[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 14, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 17115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8494]


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Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 14, 2009 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 17115]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

9 CFR Part 94

[Docket No. APHIS-2008-0147]


Change in Disease Status of the Republic of Korea With Regard to 
Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Rinderpest; Availability of an Environmental 
Assessment

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of an environmental assessment.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that an environmental assessment 
has been prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
relative to a proposed rule that would add the Republic of Korea to the 
list of regions considered free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth 
disease. The environmental assessment documents our review and analysis 
of environmental impacts associated with adding the Republic of Korea 
to the list of regions considered free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth 
disease. We are making this environmental assessment available to the 
public for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 
29, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2008-0147 to submit or view comments and 
to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
    <bullet> Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send two copies of 
your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2008-0147, Regulatory Analysis and 
Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to 
Docket No. APHIS-2008-0147.
    Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on the 
environmental assessment in our reading room. The reading room 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.
    Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its 
programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Julia Punderson, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, Regionalization Evaluation Services, National Center for 
Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1231; (301) 734-4356.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In a proposed rule \1\ titled ``Change in Disease Status of the 
Republic of Korea With Regard to Foot-and-Mouth Disease and 
Rinderpest'' and published in the Federal Register on March 30, 2009 
(74 FR 14093-14097, Docket No. APHIS-2008-0147), we proposed to amend 
the regulations in 9 CFR part 94 by adding the Republic of Korea to the 
list of regions that are considered free of rinderpest and foot-and-
mouth disease.
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    \1\ To view the proposed rule and environmental assessment, go 
to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2008-0147.
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    APHIS' review and analysis of the potential environmental impacts 
associated with adding the Republic of Korea to the list of regions 
considered free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease are documented 
in detail in an environmental assessment entitled ``Proposed Rule for 
the Status of the Republic of Korea Regarding Foot-and-Mouth Disease 
and Rinderpest: Environmental Assessment'' (February 2009). We are 
making this environmental assessment available to the public for review 
and comment. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
the date listed under the heading DATES at the beginning of this 
notice.
    The environmental assessment 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 environmental 
assessment by calling or writing to the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the title of the environmental 
assessment when requesting copies.
    The environmental assessment was prepared in accordance with: (1) 
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of the Council on Environmental 
Quality for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 
parts 1500-1508), (3) USDA regulations implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 
1b), and (4) APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 8th day of April 2009.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
 [FR Doc. E9-8494 Filed 4-13-09; 8:45 am]
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