[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 125 (Wednesday, June 28, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39853-39854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-16316]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 00-058-1]


Public Meetings; Pine Shoot Beetle

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service plans to host 
three public meetings to discuss issues related to how we should 
administer our pine shoot beetle program.

DATES: We invite you to comment on this docket. We will consider all 
comments that we receive by August 28, 2000.
    The public meetings will be held in: (1) Salem, OR, on July 24, 
2000; (2) Albany, NY, on July 26, 2000; and (3) Forest Park, GA, on 
July 28, 2000. Each public meeting will begin at 1 p.m. and is 
scheduled to end at 5 p.m., local time.

ADDRESSES: If you cannot attend a public meeting, please send your 
written comment and three copies to: Docket No. 00-058-1, Regulatory 
Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road, Unit 
118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.
    Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. 00-058-1.
    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.
    APHIS documents published in the Federal Register, and related 
information, including the names of organizations and individuals who 
have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.
    The public meetings will be held at the following locations:

(1) Salem, OR: Oregon Department of Agriculture, Hearing Room, 635 
Capitol NE, Salem, OR.
(2) Albany, NY: New York Department of Agriculture and Marketing, State 
Conference Room, 1 Winners Circle, Albany, NY.
(3) Forest Park, GA: Atlanta Farmers' Market, Welcome Center, 16 Forest 
Parkway, Forest Park, GA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Coanne E. O'Hern, National Survey 
Coordinator, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 134, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1236; (301) 734-8247.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service (APHIS) plans to host three public meetings to discuss how we 
should administer our pine shoot beetle program.
    Our pine shoot beetle program is based on our pine shoot beetle 
regulations (7 CFR 301.50-1 through 301.50-10, referred to below as the 
regulations). The regulations govern the interstate movement of 
regulated articles from areas quarantined because of pine shoot beetle. 
Section 301.50-2 of the regulations provides a list of articles 
regulated because of pine shoot beetle. Regulated articles are the 
following pine (Pinus spp.) products: Bark nuggets (including bark 
chips), Christmas trees, logs with bark attached, lumber with bark 
attached, nursery stock, pine wreaths and garlands, raw pine materials 
for pine wreaths and garlands, and stumps. In addition, any other 
article determined to present a risk of spreading pine shoot beetle may 
be designated as a regulated article. Section 301.50-3 of the 
regulations lists areas quarantined because of pine shoot beetle. 
Quarantined areas include counties in the following States: Illinois, 
Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, 
Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia,

[[Page 39854]]

and Wisconsin. Sections 301.50-4 through 301.50-10 provide requirements 
for moving regulated articles interstate from quarantined areas to 
nonquarantined areas. These sections include requirements for 
certificates and limited permits and for treatment of regulated 
articles.
    From 1992, when pine shoot beetle was first detected in the United 
States, through 1997, the pine shoot beetle program was funded through 
APHIS contingency funding. From fiscal year 1998 through fiscal year 
2000, funding for the program (approximately $185,000) came from 
miscellaneous pest line item funding. These funds are limited for use 
in the eastern region of the United States. We are not certain whether 
there will be adequate funding to conduct pine shoot beetle program 
activities in fiscal year 2001 and beyond.
    In spite of our efforts to control the spread of pine shoot beetle 
through the regulations, infested counties continue to be detected each 
year. Because of this, we must annually add many counties to the list 
of quarantined areas. The public meetings will provide an opportunity 
for interested persons to comment on whether APHIS should continue to 
administer the pine shoot beetle program in accordance with the 
regulations or if we should pursue another course of action. Please 
note, however, that while the information gathered during the meetings 
may indicate the need for changes to our current regulatory program, 
the meetings will not directly result in any changes to the 
regulations. If we determine that changes to the regulations are 
appropriate, we will publish a document in the Federal Register for 
public comment.

Topics

    Because of the potential for inadequate funding and the continued 
spread of pine shoot beetle, we would like interested persons to 
comment on the following topics:
    1. Should the pine shoot beetle program be maintained?
    2. How effective is the pine shoot beetle program?
    3. What changes could be made to the program to make it more 
effective?
    4. If we maintain the program, how should it be funded?
    Comments on these, or other related topics, are welcome during the 
public meetings.

Meeting Procedures/Registration

    A representative of APHIS will preside at each public meeting. Any 
interested person may appear and be heard in person, by attorney, or by 
another representative. Written statements may be submitted and will be 
made part of the meeting record. Persons who wish to speak at a meeting 
will be asked to provide their names and organizations. We ask that 
anyone who reads a statement or submits a written statement provide two 
copies to the presiding officer at the meeting.
    Registration for each public meeting will take place from 12:30 
p.m. to 1 p.m. on the day of the meeting at the meeting room. Each 
public meeting will begin at 1 p.m. and is scheduled to end at 5 p.m., 
local time. However, any meeting may end at any time after it begins if 
all persons desiring to speak have been heard. If the number of 
speakers at a meeting warrants it, the presiding officer may limit the 
time for presentations so that everyone wishing to speak has the 
opportunity.

Written Comments

    If you cannot attend a public meeting, you may submit written 
comments on the topics outlined in this notice. To submit written 
comments, please follow the instructions listed under the heading 
ADDRESSES near the beginning of this document.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 22nd day of June 2000.
Bobby R. Acord,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 00-16316 Filed 6-27-00; 8:45 am]
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