Department of Agriculture August 8, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are proposing to amend the regulations on importing nursery stock by providing an option in which the postentry quarantine growing period for articles of Chrysanthemum spp., Leucanthemella serotina, and Nipponanthemum nipponicum that are imported from certain locations would be reduced from 6 months to 2 months, provided that the grower of those plants has implemented a systems approach to prevent the imported articles from being infected with chrysanthemum white rust. This proposal replaces part of a previous proposal that would also have provided an option in which the length of the postentry quarantine period for potential hosts of chrysanthemum white rust would have been reduced provided that the grower entered into a disease-prevention program. We are issuing this reproposal to further discuss the evidence that led us to conclude that a 2-month postentry quarantine period is adequate and to clarify how the systems approach would work. We are also proposing to amend the definition of from. The definition proposed in this document would replace the definition of from that was included in a previous proposal. We are proposing the new definition in response to concerns raised by comments on the previous proposal.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with our regulations that govern the importation of nursery stock (plants and plant parts and products for propagation) into the United States.

This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the Washington Cherry Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2007-2008 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.50 to $0.40 per ton for Washington sweet cherries. The Committee is responsible for local administration of the marketing order regulating the handling of sweet cherries grown in designated counties in Washington. Assessments upon handlers of sweet cherries are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period for the marketing order begins April 1 and ends March 31. The assessment rate remains in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended or terminated.

The Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Redmond, Oregon. The purpose of the meeting is to review proposed projects and make recommendations under Title II of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.

On April 2, 2001, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) implemented the Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) program as required by the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 (1999 Act). The statutory authority for the program lapsed on September 30, 2005. In October 2006, legislation was enacted to reauthorize the 1999 Act until September 30, 2010, and to amend the swine reporting requirements of the 1999 Act (Pub. L. 109-296) (Reauthorization Act). This rulemaking is necessary to re-establish the regulatory authority for the program's continued operation and incorporate the swine reporting changes contained within the Reauthorization Act as well as make other changes to enhance the program's overall effectiveness and efficiency based on AMS' experience in the administration of the program over the last 6 years.