Notice of Request for Approval for Generic Clearance To Conduct Multiple Crop and Pesticide Use Surveys, 17304-17306 [2020-06466]
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17304
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 85, No. 60
Friday, March 27, 2020
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.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
March 23, 2020.
The Department of Agriculture will
submit the following information
collection requirement(s) to OMB for
review and clearance under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13 on or after the date
of publication of this notice. Comments
are requested regarding: 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; the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of burden including
the validity of the methodology and
assumptions used; ways to enhance the
quality, utility and clarity of the
information to be collected; and ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology Comments
regarding these information collections
are best assured of having their full
effect if received by April 27, 2020.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the
publication of this notice on the
following website www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB control
number and the agency informs
potential persons who are to respond to
the collection of information that such
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:28 Mar 26, 2020
Jkt 250001
persons are not required to respond to
the collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
Agricultural Marketing Service
Title: Reporting and Recordkeeping
Requirements for 7 CFR, Part 29.
OMB Control Number: 0581–0056.
Summary of Collection: The Fair and
Equitable Tobacco Reform Act of 2004
(7 U.S.C. 518) eliminated price supports
and marketing quotas for all tobacco
beginning with the 2005 crop year.
Mandatory inspection and grading of
domestic and imported tobacco were
eliminated as well as the mandatory
pesticide testing of imported tobacco
and the tobacco Market News Program.
The Tobacco Inspection Act (U.S.C. 511)
requires that all tobacco sold at
designated auction markets in the U.S.
be inspected and graded. Provision is
also made for interested parties to
request inspection, pesticide testing and
grading services on an ‘‘as needed’’
basis. The Act also provides for the
establishment and maintenance of
tobacco standards for U.S. grown types
and the collection and dissemination of
market news which are funded by
appropriated money.
Need and Use of the Information:
Information is collected through various
forms and other documents for the
inspection and certification process.
Upon receiving request information
from tobacco dealers and/or
manufacturers, tobacco inspectors will
pull samples and apply U.S. Standard
Grades to tobacco samples providing the
customer a Tobacco Inspection
Certificate (TB–92). Also, samples can
be submitted to a USDA laboratory for
pesticide testing and a detailed analysis
is provided to the customer.
Description of Respondents: Business
or other for-profit.
Number of Respondents: 50.
Frequency of Responses:
Recordkeeping; Reporting; On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 3,651.
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020–06370 Filed 3–26–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–02–P
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
[Docket No. USDA–2020–0005]
Notice of Request for Approval for
Generic Clearance To Conduct Multiple
Crop and Pesticide Use Surveys
Office of the Chief Economist,
Office of Pest Management Policy,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the intention of
USDA’s Office of Pest Management
Policy to request approval for a new
information collection for Multiple Crop
and Pesticide Use Surveys.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by May 26, 2020 to be assured
of consideration.
ADDRESSES: USDA invites interested
persons to submit comments on this
notice. Comments may be submitted by
one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: This
website provides the ability to type
short comments directly into the
comment field on this web page or
attach a file for lengthier comments. Go
to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow
the on-line instructions at that site for
submitting comments.
• Mail, Including CD–ROMs, etc.:
Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Office of the Chief
Economist, Office of Pest Management
Policy, 1400 Independence Avenue SW,
Room 3871-South Building, Mailstop
3817, Washington, DC 20250.
• Hand- or Courier-Delivered
Submittals: Deliver to 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Room
3871—South Building, Washington, DC
20250. You may also send comments to
the Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget,
Washington, DC 20503.
Instructions: All items submitted by
mail or electronic mail must include the
Agency name and Docket No. USDA–
2020–0005. Comments received in
response to this docket will be made
available for public inspection and
posted without change, including any
personal information, to https://
www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elizabeth Hill, Office of the Chief
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\27MRN1.SGM
27MRN1
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 60 / Friday, March 27, 2020 / Notices
Economist, Office of Pest Management
Policy, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
1400 Independence Ave. SW,
Washington, DC 20250, (202) 720–3846.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Generic Clearance to Conduct
Multiple Crop and Pesticide Use
Surveys.
OMB Number: 0503-New.
Expiration Date of Approval: Three
years from approval date.
Type of Request: New information
collection.
Abstract: The Office of Pest
Management Policy (OPMP) of the
United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) requests approval from the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for generic clearance that will
allow OPMP to collect information from
agricultural entities. The primary
purpose of this information will be to
support OPMP’s understanding of
agricultural practices pertaining to pest
management. OPMP is undertaking this
effort to satisfy legislative requirements
outlined in Title X, Section 10109 of the
2018 Farm Bill, which mandates that
the Secretary of Agriculture, acting
through the Office of the Chief
Economist’s Director of OPMP, collect
this information.
Pest management information is
critical to supporting a key
responsibility of OPMP, i.e., to ‘‘consult
with agricultural producers that may be
affected by pest management or
pesticide-related activities or actions of
the Department or other agencies,’’ as
outlined in the Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Education Reform Act of
1998. This request for approval will
improve OPMP’s ability to better
understand the utilization of pest
management tools by agricultural
producers via input from pest
management advisors—including
Extension experts and crop consultants,
who in addition to being advisors are
often agricultural producers themselves.
Data collected are intended to capture
agricultural practices and needs to
support Federal activities that pertain to
pest management, which are typically
time-sensitive and necessitate the need
for rapid data collection.
In most cases, the turnaround time for
these information collections will be a
function of 60-day public comment
periods associated with pesticide
licensing actions, making it essential for
OPMP to promptly administer requests
and collect responses. Various factors
drive what types of questions OPMP
may ask, including the active
ingredient, crop, region, application
method, and specific target pest
problems. Examples of questions
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:28 Mar 26, 2020
Jkt 250001
include inquiries regarding pesticide
usage, the availability and comparative
utility of alternative pest management
tactics for target pests, and resistance
management concerns. Further, OPMP
often needs to understand niche pest
situations on specific crops and/or
regions, which typically is not
information that is readily available. In
certain cases, a single information
collection may be administered to pest
management advisors across several
active ingredients for a use site. This
would avoid multiple outreach efforts to
the same respondents, reducing both
respondent and government burden.
This effort does not intend to
duplicate information collection
activities administered by USDA’s
National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) that pertain to pest
management. When needed data are
current and available through NASS
collection efforts, it is OPMP’s policy to
utilize and recognize such information
as Best Available Data.
These data will be collected under the
authority of 7 U.S.C. 2204(a).
Individually identifiable data collected
under this authority are governed by
section 1770 of the Food Security Act of
1985, 7 U.S.C. 2276. This Notice is
submitted in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.
L. 104–113) and OMB’s regulations at 5
CFR part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29,
1995).
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting
burden for this collection of information
is estimated to average 15 minutes per
response. Outside of upfront
demographic questions, no more than
10 questions will be asked per response.
Type of Respondents: American
Society of Agronomy Certified Crop
Advisors (CCAs), Crop Consultants
associated with the National Alliance of
Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC),
and university agricultural specialists
(including Extension experts) that work
with or on behalf of agriculturalists,
such as farmers, ranchers, nursery
operators, animal operations (cattle,
chickens, catfish, etc.), foresters,
beekeepers, farm managers, farm
contractors, extermination and pest
control operators, postharvest crop
packing and/or processing activities,
and/or cotton ginning.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
Given that it is impossible to predict the
number of impactful Federal actions
that pertain to pest management in any
given year, the entire universe of
specialists employed in the areas
outlined above could be considered as
possible respondents. Realistically,
however, only a small subset of these
individuals is expected to respond or
PO 00000
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Sfmt 4703
17305
even be requested to participate in
providing information. Using estimates
provided by the American Society of
Agronomy and NAICC, as of June 2019
there were 11,695 CCAs in the United
States and approximately 800 NAICC
independent crop consultants. Although
some individuals are both CCAs and
independent crop consultants, at most
the total universe of crop advisors/
consultants is 12,495 respondents. Of
these respondents, NASS survey
methodologists estimate a response rate
of 15 percent should be expected until
further empirical data is available, or
1,874 respondents if crop consultants
across all agricultural systems were
surveyed.
Of the institutions represented under
the North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS) code
‘‘Universities, and Professional
Schools’’ (NAICS 6113), respondents are
limited to land grant universities
housing agricultural experts and/or
Extension specialists. Typically, only
one expert/specialist from a land grant
university has the knowledge to respond
to the types of questions that would be
included in the proposed information
collection, with an estimate of 130 such
entities existing according to the
Association of Public and Land-Grant
Universities. This would result in 20
respondents assuming a 15 percent
response rate. In all, across crop
advisors/consultants and university
specialists, the number of respondents
per request is likely no greater than
1,894. The actual number of
respondents for any given information
request is expected to be far less than
this, as requests will be for specific
crops, regions, and/or pest management
needs.
Estimated Number of Responses: It is
not possible to precisely predict the
number of significant actions or
activities that would necessitate OPMP
conducting an information collection
request. From 2016 to 2019, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
made approximately 40 requests to
OPMP for information across a total of
more than 85 crops. Additionally, as of
June 2019, EPA had 73 Preliminary
Interim Decisions (PIDs) and 55 Draft
Risk Assessments (DRAs) scheduled for
completion in Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19),
which is likely representative of the
number of PID and DRA actions on an
annual basis for the foreseeable future.
OPMP does not plan to seek additional
information for all actions and each
action typically only applies to a subset
of crops grown in the United States.
Historically, for most actions that
necessitate OPMP input, individual
inquiries typically address one to five
E:\FR\FM\27MRN1.SGM
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17306
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 60 / Friday, March 27, 2020 / Notices
crops, although in some cases inquiries
may target the same crop and could
result in the target population being
contacted more than once annually.
This is a function of more than one EPA
action out for public comment in a
given year being registered for use on
the same crop. EPA actions are posted
to the docket in quarterly batches which
allows OPMP to limit contacting
individual respondents to four or fewer
times annually, as OPMP will be able to
combine questions across multiple
crops onto one survey. For this new
collection request, 1,894 respondents
could be contacted four times annually,
or 7,576 responses per year.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: Respondents will be
contacted no more than four times
annually, i.e., on a quarterly basis.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 3,166 burden hours
annually, or 9,498 hours over the 3-year
life of the approved collection. [As
stated in 13c of the Form OMB 83–1.]
Comments are invited on: (1) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (3)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (4) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on those who are to respond, including
the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for OMB approval. All comments will
become a matter of public record.
Robert Johansson,
Chief Economist.
[FR Doc. 2020–06466 Filed 3–26–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–GL–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0103]
Import Requirements for the
Importation of Fresh Fragrant Pears
From China Into the United States
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
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16:28 Mar 26, 2020
Jkt 250001
We are advising the public of
our decision to revise the import
requirements for the importation of
fresh fragrant pears from China into the
United States and to authorize
importation from an additional area of
production. Based on the findings of the
pest risk analysis, which we made
available to the public to review and
comment through a previous notice, we
have concluded that the application of
one or more designated phytosanitary
measures will be sufficient to mitigate
the risks of introducing or disseminating
plant pests or noxious weeds via the
importation of fresh fragrant pears fruit
from this additional production area.
DATES: The articles covered by this
notice may be authorized for
importation under the revised
conditions after March 27, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Marc Phillips, Senior Regulatory Policy
Specialist, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River
Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737–
1231; (301) 851–2114.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the
regulations in ‘‘Subpart L—Fruits and
Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56–1 through
319.56–12, referred to below as the
regulations), the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
prohibits or restricts the importation of
fruits and vegetables into the United
States from certain parts of the world to
prevent plant pests from being
introduced into and spread within the
United States.
Section 319.56–4 of the regulations
contains a notice-based process based
on established performance standards
for authorizing the importation of fruits
and vegetables. Paragraph (c) of that
section provides that the name and
origin of all fruits and vegetables
authorized importation into the United
States, as well as the requirements for
their importation, are listed on the
internet in APHIS’ Fruits and Vegetables
Import Requirements database, or
FAVIR (https://epermits.aphis.usda.gov/
manual). It also provides that, if the
Administrator of APHIS determines that
any of the phytosanitary measures
required for the importation of a
particular fruit or vegetable are no
longer necessary to reasonably mitigate
the plant pest risk posed by the fruit or
vegetable, APHIS will publish a notice
in the Federal Register making its pest
risk analysis and determination
available for public comment.
In accordance with that process, we
published a notice 1 in the Federal
SUMMARY:
1 To view the notice, pest list, RMD, economic
effects assessment, and the comments that we
received, go to https://www.regulations.gov/#!docket
Detail;D=APHIS-2017-0103.
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Register on April 17, 2019 (84 FR
15994–15995, Docket No. APHIS–2017–
0103) announcing the availability, for
review and comment, of a pest list and
risk management document (RMD)
prepared relative to revising the
conditions for the importation of fresh
fragrant pears (Pyrus x sinkiangensis
Yu) from China into the United States.
The notice proposed both to revise the
conditions for the importation of
fragrant pears from an existing
authorized area of production in China,
the Korla region of Xinjiang Province,
and to authorize importation of fragrant
pears from another area of production,
the Akesu region of Xinjiang Province.
We solicited comments on the pest
list and RMD for 60 days ending on June
17, 2019. We received two comments by
that date. They were both from an
organization representing domestic pear
producers within the United States. The
comments that we received are
discussed below by topic.
Comments on the Pest List
The pest list identified two pests of
quarantine significance that could
follow the pathway on fragrant pears
from the Korla or Akesu regions of
China, Eulecanium circumfluum, a soft
scale, and Euzophera pyriella, the
pyralid moth.
A commenter pointed out that
Schizaphis piricola, an aphid,
Eulecanium giganteum and
Rhodococcus turanicus, both soft scales,
and Janus piri and Janus piriodorus,
both sawflies, were listed on the pest
list as quarantine pests, but were not
considered likely to follow the pathway
on fragrant pears from China imported
into the United States on the grounds
that they attack stems, rather than fruit.
The commenter stated that pears are
often shipped with stems attached, and
the pests should therefore have been
considered to follow the pathway. The
commenter also stated that the pests
should have been mitigated for in the
RMD by requiring that the national
plant protection organization examine
places of production, packinghouses,
and packed fruit for them.
By ‘‘stems,’’ the pest list meant in a
broad sense the above-ground, woody
parts of the pear tree other than the
trunk. There is evidence that S. piricola,
E. giganteum, R. turanicus, J. piri, and
J. piriodorus are all quarantine pests of
branches, twigs, and cuttings of fragrant
pears, but no evidence that they are
associated with commercially produced
fruit, with or without a portion of the
stem attached.
The commenter stated that Bactrocera
dorsalis, the Oriental fruit fly (OFF), is
a quarantine pest that is known to exist
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 60 (Friday, March 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17304-17306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06466]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
[Docket No. USDA-2020-0005]
Notice of Request for Approval for Generic Clearance To Conduct
Multiple Crop and Pesticide Use Surveys
AGENCY: Office of the Chief Economist, Office of Pest Management
Policy, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the intention of USDA's Office of Pest Management
Policy to request approval for a new information collection for
Multiple Crop and Pesticide Use Surveys.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by May 26, 2020 to be
assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: USDA invites interested persons to submit comments on this
notice. Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website provides the
ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on this
web page or attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for
submitting comments.
Mail, Including CD-ROMs, etc.: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Office of the Chief Economist, Office of
Pest Management Policy, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 3871-South
Building, Mailstop 3817, Washington, DC 20250.
Hand- or Courier-Delivered Submittals: Deliver to 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Room 3871--South Building, Washington, DC
20250. You may also send comments to the Desk Officer for Agriculture,
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, Washington, DC 20503.
Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must
include the Agency name and Docket No. USDA-2020-0005. Comments
received in response to this docket will be made available for public
inspection and posted without change, including any personal
information, to https://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Hill, Office of the Chief
[[Page 17305]]
Economist, Office of Pest Management Policy, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250, (202)
720-3846.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Generic Clearance to Conduct Multiple Crop and Pesticide Use
Surveys.
OMB Number: 0503-New.
Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from approval date.
Type of Request: New information collection.
Abstract: The Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP) of the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requests approval from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for generic clearance that will
allow OPMP to collect information from agricultural entities. The
primary purpose of this information will be to support OPMP's
understanding of agricultural practices pertaining to pest management.
OPMP is undertaking this effort to satisfy legislative requirements
outlined in Title X, Section 10109 of the 2018 Farm Bill, which
mandates that the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Office
of the Chief Economist's Director of OPMP, collect this information.
Pest management information is critical to supporting a key
responsibility of OPMP, i.e., to ``consult with agricultural producers
that may be affected by pest management or pesticide-related activities
or actions of the Department or other agencies,'' as outlined in the
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998.
This request for approval will improve OPMP's ability to better
understand the utilization of pest management tools by agricultural
producers via input from pest management advisors--including Extension
experts and crop consultants, who in addition to being advisors are
often agricultural producers themselves. Data collected are intended to
capture agricultural practices and needs to support Federal activities
that pertain to pest management, which are typically time-sensitive and
necessitate the need for rapid data collection.
In most cases, the turnaround time for these information
collections will be a function of 60-day public comment periods
associated with pesticide licensing actions, making it essential for
OPMP to promptly administer requests and collect responses. Various
factors drive what types of questions OPMP may ask, including the
active ingredient, crop, region, application method, and specific
target pest problems. Examples of questions include inquiries regarding
pesticide usage, the availability and comparative utility of
alternative pest management tactics for target pests, and resistance
management concerns. Further, OPMP often needs to understand niche pest
situations on specific crops and/or regions, which typically is not
information that is readily available. In certain cases, a single
information collection may be administered to pest management advisors
across several active ingredients for a use site. This would avoid
multiple outreach efforts to the same respondents, reducing both
respondent and government burden.
This effort does not intend to duplicate information collection
activities administered by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) that pertain to pest management. When needed data are
current and available through NASS collection efforts, it is OPMP's
policy to utilize and recognize such information as Best Available
Data.
These data will be collected under the authority of 7 U.S.C.
2204(a). Individually identifiable data collected under this authority
are governed by section 1770 of the Food Security Act of 1985, 7 U.S.C.
2276. This Notice is submitted in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-113) and OMB's regulations at 5 CFR
part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995).
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response. Outside of
upfront demographic questions, no more than 10 questions will be asked
per response.
Type of Respondents: American Society of Agronomy Certified Crop
Advisors (CCAs), Crop Consultants associated with the National Alliance
of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC), and university agricultural
specialists (including Extension experts) that work with or on behalf
of agriculturalists, such as farmers, ranchers, nursery operators,
animal operations (cattle, chickens, catfish, etc.), foresters,
beekeepers, farm managers, farm contractors, extermination and pest
control operators, postharvest crop packing and/or processing
activities, and/or cotton ginning.
Estimated Number of Respondents: Given that it is impossible to
predict the number of impactful Federal actions that pertain to pest
management in any given year, the entire universe of specialists
employed in the areas outlined above could be considered as possible
respondents. Realistically, however, only a small subset of these
individuals is expected to respond or even be requested to participate
in providing information. Using estimates provided by the American
Society of Agronomy and NAICC, as of June 2019 there were 11,695 CCAs
in the United States and approximately 800 NAICC independent crop
consultants. Although some individuals are both CCAs and independent
crop consultants, at most the total universe of crop advisors/
consultants is 12,495 respondents. Of these respondents, NASS survey
methodologists estimate a response rate of 15 percent should be
expected until further empirical data is available, or 1,874
respondents if crop consultants across all agricultural systems were
surveyed.
Of the institutions represented under the North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS) code ``Universities, and Professional
Schools'' (NAICS 6113), respondents are limited to land grant
universities housing agricultural experts and/or Extension specialists.
Typically, only one expert/specialist from a land grant university has
the knowledge to respond to the types of questions that would be
included in the proposed information collection, with an estimate of
130 such entities existing according to the Association of Public and
Land-Grant Universities. This would result in 20 respondents assuming a
15 percent response rate. In all, across crop advisors/consultants and
university specialists, the number of respondents per request is likely
no greater than 1,894. The actual number of respondents for any given
information request is expected to be far less than this, as requests
will be for specific crops, regions, and/or pest management needs.
Estimated Number of Responses: It is not possible to precisely
predict the number of significant actions or activities that would
necessitate OPMP conducting an information collection request. From
2016 to 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made
approximately 40 requests to OPMP for information across a total of
more than 85 crops. Additionally, as of June 2019, EPA had 73
Preliminary Interim Decisions (PIDs) and 55 Draft Risk Assessments
(DRAs) scheduled for completion in Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19), which is
likely representative of the number of PID and DRA actions on an annual
basis for the foreseeable future. OPMP does not plan to seek additional
information for all actions and each action typically only applies to a
subset of crops grown in the United States. Historically, for most
actions that necessitate OPMP input, individual inquiries typically
address one to five
[[Page 17306]]
crops, although in some cases inquiries may target the same crop and
could result in the target population being contacted more than once
annually. This is a function of more than one EPA action out for public
comment in a given year being registered for use on the same crop. EPA
actions are posted to the docket in quarterly batches which allows OPMP
to limit contacting individual respondents to four or fewer times
annually, as OPMP will be able to combine questions across multiple
crops onto one survey. For this new collection request, 1,894
respondents could be contacted four times annually, or 7,576 responses
per year.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Respondents will be
contacted no more than four times annually, i.e., on a quarterly basis.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 3,166 burden hours
annually, or 9,498 hours over the 3-year life of the approved
collection. [As stated in 13c of the Form OMB 83-1.]
Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information will have practical
utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms
of information technology.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public
record.
Robert Johansson,
Chief Economist.
[FR Doc. 2020-06466 Filed 3-26-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-GL-P
