Opinion ID: 3039597
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Draft Policy

Text: While the challenge to § 3.81 was pending before the D.C. Circuit in what would become Glickman II, the USDA took a survey of USDA inspectors responsible for § 3.81’s enforcement. Based on this survey, it published a “Final Report on Environment Enhancement to Promote the Psychological Well-Being of Nonhuman Primates” (“Final Report”) on July 15, 1999.1 The Final Report noted that “[a]lmost half the responding employees felt that the criteria in the regulations were not adequate for [regulated] facilities to understand how to meet them and for inspectors to judge if a facility was in compliance.” Inspectors complained that § 3.81 provided “few solid criteria” to judge compliance, and a “common refrain” among those surveyed was that “too many enhancement programs consisted of only one or two types of enrich- 1 The Final Report is available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov. ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE v. VENEMAN 18747 ment . . . in an otherwise barren, stimulus-poor environment.” Stressing the “urgency of these problems[,]” the Final Report insisted that “[a] strategy had to be developed to fulfill the original intent and language of the Animal Welfare Act . . . .” On the same day the Final Report was issued, the USDA published — apparently as a response to the report — a “Draft Policy on Environment Enhancement for Nonhuman Primates” in the Federal Register and opened a period for public comment. 64 Fed. Reg. 38145 (July 15, 1999) (“Draft Policy”). In the Draft Policy’s preface, the USDA explained why it had not included more detailed requirements in § 3.81 for the treatment of nonhuman primates. See id. at 38146 (declaring that the USDA “intentionally made the regulations regarding promotion of psychological well-being flexible” because “the conditions appropriate for one species do not necessarily apply to another”). However, the preface continued, “after five years of experience enforcing § 3.81,” regulated entities “did not necessarily understand how to develop an environment enhancement plan that would adequately promote the psychological well-being of nonhuman primates.” 64 Fed. Reg. at 38146. Hence, while the USDA “continue[d] to believe that [§ 3.81’s] flexibility . . . is in the best interests of the animals[,]” it also “believe[d] that additional information on how to meet the standards in § 3.81 is necessary.” Id. This additional information would remedy the “considerable disagreement” and “confusion” among the public and regulated entities as to what § 3.81 required, and it would give agency inspectors a workable set of enforcement criteria to apply. Id. In other words, the Draft Policy would “clarify[ ] what actions [the USDA] consider[s] necessary in order to comply with” § 3.81. Id. The Draft Policy listed a number of specific features that a regulated entity could usefully include in an environmental enhancement plan. 64 Fed. Reg. at 38146. In particular, the Draft Policy provided for a safe harbor within which regu18748 ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE v. VENEMAN lated entities could be sure that they were in compliance with the regulation and the AWA. It stated that if regulated entities “develop and follow environmental enhancement plans that are in accordance with the draft policy[,]” they would necessarily “meet the requirements of § 3.81 . . . .” Id. Regulated entities could adopt plans outside the safe harbor, however, so long as the plans complied with the regulation and the AWA. Id.