[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 99 (Wednesday, May 23, 2007)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 28827]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9898]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
7 CFR Part 301
[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0032]
Citrus Canker; Interstate Movement of Regulated Nursery Stock
From Quarantined Areas
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Interim rule; extension of comment period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We are extending the comment period for our interim rule that
amended the citrus canker quarantine regulations to explicitly
prohibit, with limited exceptions, the interstate movement of regulated
nursery stock from a quarantined area. This action will allow
interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before June
11, 2007.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://
www.regulations.gov, select ``Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service'' from the agency drop-down menu, then click ``Submit.'' In the
Docket ID column, select APHIS-2007-0032 to submit or view public
comments and to view supporting and related materials available
electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, including
instructions for accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing
the docket after the close of the comment period, is available through
the site's ``User Tips'' link.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies
of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. APHIS-
2007-0032, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-
03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state
that your comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0032.
Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on Docket
No. APHIS-2007-0032 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.
Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its
programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Stephen Poe, Senior Operations
Officer, Emergency Domestic Programs, Plant Protection and Quarantine,
APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 137, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-
4387.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 22, 2007, we published in the
Federal Register (72 FR13423-13428, Docket No. APHIS-2007-0032) an
interim rule that amended the citrus canker quarantine regulations to
explicitly prohibit, with limited exceptions, the interstate movement
of regulated nursery stock from a quarantined area. The interim rule
was effective on March 16, 2007. We took this action because the
interstate movement of regulated nursery stock from an area quarantined
for citrus canker poses a high risk of spreading citrus canker outside
the quarantined area. The interim rule included two exceptions to the
prohibition. We allowed calamondin and kumquat plants, two types of
citrus plants that are highly resistant to citrus canker, to move
interstate from a quarantined area under a protocol designed to ensure
that they are free of citrus canker prior to movement. We also
continued to allow the interstate movement of regulated nursery stock
for immediate export, under certain conditions. This action was
necessary to clarify our regulations and to address the risk associated
with the interstate movement of regulated nursery stock from areas
quarantined for citrus canker.
In an order dated April 26, 2007, the United States District Court
of the Middle District of Florida, Ocala Division, instructed the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to begin a new round of notice-and-comment
rulemaking on the issue of the interstate movement of regulated nursery
stock from areas quarantined for citrus canker.
We solicited comments on the interim rule for 60 days after its
publication. Comments on the interim rule were required to be received
on or before May 21, 2007. We are extending the comment period on
Docket No. APHIS-2007-0032 for an additional 21 days, until June 11,
2007. This action will allow interested persons additional time to
prepare and submit comments.
We encourage members of the public, including regulated industry,
to submit comments regarding the interim rule, including the scientific
and regulatory basis of the rule. We will carefully consider all the
comments we receive. If our review of the comments indicates that
changes to the regulations promulgated in the interim rule are
warranted, we will amend the regulations accordingly.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701-7772 and 7781-7786; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80,
and 371.3.
Section 301.75-15 issued under Sec. 204, Title II, Pub. L. 106-
113, 113 Stat. 1501A-293; sections 301.75-15 and 301.75-16 issued
under Sec. 203, Title II, Pub. L. 106-224, 114 Stat. 400 (7 U.S.C.
1421 note).
Done in Washington, DC, this 17th day of May 2007.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E7-9898 Filed 5-22-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P