Department of Agriculture May 27, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Shasta-Trinity National Forest proposes to reduce fuels on approximately 41,816 acres under the Green-Horse Habitat Restoration and Maintenance Project. Proposed treatments include mostly prescribed underburning, with some thinning, pruning, piling, and pile burning. The proposed action does not include any commercial timber harvest, new forest system or temporary road construction, or existing road reconstruction.

We are proposing to amend the horse protection regulations to require horse industry organizations or associations that license Designated Qualified Persons to assess and enforce minimum penalties for violations of the Horse Protection Act (the Act) and the regulations. The regulations currently provide that such penalties will be set either by the horse industry organization or association or by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This action would strengthen our enforcement of the Act and the regulations by ensuring that minimum penalties are assessed and enforced consistently by all horse industry organizations and associations that are appointed under the Act by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cooperate in our enforcement efforts.

The Pike & San Isabel Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Pueblo, Colorado. The committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110- 343) and in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the conference call is for project coordination and understanding.

We are amending the regulations to establish a new category of regulated articles in the regulations governing the importation of nursery stock, also known as plants for planting. This category will list taxa of plants for planting whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis. If scientific evidence indicates that a taxon of plants for planting is a quarantine pest or a host of a quarantine pest, we will publish a notice that will announce our determination that the taxon is a quarantine pest or a host of a quarantine pest, cite the scientific evidence we considered in making this determination, and give the public an opportunity to comment on our determination. If we receive no comments that change our determination, the taxon will subsequently be added to the new category. We will allow any person to petition for a pest risk analysis to be conducted to consider whether to remove a taxon that has been added to the new category. After the pest risk analysis is completed, we will remove the taxon from the category and allow its importation subject to general requirements, allow its importation subject to specific restrictions, or prohibit its importation. We will consider applications for permits to import small quantities of germplasm from taxa whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis, for experimental or scientific purposes under controlled conditions. This new category will allow us to take prompt action on evidence that the importation of a taxon of plants for planting poses a risk while continuing to allow for public participation in the process.