40824 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 155 / Thursday, August 13, 2009 / Notices 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 3156, 

MSC 7770, Bethesda, MD 20892. (301) 435– 

1177. bunnagb@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Cardiovascular and 

Respiratory Sciences Integrated Review 

Group. Myocardial Ischemia and Metabolism 

Study Section. 

Date: October 1–2, 2009. 

Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: St. Gregory Hotel, 2033 M Street, 

NW., Washington, DC 20036. 

Contact Person: Joseph Thomas Peterson, 

PhD, Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 4118, 

MSC 7814, Bethesda, MD 20892. 301–443– 

8130. petersonjt@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Brain Disorders and 

Clinical Neuroscience Integrated Review 

Group. Acute Neural Injury and Epilepsy 

Study Section. 

Date: October 1–2, 2009. 

Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: Embassy Suites Washington DC, 

1250 22nd Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20037. 

Contact Person: Seetha Bhagavan, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 5194, 

MSC 7846, Bethesda, MD 20892. (301) 435– 

1121. bhagavas@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Healthcare Delivery 

and Methodologies. Community-Level Health 

Promotion Study Section. 

Date: October 1–2, 2009. 

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: Hotel Palomar, 2121 P Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20037. 

Contact Person: William N. Elwood, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 3162, 

MSC 7770, Bethesda, MD 20892. 301/435– 

1503. elwoodwi@csr.nih.gov. 

Name of Committee: Healthcare Delivery 

and Methodologies. Biomedical Computing 

and Health Informatics Study Section. 

Date: October 2, 2009. 

Time: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

Agenda: To review and evaluate grant 

applications. 

Place: Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hill 

Road, Bethesda, MD 20814. 

Contact Person: Bill Bunnag, PhD, 

Scientific Review Officer, Center for 

Scientific Review, National Institutes of 

Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 5124, 

MSC 7854, Bethesda, MD 20892. (301) 435– 

1177. bunnagb@csr.nih.gov. 

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Nos. 93.306, Comparative Medicine; 

93.333, Clinical Research; 93.306, 93.333, 

93.337, 93.393–93.396, 93.837–93.844, 

93.846–93.878, 93.892, 93.893, National 

Institutes of Health, HHS) 

Dated: August 6, 2009. 

Jennifer Spaeth, 

Director, Office of Federal Advisory 

Committee Policy. 

[FR Doc. E9–19447 Filed 8–12–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

Rescission of February 4, 2004, Order 

and Subsequent Amendments 

Prohibiting the Importation of Birds 

and Bird Products From Specified 

Countries 

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC), Department of Health 

and Human Services (HHS). 

ACTION: Final Notice. 

SUMMARY: On January 21, 2009, CDC 

published a notice in the Federal 

Register (74 FR 3608) announcing its 

intent to rescind its February 4, 2004 

order and subsequent amendments 

prohibiting the importation of birds and 

bird products from specified countries 

based on the threat that imports from 

such countries increases the risk that 

highly pathogenic avian influenza 

(HPAI) may be introduced into the 

United States. The U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has 

implemented and continues to enforce 

regulations to prohibit or restrict the 

importation of birds, poultry, and 

unprocessed birds and poultry products 

from regions that have reported the 

presence of highly pathogenic avian 

influenza H5N1 in poultry. While 

USDA/APHIS actions are based 

primarily on protecting the U.S. 

commercial poultry industry from the 

introduction of highly pathogenic avian 

influenza H5N1, these actions have the 

added benefit of mitigating the risk of 

human exposure to the virus. Because 

the USDA/APHIS import restrictions 

adequately address risks to human 

health, HHS/CDC is announcing, in this 

Notice, its decision to lift its embargo 

against imports of birds and 

unprocessed bird products from those 

same countries. All of the bird 

embargoes that are currently in force 

under USDA regulations remain in 

effect. HHS/CDC will work closely with 

USDA/APHIS to monitor the 

international situation regarding HPAI 

H5N1 outbreaks and if human health 

risks are not adequately contained by 

USDA regulatory actions, CDC will take 

action to mitigate any human health 

risks associated with these outbreaks. 

DATE: The decision is effective 

September 14, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Robert Mullan, Division of Global 

Migration and Quarantine, National 

Center for Preparedness, Detection, and 

Control of Infectious Diseases, Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention, 

1600 Clifton Road, NE., MS E–03, 

Atlanta, Georgia 30333; telephone 404– 

498–1600. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Since late 2003, highly pathogenic 

avian influenza (HPAI) has become 

established as a veterinary and human 

health threat throughout the world. As 

of April 1, 2009 HPAI has been 

confirmed by the World Organization 

for Animal Health (OIE) in birds from 

over 60 countries in Asia, Europe, and 

Africa. In addition, as of March 30, 

2009, 413 human cases, including 256 

deaths, have been confirmed by the 

World Health Organization (WHO). 

Birds imported into the United States 

from countries with HPAI could pose a 

risk for human infection or spread of 

virus to U.S. birds. 

USDA Actions 

To protect the U.S. commercial 

poultry industry, USDA/APHIS has 

taken specific actions to reduce the 

threat of importing birds or products 

with HPAI. 

• USDA’s authority for these actions 

is found at 9 CFR Parts 93, 94, and 95. 

• USDA/APHIS issued an interim 

final rule on February 4, 2004, and a 

final rule on July 20, 2005, providing 

restrictions on the importation of birds 

and unprocessed bird products from 

countries confirmed to have HPAI in 

commercial birds. 

• To date, USDA has placed import 

restrictions on 46 countries. 

• Import restrictions allow US-origin 

pet birds and performing birds to return 

to the United States following a 30-day 

quarantine at a USDA facility. 

Importations of processed bird products 

that have been rendered noninfectious 

are also allowed provided such products 

are accompanied by a USDA Veterinary 

Services (VS) permit and a government 

certification confirming that the 

products were treated according to 

USDA requirements. 

• Bird products that are potentially 

infectious may be imported for science 

and education purposes under a USDA/ 

APHIS permit process, provided that the 

product can be safely transported. 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 155 / Thursday, August 13, 2009 / Notices 40825 

CDC Actions 

On February 4, 2004, HHS/CDC 

issued an order to immediately ban the 

import of all birds (Class: Aves) from 

specified countries, subject to limited 

exemptions for returning pet birds of US 

origin and certain processed birdderived products. HHS/CDC took this 

action because birds from these 

countries can potentially infect humans 

with HPAI. Countries affected by the 

February 4, 2004, order included 

Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, 

People’s Republic of China (including 

Hong Kong Special Administrative 

Region [SAR]), South Korea, Thailand, 

and Vietnam. This order was further 

amended on March 10, 2004, to lift the 

embargo of birds and bird products from 

the Hong Kong SAR because of the 

documented control of the outbreak 

there and the absence of HPAI cases in 

Hong Kong’s domestic bird populations. 

Following the documentation of HPAI 

in commercial birds in additional 

countries, HHS/CDC amended the 

February 4, 2004, order to add these 

countries to its embargo: Malaysia on 

September 28, 2004; Kazakhstan, 

Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine 

on December 29, 2005; Nigeria on 

February 8, 2006; India on February 22, 

2006; Egypt on February 27, 2006; Niger 

on March 2, 2006; Albania, Azerbaijan, 

Cameroon, and Burma (Myanmar) on 

March 15, 2006; Israel on March 20, 

2006; Afghanistan on March 21, 2006; 

Jordan on March 29, 2006; Burkina Faso 

on April 10, 2006; Pakistan on April 10, 

2006; Gaza, the West Bank, and Ivory 

Coast (Coˆte d’Ivoire) on April 28, 2006; 

Sudan on May 16, 2006; Djibouti on 

June 2, 2006; and Kuwait on February 

28, 2007. 

HHS/CDC has experienced practical 

and operational issues since the 

implementation of these orders. The 

orders 

• Duplicate the USDA/APHIS rule 

and thus do not provide any additional 

protection of the public’s health; 

• Cause confusion at ports of entry 

regarding which agency has primary 

authority to respond; 

• Give the appearance of a lack of 

coordinated action by the U.S. 

government, and 

• May interfere with the importation 

of products for laboratory evaluation, 

epidemiologic assessment, and vaccine 

distribution and research. 

Thus, on January 21, 2009, CDC 

published a notice with a 30-day 

comment period in the Federal Register 

(74 FR 3608) in which it announced its 

intention to rescind the February 4, 

2004, order and all subsequent orders 

prohibiting the importation of birds and 

bird products from specified countries. 

Public Comments Received and CDC 

Responses 

CDC received three comments from 

the public in response to its January 21, 

2009 Notice. Two commenters opposed 

CDC’s proposal to rescind its bird 

embargo and one commenter 

commended CDC on its recognition that 

USDA’s ban also protects human health. 

Public Comment #1: The first 

comment opposing the plan for CDC to 

rescind its bird embargo cited three 

concerns, as follows: 

1. The USDA and CDC prohibitions 

have been part of a well-coordinated 

federal response to the avian influenza 

threat, and there is no need to change 

these practices. 

2. The USDA does not have the 

mandate to protect human health from 

the introduction of pathogens into the 

United States, and CDC does. 

3. Rescinding the CDC prohibitions 

might have the undesirable effect of 

reducing the public’s understanding of 

human health concerns, including avian 

influenza, associated with the 

importation of birds and bird products 

into the United States. 

CDC Response: While the USDA/ 

APHIS rule is based primarily on 

protecting the U.S. commercial poultry 

industry from introduction of HPAI 

H5N1, it has the added benefit of 

mitigating the risk of human exposure to 

the virus. Through contacts with 

international veterinary authorities and 

trade relationships with countries of 

concern, USDA/APHIS is able to 

quickly assess import risk and 

subsequently implement importation 

restrictions on affected countries. By 

working in close collaboration with 

USDA/APHIS, CDC is confident that 

their actions before issuing new bird 

import orders are sufficient to protect 

public health. 

As the nation’s lead agency for human 

health, HHS/CDC will ensure mitigation 

of the human health risks from HPAI 

and other animal influenza viruses that 

pose a risk to human health while also 

demonstrating a coordinated and 

efficient federal approach to managing 

risks from imported birds and 

unprocessed bird products. HHS/CDC 

will also take action if future USDA/ 

APHIS restrictions do not adequately 

address the public health risk from 

HPAI or other influenza viruses in 

animals. 

HHS/CDC will take the following 

steps to ensure the human health threat 

of HPAI H5N1 continues to be 

prevented: 

1. To enforce USDA’s importation 

embargo, CDC staff at the 20 U.S. 

Quarantine Stations will continue 

working closely with other federal 

agencies at ports of entry, such as 

USDA, the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS), and the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (FWS) of the 

Department of the Interior (DoI). 

2. CDC staff will closely follow the 

international situation regarding HPAI 

outbreaks and spread through review of 

information from its internal 

surveillance systems, World Health 

Organization Influenza Collaborating 

Centers, CDC’s USDA liaison officer, the 

United Nations Food and Agriculture 

Organization, and the World 

Organization for Animal Health. 

3. CDC staff will continue to monitor 

the World Organizations for Animal 

Health (OIE) and USDA/APHIS actions 

toward countries in which HPAI has 

been established in commercial birds to 

ascertain that they are consistent and 

make an assessment if actions taken 

mitigate the human health risk to the 

United States. If the review process 

identifies human health risks that are 

not adequately contained by USDA/ 

APHIS actions, HHS/CDC will 

implement additional importation 

restrictions for birds and unprocessed 

bird products. For example, if human 

cases of HPAI were reported in a 

country with no official confirmation of 

avian cases (that would normally trigger 

a USDA ban), HHS/CDC could 

implement restrictions on an emergency 

basis. 

4. CDC staff will post a link to all 

USDA/APHIS restrictions on its Web 

site (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/ 

outbreaks/embargo.htm). 

5. CDC and USDA will continue to 

collaborate on guidelines and protocols 

to ensure a timely and coordinated 

response to an HPAI outbreak should it 

occur in the United States. In 2005– 

2006 the agencies worked together with 

other federal agencies on the USDA 

Playbook for Avian Influenza, a protocol 

that defines each agency’s roles and 

responsibilities in response to H5N1 in 

the United States. 

6. CDC staff will closely monitor 

human cases of HPAI and human 

infections with other novel influenza 

strains in other countries. If the review 

process identifies clearly that risks to 

human health could be further mitigated 

by an importation ban on birds and bird 

products coming from a particular 

country, HHS/CDC will implement 

additional importation restrictions for 

birds and unprocessed bird products. 

For example, if human illnesses and/or 

deaths from infection with a novel 

strain of influenza also shown to be 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
40826 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 155 / Thursday, August 13, 2009 / Notices 

circulating in birds were reported in a 

country with no official confirmation of 

avian cases (that would normally trigger 

a USDA ban), HHS/CDC could 

implement restrictions on an emergency 

basis. 

Public Comment #2: The second 

comment was not specific for HPAI, but 

addressed general concerns about 

potentially zoonotic diseases associated 

with wild birds. The commenter urged 

CDC to reconsider rescinding this order 

with respect to live birds and to review 

the disease risks created by these bird 

imports to protect people from 

dangerous infectious diseases. 

CDC Response: The current embargo 

on birds and bird products from 

countries that have had HPAI identified 

in poultry is very specific and does not 

cover all potentially zoonotic diseases 

from imported wild birds. Therefore, 

rescinding the current order would have 

neither an adverse nor a positive affect 

on the zoonotic risks of importing wild 

birds. 

Public Comment #3: The third 

comment was in support of CDC’s 

rescission of its bird embargo. 

CDC Response: As stated above, CDC 

will continue to work closely with 

USDA and other human and animal 

health partners to monitor the situation 

with HPAI in both birds and people to 

protect both animal and human health 

in the United States. 

In summary, HHS/CDC believes that 

the actions taken to date by USDA/ 

APHIS adequately mitigate the human 

health risks of HPAI associated with 

birds and unprocessed bird products 

imported from the countries of concern. 

HHS/CDC plans to mitigate any future 

human health risks that are not 

adequately addressed by USDA/APHIS 

regulations, thus ensuring a strong 

coordinated federal response. Therefore, 

the HHS/CDC order of February 4, 2004, 

and its subsequent amendments are no 

longer needed. 

Action 

Therefore, effective September 14, 

2009, HHS/CDC is rescinding its 

February 4, 2004, order and all 

amendments from the following dates: 

March 10, 2004; September 28, 2004; 

December 29, 2005; February 8, 2006; 

February 22, 2006; February 27, 2006; 

March 2, 2006; March 15, 2006; March 

20, 2006; March 21, 2006; March 29, 

2006; April 10, 2006; April 28, 2006; 

May 16, 2006; June 2, 2006; and 

February 28, 2007. 

Dated: August 5, 2009. 

James Seligman, 

Chief Information Officer, Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention. 

[FR Doc. E9–19453 Filed 8–12–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

ADVISORY COUNCIL ON HISTORIC 

PRESERVATION 

Notice of Meeting 

AGENCY: Advisory Council on Historic 

Preservation. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Advisory Council on Historic 

Preservation (ACHP) will meet 

Wednesday, August 19, 2009. The 

meeting will be held in the Caucus 

Room of the Cannon House Office 

Building, Independence Avenue, and 

1st Street, SE., Washington, DC at 9 a.m. 

The ACHP was established by the 

National Historic Preservation Act of 

1966 (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.) to advise the 

President and Congress on national 

historic preservation policy and to 

comment upon Federal, federally 

assisted, and federally licensed 

undertakings having an effect upon 

properties listed in or eligible for 

inclusion in the National Register of 

Historic Places. The ACHP’s members 

are the Architect of the Capitol; the 

Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, 

Defense, Housing and Urban 

Development, Commerce, Education, 

Veterans Affairs, and Transportation; 

the Administrator of the General 

Services Administration; the Chairman 

of the National Trust for Historic 

Preservation; the President of the 

National Conference of State Historic 

Preservation Officers; a Governor; a 

Mayor; a Native American; and eight 

non-Federal members appointed by the 

President. 

The agenda for the meeting includes 

the following: 

Call to Order—9 a.m.: 

I. Chairman’s Welcome. 

II. Preserve America and Chairman’s 

Award Presentation. 

III. Native American Activities. 

A. Native American Advisory Group. 

B. Native American Program Report. 

IV. Engaging Youth in Historic 

Preservation. 

V. Preserve America Program 

Implementation. 

VI. Department of Interior’s Treasured 

Landscapes Initiative. 

VII. Preservation Initiatives Committee. 

A. Administration Urban Policy 

Initiative. 

B. Legislative Update. 

VIII. Federal Agency Programs 

Committee. 

A. Recovery Act Update. 

B. Trans Alaska Pipeline Exemption. 

C. Section 106 Case Updates. 

IX. Communications, Education, and 

Outreach Committee. 

A. Service Learning Initiative. 

X. Chairman’s Report. 

A. ACHP Alumni Foundation. 

B. Transition. 

C. FY 2011 Budget. 

XI. Executive Director’s Report. 

A. Staff Changes and Recruitment. 

XII. New Business. 

XIII. Adjourn. 

Note: The meetings of the ACHP are open 

to the public. 

If you need special accommodations 

due to a disability, please contact the 

Advisory Council on Historic 

Preservation, 1100 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, NW., Room 803, Washington, 

DC, 202–606–8503, at least seven (7) 

days prior to the meeting. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Additional information concerning the 

meeting is available from the Executive 

Director, Advisory Council on Historic 

Preservation, 1100 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, NW., #803, Washington, DC 

20004. 

Dated: August 6, 2009. 

John Fowler, 

Executive Director. 

[FR Doc. E9–19282 Filed 8–12–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–K6–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Protest 

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection, Department of Homeland 

Security. 

ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for 

comments; Revision of an existing 

information collection: 1651–0017. 

SUMMARY: U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection (CBP) of the Department of 

Homeland Security has submitted the 

following information collection request 

to the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and approval in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act: Protest (Form 19). This 

is a proposed revision and extension of 

an information collection that was 

previously approved. CBP is proposing 

that this information collection be 

extended with a change to the burden 

hours. This document is published to 


erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES