Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Notice of Arrival of Pesticides and Devices, EPA ICR Number 0152.08, OMB Control Number 2070-0020

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2006. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before January 17, 2006.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number EPA-HQ-OECA-2005-0073, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by e-mail to docket.oeca@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Enforcement and Compliance Docket, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB at: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Stephen Howie, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (2225A) , Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-4146; fax number: 202-564-0085; e-mail address: howie.stephen@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12. On July 27, 2005 (70 FR 43405-43407), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). No comments were received.

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OECA-2004-0053, which is available for public viewing at the Enforcement and Compliance Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Enforcement and Compliance Docket is (202) 566-1927. An electronic version of the public docket is available at http://www.regulations.gov. Use http://www.regulations.gov to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select “search,” then key in the docket ID number identified above.

Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing in http://www.regulations.gov as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in http://www.regulations.gov . The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in http://www.regulations.gov. For further information about the electronic docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov .

Title: Notice of Arrival of Pesticides and Devices.

Abstract: The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Customs) regulations at 19 CFR 12.112 require that an importer desiring to import pesticides into the United States shall, prior to the shipment's arrival, submit a Notice of Arrival of Pesticides and Devices (EPA Form 3540-1) to EPA, who will determine the disposition of the shipment. After completing the form, EPA returns the form to the importer, or his agent, who must present the form to Customs upon arrival of the shipment at the port of entry. This is necessary to ensure that EPA is notified of the arrival of pesticides and devices as required by the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) section 17(c) and has the ability to examine such shipments to determine whether they are in compliance with FIFRA.

The form requires identification and address information of the importer or his agent and information on the identity and location of the imported pesticide or device shipment.

When the form is submitted to EPA regional personnel for review it is examined to determine whether the shipment should be released for entry upon arrival or alternatively whether it should be detained for examination. The responsible EPA official returns the form to the respondent with EPA instructions to Customs as to the disposition of the shipment.

Upon the arrival of the shipment, the importer presents the completed NOA to the District Director of Customs at the port of entry. Customs compares entry documents for the shipment with the Notice of Arrival and notifies the EPA Regional Office of any discrepancies which the EPA will resolve with the importer or broker. At this point the shipment may be retained for examination. If there are no discrepancies, Customs follows instructions regarding release or detention. If EPA inspects the shipment and it appears from examination of a sample that it is adulterated, misbranded or otherwise violates the provisions of FIFRA, or is otherwise injurious to health or the environment, the pesticide or device may be refused admission into the United States.

This reporting requirement is needed to inform EPA of pesticides arriving in the customs territory of the United States and to ensure compliance with FIFRA by the responsible party importing pesticides. This reporting requirement is needed to meet direct statutory requirements of FIFRA regarding notification of EPA of such arrivals.

The information collected is used by EPA regional pesticide enforcement and compliance staff and the headquarters Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and Office of Pesticide Programs. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Customs), the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and other Federal agencies may also make use of this information.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's regulations in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and are identified on the form and/or instrument, if applicable.

Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.3 hours per response. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.

Respondents/Affected Entities: Pesticide importers.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 25,000.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 7500.

Estimated Total Annual Cost: $379,065, includes $0 annualized capital or O&M costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 1950 hours in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. This increase is due to an adjustment in the estimate of the number of respondents.