. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1623 
26 June 2007 
 (07-2696) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  UNITED STATES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:        
2. Agency responsible:  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the US Department of 
Agriculture (USDA-APHIS) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Emerald ash borer plant host materials  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Canada  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Importation of Emerald 
Ash Borer Host Material from Cana da (available in English, 6 pages)  
6. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is establishing 
regulations, effective immediately, to prohibit or restrict the importation of certain articles from Canada that present a risk of being infested with emerald ash borer.  This action is 
necessary to prevent the artificial spread of this  plant pest from infested areas in Canada to 
non-infested areas of the United States and to prevent further introductions of this plant pest into the United States.  
7. Objective and rationale:  [   ] food safety ,  [   ] animal health,  [ X ] plant protection,
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [ X ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests       
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reasons for urgent action:  The Emerald ash borer 
(EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fa irmaire, is an exotic bee tle that was discovered in 
southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the su mmer of 2002.  The adult beetles nibble on ash 
foliage but cause little damage.  The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of 
ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients.  Emerald ash borer 
probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships 
or airplanes originating in its native Asia. Emerald ash borer is also established in Windsor, Ontario, was found in Ohio in 2003, northern Indiana in 2004, and northern Illinois in 2006. Since its discovery, EAB has killed more than  20 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio and 
Indiana.  Most of the devastation is in southeastern Michigan.  It has also cost 
municipalities, property owners, nursery operator s and forest products industries tens of 
millions of dollars and necessitated the establishment of regulated quarantine areas.  G/SPS/N/USA/1623 
Page 2  
 
  9. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [ X ] None 
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:        
10. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Federal Register: 
1 June 2007 (Volume 72, Number 105), Page 30462-30468.  http://www.regulations.gov  
11. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  This regulation is 
effective 1 June 2007  
12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority,  [   ] National enquiry point,  or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
Submit written or electronic comments by any of the following methods: 
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov   Follow the instructions 
for submitting comments. 
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road  Unit 118, Riverdale, MD  20737-1238 
Instructions: All submissions received must in clude the agency name and Docket Number 
APHIS-2006-0121 for this rulemaking.  
For further information contact:  
Mr. Hesham Abuelnaga, Import Specialis t, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-6334.  
13. Texts available from:  [  X ] National notification authority, [    ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  United States 
SPS National Notification Authority, USDA/ Fo reign Agricultural Service, International 
Regulations and Standards Division (IS RD), Stop 1027, Washington, DC 20250; 
Tel:  202-720-1301;  Fax:  202 690-0677;  e-mail:  fstsd@fas.usda.gov