Notice of Availability of New Guidelines for Pest Risk Assessments of Imported Fruits and Vegetables, 14510 [2013-05138]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 6, 2013 / Notices
determination that release of this
biological control agent will not have a
significant impact on the quality of the
human environment.
The EA and FONSI may be viewed on
the Regulations.gov Web site (see
footnote 1). Copies of the EA and FONSI
are also available for public inspection
at USDA, room 1141, South Building,
14th Street and Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m.
and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except holidays. Persons wishing to
inspect copies are requested to call
ahead on (202) 799–7039 to facilitate
entry into the reading room. In addition,
copies may be obtained by calling or
writing to the individual listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
The EA and FONSI have been
prepared in accordance with: (1) The
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.); (2) regulations of the
Council on Environmental Quality for
implementing the procedural provisions
of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508); (3)
USDA regulations implementing NEPA
(7 CFR part 1b); and (4) APHIS’ NEPA
Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part
372).
Done in Washington, DC, this 28th day of
February 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–05141 Filed 3–5–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
[Docket No. APHIS–2012–0077]
Notice of Availability of New
Guidelines for Pest Risk Assessments
of Imported Fruits and Vegetables
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: We are advising the public
that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) has
prepared a document that describes the
revised methodology that APHIS will
use to conduct plant health pest risk
assessments for imported fruit and
vegetable commodities. These new
guidelines are necessary to incorporate
advancements in pest risk assessment
methods, provide clearer and more
transparent analyses, and streamline the
market access analysis process.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Meredith Jones, Senior Regulatory
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:01 Mar 05, 2013
Jkt 229001
Policy Specialist, Regulatory
Coordination and Compliance, PPQ,
APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 156,
Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851–2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On October 17, 2000, under the
authority of the Plant Protection Act (7
U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
began using a specific set of guidelines
to conduct pathway-initiated,
qualitative pest risk assessments (PRAs)
for imports of fruits and vegetables. A
PRA is defined by the International
Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), of
which the United States is a member, as
an ‘‘evaluation of the probability of the
introduction and spread of a pest and
the magnitude of the associated
potential economic consequences.’’
Following the characterization of the
risk of the pest in the PRA, APHIS
produces a risk management document
to determine appropriate pest risk
mitigation methods.
APHIS has determined that it is
necessary to update the previous
guidelines, which were developed over
10 years ago, in order to provide a more
streamlined and efficient process for
developing PRAs. Revising the PRA
guidelines allows APHIS to incorporate
advancements in PRA methods, provide
a clearer, more transparent, and more
logical order of progression of the
assessment, and more closely align the
assessments to the IPPC’s international
standards for phytosanitary measures.
The new guidelines provide a more
technically correct method of assessing
risk by recognizing that the likelihood of
pest introduction is multiplicative
rather than additive; i.e., if one
necessary step for the introduction of a
pest has a low likelihood of occurring,
there is an overall low likelihood of
introduction of the pest, regardless of
the likelihood of other steps. The new
guidelines also address uncertainty, a
principle not explicitly addressed in the
previous guidelines. In addition,
because the new guidelines are designed
to make the PRA drafting process more
efficient, we expect the time required to
produce the PRAs and respond to
market access requests to decrease.
The PRA guidelines document,
entitled ‘‘Guidelines for Plant Pest Risk
Assessment of Imported Fruit &
Vegetable Commodities,’’ may be
viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site
at https://www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0077 or
in our reading room. The reading room
is located in room 1141 of the USDA
South Building, 14th Street and
Independence Avenue SW.,
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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) 799–7039 before
coming. In addition, copies may be
obtained by calling or writing to the
individual listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7701–7772, and
7781–7786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR
2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.
Done in Washington, DC, this 28th day of
February 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–05138 Filed 3–5–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
[Docket No. APHIS–2012–0064]
Notice of Availability of a Treatment
Evaluation Document and an
Environmental Assessment for
Pesticide Use in the Imported Fire Ant
Program
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability and
request for comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: We are advising the public
that we have determined that it is
necessary to add and revise certain
treatment schedules for the Imported
Fire Ant Program in the Plant Protection
and Quarantine Treatment Manual.
Thus, we have prepared a treatment
evaluation document that discusses the
existing treatment schedules, describes
the new treatment schedules, and
explains why these changes are
necessary. In addition, an
environmental assessment has been
prepared by the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service relative to
pesticide use in the new and revised
treatments in the imported fire ant
program. The environmental assessment
documents our review and analysis of
environmental impacts associated with
proposed new pesticides and new uses
for previously approved pesticides. We
are making this treatment evaluation
document and environmental
assessment available to the public for
review and comment.
DATES: We will consider all comments
that we receive on or before May 6,
2013.
E:\FR\FM\06MRN1.SGM
06MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 14510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05138]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2012-0077]
Notice of Availability of New Guidelines for Pest Risk
Assessments of Imported Fruits and Vegetables
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) has prepared a document that describes the
revised methodology that APHIS will use to conduct plant health pest
risk assessments for imported fruit and vegetable commodities. These
new guidelines are necessary to incorporate advancements in pest risk
assessment methods, provide clearer and more transparent analyses, and
streamline the market access analysis process.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Meredith Jones, Senior Regulatory
Policy Specialist, Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, PPQ, APHIS,
4700 River Road Unit 156, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On October 17, 2000, under the authority of the Plant Protection
Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) began using a specific set of guidelines to conduct
pathway-initiated, qualitative pest risk assessments (PRAs) for imports
of fruits and vegetables. A PRA is defined by the International Plant
Protection Convention (IPPC), of which the United States is a member,
as an ``evaluation of the probability of the introduction and spread of
a pest and the magnitude of the associated potential economic
consequences.'' Following the characterization of the risk of the pest
in the PRA, APHIS produces a risk management document to determine
appropriate pest risk mitigation methods.
APHIS has determined that it is necessary to update the previous
guidelines, which were developed over 10 years ago, in order to provide
a more streamlined and efficient process for developing PRAs. Revising
the PRA guidelines allows APHIS to incorporate advancements in PRA
methods, provide a clearer, more transparent, and more logical order of
progression of the assessment, and more closely align the assessments
to the IPPC's international standards for phytosanitary measures. The
new guidelines provide a more technically correct method of assessing
risk by recognizing that the likelihood of pest introduction is
multiplicative rather than additive; i.e., if one necessary step for
the introduction of a pest has a low likelihood of occurring, there is
an overall low likelihood of introduction of the pest, regardless of
the likelihood of other steps. The new guidelines also address
uncertainty, a principle not explicitly addressed in the previous
guidelines. In addition, because the new guidelines are designed to
make the PRA drafting process more efficient, we expect the time
required to produce the PRAs and respond to market access requests to
decrease.
The PRA guidelines document, entitled ``Guidelines for Plant Pest
Risk Assessment of Imported Fruit & Vegetable Commodities,'' may be
viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site at https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0077 or 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) 799-7039 before
coming. In addition, copies may be obtained by calling or writing to
the individual listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7701-7772, and 7781-7786; 21 U.S.C.
136 and 136a; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.
Done in Washington, DC, this 28th day of February 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-05138 Filed 3-5-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
