Notice of Affirmation of Addition of a Treatment Schedule for Methyl Bromide Fumigation of Blueberries, 68021-68022 [2013-27134]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 13, 2013 / Notices
goods at ports of entry into the United
States. We have determined that it is no
longer appropriate or necessary to take
such action on some plant pests on
which we had been taking action at
ports of entry because we are not taking
any regulatory action on those same
pests when we find them in interstate
movement, due to our scientific
determination that we do not need to
mitigate their pest risk. This process
relieves restrictions that are no longer
needed and ensures that actions taken
on plant pests found in imported goods
are consistent with the actions we take
on those same pests when they appear
in interstate commerce.
Mr.
David B. Lamb, Regulatory Policy
Specialist, RPM, PPQ, APHIS, 4700
River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD
20737–1231; (301) 851–2018; or Ms.
Diane L. Schuble, National Coordinator
for Official Control, Pest Detection and
Emergency Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700
River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD
20737–1237; (301) 851–2334.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Under the
Plant Protection Act, as amended (PPA,
7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), the Secretary of
Agriculture is authorized to take such
actions as may be necessary to prevent
the introduction and spread of plant
pests within the United States. The
Secretary has delegated this
responsibility to the Administrator of
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS).
Pursuant to the PPA, when the
Secretary considers it necessary to
prevent the dissemination of a plant
pest that is new to or not known to be
widely prevalent or distributed within
and throughout the United States, the
Secretary may hold, seize, quarantine,
treat, apply other remedial measures to,
destroy, or otherwise dispose of any
plant, plant pest, noxious weed,
biological control organism, plant
product, article, or means of conveyance
that, among other things, is moving into
the United States and that the Secretary
has reason to believe is infested with a
plant pest at the time of the movement.
Under this PPA authority, consignments
of imported articles are inspected at the
port of entry to determine whether plant
pests are associated with them and, if
so, prescribe remedial measures as
described in the Act. APHIS typically
refers to prescribing measures to address
the pest risk as ‘‘taking action’’ at the
port of entry to prevent a plant pest
from being introduced into or further
disseminated within the United States.
Pests that are subject to such actions are
referred to as ‘‘actionable pests.’’
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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APHIS determines whether a pest is
actionable based on its novelty and
known prevalence or distribution
within and throughout the United
States, its potential harm to U.S.
agricultural, environmental, or other
resources, and the need to mitigate its
pest risk, if any. However, after APHIS
determines that a pest is actionable,
circumstances may change, and it may
no longer be necessary or be an effective
use of resources to take action on the
pest at ports of entry. For example, a
bacterium could cause disease in a
plant, but also could have become
widespread in the United States, making
any future control efforts ineffective and
a waste of limited resources. We may
lack effective control methods for an
insect pest that is present in the United
States, which would result in taking
action that will likely not prevent the
pest from causing damage but will
continue to expend limited resources.
Or, for example, a mealybug could
damage certain plants, but additional
experience with the pest may reveal that
the damage is not of sufficient plant pest
risk or economic importance to merit
action at the port of entry. These
circumstances often mean that no
restrictions are placed on the interstate
movement of articles infested with these
pests when the articles are moved
interstate. It is important to make the
actions we take at the port of entry
consistent with the actions taken in
interstate movement, to maintain a
uniform and consistent pest risk
safeguarding and trade policy.
To ensure that we are taking action at
the ports of entry only when such action
is warranted, APHIS has started to
assess currently actionable plant pests
that are present in the United States to
determine which specific pests we
should continue to take action on at the
port of entry. The assessment is based
on a number of factors, including:
• The extent of the pest’s distribution
in the United States;
• The pest’s impacts on the economy
(including its potential impacts on
export markets), agricultural
production, and the environment;
• The scientific knowledge we have
about the pest and the risk it poses; and
• The availability and effectiveness of
control or eradication tools for the pest.
After we have completed our
assessment, we share the information
with the National Plant Board, a group
of State plant health agencies. The
States conduct their own reviews and
provide additional information to help
inform APHIS’ decisionmaking. For
example, States may have additional
information on the presence or
distribution of a pest in their States, on
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68021
the damage that pest causes, or potential
control tools.
After reviewing the information
provided by the States, APHIS makes a
decision on whether to continue taking
action at ports of entry to mitigate the
risk associated with a specific plant
pest. Data leading to the decisions are
documented in letters that are available
on the Web at https://
www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/
plant_pest_info/frsmp/non-regpests.shtml. As of September 2013,
APHIS has determined that 71 pests on
which we had been taking action at
ports of entry to address their risk no
longer qualify under the PPA as
requiring such action.
Done in Washington, DC, this 6th day of
November 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–27132 Filed 11–12–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
[Docket No. APHIS–2013–0007]
Notice of Affirmation of Addition of a
Treatment Schedule for Methyl
Bromide Fumigation of Blueberries
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
We are affirming our earlier
determination that it was necessary to
immediately add to the Plant Protection
and Quarantine Treatment Manual a
treatment schedule for methyl bromide
fumigation of blueberries for
Mediterranean fruit fly and South
American fruit fly. In a previous notice,
we made available to the public for
review and comment a treatment
evaluation document that described the
new treatment schedule and explained
why we have determined that it is
effective at neutralizing these fruit flies.
DATES: Effective Date: Effective on
November 13, 2013, we are affirming the
addition to the Plant Protection and
Quarantine Treatment Manual of the
treatment described in the notice
published at 78 FR 36507–36508 on
June 18, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Inder P.S. Gadh, Senior Risk Manager–
Treatments, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River
Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737;
(301) 851–2018.
SUMMARY:
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68022
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 13, 2013 / Notices
The
regulations in 7 CFR chapter III are
intended, among other things, to
prevent the introduction or
dissemination of plant pests and
noxious weeds into or within the United
States. Under those regulations, certain
plants, fruits, vegetables, and other
articles must be treated before they may
be moved into the United States or
interstate. The phytosanitary treatments
regulations in part 305 of 7 CFR chapter
III set out standards for treatments
required in parts 301, 318, and 319 of
7 CFR chapter III for fruits, vegetables,
and other articles.
In § 305.2, paragraph (b) states that
approved treatment schedules are set
out in the Plant Protection and
Quarantine (PPQ) Treatment Manual.1
Section 305.3 sets out a process for
adding, revising, or removing treatment
schedules in the PPQ Treatment
Manual. In that section, paragraph (b)
sets out the process for adding, revising,
or removing treatment schedules when
there is an immediate need to make a
change. The circumstances in which an
immediate need exists are described in
§ 305.3(b)(1). They are:
• PPQ has determined that an
approved treatment schedule is
ineffective at neutralizing the targeted
plant pest(s).
• PPQ has determined that, in order
to neutralize the targeted plant pest(s),
the treatment schedule must be
administered using a different process
than was previously used.
• PPQ has determined that a new
treatment schedule is effective, based on
efficacy data, and that ongoing trade in
a commodity or commodities may be
adversely impacted unless the new
treatment schedule is approved for use.
• The use of a treatment schedule is
no longer authorized by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency or by
any other Federal entity.
In accordance with § 305.3(b), we
published a notice 2 in the Federal
Register on June 18, 2013 (78 FR 36507–
36508, Docket No. APHIS–2013–0007),
announcing our determination that a
new methyl bromide treatment schedule
to mitigate risk from two fruit fly
species, Ceratitis capitata
(Mediterranean fruit fly) and
Anastrepha fraterculus (South
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1 The Treatment Manual is available on the
Internet at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/
import_export/plants/manuals/index.shtml or by
contacting the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Manuals
Unit, 92 Thomas Johnson Drive, Suite 200,
Frederick, MD 21702.
2 To view the notice and the treatment evaluation
document, go to https://www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0007.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:14 Nov 12, 2013
Jkt 232001
American fruit fly) is effective, based on
evidence presented in a treatment
evaluation document (TED) we made
available with the notice. We also
determined that the ongoing trade of
blueberries would be adversely
impacted unless the new treatment
schedule is approved for use. The
treatment was added to the PPQ
Treatment Manual, but was subject to
change or removal based on public
comment.
We solicited comments on the notice
for 60 days ending August 19, 2013. We
received no comments by that date.
Therefore, in accordance with the
regulations in § 305.3(b)(3), we are
affirming our addition of a methyl
bromide treatment schedule to mitigate
risk from C. capitata and A. fraterculus,
as described in the TED made available
with the previous notice. The treatment
schedule is numbered T101-i-1–2. The
treatment schedule will be listed in the
PPQ Treatment Manual, which is
available as described in footnote 1 of
this document.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 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 6th day of
November 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–27134 Filed 11–12–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Notice of Request for Extension of a
Currently Approved Information
Collection
Rural Business-Cooperative
Service, USDA.
ACTION: Proposed collection; comments
requested.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the Rural BusinessCooperative Service’s intention to
request an extension for a currently
approved information collection in
support of the program for 7 CFR part
4284, subpart G, Rural Business
Opportunity Grant Program.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by January 13, 2014 to be
considered.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Chad Parker, Deputy Administrator,
Rural Business-Cooperative Service,
USDA, Room 4016-South, MS 3252,
1400 Independence Ave. SW.,
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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Washington, DC 20250. Telephone:
(202) 720–7558, Email chad.parker@
wdc.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Rural Business Opportunity
Grants.
OMB Number: 0570–0024.
Expiration Date of Approval: March
31, 2014.
Type of Request: Extension of a
currently approved information
collection.
Abstract: The objective of the Rural
Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG)
program is to promote sustainable
economic development in rural areas.
This purpose is achieved through grants
made by the Rural Business-Cooperative
Service (RBS) to public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Indian Tribes on
Federal or State reservations and other
Federally-recognized tribal groups, and
cooperatives whose members are
primarily rural residents to pay costs of
economic development planning and
technical assistance for rural businesses.
The regulations contain various
requirements for information from grant
applicants and recipients. The
information requested is necessary for
RBS to be able to process applications
in a responsible manner, make prudent
program decisions, and effectively
monitor the grantees’ activities to ensure
that funds obtained from the
Government are used appropriately.
Objectives include gathering
information to determine the eligibility
and financial capability of the applicant,
to determine the eligibility of the
proposed use of funds, to assess the
quality of the project for evaluation and
grant selection, and to monitor grantees
to ensure funds are used in accordance
with approved scopes of work and
applicable laws and regulations.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting
burden for this collection of information
is estimated to average 7.4 hours per
response.
Respondents: Public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Indian Tribes on
Federal and State reservations and other
Federally-recognized tribal groups, and
cooperatives whose members are
primarily rural residents.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
267.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 9.
Estimated Number of Responses:
1971.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 17,842.25.
Copies of this information collection
can be obtained from Jeanne Jacobs,
Regulations and Paperwork
Management Branch, (202) 692–0040.
E:\FR\FM\13NON1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 13, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68021-68022]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-27134]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2013-0007]
Notice of Affirmation of Addition of a Treatment Schedule for
Methyl Bromide Fumigation of Blueberries
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We are affirming our earlier determination that it was
necessary to immediately add to the Plant Protection and Quarantine
Treatment Manual a treatment schedule for methyl bromide fumigation of
blueberries for Mediterranean fruit fly and South American fruit fly.
In a previous notice, we made available to the public for review and
comment a treatment evaluation document that described the new
treatment schedule and explained why we have determined that it is
effective at neutralizing these fruit flies.
DATES: Effective Date: Effective on November 13, 2013, we are affirming
the addition to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual of
the treatment described in the notice published at 78 FR 36507-36508 on
June 18, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Inder P.S. Gadh, Senior Risk
Manager-Treatments, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD
20737; (301) 851-2018.
[[Page 68022]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 7 CFR chapter III are
intended, among other things, to prevent the introduction or
dissemination of plant pests and noxious weeds into or within the
United States. Under those regulations, certain plants, fruits,
vegetables, and other articles must be treated before they may be moved
into the United States or interstate. The phytosanitary treatments
regulations in part 305 of 7 CFR chapter III set out standards for
treatments required in parts 301, 318, and 319 of 7 CFR chapter III for
fruits, vegetables, and other articles.
In Sec. 305.2, paragraph (b) states that approved treatment
schedules are set out in the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ)
Treatment Manual.\1\ Section 305.3 sets out a process for adding,
revising, or removing treatment schedules in the PPQ Treatment Manual.
In that section, paragraph (b) sets out the process for adding,
revising, or removing treatment schedules when there is an immediate
need to make a change. The circumstances in which an immediate need
exists are described in Sec. 305.3(b)(1). They are:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Treatment Manual is available on the Internet at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/index.shtml or by
contacting the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant
Protection and Quarantine, Manuals Unit, 92 Thomas Johnson Drive,
Suite 200, Frederick, MD 21702.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
PPQ has determined that an approved treatment schedule is
ineffective at neutralizing the targeted plant pest(s).
PPQ has determined that, in order to neutralize the
targeted plant pest(s), the treatment schedule must be administered
using a different process than was previously used.
PPQ has determined that a new treatment schedule is
effective, based on efficacy data, and that ongoing trade in a
commodity or commodities may be adversely impacted unless the new
treatment schedule is approved for use.
The use of a treatment schedule is no longer authorized by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or by any other Federal
entity.
In accordance with Sec. 305.3(b), we published a notice \2\ in the
Federal Register on June 18, 2013 (78 FR 36507-36508, Docket No. APHIS-
2013-0007), announcing our determination that a new methyl bromide
treatment schedule to mitigate risk from two fruit fly species,
Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly) and Anastrepha fraterculus
(South American fruit fly) is effective, based on evidence presented in
a treatment evaluation document (TED) we made available with the
notice. We also determined that the ongoing trade of blueberries would
be adversely impacted unless the new treatment schedule is approved for
use. The treatment was added to the PPQ Treatment Manual, but was
subject to change or removal based on public comment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ To view the notice and the treatment evaluation document, go
to https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0007.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We solicited comments on the notice for 60 days ending August 19,
2013. We received no comments by that date. Therefore, in accordance
with the regulations in Sec. 305.3(b)(3), we are affirming our
addition of a methyl bromide treatment schedule to mitigate risk from
C. capitata and A. fraterculus, as described in the TED made available
with the previous notice. The treatment schedule is numbered T101-i-1-
2. The treatment schedule will be listed in the PPQ Treatment Manual,
which is available as described in footnote 1 of this document.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 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 6th day of November 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-27134 Filed 11-12-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
