Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 198 / Friday, October 10, 2008 / Rules and Regulations 60099 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

9 CFR Part 77 

[Docket No. APHIS–2008–0117] 

Tuberculosis in Cattle and Bison; State 

and Zone Designations; Minnesota 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Interim rule and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are amending the 

regulations to recognize Minnesota for 

split-State status for tuberculosis. The 

entire State of Minnesota has been 

classified as modified accredited; 

however, all its affected herds are 

located in portions of four counties in 

the northwest corner of the State. We 

have determined that Minnesota meets 

our requirements for zone classification. 

Therefore, we are removing Minnesota 

from the list of modified accredited 

States, adding an area in the northwest 

corner to the list of modified accredited 

zones, and adding the remainder of the 

State to the list of modified accredited 

advanced zones. This action relieves 

restrictions on the interstate movement 

of cattle and bison from areas of 

Minnesota other than the modified 

accredited zone in the northwest corner. 

DATES: This interim rule is effective 

October 10, 2008. We will consider all 

comments that we receive on or before 

December 9, 2008. 

Compliance Date: The date for 

complying with the identification 

requirements for sexually intact heifers 

moving from the modified accredited 

advanced zone in Minnesota to 

approved feedlots and for steers and 

spayed heifers moving from the 

modified accredited advanced zone in 

Minnesota to any destination (9 CFR 

77.10(b)), and for complying with the 

identification and certification 

requirements for sexually intact heifers 

moving from the modified accredited 

advanced zone in Minnesota to 

unapproved feedlots (9 CFR 77.10(d)), is 

delayed until further notice. The 

compliance date for all other provisions 

in 9 CFR part 77 applicable to the 

interstate movement of cattle and bison 

from the State of Minnesota is October 

10, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/

component/main?main=DocketDetail&

d=APHIS-2008-0117 to submit or view 

comments and to view supporting and 

related materials available 

electronically. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Please send two copies of your comment 

to Docket No. APHIS–2008–0117, 

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– 

2008–0117. 

Reading Room: You may read any 

comments that we receive on this 

docket 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. 

C. William Hench, Senior Staff 

Veterinarian, National Tuberculosis 

Eradication Program, Veterinary 

Services, APHIS, 2150 Centre Ave., 

Bldg. B, MSC 3E20, Ft. Collins, CO 

80526; (970) 494–7378. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Bovine tuberculosis is a contagious 

and infectious granulomatous disease 

caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium 

bovis. Although commonly defined as a 

chronic debilitating disease, bovine 

tuberculosis can occasionally assume an 

acute, rapidly progressive course. While 

any body tissue can be affected, lesions 

are most frequently observed in the 

lymph nodes, lungs, intestines, liver, 

spleen, pleura, and peritoneum. 

Although cattle are considered to be the 

true hosts of M. bovis, the disease has 

been reported in several other species of 

both domestic and nondomestic 

animals, as well as in humans. 

At the beginning of the past century, 

tuberculosis caused more losses of 

livestock than all other livestock 

diseases combined. This prompted the 

establishment in the United States of the 

National Cooperative State/Federal 

Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication 

Program for tuberculosis in livestock. 

In carrying out the national 

eradication program, the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

issues and enforces regulations. The 

regulations require the testing of cattle 

and bison for tuberculosis, define the 

Federal tuberculosis status levels for 

States or zones (accredited-free, 

modified accredited advanced, modified 

accredited, accreditation preparatory, 

and nonaccredited), provide the criteria 

for attaining and maintaining those 

status levels, and contain testing and 

movement requirements for cattle and 

bison leaving States or zones of a 

particular status level. These regulations 

are contained in 9 CFR part 77 and in 

the Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication 

Uniform Methods and Rules, 1999, 

which is incorporated by reference into 

the regulations. 

Conditions for Zone Classification 

Under §§ 77.3 and 77.4 of the 

regulations, in order to qualify for zone 

classification by APHIS, a State must 

meet the following requirements: 

1. The State must have adopted and 

must be enforcing regulations that 

impose restrictions on the intrastate 

movement of cattle, bison, and captive 

cervids that are substantially the same 

as those in place in part 77 for the 

interstate movement of those animals. 

2. The designation of part of a State 

as a zone must otherwise be adequate to 

prevent the interstate spread of 

tuberculosis. 

3. The zones must be delineated by 

the animal health authorities in the 

State making the request for zone 

classification and must be approved by 

the APHIS Administrator. 

4. The request for zone classification 

must demonstrate that the State has the 

legal and financial resources to 

implement and enforce a tuberculosis 

eradication program and has in place 

the infrastructure, laws, and regulations 

to require and ensure that State and 

Federal animal health authorities are 

notified of tuberculosis cases in 

domestic livestock or outbreaks in 

wildlife. 

5. The request for zone classification 

must demonstrate that the State 

maintains, in each intended zone, 

clinical and epidemiological 

surveillance of animal species at risk of 

tuberculosis, at a rate that allows 

detection of tuberculosis in the overall 

population of livestock at a 2 percent 

prevalence rate with 95 percent 

confidence. The designated tuberculosis 

epidemiologist must review reports of 

all testing for each zone within the State 

within 30 days of the testing. 

6. The State must enter into a 

memorandum of understanding with 

APHIS in which the State agrees to 

adhere to any conditions for zone 

recognition particular to that request. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with RULES
60100 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 198 / Friday, October 10, 2008 / Rules and Regulations 

1 2007 Minnesota Agricultural Statistics, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA)/National 

Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Minnesota 

Department of Agriculture. 

2USDA/Economic Research Service Farm 

Income: Annual Cash Receipts, 1924–2006; Table 

5—Cash Receipts, by commodity groups and 

selected commodities, Minnesota, 2000–2006. 

3 2002 Census of Agriculture. NASS, USDA. 

Request for Zone Classification in 

Minnesota 

The regulations in § 77.5 define a 

modified accredited advanced State or 

zone as a State or zone in which 

tuberculosis has been prevalent in less 

than 0.01 percent of the total number of 

herds of cattle and bison in the State or 

zone for each of the most recent 2 years. 

That definition does provide, however, 

that a State or zone with fewer than 

30,000 herds may have up to 3 affected 

herds for each of the most recent 2 

years, depending on the veterinary 

infrastructure, livestock demographics, 

and tuberculosis control and eradication 

measures in the State or zone. 

The regulations define a modified 

accredited State or zone as a State or 

zone in which tuberculosis has been 

prevalent in less than 0.1 percent of the 

total number of herds of cattle and bison 

in the State or zone for the most recent 

year. That definition does provide, 

however, that a State or zone with fewer 

than 10,000 herds may have up to 10 

affected herds for the most recent year, 

depending on the veterinary 

infrastructure, livestock demographics, 

and tuberculosis control and eradication 

measures in the State or zone. 

In an interim rule effective and 

published in the Federal Register on 

April 9, 2008 (73 FR 19139–19142, 

Docket No. APHIS–2008–0037), we 

amended the tuberculosis regulations by 

removing Minnesota from the list of 

modified accredited advanced States 

and adding it to the list of modified 

accredited States. This action was taken 

after four affected herds were found in 

Minnesota within a 5-month period. All 

of the affected herds were located in 

portions of four counties in the 

northwest corner of Minnesota. No 

tuberculosis-affected herds were found 

in the remainder of the State. 

We have received from the State of 

Minnesota a request for zone 

classification for tuberculosis and have 

conducted a risk assessment to evaluate 

that request. Our risk assessment, 

entitled ‘‘Assessment of Risk Associated 

with the Minnesota Proposed Plan for 

Split-State Status for Mycobacterium 

bovis (Bovine Tuberculosis),’’ is 

available for public review and 

comment in conjunction with this 

interim rule. 

The risk 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 risk assessment by 

calling or writing to the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. Please refer to the title of the 

risk assessment when requesting copies. 

Based on the risk assessment, we have 

concluded that Minnesota meets the 

requirements listed above for zone 

classification and that, except for the 

area in the northwest corner of the State 

where the affected herds were found, 

Minnesota now meets the criteria for 

modified accredited advanced 

tuberculosis status. Therefore, we are 

classifying two zones in Minnesota as 

follows: 

• The modified accredited zone, 

which is the smaller of the two, consists 

of portions of the Minnesota Counties of 

Lake of the Woods, Roseau, Marshall, 

and Beltrami. A complete description of 

the boundaries of this zone is contained 

in the rule text at the end of this 

document. 

• The modified accredited advanced 

zone consists of the rest of the State of 

Minnesota. 

Immediate Action 

Immediate action is warranted to 

relieve restrictions on the interstate 

movement of cattle and bison from the 

newly classified modified accredited 

advanced zone in Minnesota. 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 action 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. 

Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory 

Flexibility Act 

This rule has been reviewed under 

Executive Order 12866. For this action, 

the Office of Management and Budget 

has waived its review under Executive 

Order 12866. 

In accordance with the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act, we have analyzed the 

potential economic effects of this action 

on small entities. 

This interim rule removes Minnesota 

from the list of modified accredited 

States, adds an area in the northwest 

corner to the list of modified accredited 

zones, and adds the remainder of the 

State to the list of modified accredited 

advanced zones. This action relieves 

restrictions on the interstate movement 

of cattle and bison from areas of 

Minnesota other than the modified 

accredited zone in the northwest corner. 

Entities that will be directly affected 

by this interim rule are Minnesota beef 

and dairy farms that engage in interstate 

movement of certain types of cattle. 

Operations in the modified accredited 

advanced zone will benefit from 

reduced costs associated with 

tuberculosis testing. 

The cattle industry plays an important 

role in Minnesota’s economy. There 

were 25,000 cattle and calf operations in 

Minnesota in 2006 with a total 

inventory of 2.4 million head. About 

24,700 of these cattle operations, 

accounting for more than 99 percent of 

the State’s cattle, are located in the 

modified accredited advanced zone.1

State-wide cash receipts from cattle and 

calves and dairy products totaled $926 

million and $1.074 billion, respectively, 

in 2006. Seven-year average (2000– 

2006) cash receipts for cattle and calves 

and dairy products were $944 million 

and $1.2 billion, respectively.2

The Regulatory Flexibility Act 

requires that agencies specifically 

consider the economic impact of their 

rules on small entities. The Small 

Business Administration (SBA) has 

established guidelines for determining 

which businesses are considered small. 

According to SBA size standards for 

beef cattle ranching and farming (North 

American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS) 112111) and for dairy 

cattle and milk production (NAICS 

112120), operations with not more than 

$750,000 in annual sales are considered 

small entities. In 2002, more than 95 

percent of cattle and calf farms 

generated less than $500,000 in cash 

receipts, and about 1.4 percent 

generated $1 million or more. More than 

93 percent of dairy farms generated less 

than $500,000 in cash receipts, and 

about 2 percent generated $1 million or 

more.3 Clearly, the majority of 

Minnesota’s cattle operations are small 

entities. The composition of 

Minnesota’s cattle inventory is shown in 

table 1. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 198 / Friday, October 10, 2008 / Rules and Regulations 60101 

4U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for 

Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. 

5USDA/APHIS/Veterinary Services, personal 

communication. 

TABLE 1—MINNESOTA CATTLE INVENTORY, JANUARY 1, 2006 

Type Number Percentage of 

total 

Beef cows ........................................................................................................................................................ 390,000 16.6 

Milk cows ......................................................................................................................................................... 445,000 18.9 

Heifers 

Beef cow replacements ............................................................................................................................ 95,000 4.0 

Milk cow replacements ............................................................................................................................. 265,000 11.3 

Other heifers ............................................................................................................................................. 170,000 7.2 

Total heifers ....................................................................................................................................... 530,000 22.6 

Steers ............................................................................................................................................................... 450,000 19.2 

Bulls ................................................................................................................................................................. 35,000 1.5 

Calves .............................................................................................................................................................. 500,000 21.3 

Total ................................................................................................................................................... 2,350,000 ............................

Source: NASS, USDA. 

Minnesota is currently listed as a 

modified accredited State. This rule 

reclassifies nearly all of the State as 

modified accredited advanced. The 

reclassification of a zone to modified 

accredited advanced status from 

modified accredited status removes 

certain restrictions on the interstate 

movement of feeding and breeding 

cattle. The modified accredited zone 

restrictions include a negative 

tuberculosis test within 60 days of the 

interstate movement of steers and 

spayed heifers that are being moved not 

directly to slaughter, but rather for 

feeding purposes. The modified 

accredited zone restrictions also include 

a negative whole herd test within 1 year 

of the interstate movement of sexually 

intact cattle from a herd without 

accredited status, that is, animals being 

moved for breeding purposes from 

nonaccredited herds. In addition, dairy 

herds in a modified accredited 

advanced zone are not required to have 

an annual whole herd test in order to 

comply with the Pasteurized Milk 

Ordinance (PMO),4 whereas a whole 

herd test is required of dairy herds in a 

modified accredited zone. 

A negative tuberculosis test within 60 

days of interstate movement of feeding 

cattle will no longer be needed for herds 

in the modified accredited advanced 

zone. Tuberculosis testing, including 

veterinary fees, costs about $10 to $15 

per head.5 The Minnesota Board of 

Animal Health tracks the number of 

feeding animals moved interstate from 

Minnesota, as documented on export 

certificates. In 2007, more than 150,000 

head of feeding cattle were moved out 

of Minnesota. Because the reclassified 

zone includes about 99 percent of all 

cattle in the State, the vast majority of 

the feeding animals moving out of 

Minnesota will likely move from the 

zone reclassified to modified accredited 

advanced status by this rule and will no 

longer require a negative tuberculosis 

test within 60 days of movement. Based 

on the above range in testing costs per 

animal, we expect annual cost savings 

associated with reduced testing of 

feeder cattle moving out of the State to 

total between $1.5 million and $2.25 

million. The more a herd owner in the 

modified accredited advanced zone 

engages in the interstate movement of 

feeding cattle, the greater will be the 

savings associated with the reduction in 

movement restrictions. 

Owners of nonaccredited herds in the 

modified accredited advanced zone 

engaged in interstate movement of 

breeding cattle also will benefit from 

reduced costs associated with 

tuberculosis testing. A negative whole 

herd test within 1 year of the interstate 

movement of intact cattle from a herd 

without accredited status will no longer 

be needed for herds in the modified 

accredited advanced zone. In addition, 

the annual whole herd test for dairies 

required under the PMO for herds in a 

modified accredited zone is not required 

for herds in a modified accredited 

advanced zone. 

A whole herd test requires the testing 

of all animals in a herd that are 12 

months of age or older at the time of the 

test. In January 2006, there were 870,000 

beef and milk cows that had calved and 

bulls on 25,000 farms in Minnesota. If 

we assume that these categories of cattle 

comprise all of the whole herd test 

animals, then there were, on average, 35 

cattle per herd tested under the 

modified accredited requirements. 

Annual whole herd testing costs 

averaged between $350 and $525 per 

herd, based on tuberculosis testing costs 

of $10 to $15 per head. These cost 

estimates per herd may be high because 

the cost of whole herd testing on a peranimal basis is generally less than the 

cost of testing animals individually. 

The State of Minnesota has estimated 

that there are 5,381 commercial dairies 

operating in the modified accredited 

advanced zone. These dairies will no 

longer be required to perform an annual 

whole herd test under the PMO. 

Beef or mixed herd enterprises in the 

modified accredited advanced zone that 

engage in the interstate movement of 

intact cattle will not be required to have 

a whole herd test performed in the 1 

year prior to that movement. The 

Minnesota Board of Animal Health 

tracks the number of breeding animals 

moved interstate from Minnesota, as 

documented on export certificates. In 

2007, about 61,000 breeding animals 

moved out of Minnesota. There are 

fewer than 30 accredited herds in 

Minnesota. Therefore, most breeding 

animals moving out of Minnesota are 

from nonaccredited herds that under 

modified accredited status require a 

whole herd test. 

All cattle enterprises in the modified 

accredited advanced zone that move 

breeding animals out of Minnesota or 

that operate as dairies will no longer 

need to perform a whole herd test on an 

annual basis. Based on the above 

estimate of the average cost of a whole 

herd test, and assuming that all 

Minnesota herds in the modified 

accredited advanced zone will be 

affected, the annual cost savings 

associated with the removal of the 

whole herd testing requirement could 

total between $8.65 million (24,700 

herds, multiplied by $350 per herd) and 

$12.97 million (24,700 herds, multiplied 

by $525 per herd). 

The overwhelming majority of cattle 

herds in the State will see a reduction 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with RULES
60102 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 198 / Friday, October 10, 2008 / Rules and Regulations 

6Meat Animals Production, Distribution and 

Income 2007 Summary. April 2008. Agricultural 

Statistics Board. NASS, USDA. 

in pre-movement tuberculosis testing 

requirements as a result of this interim 

rule, and will therefore benefit from 

reduced costs associated with that 

tuberculosis testing. However, 

tuberculosis testing costs are very small 

when compared to value of the cattle 

tested, and the expected savings, 

therefore, are also relatively small. On 

January 1, 2007, beef cattle in Minnesota 

had an average per animal value of 

$960.6 The average value of dairy cattle 

is considerably higher, given the value 

of milk produced. The savings in 

tuberculosis testing costs represent no 

more than about 1.6 percent of the 

average per-head value of beef cattle 

($15/$960) and an even smaller 

percentage of the average value of dairy 

cattle. 

Under these circumstances, the 

Administrator of the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service has 

determined that this action will not 

have a significant economic impact on 

a substantial number of small entities. 

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 

in conflict 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 rule contains no new 

information collection or recordkeeping 

requirements under the Paperwork 

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

et seq.). 

List of Subjects in 9 CFR Part 77 

Animal diseases, Bison, Cattle, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Transportation, 

Tuberculosis. 

■ Accordingly, we are amending 9 CFR 

part 77 as follows: 

PART 77—TUBERCULOSIS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 77 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 8301–8317; 7 CFR 2.22, 

2.80, and 371.4. 

■ 2. In § 77.9, paragraph (b) is revised to 

read as follows: 

§ 77.9 Modified accredited advanced 

States or zones. 

* * * * * 

(b) The following are modified 

accredited advanced zones: All of the 

State of Michigan except for the zones 

that comprise those counties or portions 

of counties in Michigan described in 

§ 77.7(b)(1) and § 77.11(b)(1); and all of 

the State of Minnesota except for the 

zones that comprise those counties or 

portions of counties in Minnesota 

described in § 77.11(b)(2). 

* * * * * 

■ 3. In § 77.11, paragraphs (a) and (b) are 

revised to read as follows: 

§ 77.11 Modified accredited States or 

zones. 

(a) The following are modified 

accredited States: None. 

(b) The following are modified 

accredited zones: 

(1) A zone in Michigan that comprises 

Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, 

Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, 

Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and 

Presque Isle Counties and those portions 

of Iosco and Ogemaw Counties that are 

north of the southernmost boundary of 

the Huron National Forest and the Au 

Sable State Forest. 

(2) Those portions of the Minnesota 

Counties of Lake of the Woods, Roseau, 

Marshall, and Beltrami bounded by a 

line as follows: Beginning in Lake of the 

Woods County at the intersection of the 

U.S./Canadian border and the western 

shoreline of Lake of the Woods; then 

west along the U.S./Canadian border 

(crossing into Roseau County) to Roseau 

County Road 115; then south along 

Roseau County Road 115 to State 

Highway 11; then southwest along State 

Highway 11 to State Highway 32; then 

south along State Highway 32 (crossing 

into Marshall County) to Marshall 

County Road 47/124; then east along 

Marshall County Road 47/124 to 210th 

Avenue Northeast; then south along 

210th Avenue Northeast and southwest 

to where the name changes to 200th 

Avenue Northeast; then south along 

200th Avenue Northeast to County Road 

121; then south along the western 

boundary of Agassiz National Wildlife 

Reserve and along the western boundary 

of the Elm Lake State Wildlife 

Management Area to the southwest 

corner of sec. 21 in T. 155 N., R. 42 W. 

of the Fifth Prime Meridian; then east 

along the southern boundary of secs. 21, 

22, 23, and 24 in T. 155 N., R. 42 W. 

and secs. 19 and 20 in T. 155 N., R. 41 

W.; then south along the western 

boundary of secs. 28 and 33 in T. 155 

N., R. 41 W.; then continuing south 

along Marshall County Road 52 to the 

southern boundary of Marshall County; 

then east along the southern boundary 

of Marshall County to the western 

boundary of Beltrami County (also the 

boundary of the Red Lake Indian 

Reservation); then north along the 

Beltrami County boundary (also the 

boundary of the Red Lake Indian 

Reservation) to the northern boundary 

of the Red Lake Indian Reservation; then 

east along the northern boundary of the 

Red Lake Indian Reservation to the 

southeast corner of sec. 36 in T. 155 N., 

R. 34 W.; then north along the eastern 

boundary of Townships 155, 156, 157 

(crossing into Lake of the Woods 

County), 158, 159, 160, and 161 N., R. 

34 W., to State Highway 11; then 

northwest and north along State 

Highway 11 to County Road 74; then 

east along County Road 74 to Main 

Avenue Northeast; then north along 

Main Avenue Northeast to the northern 

city limits of Warroad; then east along 

the Warroad city limits to the shore of 

Lake of the Woods; then along the shore 

of Lake of the Woods to the point of 

beginning. 

* * * * * 

Done in Washington, DC, this 7th day of 

October 2008. 

Cindy Smith, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–24223 Filed 10–9–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2008–0835; Directorate 

Identifier 2008–SW–34–AD; Amendment 39– 

15684; AD 2008–20–05] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; MD 

Helicopters, Inc. Model 600N 

Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: This amendment supersedes 

an existing airworthiness directive (AD) 

for MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) Model 

600N helicopters. The AD currently 

requires modifying the fuselage aft 

section within the next 24 months to 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with RULES