Department of Agriculture December 28, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are amending the regulations governing the importation of fruits and vegetables to provide for the importation of Hass avocados from Mexico into Puerto Rico under the same systems approach currently required for the importation of Hass avocados into all States of the United States from Michoac[aacute]n, Mexico. The systems approach requirements include trapping, orchard certification, limited production area, trace back labeling, pre-harvest orchard surveys for all pests, orchard sanitation, post-harvest safeguards, fruit cutting and inspection at the packinghouse, port-of-arrival inspection, and clearance activities. This action will allow for the importation of Hass avocados from Michoac[aacute]n, Mexico, into Puerto Rico while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests. In addition, we are amending the regulations to provide for the Mexican national plant protection organization to use an approved designee to inspect avocados for export and to suspend importation of avocados into the United States from Michoac[aacute]n, Mexico, only from specific orchards or packinghouses when quarantine pests are detected, rather than suspending imports from the entire municipality where the affected orchards or packinghouses are located. These changes will provide additional flexibility in operating the export program while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.

The Huron-Manistee National Forests (Forest Service) will prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) to assess the environmental impacts of a Land and Resource Management Plan alternative that would ban firearm hunting and snowmobile use (subject to existing rights) on National Forest System lands within Semiprimitive Nonmotorized Management Areas and would ban firearm hunting (subject to existing rights) in Primitive Area (Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness). This analysis will remedy deficiencies identified by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Court in the original Environmental Impact Statement prepared for the Huron-Manistee Land and Resource Management Plan Revision of 2006. The decision which results may amend the Huron-Manistee National Forests Land and Resource Management Plan. The objectives of the analysis, consistent with existing regulatory direction as identified by the court, are to coordinate recreation planning with the State of Michigan with the aim (to the extent feasible) to reduce duplication in meeting recreation demands, to minimize conflicts between off-road vehicle use and other uses of the Forests, and to identify recreational preferences of user groups and the settings needed to provide quality recreational opportunities.