SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Foreign Quarantine Notices.

OMB Number: 0579-0049.

Type of Request: Reinstatement of an information collection.

Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture is responsible for preventing the introduction of foreign plant pests into the United States. Implementing this mission often requires us to collect information from a variety of individuals, both within and outside of the United States, who are involved in growing, packing, handling, transporting, and importing foreign plants, fruits, vegetables, roots, bulbs, seeds, and other plant products. Our regulations governing the importation of these articles are contained in 7 CFR part 319, “Foreign Quarantine Notices.”

For example, many plants or plant products may not be imported until the person wishing to import them receives a permit from us. The person wishing to import these items must first fill out a permit application.

We consider the permit application process extremely important, since the information on the application enables us to determine whether the items for import represent a potential pest threat to U.S. agriculture.

Under certain circumstances we also require importers to supply us with other types of information. We require, for example, that containers used to import various plants or plant products be marked in a certain way so that our inspectors can accurately identify them and match them to their accompanying documentation.

We require that certain shipments be accompanied by a phytosanitary inspection certificate, which is a document completed by plant health officials in the originating country.

This certificate attests to the plant pest condition of the shipment at the time it was inspected in the originating country. We use this important information as a guide in determining the intensity of the inspection we must conduct when the shipment arrives in the United States.

This and other information we collect is vital to helping us ensure that imported plants and plant products do not harbor plant pests that, if introduced into the United States, could cause millions of dollars in damage to U.S. agriculture.

We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information collection activities 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 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 0.314877 hours per response.

Respondents: Foreign plant health protection authorities.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 92,457.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 3.1305.

Estimated annual number of responses: 289,440.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 91,138 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.

67 FR 40264