Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 126 / Thursday, June 30, 2011 / Notices 38349 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2011–0047] 

Notice of Availability of Pest Risk 

Analysis for the Importation of Dragon 

Fruit From Thailand Into the 

Continental United States 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we have prepared a pest risk 

analysis that evaluates the risks 

associated with the importation into the 

continental United States of dragon fruit 

from Thailand. Based on this analysis, 

we believe 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 dragon fruit from 

Thailand. We are making the pest risk 

analysis available to the public for 

review and comment. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before August 29, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0047- 

0001. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2011–0047, 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-2011-0047 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) 690–2817 

before coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Claudia Ferguson, Regulatory Policy 

Coordinator, Regulations, Permits, and 

Manuals, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road 

Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737–1231; 

(301) 734–0627. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Under the regulations in ‘‘Subpart— 

Fruits and Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56– 

1 through 319.56–50, referred to below 

as the regulations), the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

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 and spread 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. 

APHIS received a request from the 

Government of Thailand to allow the 

importation of fresh dragon fruit 

(multiple genera and species) into the 

continental United States. Currently, 

fresh dragon fruit is not authorized for 

entry from Thailand. We have 

completed a pest risk analysis for the 

purpose of evaluating the pest risks 

associated with the importation of fresh 

dragon fruit into the continental United 

States. The analysis consists of a pest 

list identifying pests of quarantine 

significance that are present in Thailand 

and could follow the pathway of 

importation into the United States and 

a risk management document 

identifying phytosanitary measures that 

could be applied to the commodity to 

mitigate the pest risk. 

We have concluded that fresh dragon 

fruit can be safely imported into the 

continental United States from Thailand 

using one or more of the five designated 

phytosanitary measures listed in 

§ 319.56–4(b). These measures are: 

• The dragon fruit may be imported 

into the continental United States in 

commercial consignments only. 

• The dragon fruit must be irradiated 

in accordance with 7 CFR part 305 with 

a minimum absorbed dose of 400 Gy. 

• If the irradiation treatment is 

applied outside the United States, each 

consignment of fruit must be jointly 

inspected by APHIS and the national 

plant protection organization (NPPO) of 

Thailand and accompanied by a 

phytosanitary certificate attesting that 

the fruit received the required 

irradiation treatment. 

• If the irradiation treatment is 

applied upon arrival in the United 

States, each consignment of fruit must 

be inspected by the NPPO of Thailand 

prior to departure and accompanied by 

a phytosanitary certificate. 

• The commodity is subject to 

inspection at the U.S. port of entry. 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 319.56–4(c), we are announcing the 

availability of our pest risk analysis for 

public review and comment. The pest 

risk analysis may be viewed on the 

Regulations.gov Web site or in our 

reading room (see ADDRESSES above for 

a link to Regulations.gov and 

information on the location and hours of 

the reading room). You may request 

paper copies of the pest risk analysis by 

calling or writing to the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. Please refer to the subject of 

the pest risk analysis you wish to review 

when requesting copies. 

After reviewing any comments we 

receive, we will announce our decision 

regarding the import status of fresh 

dragon fruit from Thailand in a 

subsequent notice. If the overall 

conclusions of the analysis and the 

Administrator’s determination of risk 

remain unchanged following our 

consideration of the comments, then we 

will authorize the importation of fresh 

dragon fruit from Thailand into the 

continental United States subject to the 

requirements specified in the risk 

management documents. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 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 24th day of 

June 2011. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–16405 Filed 6–29–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Plan Revision for Colville, and the 

Okanogan-Wenatchee National 

Forests, Washington (Collectively 

Called the Northeast Washington Zone 

Forest Plan Revision) 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

and revised land management plan 

using the provisions of the National 

Forest System land and resource 

management planning rule in effect 

prior to November 9, 2000 for the 

Colville, and Okanogan-Wenatchee 

National Forests, Pend Oreille, Stevens, 

Ferry, Okanogan, Chelan, Kittitas, and 

Yakima Counties in Washington. 

SUMMARY: As directed by the National 

Forest Management Act (NFMA), the 


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