14044 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 38 / Monday, February 26, 2024 / Notices 

1To view the notice and the supporting 

documents, go to www.regulations.gov. Enter 

APHIS–2021–0075 in the Search field. 

2On September 30, 2022, the APHIS Fruits and 

Vegetables Import Requirements (FAVIR) database 

was replaced by the ACIR database. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 20th day of 

February 2024. 

Michael Watson, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03790 Filed 2–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2021–0075] 

Notice of Decision To Authorize the 

Importation of Ugu Leaves (Telfairia 

occidentalis Hook.f.) From Nigeria Into 

the Continental United States 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public of 

our decision to authorize the 

importation of fresh Ugu leaves 

(Telfairia occidentalis Hook.f.) from 

Nigeria into the continental United 

States. Based on findings of a pest risk 

analysis, which we made available to 

the public for review and comment 

through a previous notice, we have 

determined that the application of one 

or more designated phytosanitary 

measures will be sufficient to mitigate 

the risks of introducing or disseminating 

plant pests or noxious weeds via the 

importation of fresh Ugu leaves from 

Nigeria. 

DATES: Imports may be authorized 

beginning February 26, 2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Gina Stiltner, Senior Regulatory Policy 

Specialist, Regulatory Coordination and 

Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River 

Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737– 

1231; (518) 760–2468; Gina.L.Stiltner@

USDA.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Under the regulations in ‘‘Subpart L– 

Fruits and Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56– 

1 through 319.56–12, referred to below 

as the regulations), the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

prohibits or restricts the importation of 

fruits and vegetables into the United 

States from certain parts of the world to 

prevent plant pests from being 

introduced into or disseminated within 

the United States. 

Section 319.56–4 contains a 

performance-based process for 

approving the importation of 

commodities that, based on the findings 

of a pest risk analysis, can be safely 

imported subject to one or more of the 

designated phytosanitary measures 

listed in paragraph (b) of that section. 

Under that process, APHIS proposes to 

authorize the importation of a fruit or 

vegetable into the United States if, based 

on findings of a pest risk analysis, we 

determine that the measures can 

mitigate the plant pest risk associated 

with the importation of that fruit or 

vegetable. APHIS then publishes a 

notice in the Federal Register 

announcing the availability of the pest 

risk analysis that evaluates the risks 

associated with the importation of a 

particular fruit or vegetable. Following 

the close of the 60-day comment period, 

APHIS will issue a subsequent Federal 

Register notice announcing whether or 

not we will authorize the importation of 

the fruit or vegetable subject to the 

phytosanitary measures specified in the 

notice. 

In accordance with that process, we 

published a notice 1 in the Federal 

Register on August 28, 2023 (88 FR 

58542–58543, Docket No. APHIS–2021– 

0075) in which we announced the 

availability, for review and comment, of 

a pest risk analysis that evaluated the 

risks associated with the importation of 

fresh Ugu leaves (Telfairia occidentalis 

Hook.f.) from Nigeria into the 

continental United States. The pest risk 

analysis consisted of a risk assessment 

identifying pests of quarantine 

significance that could follow the 

pathway of the importation of fresh Ugu 

leaves (Telfairia occidentalis Hook.f.) 

from Nigeria into the continental United 

States and a risk management document 

(RMD) identifying phytosanitary 

measures to be applied to that 

commodity to mitigate the pest risk. 

We solicited comments on the notice 

for 60 days, ending on October 27, 2023. 

We received no comments by that date. 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 319.56–4(c)(3)(iii), we are announcing 

our decision to authorize the 

importation into the continental United 

States of fresh Ugu leaves from Nigeria 

subject to the phytosanitary measures 

identified in the RMD that accompanied 

the initial notice. 

These conditions will be listed in the 

USDA, APHIS Agricultural Commodity 

Import Requirements (ACIR) database 

(https://acir.aphis.usda.gov/s/).2 In 

addition to these specific measures, 

each shipment must be subject to the 

general requirements listed in § 319.56– 

3 that are applicable to the importation 

of all fruits and vegetables. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 

et seq.), the recordkeeping and burden 

requirements associated with this action 

are included under the Office of 

Management and Budget control 

number 0579–0049. 

E-Government Act Compliance 

The Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service is committed to 

compliance with the E- Government Act 

to promote the use of the internet and 

other information technologies, to 

provide increased opportunities for 

citizen access to Government 

information and services, and for other 

purposes. For information pertinent to 

E-Government Act compliance related 

to this notice, please contact Mr. Joseph 

Moxey, APHIS’ Paperwork Reduction 

Act Coordinator, at (301) 851–2483. 

Congressional Review Act 

Pursuant to the Congressional Review 

Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs 

designated this action as not a major 

rule, as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1633, 7701–7772, 

and 7781–7786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 

7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 20th day of 

February 2024. 

Michael Watson, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03789 Filed 2–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

[Docket Number: RUS–23–Telecom–0022] 

Amended Notice of Funding 

Opportunity for the Rural 

eConnectivity Program for Fiscal Year 

2024; Extension of Submission 

Deadline 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice, extension of submission 

deadline. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS, Agency), a Rural Development 

(RD) agency of the United States 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

announced its acceptance of 

applications under the Rural 

eConnectivity (ReConnect) program for 

fiscal year (FY) 2024 in the Federal 

Register on February 21, 2024. This 


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