Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2011/11/01/2011-28253/importation-of-dracaena-plants-from-costa-rica
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 06:46:21
Document Index: 3606887

Matched Legal Cases: ['§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', 'arts 1500', 'art 1', 'art 372', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319']

A Proposed Rule by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on 11/01/2011
We will consider all comments that we receive on or before January 3, 2012.
67379-67384 (6 pages)
Participant and Facility Registration
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2011-28253 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2011-28253
Start Preamble Start Printed Page 67379
We are proposing to amend the plants for planting regulations to provide conditions for the importation into the continental United States of Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica. These conditions would apply to plants less than 460 mm in length, which are currently allowed to be imported, and would also allow for the importation of plants over 460 mm and up to 1,371.6 mm in length, which are currently prohibited. As a condition of entry, Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica would have to be produced in accordance with integrated pest risk management measures that would include requirements for registration of places of production and packinghouses, a pest management plan, inspection for quarantine pests, sanitation, and traceability from place of production through the packing and export facility and to the port of entry into the United States. All Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica would also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that all conditions for the importation of the plants have been met and that the consignment of plants has been inspected and found free of quarantine pests. This action would allow for the importation of oversized Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica into the United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/​#!documentDetail;​D=​APHIS-2011-0073-0001.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2011-0073, 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-2011-0073 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.
Mr. William D. Aley, Senior Import Specialist, Plants for Planting Policy, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-5057.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has received a request from the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Costa Rica to increase the maximum allowable size of Dracaena plants imported from Costa Rica to 137.16 centimeters (approximately 54 inches). As part of our evaluation of Costa Rica's request, we prepared a pest risk assessment (PRA) and a risk management document. Copies of the PRA and the risk management document may be obtained from the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site (see ADDRESSES above for instructions for accessing Regulations.gov).
Caldwelliola reservata, a leafhopper;Start Printed Page 67380
Xylosandrus morigerus, the brown coffee twig beetle.
In the PRA, the likelihood and consequences of introducing these pests into the continental United States are considered. Five of the pests: Ancistrocercus circumdatus, Chaetanaphothrips signipennis, Erioloides consobrinus, Neoconocephalus affinis, and Pallifera costaricensis, were assigned a medium pest risk potential. The remaining pests were assigned a high pest risk potential. The PRA states that measures beyond standard port-of-entry inspection are required to mitigate the risks posed by these plant pests, and provides a number of potential options for such measures. After consideration of these options, we have prepared a risk management document to recommend specific measures to mitigate these risks.
Based on the findings of our PRA and risk management document, we are proposing to allow the importation of Dracaena spp. plants into the continental United States, subject to integrated pest risk management measures, also known as a systems approach. Under integrated pest risk management measures, a set of phytosanitary conditions, at least two of which have an independent effect in mitigating the pest risk associated with the movement of commodities, is specified, whereby plants for planting may be imported into the United States from countries that are not free of certain plant pests. We are proposing to add integrated pest risk management measures governing the importation of Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica into the continental United States to the regulations in a new § 319.37-5(y). The proposed integrated pest risk management measures are discussed in greater detail below.
Paragraph (y) of § 319.37-5 would set out requirements for the NPPO of Costa Rica and for growers producing Dracaena plants for export to the continental United States. Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica would not be allowed to be imported into Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories. These requirements reflect the scope of the PRA, which did not specifically assess the risks associated with the importation of oversized Dracaena spp. plants to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories, but also reflect the overall pest risk the PRA describes.
Paragraph (y)(2) would require the NPPO of Costa Rica to provide a bilateral workplan to APHIS that details the activities that the NPPO will, subject to APHIS' approval of the workplan, carry out to meet the requirements of proposed § 319.37-5(y). A bilateral workplan is an agreement between APHIS' Plant Protection and Quarantine program, officials of the NPPO of a foreign government, and, when necessary, foreign commercial entities that specifies in detail the phytosanitary measures that will comply with our regulations governing the import or export of a specific commodity. Bilateral workplans establish detailed procedures and guidance for the day-to-day operations of specific import/export programs. Workplans also establish how specific phytosanitary issues are dealt with in the exporting country and make clear who is responsible for dealing with those issues. The implementation of integrated pest risk management measures typically requires a bilateral workplan to be developed.
Paragraph (y)(3) would require the phytosanitary certificate required by § 319.37-4 that accompanies each consignment of Dracaena plants to contain additional declarations that the plants in the consignment have been produced, packed, stored, and exported in accordance with the requirements of proposed 7 CFR 319.37-5(y) and the bilateral workplan, and that the consignment has been inspected and found free of quarantine pests.
Requiring a phytosanitary certificate would ensure that the NPPO of Costa Rica has inspected the plants and certified that the plants meet the conditions for export to the United States.
Paragraph (y)(4) would require that producers, packers, and exporters of Dracaena plants be registered with the NPPO of Costa Rica. Dracaena plants would have to be grown, packed, stored, and exported in compliance with a written agreement between the participant and the NPPO of Costa Rica, and the participant would have to agree to comply with the provisions of the regulations and the bilateral workplan.
Registration of participants and facilities would allow the NPPO of Costa Rica to conduct site visits and inspections. It would also allow traceback to the production site if pest problems were found on Dracaena plants shipped to the United States. Problem production sites could then be removed from the program until further mitigation measures were taken to reduce pest populations.
Paragraph (y)(6) would require participants and personnel at approved production, packing, and export facilities to be trained in the requirements of proposed paragraph (y) and the bilateral workplan, and in recognizing the quarantine pests listed earlier. Training records would have to be maintained and made available to the NPPO of Costa Rica and APHIS upon request.
Paragraph (y)(7) would require that participants establish a pest management program for all approved production, packing, and export facilities. Pest management programs would be tailored to each individual site to address local concerns, but would have to include field or facility scouting, monitoring, and control of pests, and would have to be approved and monitored by the NPPO of Costa Rica. Start Printed Page 67381APHIS may visit sites to inspect and monitor the pest management program. Each approved facility would be required to have a trained, dedicated person to supervise the pest management program. Records of pest management activities would have to be maintained and made available to the NPPO of Costa Rica and APHIS upon request.
Paragraph (y)(8) would require that sanitation measures be maintained at approved production, packing, and export facilities. Fallen or discarded plant material and debris, or plants with pests, would have to be removed and could not be included in field containers brought from production to packing facilities for export. Packing facilities would also have to be free of sand, soil, earth, and plants pests, and phytosanitary practices adequate to exclude pests would have to be employed. In addition, equipment, materials, and tools would have to be sanitized to avoid spreading pests or to prevent recontamination.
Paragraph (y)(9) would require that dedicated, trained personnel at approved facilities conduct inspections at least once weekly, and that the NPPO of Costa Rica conduct inspections at least once monthly. Inspections would include, but would not be limited to, approved production, packing, and export facilities as well as packing materials and shipping containers. Inspection dates and results would have to be recorded and would have to be made available to APHIS upon request.
Paragraph (y)(10) would require that participants establish a traceability system approved and audited by the NPPO of Costa Rica and APHIS. The identity and origin of Dracaena spp. plants would have to be maintained from the production unit through the packing and export facilities to the port of entry in the United States. A traceability system would allow for a traceback investigation in the event of a pest detection.
Paragraph (y)(11) would require that participants maintain records of program activities, including corrective measures, for a minimum of 3 years. The records would have to be made available to the NPPO of Costa Rica and APHIS on request.
Paragraph (y)(12) would state that persons who produce, pack, or ship Dracaena spp. plants would be ineligible for participation in the export program for Dracaena spp. plants established by the NPPO of Costa Rica and their production sites or packing or export facilities would lose approved status if live specimens of the quarantine pests listed above are found in a production site or in shipments of plants, or if growers violate the requirements set out in the regulations or required under the export program established by the NPPO of Costa Rica. Paragraph (y)(12) would also provide for conditions under which a grower may be reinstated.
Paragraph (y)(13) would require that the Government of Costa Rica enter into a trust fund agreement with APHIS before each growing season. The Government of Costa Rica or its designated representative would be required to pay in advance all estimated costs that APHIS would expect to incur through its involvement in overseeing the execution of the requirements of the certification programs described above. These costs would include the administrative expenses incurred in conducting the services enumerated and all salaries (including overtime and the Federal share of employee benefits), travel expenses (including per diem expenses), and other incidental expenses incurred by inspectors in performing these services.
Because we are proposing to require that all Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica be imported into the United States subject to a systems approach, we also propose to amend the list of prohibited articles in § 319.37-2(a) to state that Dracaena spp. plants not meeting the conditions for import in § 319.37-5(y) would not be allowed to be imported into the United States. We are also proposing to amend § 319.37-2(b)(6)(1) to state that Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica may be imported into the continental United States under the provisions of § 319.37-5(y).
In accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act, we have analyzed the potential economic effects of this action on small entities. The analysis is summarized below. Copies of the full analysis are available from the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or on the Regulations.gov Web site (see ADDRESSES above for instructions for accessing Regulations.gov).
The oversized Dracaena spp. plants would be of greater value than the smaller plants currently allowed entry, and we expect U.S. nurseries would adjust to new marketing opportunities afforded by the larger plants. While most U.S. nurseries and other entities that may be affected by the proposed rule are small, effects of the proposed rule are undetermined as APHIS does not have information about nurseries that produce Dracaena spp. plants. APHIS invites public comment on the potential effects of the proposed rule.
To provide the public with documentation of APHIS' review and analysis of any potential environmental impacts associated with the importation of oversized Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica, we have prepared an Start Printed Page 67382environmental assessment. 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).
In accordance with section 3507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the information collection or recordkeeping requirements included in this proposed rule have been submitted for approval to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Please send written comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for APHIS, Washington, DC 20503. Please state that your comments refer to Docket No. APHIS-2011-0073. Please send a copy of your comments to: (1) Docket No. APHIS-2011-0073, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238, and (2) Clearance Officer, OCIO, USDA, room 404-W, 14th Street and Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250. A comment to OMB is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication of this proposed rule.
a. In the table in paragraph (a), by adding a new entry for “Dracaena spp. plants not meeting the conditions for import in § 319.37-5 (y)”, in alphabetical order, to read as set forth below.
b. In paragraph (b)(6)(i), by adding the words “Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica meeting the conditions of § 319.37-5(y),” after the citation “§ 319.37-5(q),”.
(3) Phytosanitary certificate. The phytosanitary certificate of inspection required by § 319.37-4 that accompanies each consignment of Dracaena spp. plants from Costa Rica must contain additional declarations that the plants in the consignment have been produced, packed, stored, and exported in accordance with the requirements of 7 CFR 319.37-5(y) and the bilateral workplan, and that the consignment has been inspected and found free of quarantine pests.
(13) Trust fund. The Government of Costa Rica must enter into a trust fund agreement with APHIS before each growing season. The Government of Costa Rica or its designated representative is required to pay in advance all estimated costs that APHIS expects to incur through its involvement in overseeing the execution of paragraph (y) of this section. These costs will include administrative expenses incurred in conducting the services enumerated in paragraph (y) of this section and all salaries (including overtime and the Federal share of employee benefits), travel expenses (including per diem expenses), and other incidental expenses incurred by the inspectors in performing these Start Printed Page 67384services. The Government of Costa Rica or its designated representative is required to deposit a certified or cashier's check with APHIS for the amount of the costs estimated by APHIS. If the deposit is not sufficient to meet all costs incurred by APHIS, the agreement further requires the Government of Costa Rica or its designated representative to deposit with APHIS a certified or cashier's check for the amount of the remaining costs, as determined by APHIS, before the services will be completed. After a final audit at the conclusion of each shipping season, any overpayment of funds would be returned to the Government of Costa Rica or its designated representative or held on account until needed.
[FR Doc. 2011-28253 Filed 10-31-11; 8:45 am]