[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 95 (Friday, May 15, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29392-29393]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10403]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 95 / Friday, May 15, 2020 / Notices
[[Page 29392]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2020-0031]
Notice of Request for Reinstatement of an Information Collection;
Imported Seeds and Screenings
ACTION: Reinstatement 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 the reinstatement of an information collection
associated with the regulations for the importation of seeds and
screenings from Canada into the United States.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before July
14, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2020-0031.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2020-0031, 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-2020-
0031 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 regulations
related to the importation of seeds and screenings, contact Ms. Lydia
Col[oacute]n, Senior Regulatory Policy Specialist, PHP, PPQ, APHIS,
4700 River Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-2302. For
further information on the information collection process, contact Mr.
Joseph Moxey, APHIS Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851-
2483.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Imported Seeds and Screenings.
OMB Control Number: 0579-0124.
Type of Request: Reinstatement of an information collection.
Abstract: Under the authority of the Federal Seed Act (FSA) of
1939, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1551 et seq.), the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) regulates the importation and interstate movement of
certain agricultural and vegetable seeds and screenings. Title III of
the FSA, ``Foreign Commerce,'' requires shipments of imported
agricultural and vegetable seeds to be labeled correctly and to be
tested for the presence of the seeds of certain noxious weeds as a
condition of entry into the United States. The Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service's (APHIS) regulations implementing the provisions of
Title III of the FSA are found in 7 CFR part 361.
The regulations in 7 CFR part 361, ``Importation of Seed and
Screenings under the Federal Seed Act'' (Sec. Sec. 361.1 to 361.10,
referred to below as the regulations), prohibit or restrict the
importation of agricultural seed, vegetable seed, and screenings into
the United States. Section 361.7 provides the regulations for special
provisions for Canadian-origin seed and screenings, and Sec. 361.8
provides the regulations for the cleaning of imported seed and
processing of certain Canadian-origin screenings.
APHIS' Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program operates a
seed analysis program with Canada that allows U.S. companies that
import seed for cleaning or processing to enter into compliance
agreements with APHIS. This program eliminates the need for sampling
shipments of Canadian-origin seed at the U.S.-Canadian border and
allows certain seed importers to clean the seed without direct
supervision of an APHIS inspector. The program provides a safe and
expedited process for the importation of seed and screenings into the
United States without posing a plant pest or noxious weed risk.
The seed analysis program involves the use of information
collection activities, including a compliance agreement, seed analysis
certificate, declaration for importation, container labeling,
notification of seed location, a seed return request, seed identity
maintenance, documentation for U.S. origin exported seed returned to
the United States, written appeal for cancellation of a compliance
agreement and request for a hearing, and associated recordkeeping.
We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve
our use of these information collection activities, as described, 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 burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 0.35 hours per response.
Respondents: Government food inspection agency officials; and
commercial importers, seed cleaning/processing facility personnel, and
seed laboratory personnel.
Estimated annual number of respondents: 1,163.
Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 23.
Estimated annual number of responses: 27,038.
Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 9,629 hours. (Due to
[[Page 29393]]
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 May 2020.
Michael Watson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-10403 Filed 5-14-20; 8:45 am]
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