Proposed Information Collection; Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit Applications and Reports-Law Enforcement

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2016. We 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.

DATES:

To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC, we must receive them by November 7, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments on the IC to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or tina_campbell@fws.gov (email). Please include “1018-0092” in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this IC, contact Tina Campbell at tina_campbell@fws.gov (email) or 703-358-2676 (telephone).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) makes it unlawful to import or export fish, wildlife, or plants without obtaining prior permission as deemed necessary for enforcing the ESA or upholding the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (see 16 U.S.C. 1538(e)). This information collection includes the following permit/license application forms:

(1) FWS Form 3-200-2 (Designated Port Exception Permit). Under 50 CFR 14.11, it is unlawful to import or export wildlife or wildlife products at ports other than those designated in 50 CFR 14.12 unless you qualify for an exception. These exceptions allow qualified individuals, businesses, or scientific organizations to import or export wildlife or wildlife products at a nondesignated port:

(a) When the wildlife or wildlife products will be used as scientific specimens.

(b) To minimize deterioration or loss.

(c) To relieve economic hardship.

To request an import or export of wildlife or wildlife products at nondesignated ports, applicants must complete FWS Form 3-200-2. Designated port exception permits are valid for 2 years. We may require a permittee to file a report on activities conducted under authority of the permit.

(2) FWS Form 3-200-3 (Import/Export License). It is unlawful to import or export wildlife or wildlife products for commercial purposes without first obtaining an import/export license (50 CFR 14.91). Applicants must complete FWS Form 3-200-3 to request this license. We use the information that we collect on the application as an enforcement tool and management aid to (a) monitor the international wildlife market and (b) detect trends and changes in the commercial trade of wildlife and wildlife products. Import/export licenses are valid for 1 year. We may require a licensee to file a report on activities conducted under authority of the import/export license.

Permittees and licensees must maintain records that accurately describe each importation or exportation of wildlife or wildlife products made under the license, and any additional sale or transfer of the wildlife or wildlife products. In addition, licensees must make these records and the corresponding inventory of wildlife or wildlife products available for our inspection at reasonable times, subject to applicable limitations of law. We believe the burden associated with these recordkeeping requirements is minimal because the records already exist. Importers and exporters must complete FWS Form 3-177 (Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife) for all imports or exports of wildlife or wildlife products. This form provides an accurate description of the imports and exports. OMB has approved the information collection for FWS Form 3-177 and assigned OMB Control Number 1018-0012. Normal business practices should produce records (e.g., invoices or bills of sale) needed to document additional sales or transfers of the wildlife or wildlife products.

II. Data

OMB Control Number: 1018-0092.

Title: Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit Applications and Reports—Law Enforcement, 50 CFR 13 and 14.

Service Form Number: 3-200-2 and 3-200-3.

Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Description of Respondents: Individuals, businesses, scientific institutions, and State, local, or tribal governments.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

III. Comments

We invite comments concerning this information collection on:

• Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
• The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection of information;
• 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 respondents.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to approve this IC. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.