Notices. New information collection; comment request

867 words·~4 min read·/register/2002/06/20/02-15586

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

BILLING CODE 3410-02-P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service [Docket No. 02-022-1] Notice of Request for Approval of an Information Collection AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: New information collection; comment request. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to initiate a new information collection activity to support cooperative agreements in the study of bovine tuberculosis.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before August 19, 2002. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by postal mail/commercial delivery or by e-mail. If you use postal mail/commercial delivery, please send four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to: Docket No. 02-022-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. 02-022-1.

If you use e-mail, address your comment to *regulations@aphis.usda.gov.* Your comment must be contained in the body of your message; do not send attached files. Please include your name and address in your message and “Docket No. 02-022-1” on the subject line. You may read any comments that we receive on this docket in our reading room. The reading room is located in room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.

To be sure someone is there to help you, please call

(202)690-2817 before coming. APHIS documents published in the **Federal Register** , and related information, including the names of organizations and individuals who have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at *http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.* FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the National Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program, contact Dr. Joseph Van Tiem, Senior Staff Veterinarian, National Animal Health Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 43, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231;

(301)734-7716. For copies of more detailed information on the information collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at

(301)734-7477. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: *Title:* Cooperative Agreements in the Study of Bovine Tuberculosis. *OMB Number:* 0579-XXXX. *Type of Request:* Approval of a new information collection. *Abstract:* The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture is responsible for, among other things, preventing the spread of serious communicable animal diseases (such as bovine tuberculosis) from one State to another, and for eradicating such diseases from the United States when feasible. Bovine tuberculosis is a contagious, infectious, and communicable disease that affects cattle, bison, deer, elk, goats, and other species, including humans. Tuberculosis in infected animals and humans manifests itself in lesions of the lung, bone, and other body parts, causes weight loss and general debilitation, and can be fatal. Through the National Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program, APHIS works with the national livestock industry and State animal health agencies to eradicate tuberculosis from domestic livestock in the United States and to prevent its recurrence. APHIS sponsors cooperative agreements for research on such issues as testing, vaccinations, pathobiology, and molecular biology relating to bovine tuberculosis infection in animal species that could lead to improvements in disease detection and prevention. Granting cooperative agreements to institutions of higher education (including State-sponsored universities), hospitals, or other nonprofit organizations to conduct research projects necessitates the use of information collection activities, including the completion of project proposals and progress and financial status reports. We are asking the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB)to approve the information collection activities for cooperative agreements for the study of bovine tuberculosis. The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public (as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These comments will help us:

(1)Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2)Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the information collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3)Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4)Minimize the burden of the information collection on those who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. *Estimate of burden:* The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3.5 hours per response. *Respondents:* Program participants (researchers associated with universities, hospitals, or other nonprofit organizations). *Estimated annual number of respondents:* 4. *Estimated annual number of responses per respondent:* 2. *Estimated annual number of responses:* 8. *Estimated total annual burden on respondents:* 28 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per response.) All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record. Done in Washington, DC, this 14th day of June 2002. Peter Fernandez, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. 02-15586 Filed 6-19-02; 8:45 am]