Department of Agriculture November 1, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are proposing to amend the plants for planting regulations to provide conditions for the importation into the continental United States of Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica. These conditions would apply to plants less than 460 mm in length, which are currently allowed to be imported, and would also allow for the importation of plants over 460 mm and up to 1,371.6 mm in length, which are currently prohibited. As a condition of entry, Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica would have to be produced in accordance with integrated pest risk management measures that would include requirements for registration of places of production and packinghouses, a pest management plan, inspection for quarantine pests, sanitation, and traceability from place of production through the packing and export facility and to the port of entry into the United States. All Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica would also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that all conditions for the importation of the plants have been met and that the consignment of plants has been inspected and found free of quarantine pests. This action would allow for the importation of oversized Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica into the United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.

This notice announces the appointment of the members of the Senior Executive Service (SES), Senior Level (SL), and Scientific or Professional (ST) Performance Review Boards (PRB) for the Department of Agriculture, as required by 5 U.S.C. 4314(c)(4). The PRBs are a group of executives responsible for the oversight of the performance management and compensation processes for SES employees. A PRB reviews the rating official's initial summary ratings of SES employees and makes recommendations for official ratings, performance awards, and base salary increases.

This rule increases the assessment rate established for the California Walnut Board (Board) for the 2011-12 and subsequent marketing years from $0.0174 to $0.0175 per kernelweight pound of assessable walnuts. The Board locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of walnuts grown in California. Assessments upon walnut handlers are used by the Board to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The marketing year began September 1 and ends August 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.