0346 2022 Ss (20211103)

November 2021

Supporting Statement

Movement of Plants and Plant Products

From Hawaii and the Territories

OMB No. 0579-0346

TERMS OF CLEARANCE: “Before this ICR is resubmitted, USDA should convert PPQ Forms 519, 530, 540, and 586 to common forms.” APHIS has many forms eligible for conversion to common forms. This has become a priority for the Agency, and it anticipates making material progress on the project.

A. Justification

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), is responsible for preventing plant diseases or insect pests from entering the United States, preventing the spread of pests and noxious weeds not widely distributed in the United States, and eradicating those imported pests when eradication is feasible. The Plant Protection Act authorizes the Department to carry out this mission.

Under the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 – et. seq.), the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to prohibit or restrict the importation, entry, or movement of fruits, vegetables, plants, and plant products to prevent the introduction of pests or diseases into the United States, or the dissemination of pests or diseases within the United States. The Plant Protection Act authorizes the Department to carry out this mission.

Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ), a program within APHIS, is responsible for implementing this Act and does so through the enforcement of its Hawaiian and territorial quarantine regulations, contained in Part 318 of Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Under the Hawaii and territorial regulated article regulations (7 CFR 318.13-1 through 318.13-17, referred to as the regulations), PPQ prohibits or restricts the interstate movement of fruits, vegetables, plants, and plant products from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam to the continental United States to prevent the spread of dangerous plant diseases and plant pests that occur in Hawaii and the territories, including the Mediterranean fruit fly, the melon fly, the Oriental fruit fly, green coffee scale, the bean pod borer, and other plant pests which are new to or not known to be widely prevalent or distributed within and throughout other States.

Additionally, the phytosanitary treatment regulations contained in Title 7 CFR Part 305, set out standards and schedules for treatments required for articles whose importation could introduce plant pests or noxious weeds into the United States or whose interstate movement could spread plant pests or noxious weeds within the United States. Within Title 7 CFR Part 305, the irradiation treatment regulations in Subpart 305.9 (referred to as the regulations) set out standards and minimum doses for irradiation treatments for imported fruits, vegetables, and regulated articles moved interstate from quarantined areas within the United States, along with other requirements for performing irradiation treatments.

APHIS established criteria within the regulations that, if met, allows APHIS to approve certain new fruits, vegetables, and other regulated articles for interstate movement in the United States and to acknowledge pest-free areas in Hawaii and U.S. territories expeditiously, doing away with the practice of listing in the regulations specific commodities as regulated articles. These changes simplify and expedite our processes for approving certain regulated articles for interstate movement and pest-free areas.

Implementing APHIS’ quarantines often requires APHIS to collect information from a variety of individuals who are involved in growing, packing, handling, transporting, and exporting plants and plant products. The information APHIS collects serves as the supporting documentation required for the issuance of PPQ forms and documents that authorize the movement of regulated articles, and they are vital in helping APHIS ensure that injurious plant diseases and insect pests do not spread within the United States.

APHIS is asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve, for an additional 3 years, the use of these information collection activities, associated with its effort to prevent the spread of plant pests and diseases into the continental United States.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.

APHIS uses the following information collection activities to prevent the spread of plant pests and diseases in the United States:

Limited Permit (PPQ Form 530); (7 CFR 318.13-3(c) & 318.13-6(b) & 318.13-17 (a)); (Business)

Fruits or Vegetables from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands and Cut Flowers from Hawaii shipped through the continental United States may be required to be accompanied by a limited permit, a copy of which must be presented to an inspector at the port of arrival and the port of export in the United States, and at any other location in the United States where an air consignment is authorized to stop or where overland consignments change means of conveyance. These limited permits are used to authorize movement of regulated articles that are not certifiable, but can be authorized to specified destinations for processing, treatment, or utilization that terminates the risk. These permits are endorsed by an APHIS- approved destination officer.

Application for Permit to Transit Plants and/or Plant Products, Plant Pests, and/or Associated Soil through the United States (PPQ Form 586); (7 CFR 318.13-6(a)); (Business)

A transit permit is required for the arrival, unloading, and movement through the continental United States of fruits and vegetables otherwise prohibited by this subpart (§ 318.13-6) from being moved through the continental United States from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Businesses apply to APHIS to receive this transit permit so that their commodities can safely and legally transit the country. This also gives APHIS the ability to identify permit holders and responsible parties in the event of a pest or disease occurrence with a shipment.

Certificate (PPQ Form 540); (7 CFR 318.13-3(b) & (e) & 305.9); (Business; State)

Regulated articles may be certified when they have been inspected by an inspector and found apparently free from infestation and infection, or without such inspection when the inspector determines that the lot for consignment is of such a nature that no danger of infestation or infection is involved.

Regulated articles for which treatments are approved underpart 305 of this chapter may be certified if such treatments have been applied in accordance with part 305 of this chapter and if the articles were handled after such treatment in accordance with a compliance agreement executed by the applicant for certification or under the supervision of an inspector.

Compliance Agreement (PPQ Form 519); (7 CFR 318.13-3(d)(1) & 318-13-5(e)(2) & 318.13‑17(a) & 305.9); (Business)

Businesses from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands wishing to move regulated articles interstate for which a compliance agreement is required, must enter into a compliance agreement with APHIS in accordance with §318.13-3(d), §318.13-5 (e) 318.13-17 (a) and 305.9. PPQ Form 519 is initiated by businesses or persons to attest that specific APHIS requirements are followed. The compliance agreement includes details such as contact information, location of facility or site of processing, and a listing of the requirements for specific regulated articles to be imported.

Trapping and Surveillance; (7 CFR 318.13-4 & 318.13-5); (Business; State)

No fruit or vegetable is authorized for interstate movement from Hawaii or the territories unless the Administrator has determined that the risk posed by each quarantine pest associated with the fruit or vegetable can be reasonably mitigated by the application of one or more phytosanitary measures designated by the Administrator. Mitigation includes but are not limited to, detection surveys, trapping requirements, pest exclusionary structures, and field inspections.

Additionally, APHIS determines if an area’s pest-free status is based on information provided by the State/territory. The information used to make this determination includes trapping and surveillance data, survey protocols, and protocols for actions to be performed upon detection of a pest.

Written Request for Treatment Facility Approval, and Recertification (previously titled Written Request for Facility Approval, and Recertification); (7 CFR 305.9(d)&(l)); (Business)

The irradiation treatment facility must be certified by APHIS. Irradiation treatment facilities requesting certification must submit the request for approval, in writing, to APHIS, PPQ, Center for Plant Health Science and Technology, 1730 Varsity Drive, Suite 400, Raleigh, NC 27606.

The initial request must identify the owner, location, and radiation source of the facility, and the applicant must supply additional information about the facility construction, treatment protocols, and operations upon request by APHIS, only if APHIS requires additional information to evaluate the request.

The irradiation treatment facility must be certified by APHIS. Recertification is required in the event of: (1) an increase in the amount of radioisotope, (2) a decrease in the amount of radioisotope for a reason other than natural decay, (3) a major modification to equipment that affects the delivered dose, or (4) a change in the owner or managing entity of the facility. Recertification also may be required in cases where a significant variance in dose delivery has been measured by the dosimetry system.

Contingency Plans Approved by APHIS; (7 CFR 305.9(a)(iv)); (Business)

Irradiation facilities must have contingency plans in place and have them approved by APHIS to ensure the proper and safe treatment of regulated articles.

Facility Must Maintain and Provide APHIS with an Updated Map Identifying Places Where Horticultural or Other Crops Are Grown; (7 CFR 305.9(a) (viii)); (Business)

Irradiation facilities must maintain and provide APHIS with updated maps identifying places where horticultural or other crops are grown within a 4-mile radius of the facility. Knowledge of the proximity of host material to the facility may necessitate trapping or other pest monitoring activities to help prevent unwanted occurrences.

Recordkeeping; (7 CFR 305.9, 318.3); (Business)

Irradiation facilities must maintain records of each treated lot for 1 year following the treatment date and must make these records available for inspection by an inspector during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays). These records must include the lot identification, scheduled process, evidence of compliance with the scheduled process, ionizing energy source, source calibration, dosimetry, dose distribution in the product, and the date of irradiation.

Additionally, no fruit or vegetable is authorized for interstate movement from Hawaii or the territories unless the Administrator has determined that the risk posed by each quarantine pest associated with the fruit or vegetable can be reasonably mitigated by the application of one or more phytosanitary measures designated by the Administrator. The fruits and vegetables are subject to any measures, including recordkeeping, deemed appropriate by the Administrator. Certain fruit and vegetable production sites are required to keep trapping records up to 1 year.

Decertification of Pest Free Areas; Reinstatement; Certification; (7 CFR 318.13-5(d)); (State)

If a pest is detected in an area that is designated as free of that pest, APHIS will publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing that the pest-free status of the area in question has been withdrawn and that interstate movement of host crops for the pest in question is subject to application of an approved treatment for the pest. If a treatment for the pest is not available, interstate movement of the host crops would be prohibited. In order for a decertified pest-free area to be reinstated, it would have to meet the criteria for a pest-free area by trapping and surveillance, survey protocols, and a Federal Register notice. It is the responsibility of the State or territory of the area to meet the criteria and provide any trapping and surveillance data, survey protocols, etc., to APHIS.

Labeling From Pest Free Areas (previously titled Labeling of Boxes for Pest Free Areas; Package, Marking, and Identify); (7CFR 318.13-5); (Business)

Each box of fruits or vegetables that is moved interstate from a pest-free area under this subpart must be clearly labeled with the name of the orchard or grove of origin, or the name of the grower; and the name of the municipality and State or territory in which the fruits or vegetables were produced; and the type and amount of fruits or vegetables the box contains.

Request for inspection of Aircraft Prior to Departure (previously titled Inspection of Aircraft Prior to Departure); (7 CFR 318.13-9(a) & (b)); (Business)

No person shall move any aircraft from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands to any other State unless the person moving the aircraft has contacted an inspector and offered the inspector the opportunity to inspect the aircraft prior to departure and the inspector has informed the person proposing to move the aircraft that the aircraft may depart.

Any person who has moved an aircraft from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands to Guam shall contact an inspector and offer the inspector the opportunity to inspect the aircraft upon the aircraft's arrival in Guam.

Written Request to Appeal APHIS Decision (New); (7CFR 318.13-3(f))

Any person whose certification, transit permit, limited permit, or compliance agreement has been withdrawn may appeal the decision in writing to the Administrator within 10 days after receiving the written notification of the withdrawal. The appeal shall state all of the facts and reasons upon which the person relies to show that the certification, transit permit, limited permit, or compliance agreement was wrongfully withdrawn.

Production Site or Packinghouse Registration (previously listed separately); (7 CFR 318.13-4); (Business)

No fruit or vegetable is authorized for interstate movement from Hawaii or the territories unless the Administrator has determined that the risk posed by each quarantine pest associated with the fruit or vegetable can be reasonably mitigated by the application of one or more phytosanitary measures designated by the Administrator. The fruits and vegetables are subject to administrative mitigations, which could include, but are not limited to, registered fields or orchards, registered growing sites, registered packinghouses, inspection in the State of origin by an inspector, and operational workplan monitoring.

Request for Inspection and Certification (previously titled Request for Inspection and Certification; Inspection of Production Areas; and Inspection of Sweet Potatoes; and Irradiation Treatment and Inspection); (7 CFR 318.13-3(b)(1) and (b)(2)); (Business)

Regulated articles may be certified when they have been inspected by an inspector and found apparently free from infestation and infection, or without such inspection when the inspector determines that the lot for consignment is of such a nature that no danger of infestation or infection is involved. Persons intending to move any articles that may be certified must contact the local Plant Protection and Quarantine office as far as possible in advance of the contemplated date of shipment in order to request an inspection.

Notification in Case of Emergency on Conveyance; (7 CFR 318.13-6(g)); (Business)

In the case of an emergency such as an accident, a mechanical breakdown of the means of conveyance, or an unavoidable deviation from the prescribed route, the person in charge of the means of conveyance must, as soon as practicable, notify the APHIS office at the port where the cargo arrived in the United States.

Container Stamping/Box Marking (previously titled Box Marking); (7 CFR 318.13-3 (g) & 318.13-5(e) & 318.13-6(c)); (Business)

Except as provided in §318.13-6(c), consignments of regulated articles moved in accordance with this subpart must have the following information clearly marked on each container or on the waybill, manifest, or bill of lading accompanying the articles: Nature and quantity of contents; name and address of shipper, owner, or person shipping or forwarding the articles; name and address of consignee; shipper's identifying mark and number; and the certification stamp or number of the limited permit authorizing movement, if one was issued.

Additionally, each box of fruits or vegetables that is moved interstate from a pest-free area must be clearly labeled with: (1) the name of the orchard or grove of origin, or the name of the grower; (2) the name of the municipality and State or territory in which the fruits or vegetables were produced; and (3) the type and amount of fruits or vegetables the box contains.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.

PPQ Form 519 (Compliance Agreement) - This form is downloadable, fillable, and posted at:

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms/pdf/ppq519.pdf.

PPQ Form 530 (Limited Permit) - This form is an accountable form that must be issued by a PPQ employee or a person under Compliance Agreement with PPQ. Strict control is needed for the issuance of this form, as it allows the movement of regulated products that are subject to restrictions and can only be issued after an inspection proves that the shipment meets the requirements for movement. Movement may also require a treatment, which has to be determined by an inspector. The form must accompany the shipment throughout transport from the inspection until destination.

PPQ Form 540 (Certificate) - This form is not automated for several reasons. This form has a unique identifier (serial number), and it is an accountable form that must be issued by a PPQ employee. APHIS needs to have strict control over the issuance of this form since they allow the movement of regulated products that are subject to restrictions. They can only be issued after an inspection proves that the shipment meets the requirements for movement. An inspector has to determine if a treatment is required before movement. Finally, the forms must accompany the shipment throughout transport from the inspection until destination.

PPQ Form 586 (Application for Permit to Transit Plants and/or Plant Products, Plant Pests, and/or Associated Soil through the United States) - This form is downloadable, fillable, and posted at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/permits/ppq_epermits.shtml.

Letter of Request for Facility Approval - A letter of request for facility approval can be automated by the respondent using a computer.

Forms in this information collection are part of the International Trade Data System (ITDS) via the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) initiative.  Being a part of this system/initiative will change how the information is collected; this system will eliminate actual forms and collect the information as raw data. This will be accomplished in a fully electronic manner.

The information technology system called Certification, Accreditation, Registration, Permitting, and other Licensing (CARPOL) was not developed and has been removed from this renewal.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purpose described in item 2 above.

The information APHIS collects is exclusive to its mission of preventing the incursion or interstate spread of plant pests, diseases, and noxious weeds and is not available from any other source.

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.

APHIS estimates 60 percent of the respondents are small entities. The information APHIS collects in this information collection is the minimum needed to protect the United States from destructive plants and plant products.

6. Describe the consequences to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

If APHIS did not collect this information or if APHIS collected this information less frequently, the spread of dangerous plant diseases and pests that occur in Hawaii and the territories could spread to the continental United States causing millions of dollars in damage.

7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the general information collection guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.

 requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;

 requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

Facilities that carry out continual irradiation operations must notify an inspector at least 24 hours before the date of operations.

Any person whose Limited Permit or Compliance Agreement has been withdrawn may appeal the decision, in writing, to the APHIS Administrator within 10 days after receiving the written notification of the withdrawal.

 requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;

 requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;

 in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;

 requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;

 that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or

 requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

No other special circumstances exist that would require this collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the general information collection guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.

8. Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting form, and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported. If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of the publication in the Federal Register of the agency’s notice, soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB.

PPQ staff in Hawaii and Puerto Rico are in regular productive consultations with persons outside the agency concerning our information collection to obtain their views concerning the implementation of the requirements in this collection. The burden sources are established, the process to collect the information is a necessity, and efficiencies have been implemented via these regular consultations with these persons outside the Agency. The individuals consulted for this information collection include the following:

Ken Love

CTAHR, Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers

P.O. Box 1162
Captain Cook, HI 96704

Phone: 808-323-2417

ken@mycoffee.net

Cinnamon Querrard

California & Hawaii Foliage Growers, Inc.

27-495 Old Mamalahoa Hwy
Papaikou Hawaii 96781

Phone: 808-964-5533

www.calhawaiifoliage.com

Eduardo Vega

Airport Aviation Services

PO Box 37779

San Juan, PR 00937

Tel 787-791-8500

On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, APHIS published in the Federal Register (86 FR 29547) a 60-day notice seeking public comments on its plans to request a 3-year renewal of this collection of information. No comments from the public were received.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than re‑enumeration of contractors or grantees.

This information collection activity involves no payments or gifts to respondents.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in stature, regulation, or agency policy.

No additional assurance of confidentiality is provided with this information collection. Any and all information obtained in this collection shall not be disclosed except in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and others that are considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

This information collection activity asks no questions of a personal or sensitive nature.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.

● Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in Item 13 of OMB Form 83-I.

See APHIS Form 71 for hour burden estimates.

● Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.

The respondents in this request are state officials and business agricultural managers. APHIS estimates the total annualized cost to these respondents to be $166,697. It arrived at this figure by multiplying the hours of estimated response time (3,286 hours) by the estimated average hourly wage of the respondents ($35.01) and then multiplying the result by 1.449 to capture benefit costs.

The average hourly rates used to calculate the estimate were for State employees ($33.08, BLS news release USDL-21-0437); and agricultural managers ($36.93, SOCC 11-9013; farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers). In this renewal, the average hourly wage was computed by averaging two occupational salaries, resulting in a lower average hourly wage which accurately reflects the hourly rate of the respondents. The rates were found at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm.

According to DOL BLS news release USDL-21-0437 released March 18, 2021, employee benefits account for 31 percent of employee costs, and wages account for the remaining 69 percent. Mathematically, total costs can be calculated as a function of wages using a multiplier of 1.449.

13. Provide estimates of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information, (do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in items 12 and 14). The cost estimates should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component annualized over its expected useful life; and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component.

There is zero annual cost burden associated with capital and start-up, operation and maintenance, and purchase of services in connection with this program.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate cost and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

See APHIS Form 79. The estimated cost to the Federal Government is $76,635.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-I.

	Requested	Program Change Due to New Statute	Program Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Agency Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA	Previously Approved
Annual Number of Responses	15,673	0	12,743	(20,048)	0	22,978
Annual Time Burden (Hr)	3,286	0	2,141	(7,173)	0	8,318

This request for renewal is for 15,673 estimated responses and 3,286 estimated burden hours, reflecting a decrease of 7,305 estimate responses and a decrease of 5,032 hours of estimated burden from the previous request. The number of respondents increasing from 203 to 283.

The changes are due to the fluctuations in commercial interstate movement of plant and plant products from Hawaii and the Territories into and though the Continental U.S. Additional changes are due to commercial and non-commercial airplane traffic and the manner in which approval is granted, resulting in less usage of certain forms and activities but an increase in activities with low hours/response values (i.e. labeling).

Specific adjustments to Agency estimates include:

• Limited Permit PPQ 530 with a decrease of 6,224 estimated responses and a decrease of 1,245 estimated burden hours.

• Application for Permit to Transit Plants and/or Plant Products, Plant Pests, and/or Associated Soil through the U.S PPQ 586 with a decrease of 4,985 estimated responses and a decrease of 2,492 estimated burden hours.

• Compliance Agreement PPQ 519 with a decrease of 515 estimated responses and a decrease of 644 estimated burden hours.

• Written Request for Facility Approval and Recertification with a decrease of 1 estimated response and a decrease of 1 estimated burden hour.

• Contingency Plans Approved by APHIS with a decrease of 9 estimated responses and a decrease of 36 estimated burden hours.

• Facility Must Maintain and Provide APHIS with an Updated Map Identifying Places Where Horticultural or Other Crops Are Grown with a decrease of 9 estimated responses and a decrease of 4 estimated burden hours.

• Labeling of Boxes for Pest Free Areas with a decrease of 5,169 estimated responses and a decrease of 6 estimated burden hours.

• Production Site Registration with an increase of 5 estimated responses and an increase 2 estimated burden hours.

• Packing House Registration with a decrease of 13 estimated responses and a decrease of 7 estimated burden hours.

• Certificate PPQ 540 (State) with a decrease of 9 estimated responses and a decrease of 1 estimated burden hour.

• Trapping/Surveillance (State) with a decrease of 449 estimated responses and a decrease of 71 estimated burden hours.

• Inspection and Certification with a decrease of 2,670 estimated responses and a decrease of 2,670 estimated burden hours.

Specific discretionary program changes include:

• Certification PPQ 540 is a new activity for Business and adds 1 response and 1 burden hour.

• Trapping/Surveillance is a new activity for Business and adds 26 responses and 5 burden hours.

• Written Request to Appeal APHIS Decision is a new activity for Business and adds 1 response and 1 burden hour.

• Recordkeeping added an additional 15 respondents, increased the per response time from 1 to 80 hours per response, and increased total annual estimated burden hours by 1,990. This results in 25 respondents with a total annual estimated burden of 2,000 hours.

• Request for Aircraft Inspections Prior to Departure added 10 respondents, decreased the per response time from 1.0 to .06 hours per response, and increased total annual estimated burden hours by 48. This results in 30 respondents with a total annual estimated burden of 648 hours.

• Container Stamping/Box Marking added 25 respondents, increased the per response time from .01 to .03 hours per response, and increased the total estimated hours by 96. This results in 40 respondents with a total annual estimated burden of 120 hours.

16. For collections of information whose results are planned to be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.

APHIS has no plans to tabulate or publish the information collected.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

PPQ Forms 519, 530, 540, and 586 are used in multiple information collections; therefore, it is not practical to include an OMB approval expiration date because of the various expiration dates for each information collection. APHIS is seeking approval to not display the date. The Agency has made it a priority to develop procedures and to convert the multi-ICR forms into common forms.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in the “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act.”

APHIS certifies compliance with all the provisions under the Act.

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods.

Statistical methods are not used in this information collection.