[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 99 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 28002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-13503]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-039-1]


Hawaii Animal Import Center; Notice of Closure

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of closure.

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SUMMARY: We are notifying the public of the closure of the Hawaii 
Animal Import Center in Honolulu, HI. We are no longer accepting 
reservations for quarantine space at the Hawaii Animal Import Center. 
The Hawaii Animal Import Center will officially close at the end of the 
business day on June 30, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Gary Colgrove, Chief Staff 
Veterinarian, National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 
River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, (301) 734-3276; or Dr. 
Robert DeCarolis, Area Veterinarian in Charge, Hawaii, VS, APHIS, 3375 
Koapaka St., Suite H420, Honolulu, HI 96819, (808) 861-8560.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Hawaii Animal Import Center (HAIC) in Honolulu, HI, serves as a 
quarantine station for domestic livestock and poultry, as well as other 
exotic animals and birds. In Honolulu, HAIC is located on property 
owned by the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard will be vacating 
this property at the beginning of Fiscal Year 1998 and has notified the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) that it must also 
vacate the premises and return the property on which HAIC currently 
operates to the Coast Guard.
    APHIS is no longer accepting reservations for quarantine space at 
HAIC. This is necessary to ensure that the facility does not have to 
delay its closure to care for sick animals in quarantine. HAIC will 
officially cease all operations at the close of the business day on 
June 30, 1997, to ensure that the property is vacant and returned to 
the Coast Guard by the close of the Fiscal Year 1997.
    The closure of HAIC is not expected to have a significant impact on 
importers or other entities, large or small. Very few animals have been 
quarantined at the facility during the past 2 years. In a future 
edition of the Federal Register, we plan to publish a proposed rule to 
remove Honolulu from the list of areas in 9 CFR parts 92 and 98 that 
serve as quarantine locations in the United States. At that time, we 
will solicit comments from the public on whether to remove Honolulu, 
HI, as a quarantine location.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1622; 19 U.S.C. 1306; 21 U.S.C. 102-105, 
111, 114a, 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d, 134f, 135, 136, and 136a; 31 
U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(d).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 19th day of May 1997.
Terry L. Medley,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 97-13503 Filed 5-21-97; 8:45 am]
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