Extension of Info Collection for Lacey Act Considered

September 30, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on October 1, 2010

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has requested approval of an extension of information collection required by the Lacey Act.

The Lacey Act, among other things, aims to prevent trade in illegally harvested wood species, and requires furniture companies to document the sourcing of woods used in their products.

The Lacey Act, as amended in 2008, makes it unlawful to import certain plants and plant products without an import declaration. The declaration must contain, among other things, the scientific name of the plant, value of the importation, quantity of the plant, and name of the country from which the plant was harvested. For paper and paperboard products with recycled plant content, the importer will not be required to specify the species or country of harvest with respect to the recycled plant product component, but will be required to provide the average percentage of recycled content. If the product also contains non-recycled plant materials, the basic declaration requirements still apply to that component of the product imported. PPQ Form 505 (Plant and Plant Product Declaration Form) is available online.

DOA is asking the Office of Management and Budget to approve its use of this information collection activity for an additional three years.

Public comment will be taken on the proposal until Nov. 29.

Comments may be submitted by either of the following methods:
* Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal to submit or view comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
* Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send one copy of comment to Docket No. APHIS-2010-0093, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, Md. 20737-1238. State that comment refers to Docket No. APHIS2010-0093.