presence of gypsy moths. If a 

suspicious moth is found in the trap, it 

is sent to APHIS laboratories at the Otis 

Methods Development Center in 

Massachusetts so that it can be correctly 

identified through DNA analysis. DNA 

analysis is the only way to accurately 

identify these insects because the 

European gypsy moth and the Asian 

gypsy moth are strains of the same 

species, and they cannot be visually 

distinguished from each other. 

The PPQ or State/local officials 

submitting the moth for analysis must 

complete a specimen worksheet, which 

accompanies the insect to the 

laboratory. The worksheet enables 

Federal and State/local officials to 

identify and track specific specimens 

through the DNA identification tests 

that are conducted. In addition, the 

information provided by the gypsy moth 

identification worksheets is vital to 

APHIS’ ability to monitor, detect, and 

eradicate gypsy moth infestations. 

The gypsy moth regulations 

(§ 301.45–4(a)) also require the 


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