### 21595 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 74 / Thursday, April 17, 2014 / Rules and Regulations

(2) The Director will determine a date after the closing of the receipt of applications by which the Director will issue notices to each applicant organization of the results of the Director’s review. The date will be part of the annual timetable issued by the Director under paragraph (b) of this section.

(3) The Director will determine the dates of the solicitation period, not to begin prior to September 1 or end later than January 15 of each year.

(b) The Director will issue a timetable annually for accepting and processing applications. The Director will issue the timetable for a campaign no later than October 31 of the year preceding the campaign.

**Subpart G—Payroll Withholding**

**§ 950.701 Payroll allotment.**

The policies and procedures in this section are authorized for payroll withholding operations in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Pay Administration regulations in part 550 of this Title.

(a) Applicability. Voluntary payroll allotments will be authorized by all Federal departments and agencies for payment of charitable contributions to local CFC organizations.

(b) Allotters. The allotment privilege will be made available to Federal personnel as follows:

(1) Employees whose net pay regularly is sufficient to cover the allotment are eligible. An employee serving under an appointment limited to 1 year or less may make an allotment to a CFC when an appropriate official of the employing Federal agency determines that the employee will continue employment for a period sufficient to justify an allotment. This includes military reservists, National Guard, and other part-time and intermittent employees who are regularly employed.

(2) Members of the Uniformed Services are eligible, excluding those on only short-term assignment (less than 3 months).

(c) Authorization. Allotments will be totally voluntary and will be based upon contributor’s individual authorization.

(1) The CFC Pledge Form, in conformance with § 950.402, is the only form for authorization of the CFC payroll allotment and may be reproduced. The pledge forms and official Charity List will be made available to employees electronically when charitable contributions are solicited.

(2) The electronic pledge is transmitted to the contributor’s servicing payroll office in real time via the centralized pledge system.

(d) Duration. Authorization of allotments will be in the form of a term allotment. Term authorizations will be in effect for 1 full year—26, 24, or 12 pay periods depending on the allotter’s pay schedule—starting with the first pay period after January 15 and ending with the last pay period that includes January 15 of the following year. Three months of employment is considered the minimum amount of time that is reasonable for establishing an allotment.

(e) Amount. Allotters will make a single allotment that is apportioned into equal amounts for deductions each pay period during the year.

(1) The minimum amount of the allotment will not be less than $1 per payday per charitable organization, with no restriction on the size of the increment above that minimum.

(2) No change of amount will be authorized for term allotments.

(3) No deduction will be made for any period in which the allotter’s net pay, after all legal and previously authorized deductions, is insufficient to cover the CFC allotment. No adjustment will be made in subsequent periods to make up for missed deductions.

(f) Discontinuance. Term allotments will be discontinued automatically on expiration of the 1 year withholding period, or on the death, retirement, or separation of the allotter from the Federal service, whichever is earlier.

(1) An allotter may revoke a term authorization at any time by requesting it in writing from the payroll office. Discontinuance will be effective the first pay period beginning after receipt of the written revocation in the payroll office.

(2) A discontinued allotment will not be reinstated.

(g) Transfer. When an allotter moves to another organizational unit, whether in the same office or a different Department or agency, his or her allotment authorization must be transferred to the new payroll office.

**Subpart H—Accounting and Distribution** 

**§ 950.801 Accounting and distribution.**

(a) Remittance. One electronic funds of the transfer (EFT) will be transmitted by the payroll office each pay period, in the gross amount of deductions on the basis of current authorizations, to the CCA.

(1) The EFT will be accompanied by an electronic transmittal identifying the Federal agency, the dates of the pay period, the pay period number, employee names and deduction amounts per individual employee. (b) Accounting. (1) OPM may require Federal payroll offices to oversee the establishment of individual allotment accounts, the deductions each pay period, and the reconciliation of employee accounts in accordance with agency and Federal Accounting Standards and Office of Management and Budget requirements. OPM may further require that Federal payroll offices ensure the accuracy of remittances, as supported by current allotment authorizations, and internal accounting and auditing requirements.

(2) The CCA shall notify the federations, national and international organizations, and local organizations as soon as practicable after the completion of the campaign, but in no case later than a date to be determined by OPM, of the amounts, if any, designated to them and their member agencies. The date will be part of the annual timetable issued by the Director under § 950.601(b). The CCA is also responsible for distributing credit card, debit card, e-check, check and money order receipts and payroll deductions transmitted by the payroll offices. It is responsible for the accuracy of disbursements it transmits to recipients. The CCA will distribute all CFC receipts beginning April 1, and monthly thereafter. It shall remit the contributions to each organization or to the federation, if any, of which the organization is a member. At the close of each disbursement period, the CFC account shall have a balance of zero, based on the last reconciled bank
statement.

(3) Federated organizations, or their designated agents, are responsible for:

(i) The accuracy of distribution among the charitable organizations of remittances from the CCA; and

(ii) Arrangements for an independent audit conducted by a certified public accountant agreed upon by the participating charitable organizations.

[FR Doc. 2014–08574 Filed 4–16–14; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6325–58–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service** 

**7 CFR Part 301**

**[Docket No. APHIS–2010–0031]**

**Pine Shoot Beetle; Addition of Quarantined Areas and Regulated**  **Articles**

**AGENCY :**  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.


### 21596 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 74 / Thursday, April 17, 2014 / Rules and Regulations

**ACTION :**  Interim rule and request for
comments.

**SUMMARY :**  We are amending the pine shoot beetle regulations by adding areas in the States of Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, and Virginia and the States of Indiana and New Jersey in their entirety to the list of quarantined areas. We are taking this action following the detection of pine shoot beetle in those areas. In addition, we are updating the list of regulated articles. These actions are necessary to prevent the spread of pine shoot beetle, a pest of pine trees, into noninfested areas of the United States.

**DATES :**  This interim rule is effective April 17, 2014. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before June 16, 2014.

**ADDRESSES :**  You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2010-0031

.

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS–2010–0031, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.

Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at http:// www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2010-0031 or in our reading room, which is located in room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 799–7039 before coming.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Mrs. Andrea Simao, National Policy Manager, Plant Health Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 134, Riverdale, MD 20737–1231; (301) 851–
2067.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Background

The regulations in ‘‘Subpart Pine Shoot Beetle, (7 CFR 301.50 through 301.50–10, referred to below as the regulations) restrict the interstate movement of certain regulated articles from quarantined areas in order to prevent the spread of pine shoot beetle (PSB) into noninfested areas of the United States.

PSB is a destructive forest pest that attacks both managed and natural stands of pine and especially affects weak and dying trees. The beetle has been found in a variety of pine species (Pinus spp.) in the United States. Scotch pine (P. sylvestris) is the pest’s preferred host. PSB has been reported to also occasionally attack other conifers such as fir (Abies spp.) and spruce (Picea spp.) at low levels. During ‘‘shoot feeding,’’ young beetles tunnel into the center of pine shoots (usually those from the current year’s growth), causing stunted and distorted growth in host trees. Large infestations of PSB typically kill most of the lateral shoots near the tops of trees. In addition, PSB is a vector of several diseases of pine trees.
Quarantined Areas

Recent surveys conducted by State and Federal inspectors have revealed that additional areas in the States of Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia are infested with PSB. In addition, PSB has been found for the first time in areas in the State of Missouri. Copies of the surveys may be obtained by writing to the individual listed under **FOR FURTHER**
**INFORMATION CONTACT**

.

The regulations in § 301.50–3 provide that the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will list as a quarantined area each State, or each portion of a State, in which PSB has been found by an inspector, in which the Administrator has reason to believe that PSB is present, or that the Administrator considers necessary to regulate because of its inseparability for quarantine enforcement purposes from localities in which PSB has been found. The regulations further provide that less than an entire State will be designated as a quarantined area only if the Administrator determines that:

• The State has adopted and is enforcing a quarantine area and regulations that impose restrictions on the intrastate movement of regulated articles that are equivalent to those imposed by the regulations on the interstate movement of those articles; and

• The designation of less than the entire State as a regulated area will otherwise be adequate to prevent the artificial interstate spread of PSB.

In accordance with these criteria, we are adding the following counties to the area quarantined for PSB: Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island, and Warren Counties, IL; Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard Counties, MD; Adair, Clark, Lewis, Macon, and Marion Counties, MO; Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester Counties, NY; and Loudon County, VA. The States of Indiana and New Jersey have elected to not continue their intrastate quarantines; therefore, this rule designates the States of Indiana and New Jersey in their entirety as quarantined areas.
Regulated Articles

Section 301.50–2 of the regulations designates certain items as regulated articles. Regulated articles may not be moved interstate from quarantined areas except in accordance with the conditions specified in §§ 301.50–4 through 301.50–10 of the regulations. Regulated articles listed in § 301.50–2(a) have included pine products (Pinus spp.) such as bark products, Christmas trees, logs with bark attached, lumber with bark attached, nursery stock, raw pine materials for pine wreaths and garlands, and stumps. There have been questions whether ‘‘logs with bark attached’’ includes firewood. To clarify that firewood is a regulated article, we are updating the list of regulated articles to include firewood.

Miscellaneous

In § 301.50–1, the definition of regulated article states that regulated articles are listed in § 301.50–2(a) or (b) of the subpart or are otherwise designated as a regulated article in accordance with § 301.50–2(c); however, there is no longer a paragraph (c) in § 301.50–2. Therefore, we are amending the definition of regulated article to reflect the current contents of § 301.50–
2. In § 301.50–7, paragraph (a) refers to the requirements for certificates and limited permits provided in paragraph (c) of § 301.50–5. Those requirements are actually in paragraph (d) of that section. We are correcting that error.
Emergency Action

The rulemaking is necessary on an emergency basis to prevent the spread of PSB to noninfested areas of the United States. Under these circumstances, the Administrator has determined that prior notice and opportunity for public comment are contrary to the public interest and that there is good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553 for making this rule effective less than 30 days after publication in the Federal Register

.

We will consider comments we receive during the comment period for this interim rule (see **DATES** above). After the comment period closes, we will publish another document in the Federal Register . The document will include a discussion of any comments we receive and any amendments we are making to the rule.


### 21597 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 74 / Thursday, April 17, 2014 / Rules and Regulations

Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory Flexibility Act

This interim rule is subject to Executive Order 12866. However, for this action, the Office of Management and Budget has waived its review under Executive Order 12866.

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 603, we have performed an initial regulatory flexibility analysis, which is summarized below, regarding the economic effects of this rule on small entities. The full analysis may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site (see **ADDRESSES** above for instructions for accessing Regulations.gov) or obtained from the person listed under

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**

.

Pine shoot beetle damages urban ornamental trees and can cause economic losses to the timber industry. Entities also affected by this rule include nurseries, Christmas tree farms, logging operations, moving companies and others that sell, process, or move regulated articles interstate from the regulated areas. APHIS has identified approximately 4,080 entities in the areas discussed in this document that may be affected, of which at least 2,858 are nurseries and greenhouses, and at the minimum 1,222 are cut Christmas tree farms. There also may be sawmills and logging operations that may be affected, but we do not have information about them.

Regulated articles from quarantined areas may be moved interstate if accompanied by a certificate or limited permit. However, movement of cut Christmas pine trees and other regulated articles is generally local. Nurseries and greenhouses mostly specialize in production of deciduous landscape products rather than production of rooted pine Christmas trees and pine nursery stock.

Based on our review of available information, APHIS does not expect the interim rule to have a significant economic impact on small entities. In the absence of significant economic impacts, we have not identified alternatives that would minimize such impacts.

Executive Order 12372

This program/activity is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under No. 10.025 and is subject to Executive Order 12372, which requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local officials. (See 7 CFR part 3015, subpart V.)

Executive Order 12988

This rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, Civil Justice Reform. This rule: (1) Preempts all State and local laws and regulations that are inconsistent with this rule; (2) has no retroactive effect; and (3) does not require administrative proceedings before parties may file suit in court challenging this rule. Paperwork Reduction Act

This interim rule contains no information collection or recordkeeping requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ). List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 301

Agricultural commodities, Plant diseases and pests, Quarantine, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Transportation.

Accordingly, we are amending 7 CFR part 301 as follows:

**PART 301—DOMESTIC QUARANTINE NOTICES** 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 301 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701–7772 and 7781– 7786; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.

Section 301.75–15 issued under Sec. 204, Title II, Pub. L. 106–113, 113 Stat. 1501A– 293; sections 301.75–15 and 301.75–16 issued under Sec. 203, Title II, Pub. L. 106– 224, 114 Stat. 400 (7 U.S.C. 1421 note).

■ 2. Section 301.50–1 is amended by revising the definition of regulated article to read as follows:

**§ 301.50–1 Definitions.**
* * * * *

Regulated article. Any article listed in § 301.50–2(a) of this subpart or otherwise designated as a regulated article in accordance with § 301.50–2(b) of this subpart.

* * * * *

**§ 301.50–2 [Amended]**

■ 3. In § 301.50–2, paragraph (a) is amended by adding the words ‘‘and firewood’’ after the word ‘‘logs’’.

■ 4. In § 301.50–3, paragraph (c) is amended as follows:

■ a. In the entries for Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Virginia, by adding new counties in alphabetical order.

■ b. By revising the entries for Indiana and New Jersey.

■ c. By adding, in alphabetical order, an entry for Missouri.

The revisions and additions read as follows:

**§ 301.50–3 Quarantined areas.**
* * * * *

(c) * * *

Illinois

* * * * * Cumberland County. The entire county.
* * * * *

Effingham County. The entire county. Fayette County. The entire county.

* * * * *

Knox County. The entire county.

* * * * *

Mercer County. The entire county.

* * * * *

Rock Island County. The entire county.
* * * * *

Warren County. The entire county.

* * * * *

Indiana

The entire State.

* * * * * Maryland

* * * * *

Baltimore County. The entire county. Carroll County. The entire county.

* * * * *

Harford County. The entire county. Howard County. The entire county.

* * * * *

Missouri

Adair County. The entire county. Clark County. The entire county. Lewis County. The entire county. Macon County. The entire county. Marion County. The entire county.

* * * * *
New Jersey

The entire State.

New York

* * * * *

Dutchess County. The entire county.

* * * * *

Putnam County. The entire county.

* * * * *

Westchester County. The entire county.
* * * * *
Virginia

* * * * *

Loudon County. The entire county.

* * * * *

**§ 301.50–7 [Amended]**

■ 5. In § 301.50–7, paragraph (a) is amended by removing citation ‘‘§ 301.50–5(c)’’ and adding the citation ‘‘§ 301.50–5(d)’’ in its place.

Done in Washington, DC, this 14th day of April 2014. Kevin Shea, Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–08722 Filed 4–16–14; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3410–34–P**