0201 Ss 20180123

November 24, 2017

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

Bees and Related Articles

OMB No. 0579-0207

A. Justification

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 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 (PPA) (7 U.S.C. 7701 - et seq.) authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit or restrict the importation, entry, or interstate movement of plants, plant products, and other articles to prevent the introduction of plant pests into the United States or their dissemination within the United States. Further, under the Honey bee Act (7.U.S.C. 281-286), the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to prohibit or restrict the importation of honey bees and honey bee semen to prevent the introduction into the United States of diseases and parasites harmful to honey bees and of undesirable species and subspecies of honey bees such as Apis mellifera scutellata, commonly known in the United States as the African honey bee. Regulations established under the Honey bee Act are contained in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 7, Part 322 (referred to as the “honey bee regulations”). The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ), is responsible for implementing the intent of these Acts, and does so through the enforcement of its pollinator regulations (covered under 7 CFR 330) and honey bee regulations (covered under 7 CFR 322).

Pollination is necessary for the production of many important crops, including forages, fruits, and vegetables. The pollinator regulations and honey bee regulations govern the importation into the United States of honey bees, honey bee semen, live bees other than honey bees, dead bees of the superfamily Apoidea, certain beekeeping byproducts, and beekeeping equipment. The establishment of certain bee diseases, parasites, or undesirable species and subspecies of honey bees in the United States could cause substantial reductions in pollination by bees. Reductions in pollination by bees could indirectly cause serious damage to crops and other plants and, therefore, could lead to negative economic impact to American agriculture.

This regulation requires APHIS to collect information from a variety of individuals who are involved in breeding, exporting, importing, and containing bees and related articles. The information APHIS collects serves as the supporting documentation needed to issue required PPQ forms and documents that allow the importation of bees and related articles or authorize release of bees. This documentation is vital to helping APHIS ensure that exotic bee diseases and parasites, and undesirable species and subspecies of honey bees, do not spread into or within the

United States.

To prevent the spread of diseases and parasites harmful to honey bees and bees other than honey bees, the introduction of genetically undesirable germplasm of honey bees and bees other than honey bees, APHIS is seeking OMB approval to continue to use the following information collection activities for an additional 3 years.

2. Indicate how, by whom, how frequently, 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 activities to prohibit or restrict the importation of honey bees, honey bee semen, and bees other than honey bees to prevent the introduction into the

United States of diseases and parasites harmful to bees other than honey bees, and of undesirable species and subspecies of honey bees such as Apis mellifera scutellata, commonly known in the United States as the African honey bee.

7CFR §322.2 (c)(1) & 322.3 Cost and Charges for Confiscated Articles (Business) Any honey bees, honey bee germ plasm, bees other than honey bees, beekeeping byproducts, or used beekeeping equipment not in compliance that is identified by an Emergency Action Notice (PPQ 523) upon importation into the United States will be either: (i) Immediately exported from the United States by the importer at their expense; or

(ii) Destroyed by APHIS at the importer’s expense.

APHIS will furnish, without cost, the services of an inspector during normal business hours and at the inspector's places of duty. The importer is responsible for all costs and charges arising from inspection outside of normal business hours or away from the inspector's places of duty.¹ Importer is also responsible for all costs and charges related to any exportation or destruction of shipments, in accordance with §322.2(c)(1). Further, if importer imports bees or germ plasm into a containment facility for research or processing, they are will be responsible for all additional costs and charges associated with the importation.

7CFR 322.6, 322.23, 322.30 Documentation for Transit Shipments - Export Certificate (Business) (Foreign Government) Each shipment of bees and honey bee germ plasm arriving in the United States from an approved region must be accompanied by an export certificate issued by the appropriate regulatory agency of the national government of the exporting region.

Each shipment of restricted organisms transiting the United States will have to be accompanied by a document issued by the appropriate regulatory agency of the national government of the exporting region. The document will have to state that the packaging requirements for transit shipments have been met. This requirement will help prevent the introduction of exotic bee diseases, parasites, and undesirable species and subspecies of honey bees into the United States. APHIS PPQ will only allow bees to transit the United States from countries from which we allow bees to be imported into the continental United States.

7CFR 322.7(a) Notice of Arrival for Shipments from Approved Regions (Business) At least

10 days prior to the arrival in the United States of any shipment of bees or honey bee germplasm imported into the United States under CFR § 322.7, APHIS must be notified of the impending arrival. This notice may be faxed, emailed or mailed to APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine as long as it has the information required by the regulation; we do not require a special form, but the following information is required: (1) Name, address, and telephone number; (2) Name and address of the receiving apiary; (3) Name, address, and telephone number of the producer;

(4) U.S. port where expected shipment will arrive (port must be staffed by an APHIS inspector (see §322.11)); (5) Date shipment is expected to arrive at that U.S. port; (6) Scientific name(s) of the organisms in the shipment; (7) Description of the shipment (i.e., package bees, queen bees, nest boxes, etc.); and (8) Total number of organisms you expect to receive.

322.9 (a),(b), 322.16(b), 322.32 Labeling of Shipments from Approved Regions (Business – 3^rd Party Disclosure) Packages of bees and related articles imported into the United States will be labeled with the contents of the shipment and the name of the exporting country. This requirement will be used by APHIS to protect the safety of its inspectors, and will help facilitate the importation of these products, by providing its inspectors with ready access to essential information about the shipment. It also helps identify the shipment for Customs and Border Protection.

(a) If you import a package of honey bees, honey bee germ plasm, or bees other than honey bees under this subpart through the mail or through commercial express delivery, you must mark all sides of the outside of that package with the contents of the shipment, i.e., “Live Bees,” “Bee Germ Plasm,” or “Live Bee Brood,” and the name of the exporting region. The marking must be clearly visible using black letters at least 1 inch in height on a white background.

(b) If you import a package of honey bees, honey bee germ plasm, or bees other than honey bees under this subpart through commercial express delivery, you must provide an accurate description of the complete contents of the shipment, i.e., “Live Bees,” “Bee Germ Plasm,” or “Live Bee Brood,” for the shipment's delivery manifest entry.

7CFR 322.9 (c) 322.14 Invoice Packing List (Business) In addition to the export certificate required in §322.6, a package of honey bees, honey bee germ plasm, or bees other than honey bees imported under this subpart by commercial express delivery must be accompanied at the time of arrival in the United States by an invoice or packing list accurately indicating the complete contents of the shipment.

7CFR 322.10 (a), 322.19(a) Port of Entry Inspections (Business) Shipments of honey bees, honey bee germ plasm, and bees other than honey bees imported into the United States under this subpart will be inspected at the port of entry in the United States for Proper documentation, timely notice of arrival and adequate packaging (b) If, upon inspection, any shipment fails to meet the requirements of this part, that shipment will be refused entry into the United States. In accordance with §322.2(c), the inspector will offer you, or in your absence the shipper, the opportunity to immediately export any refused shipments. If you, or in your absence the shipper, decline to immediately export the shipment, we will destroy the shipment at your expense.

7CFR 322.12 (a) Request for Risk Assessment (Foreign Government) A risk assessment will be performed by APHIS before a country can be approved to import bees other than honey bees, honey bees, or honey bee germplasm into the United States under its proposed subpart B. This requirement will ensure that bees imported do not pose a risk of introducing exotic bee diseases, parasites, or undesirable species or subspecies of honey bees into the United States. This requirement will also make its risk assessment review process more transparent to its trading partners. The national government of the region wishing to export must request that we perform a risk assessment for the importation into the United States of honey bees, honey bee germ plasm, or bees other than honey bees from that region.

7CFR 322.13(b) Federal, State, and Researcher Verification (State) (Business) Persons importing restricted organisms into the United States must be Federal, State, or university researchers; be at least 18 years of age; and be physically present during normal business hours at an address within the United States specified on the permit during any periods when articles are being imported or moved interstate under the permit. All such importations must be for research or experimental purposes and in accordance with this part. Persons must produce valid identification of credentials for the specified areas of employment.

7CFR 322.14 Application for Permit to Move Live Plant Pests, Noxious Weeds, Soil, and Prohibited Plants (PPQ Form 526) (State) (Business) Anyone wishing to import bees other than honey bees, honey bees, honey bee semen, or any restricted article (such as beekeeping equipment) from non-approved regions that would potentially harbor exotic bee diseases or parasites, must apply to APHIS for an import permit. This application must be submitted at least 30 days before the bees other than honey bees, honey bees, honey bee semen, or restricted article arrives at its port of entry in the United States. The permit application, PPQ Form 526, must include the importer’s name, address, and telephone number; the quantity and kinds of articles intended for export, the amount of semen to be imported; the species or subspecies of honey bee from which the semen was collected; the country or locality of origin; the intended port of entry in the United States; the means of transportation; and the expected date of arrival.

7CFR 322.15 (a)(1)(i) State Consultation and Approval of Permit Application (State)

During the review of the permit application, consultation may occur with any Federal officials; appropriate officials of any State, Territory, or other jurisdiction in the United States in charge of research or regulatory programs relative to bees; and any other qualified governmental or private research laboratory, institution, or individual. These are conducted to gain information on the risks associated with the importation of the restricted organisms.

A copy of the permit application, along with agency anticipated decision on the application, is sent to the appropriate regulatory official in the destination State for review and recommendation. A State's response, which we will consider before taking final action on the permit application, may take one of the following forms: (i) The State recommends that we issue the permit;

(ii) The State recommends that we issue the permit with specified additional conditions;

(iii) The State recommends that we deny the permit application and provides scientific, risk-based reasons supporting that recommendation; or (iv) The State makes no recommendation, thereby concurring with our decision regarding the issuance of the permit.

322.15(b)(1) Written Agreement to Permit Conditions (Business) After review of application, the agency will either issue a written permit with, if applicable, certain specific conditions listed for the importation of the restricted organisms that was applied to import. The applicant must initial each condition on the proposed permit and return the proposed permit conditions to the Permit Unit before APHIS will issue a signed valid permit; or notify applicant that application has been denied and provide reasons for the denial.

7CFR 322.15(e) Appeal/Withdrawal of Denied/Revoked Permits (Business) APHIS will deny an application for a permit to import a restricted organism regulated under this subpart when, in its opinion, such movement would involve a danger of dissemination of an exotic bee disease or parasite, or an undesirable species or subspecies of honey bee.

If a permit application has been denied or your permit has been revoked, APHIS will inform you in writing, including by electronic methods, as promptly as circumstances permit and will include the reasons for the denial or revocation. You may appeal the decision by writing to APHIS within 10 business days from the date you received the communication notifying you of the denial or revocation of the permit. Your appeal must state all facts and reasons upon which you are relying to show that your permit application was wrongfully denied or your permit was wrongfully revoked. APHIS will grant or deny the appeal in writing and will state in writing the reason for the decision. The denial or revocation will remain in effect during the resolution of the appeal.

7CFR 322.17(a) Special Mailing Label (APHIS Form 599) (Business) Upon importing a restricted organism through the mail or through commercial express delivery, the importer must attach a special mailing label (APHIS Form 599), which APHIS will provide with the permit, to the package or container. The mailing label indicates that APHIS has authorized the shipment.

7CFR 322.17, 18, 19, 26 & 34 Emergency Action Notification (PPQ Form 523) (Business)­ An Emergency Action Notification, PPQ Form 523, is generated by DHS and PPQ officers when an actionable violation is detected related to prohibited pests and agricultural products found in cargo, market places and domestic sites.

7CFR 322.21(b) Post-Entry Inspections of Facilities (Business) Immediately following clearance at the port of entry, a restricted organism must move by a bonded commercial carrier directly to a containment facility or apiary that has been inspected and approved by APHIS.⁶Prior to issuing a permit to import restricted organisms, APHIS will inspect the apiary or containment facility where applicant intends to contain the restricted organisms. In order to approve the apiary or containment facility, an inspector must determine that adequate safeguards are in place to prevent the release of diseases or parasites of bees, or of undesirable species or strains of honey bees. Applicant must inform APHIS immediately, but no later than 24 hours after detection, if restricted organisms escape from the facility

7CFR 322.21(d)(1) Request for Release from Containment Facility (Business) After rearing the restricted organisms in an approved containment facility or apiary through at least 4 months of active reproduction with no evidence of nonindigenous parasites or pathogens or of undesirable characteristics, you may submit a request to us for the release of the bees.

(1) The request must include: (i) Inspection protocols; (ii) Inspection frequencies; (iii) Names and titles of inspectors; (iv) Complete information, including laboratory reports, on detection of diseases and parasites in the population; (v) Complete notes and observations on behavior, such as aggressiveness and swarming; and (vi) Any other information or data relating to bee diseases, parasites, or adverse species or subspecies.

(2) Mail your request for release to the Permit Unit, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236, or fax to (301) 734-8700.

(3) When we receive a complete request for release from containment, we will evaluate the request and determine whether the bees may be released. Our evaluation may include an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. We may conduct an additional inspection of the bees during our evaluation of the request. You will receive a written statement as soon as circumstances allow that approves or denies your request for release of the bees.

7CFR 322.21 Recordkeeping for Containment Facilities (Business) - Containment facilities housing restricted articles will have to maintain records about the condition and behavior of the bees and the amount of time spent in containment. This information will help APHIS determine whether the bees can eventually be safely released from containment. Records are maintained for APHIS to review for a period of 3 years.

7CFR 322.24(c) Packaging of Shipments (Business) The outside of packaging must be clearly marked with the contents of the transit shipment, i.e., either “Live Bees,” “Bee Germplasm,” or “Live Bee Brood,” and the name of the exporting region.

7CFR 322.24 Notice of Arrival for Transit Shipments (Business) At least 2 business days prior to the expected date of arrival of restricted organisms at a port in the continental United States for in-transit movement, the shipper must contact the port to provide the name of each U.S. airport where the shipment will arrive; the name of the U.S. airport where the shipment will be transloaded (if applicable); the date of the shipment’s departure for each U.S. airport; the names, phone numbers, and addresses of both the shipper and the receiver; the number of units in the shipment; and the airline carrying the shipment. This information is accepted in any form as long as all information is included.

7CFR 322.25 Interstate Movement Notice of Arrival (Business) At least 10 business days prior to the arrival in the United States of any shipment of restricted articles, APHIS must be notified of the impending arrival.

322.14(a)(19) Request for Facility Approval/Evaluation (Business) Facilities must be approved by APHIS. If the facility wishes to contain bees or bee germ plasm, but has not been evaluated or approved by APHIS, the facility must request an evaluation inspection by contacting APHIS.

322.21 (c )(3) Notification for Escaped Organisms (Business)

If an organism escapes from the facility, APHIS must be informed immediately, but no later than 24 hours after detection.

322.32 Labeling of Restricted Articles (Business – 3^rd Party Disclosure) If a restricted article is imported through the mail or through commercial express delivery, all sides of the outside of the package must be marked with the contents of the shipment and the name of the exporting region. The marking must be clearly visible using black letters at least 1 inch in height on a white background. In addition, if a restricted article is imported through commercial express delivery, an accurate description must be provided of the complete contents of the shipment for the shipment's delivery manifest entry.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques 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.

The PPQ Form 526 (Application for Permit to Move Live Plant Pests, Noxious Weeds, Soil, and Prohibited Plants) is located in the APHIS library at [email protected] and also at https://epermits.aphis.usda.gov/empermits/

The PPQ Form 523 (Emergency Action Notification) is generated by DHS and/or PPQ officers when an actionable violation is detected related to prohibited pests and agricultural products found in cargo, market places, or domestic sites. Information is entered into the Agricultural Quarantine Activity System database to produce a hard copy of the PPQ Form 523, via https://aqas.aphis.usda.gov/aqas/HomePageInit.do#defaultAnchor. Only CBP and/or PPQ Government officials with proper authorizations can access this database. The form is then provided to the property owners for signature of acknowledgment of an action against them.

The PPQ Form 599 red and white shipping labels can be requested by permit holders who are given instructions via their permit on how to request shipping labels.  Instructions read: “Upon issuance of this Permit (i.e., a signed PPQ 526), you will need to request the PPQ Form 599 red/white labels at least 5 days in advance. If you applied online using ePermits, you may request the labels using the My Shipments/Labels feature. Otherwise, send your request to [email protected].”   In the ePermits system, permit holders are given the choice between plain paper labels or special gum labels.  Selecting plain paper labels allows APHIS to email the labels (inside or outside ePermits) or print them on regular paper and mail/fax them to the recipient.  As most applications contain email addresses, emailing them directly through ePermits saves a considerable amount of time and money.  Selecting special gum labels allows APHIS to print the labels on special gum label paper and mail them to the applicant. 

Notice of arrivals, letters of withdrawal, and other documents can be generated by word processing means and submitted electronically, by fax, or regular postal services.

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 introduction of exotic bee diseases, parasites, and undesirable species and subspecies of honey bees. This information 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.

The information APHIS collects is the minimum needed to protect the U.S. beekeepers and bee populations nationwide from the potential introduction of exotic bee diseases, parasites, and undesirable species and subspecies of honey bees into the United States. APHIS estimates that 15 percent of the business respondents are considered small entities.

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 it was collected it less frequently, APHIS could not verify that imported bees and related articles do not present a significant risk of introducing exotic bee disease, parasites, and undesirable species and subspecies of honey bees. The establishment of certain bee diseases, parasites, or undesirable species and subspecies of honey bees in the

United States could cause substantial reduction of pollination by bees. Reduction in pollination by bees could indirectly cause serious damage to crops and other plants and, therefore, could lead to negative economic impact to American agriculture.

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;

At least 10 days prior to the arrival in the United States of any shipment of bees or honey bee germplasm imported into the United States under CFR § 322.7, APHIS must be notified of the impending arrival.

Anyone wishing to import honey bees, honey bee semen, or any restricted article (such as beekeeping equipment) that would potentially harbor exotic bee diseases or parasites, must apply to APHIS for an import permit. This application must be submitted at least 30 days before the honey bees, honey bee semen, or restricted article arrive at ports of entry in the United States.

At least 2 business days prior to the expected date of arrival of restricted organisms at a port in the continental United States for in-transit movement, the shipper must contact the port to provide the name of each U.S. airport where the shipment will arrive; the name of the U.S. airport where the shipment will be trans-loaded (if applicable); the date of the shipment’s departure for each U.S. airport; the names, phone numbers, and addresses of both the shipper and the receiver; the number of units in the shipment; and the airline carrying the shipment.

At least 10 business days prior to arrival in the United States of any shipment of restricted articles, APHIS must be notified of the impending arrival.

APHIS may withdraw any permit that it issues. Any person whose permit is withdrawn may appeal the decision by writing to the Deputy Administrator of PPQ within 10 days after receiving written notification of the withdrawal. The letter must state all of the facts and reasons upon which the person relies to show that the permit was wrongfully withdrawn.

• 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 publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB.

Productive consultations were made with the following individuals:

Dr. Walter S. Sheppard

Washington State University

166 Food Science and Human Nutrition Building

Office FSHN 252/Department of Entomology

Pullman, WA 99164-6382

509-335-5180

Dr. Gordon Wardell

Bee Biologist Paramount Farming

6775 Chardonnay Road

Paso Robles, CA 93446

310-562-2837

Robert Danka, Research Leader

Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Laboratory

1157 Ben Hur Road

Baton Rouge, LA 70820

225-767-9281

On Tuesday, September 12, 2017, pages 42782-42783, APHIS published in the Federal Register, 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 reenumeration 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 statute, regulation, or agency policy.

APHIS adheres to the Departmental policy in handling Confidential Business Information claims. The confidentiality of information is protected under 5 U.S.S. 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 burden estimates.

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

APHIS estimates the total annualized cost to respondents to be $1,875. (50 hours X $37.50 average hourly wage equals $1,875). The estimated hourly wage was provided by USDA’s Agricultural Specialist and Animal Health Specialist in Canada and New Zealand, respectively, via beekeepers within their country of origin.

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.

Any honey bees, honey bee germplasm, bees other than honey bees, beekeeping byproducts, or used beekeeping equipment not in compliance upon importation into the United States will be either: (i) immediately exported from the United States at the shipper’s expense; or (ii) destroyed by APHIS at the shipper’s expense. The cost of destruction or reexport varies considerably depending on the situation.

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.

The estimated cost for the Federal Government is $ 3,624 (see APHIS Form 79).

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-1.

	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	210	0	-220	69	0	361
Annual Time Burden (Hr)	50	0	-15	9	0	56

There is a decrease in respondents for this renewal from 118 to 18 due to a decrease in importation of honey bees and honey bee products. In addition, annual responses decreased from 361 to 210, and burden hours decreased from 56 to 50. These decreases will be accounted for as an adjustment.

The new burden added to this renewal will be accounted for as a program change and is shown below. All changes are summarized in the two tables below.

CHANGES IN TOTAL RESPONSES

PREVIOUS NEW

REGS REASON RESP RESPONSES RESPONSES DIFFERENCE TYPE OF CHANGE

322.2, .3 Charges for Conf Articles B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.6, .23 Doc Transit Shipments B 5 15 10 Estimate

322.6, .23 Doc Transit Shipments FG 0 14 14 Discretion - Add

322.7 NOA Approved Regions B 160 15 -145 Estimate

322.9 Labeling of Shipments B 160 15 -145 Estimate

322.9, .14 Invoice Packing List B 0 15 15 Discretion - New

322.10, .19 Port of entry Inspections B 0 15 15 Discretion - New

322.13 Fed, State, Research Verify B 0 6 6 Discretion - New

322.13 Fed, State, Research Verify S 0 4 4 Discretion - New

322.14 Request Facility Approval B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.14 Appl Permit Import Restr S 0 6 6 Discretion - Add

322.15 State Consultation S 0 12 12 Discretion - New

322.15 Written Agreement B 0 15 15 Discretion - New

322.15 Appeal Withdr Permit B 0 1 1 Estimate

322.17 Special Mailing Label B 0 20 20 Discretion - New

322.17, .18 Emergy Action Notify B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.21 Post-entry Insp Facilities B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.21 Notify Escaped Organism B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.21 Req Release frm Facility B 0 20 20 Discretion - New

322.24 Packaging of Shipments B 20 15 -5 Estimate

322.25 NOA Trans Shipments B 5 4 -1 Estimate

322.31 Interstate Move Notice B 2 4 2 Estimate

+ 352 + 201 - 151

CHANGES IN BURDEN HOURS

PREVIOUS NEW

REGS REASON RESP BURDEN BURDEN DIFFERENCE TYPE OF CHANGE

322.2 Charges for Conf Articles B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.6, .23 Doc Transit Shipments B 1 4 3 Estimate

322.6, .23 Doc Transit Shipments FG 0 4 4 Discretion - Add

322.7 NOA Approved Regions B 24 2 -22 Estimate

322.9 Labeling of Shipments B 16 2 -14 Estimate

322.9, 14 Invoice Packing List B 0 2 2 Discretion - New

322.10, .19 Port of entry Inspections B 0 4 4 Discretion - New

322.13 Fed, State, Research Verify B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.13 Fed, State, Research Verify S 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.14 Request for Facility Approval B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.14 Appl Permit Import Restr S 0 1 1 Discretion - Add

322.15 State Consultation S 0 2 2 Discretion - New

322.15 Written Agreement B 0 2 2 Discretion - New

322.15 Appeal Withdrawal Permit B 0 1 1 Estimate

322.17 Special Mailing Label B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.17, .18 Emergency Action Notify B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.21 Post-entry Inspections B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.21 Notify Escaped Organism B 0 1 1 Discretion - New

322.21 Req Release Contain Facility B 0 3 3 Discretion - New

+ 41 + 35 - 6

Under the respondent type column: B = business, I = individual, FG = foreign government,

NFP = not for profit, and Farm = farm.

Under the Type of Change column: “Estimate” indicates an adjustment to APHIS’ estimate, “Discretion - [Change]” indicates a program change due to APHIS’ discretion, “Discretion - Add” indicates a burden split to add a new respondent, and “New” indicates a new burden.

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 this data.

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.

The PPQ Form 523 is in three other collections; therefore, it is not practical to include an OMB expiration date because of the various expiration dates for each collection. APHIS is seeking approval to not display the OMB expiration date on this form.

The PPQ Form 526 is currently in no other collections so APHIS has no plans to seek approval for not displaying the OMB expiration date on this form.

The PPQ Form 599 red and white shipping labels are a small label and will only contain the OMB number, they will not show the OMB statement or the expiration date due to the limited amount of space on a shipping label.

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

APHIS is able to certify compliance with all the provisions under the Act.

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

This collection of information does not use statistical methods.