Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2007/12/07/E7-23770/mediterranean-fruit-fly-add-portions-of-santa-clara-and-solano-counties-ca-to-the-list-of
Timestamp: 2017-08-18 05:19:19
Document Index: 764051566

Matched Legal Cases: ['§\u2009301', '§\u2009301', '§\u2009301', '§\u2009301', '§\u2009301', '§\u2009301', '§\u2009301']

Federal Register :: Mediterranean Fruit Fly; Add Portions of Santa Clara and Solano Counties, CA, to the List of Quarantined Areas
Mediterranean Fruit Fly; Add Portions of Santa Clara and Solano Counties, CA, to the List of Quarantined Areas
A Rule by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on 12/07/2007
This interim rule is effective December 7, 2007. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before February 5, 2008.
Docket No. APHIS-2007-0133
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E7-23770 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E7-23770
Start Preamble Start Printed Page 69137
We are amending the Mediterranean fruit fly regulations by adding portions of Santa Clara and Solano Counties, CA, to the list of quarantined areas and restricting the interstate movement of regulated articles from those areas. We are also amending the definitions of the terms core area and day degrees and adding blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) to the list of articles regulated for Mediterranean fruit fly. These actions are necessary to prevent the artificial spread of Mediterranean fruit fly to noninfested areas of the United States and to update the regulations to reflect current science and practices.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov, select “Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service” from the agency drop-down menu, then click “Submit.” In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2007-0133 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket after the close of the comment period, is available through the site's “User Tips” link.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0133, 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-2007-0133.
The Mediterranean fruit fly regulations, contained in 7 CFR 301.78 through 301.78-10 (referred to below as the regulations), were established to prevent the spread of Medfly into noninfested areas of the United States. Section 301.78-3(a) provides that the Administrator will list as a quarantined area each State, or each portion of a State, in which Medfly has been found by an inspector, in which the Administrator has reason to believe that Medfly is present, or that the Administrator considers necessary to regulate because of its inseparability for quarantine enforcement purposes from localities in which Medfly has been found. The regulations impose restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined areas. Quarantined areas are listed in § 301.78-3(c).
Less than an entire State will be designated as a quarantined area only if the Administrator determines that: (1) The State has adopted and is enforcing restrictions on the intrastate movement of the regulated articles that are substantially the same as those imposed on the interstate movement of regulated articles and (2) the designation of less than the entire State as a quarantined area will prevent the interstate spread of Medfly.
Recent trapping surveys by inspectors of California State and county agencies have revealed that portions of Santa Clara and Solano Counties, CA, are infested with Medfly.
State agencies in California have begun an intensive Medfly eradication program in the quarantined areas in Santa Clara and Solano Counties. Also, California has taken action to restrict the intrastate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined areas.
Accordingly, to prevent the spread of Medfly into noninfested areas of the United States, we are amending the regulations in § 301.78-3 by designating portions of Santa Clara and Solano Counties, CA, as quarantined areas for Medfly. The quarantined areas are described in the regulatory text at the end of this document.
Section 301.78-1 of the regulations currently defines the term core area as “the 1 square mile area surrounding each property where Mediterranean fruit fly has been detected.” We have determined that it is necessary to amend the definition of core area because the use of GPS technology allows us to more accurately measure the distance from a positive detection site of Medfly. Therefore, we are revising the definition of the term core area to read “the area within a circle surrounding each detection using a 1/2-mile radius with the detection as a center point.”
The regulations currently define the term day degrees as a mathematical construct combining average temperature over time that is used to calculate the length of a Mediterranean Start Printed Page 69138fruit fly life cycle. Day degrees are the product of the following formula, with all temperatures measured in °F.: [(Minimum Daily Temp + Maximum Daily Temp)/2]−54° = Day Degrees. We have determined that it is necessary to amend the definition of day degrees because the use of weather service data entered into a computer model enables us to more accurately measure day degree accumulation based upon the latest biological information than was previously possible. Therefore, we are revising the definition of day degrees to read “a unit of measurement used to measure the amount of heat required to further the development of fruit flies through their life cycle. Day-degree life cycle requirements are calculated through a modeling process specific for each fruit fly species.”
We are also adding blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) to the regulated articles list in § 301.78-2 because recent scientific information supports the conclusion that blueberries are susceptible to infestation by Medfly; therefore, the movement of blueberry fruit from infested areas poses a pest risk. Supporting documentation regarding the host status of blueberries can be found at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/​plant_​health/​plant_​pest_​info/​fruit_​flies/​index.shtml.
This rule amends the Medfly regulations by adding portions of Santa Clara and Solano Counties, CA, to the list of quarantined areas. The regulations restrict the interstate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined areas. Within the quarantined areas there are approximately 251 small entities that may be affected by this rule. These include 125 markets (including swap meets and farmer's markets), 53 growers, 24 shippers, 23 nurseries, 17 yard maintenance firms, 8 packers/processors, and 1 green waste hauler. These 251 entities comprise less than 1 percent of the total number of similar entities operating in the State of California. Additionally, few of these small entities move regulated articles interstate during the normal course of their business, nor do consumers of products purchased from those entities generally move those products interstate.
2. Section 301.78-1 is amended by revising the definitions of
§ 301.78-1
Core area. The area within a circle surrounding each detection using a 1/2-mile radius with the detection as a center point.
§ 301.78-2
3. In § 301.78-2, paragraph (a) is amended by adding, in alphabetical order, an entry for “Blueberry (
4. In § 301.78-3, paragraph (c) is revised to read as follows:
Santa Clara County. That portion of Santa Clara County in the San Jose area bounded by a line as follows: Beginning at the intersection of Interstate 880 and Montague Expressway; then northeast and east on Montague Expressway to Trade Zone Boulevard; then southeast and northeast on Trade Zone Boulevard to Cropley Avenue; then northeast on Cropley Avenue to Old Piedmont Road; then northwest on Old Piedmont Road to Berryessa Creek; then northeast, east, southeast, northeast, southeast, northeast, east, and northeast along Berryessa Creek to its intersection with Berryessa Creek Branch; then southeast from Berryessa Creek Branch along an imaginary line to the intersection of Sierra Road and the City of San Jose boundary line; then northeast, southeast, southwest, southeast, northeast, southeast, southwest, and southeast along the City of San Jose boundary line to Alum Rock Falls Road; Start Printed Page 69139then southeast, northeast, southeast, southwest, southeast, northeast, southeast, northeast, east, southeast, southwest, northwest, southwest, southeast, southwest, northwest, southwest, southeast, southwest, northwest, west, southeast, northwest, west, and southwest on Alum Rock Falls Road to State Highway 130; then southeast on State Highway 130 to Quimby Road; then southwest, northwest, southwest, northwest, southwest, and south on Quimby Road to Buckeye Ranch; then southeast and southwest on Buckeye Ranch to its southwesternmost point; then southwest from that point along an imaginary line to the northeasternmost point of Fowler Road; then southwest, southeast, east, southeast, northwest, southwest, southeast, south, west, northwest, and west on Fowler Road to Yerba Buena Road; then south and west on Yerba Buena Road to San Felipe Road; then southeast on San Felipe Road to Farnsworth Drive; then southwest, northwest, and southwest on Farnsworth Drive to Silver Creek Valley Road; then southwest, southeast, southwest, and west on Silver Creek Valley Road to Blossom Hill Road; then west and southwest on Blossom Hill Road to State Highway 82; then northwest on State Highway 82 to Southside Drive; then southeast from the intersection of State Highway 82 and Southside Drive along an imaginary line to the northeasternmost point of Hillsdale Drive; then southwest on Hillsdale Drive to Hillsdale Avenue; then west on Hillsdale Avenue to State Highway 87; then northwest on State Highway 87 to Interstate 880; then northeast and north on Interstate 880 to the point of beginning.
Solano County. That portion of Solano County in the Dixon area bounded by a line as follows: Beginning at the intersection of Boyce Road and Putah Creek Road; then northeast, southeast, and northeast on Putah Creek Road to Stevenson Bridge Road; then northeast and northwest on Stevenson Bridge Road to Putah Creek; then southeast along Putah Creek to the south fork of Putah Creek; then southeast along the south fork of Putah Creek to Old Davis Road; then south, west, and south on Old Davis Road to Tremont Road; then east on Tremont Road to Bulkley Road; then south on Bulkley Road to Midway Road; then west on Midway Road to Sikes Road; then south on Sikes Road to Swan Road; then west on Swan Road to Bunker Station Road; then south on Bunker Station Road to Binghamton Road; then west on Binghamton Road to State Highway 113; then north on State Highway 113 to Hawkins Road; then west on Hawkins Road to Lewis Road; then north on Lewis Road to Weber Road; then west and northwest on Weber Road to North Meridian Road; then northwest and north on North Meridian Road to Sweeney Road; then west on Sweeney Road to Halley Road; then north, southwest, and northwest on Halley Road to Wolfskill Road; then southwest on Wolfskill Road to Boyce Road; then northwest on Boyce Road to the point of beginning.
Done in Washington, DC, this 30th day of November 2007.
[FR Doc. E7-23770 Filed 12-6-07; 8:45 am]