[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 137 (Tuesday, July 17, 2001)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 37117-37119]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-17767]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

7 CFR Part 1218

[FV-00-706-FR]


Blueberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order; Amendment 
No. 1

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This rule changes the title of the U.S.A. Blueberry Council to 
the ``U.S.A. Cultivated Blueberry Council'' (Council). The purpose of 
this change is to avoid confusion in the industry and to clarify that 
only cultivated blueberries are covered by this program.

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 16, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Rafael Manzoni, Research and 
Promotion Branch, FV, AMS, USDA, Stop 0244, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
S.W., Room 2535-S, Washington, D.C. 20250-0244; telephone (202) 720-
5951, fax (202) 205-2800, or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Legal authority. The Blueberry Promotion, 
Research, and Consumer Information Order (Order) [7 CFR Part 1218] 
became effective on August 16, 2000 [65 FR 43961, July 17, 2000]. It 
was issued under the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act 
of 1996 (Act) [7 U.S.C. 7401-7425].

Question and Answer Overview

Why Is the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA or the Department) 
Changing the Name of the Council?

    The wild blueberry industry requested that USDA change the title of 
the Council in order to avoid confusion in the industry and to clarify 
that the program covers only cultivated blueberries.

Will Anything Else Change About the Program?

    No. The program as published on July 17, 2000 in the Federal 
Register remains the same.

Executive Orders 12866 and 12988

    This rule has been determined ``not significant'' for purposes of 
Executive Order (E.O.) 12866 and, therefore, has not been reviewed by 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
    In addition, this rule has been reviewed under E.O. 12988, Civil 
Justice Reform. The rule is not intended to have retroactive effect. 
Section 524 of the Act provides that the Act shall not affect or 
preempt any other Federal or state law authorizing promotion or 
research relating to an agricultural commodity.
    Under Section 519 of the Act, a person subject to the Order may 
file a petition with the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) stating 
that the Order, any provision of the Order, or any obligation imposed 
in connection with the Order, is not established in accordance with the 
law, and requesting a modification of the Order or an exemption from 
the Order. Any petition filed challenging the Order, any provision of 
the Order, or any obligation imposed in connection with the Order, 
shall be filed within two years after the effective date of the Order, 
provision, or obligation subject to challenge in the petition. The 
petitioner will have the opportunity for a hearing on the petition. 
Thereafter, the Secretary will issue a ruling on a petition. The Act 
provides that the district court of the United States for any district 
in which the petitioner resides or conducts business shall have the 
jurisdiction to review a final ruling on the petition, if the 
petitioner files a complaint for that purpose not later than 20 days 
after the date of the entry of the Secretary's final ruling.

Regulatory Flexibility Act and Paperwork Reduction Act

Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

    In accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) [5 U.S.C. 
601 et seq.], AMS has examined the economic impact of this rule on 
small entities. The purpose of the RFA is to fit regulatory actions to 
the scale of businesses subject to such actions so that small 
businesses will not be disproportionately burdened.
    There are approximately 2,000 producers, 200 first handlers, 50 
importers, and 4 exporters of blueberries subject to the program. Most 
of the producers would be classified as small businesses under the 
criteria established by the Small Business Administration (SBA) [13 CFR 
121.201]. Most importers and first handlers would not be classified as 
small businesses, and, while most exporters are large, we assume that 
some are small. The SBA defines small agricultural handlers as those 
whose annual receipts are less than $5 million, and small agricultural 
producers are defined as those having annual receipts of not more than 
$500,000 annually.
    This rule will amend the Order to revise the title of the U.S.A. 
Blueberry Council to the ``U.S.A. Cultivated Blueberry Council'' 
(Council). All other provisions of the Order as published on July 17, 
2000, in the Federal Register will remain the same. The amendment is 
not considered a substantial change that will impact the cultivated 
blueberry industry. The purpose of this change is to avoid confusion in 
the industry and clarify that only cultivated blueberries are covered 
by this program.
    The amendment will not impose additional recordkeeping requirements 
on first handlers, producers, or importers or exporters of cultivated 
blueberries. Therefore, recordkeeping and reporting requirements for 
the promotion, research, and information program for cultivated 
blueberries will remain unchanged by this final rule.
    There are no relevant federal rules that duplicate, overlap, or 
conflict with this final rule.

Background

    The Order became effective on August 16, 2000. Under the Order, 
producers and importers pay an assessment of $12 per ton on the 
cultivated blueberries they produce in or import into the United 
States. The Secretary will appoint an industry group to administer the 
program under USDA supervision.
    Although the Order states that the program covers only cultivated 
blueberries and not wild blueberries, the

[[Page 37118]]

wild blueberry industry has continued to object, among other things, to 
the fact that the name of the Council does not specifically reference 
cultivated blueberries. The wild blueberry industry had submitted two 
comments on this issue, and others, in response to the first proposed 
rule on the Order which was published in the Federal Register on July 
22, 1999 [64 FR 39790]. The comments were summarized in the second 
proposed rule on the Order, which was published in the Federal Register 
on February 15, 2000 [65 FR 7657]. The commenters requested that, 
throughout the proposal and in the name of the Council, the term 
``blueberry'' be changed to ``cultivated blueberry.'' The commenters 
stated that the generic use of the term ``blueberry'' in the Order was 
misleading as to the specific type of blueberry and industry segment 
represented by the program. These comments were denied for the reasons 
explained in the February 15, 2000, rule.
    However, since February 2000, the wild blueberry industry continued 
to contact USDA officials requesting that the name changes be made. 
Therefore, on September 21, 2000 [65 FR 57104], USDA published a 
proposed rule to change the official title of the program to the 
``Promotion, Research and Information Order for Cultivated 
Blueberries'' and the name of the industry group from the U.S.A. 
Blueberry Council to the ``U.S.A. Cultivated Blueberry Council.`` In 
addition, the proposed rule provided that all references to 
``blueberries'' in the Order would be changed to ``cultivated 
blueberries.'' The deadline for comments was November 20, 2000.
    In response to that proposed rule, USDA received four comments from 
the wild blueberry industry in favor of various aspects of the proposed 
rule, and six comments from the cultivated blueberry industry opposed 
to various aspects of the proposed rule. A summary of the comments and 
USDA's responses follow:
    All four commenters from the wild blueberry industry stated that 
although the Order does not cover wild blueberries, the name U.S.A. 
Blueberry Council (Council) causes confusion regarding who the Council 
represents and which variety of blueberries it is promoting. The 
commenters believed that this potential confusion could adversely 
affect their various initiatives in support of wild blueberries. The 
commenters agreed with the proposal to change the Council's name of the 
``U.S.A. Cultivated Blueberry Council'' in order to avoid any 
possibility of confusion.
    We agree with the commenters that the Council's current name could 
cause confusion in the industry. Accordingly, we are adopting the 
proposal to change the U.S.A. Blueberry Council's name to the ``U.S.A. 
Cultivated Blueberry Council.''
    Two of the four commenters from the wild blueberry industry also 
supported the proposals to change the title of the Blueberry Promotion, 
Research, and Information Order to the ``Promotion, Research, and 
Information Order for Cultivated Blueberries,'' and to change every 
reference to blueberries in the Order to ``cultivated blueberries.'' 
They believed that these changes would further distinguish the wild 
blueberry industry from the cultivated blueberry industry.
    After further view and careful deliberation on these issues, USDA 
believed that these changes are not necessary. Changing the name of the 
Council should be sufficient to distinguish the research and 
promotional efforts of the wild blueberry industry from the Order's 
cultivated blueberry industry. The Order's definition of blueberry 
excludes wild blueberries, and it is not uncommon in other USDA 
national research and promotional programs to use a generic name for a 
commodity that is defined in the Order with further specificity. 
Accordingly, USDA is not adopting the proposals to change the name of 
the Blueberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order to the 
``Promotion, Research, and Information Order for Cultivated 
Blueberries,'' and to change every reference to blueberries in the 
Order to ``cultivated blueberries.''
    Promoting blueberries generically will be consistent with other 
national promotion programs, such as those for milk and potatoes. Even 
though the federal dairy and fluid milk boards cover only cow's milk, 
they promote milk generically. This is because cow's milk is the most 
common type of milk, and other types of milk (such as goat's milk) are 
identified as such to commercial buyers and consumers. Similarly, the 
potato board promotes potatoes generically, whereas the program covers 
only white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are identified as such. We view the 
blueberry program in the same way.
    All of the comments from the cultivated blueberry industry opposed 
the proposals on the basis that there was no need to differentiate 
cultivated blueberries from wild blueberries. Our explanations above 
address the issues raised by the commenters.
    It should also be noted that USDA is not supporting or endorsing 
the cultivated blueberry industry at the expense of the wild blueberry 
industry, as alluded to by one of the commenters. The cultivated 
blueberry industry voluntarily requested the Secretary to implement a 
national program to assess domestic and imported cultivated blueberries 
to increase demand for the commodity. Any agricultural commodity group, 
such as the wild blueberry industry, has the right to request the same 
type of program under the Act. In addition, the cultivated blueberry 
industry will finance the entire cost of the program, including the 
cost of this rulemaking proceeding. National research and promotion 
programs are considered industry self-help programs. The government's 
involvement is to ensure that the programs have the support of the 
industry affected and that the programs are carried out within the 
scope of their authority under the Act.
    Accordingly, the proposed rule is adopted with the change discussed 
above.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1218

    Administrative practice and procedure, Advertising, Blueberries, 
Consumer Information, Marketing agreements, Blueberry promotion, 
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, 7 CFR part 1218 is 
amended as follows:
    1. The authority citation for part 1218 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7401-7425.

PART 1218--BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION

Subpart A--Blueberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order


Sec. 1218.3  [Amended]

    2. In Sec. 1218.3 the words ``U.S.A. Blueberry Council'' are 
removed and the words ``U.S.A. Cultivated Blueberry Council'' are added 
in its place and ``USABC'' is removed and ``USACBC'' is added in its 
place.


Sec. 1218.23  [Amended]

    3. In Sec. 1218.23 ``USABC'' is removed from the heading and the 
text and ``USACBC'' is added in its place and ``U.S.A. Blueberry 
Council'' is removed and ``U.S.A. Cultivated Blueberry Council'' is 
added in its place.

    4. The undesignated center heading preceding Sec. 1218.40 is 
revised to read as follows:

[[Page 37119]]

U.S.A. Cultivated Blueberry Council


Sec. 1218.40  [Amended]

    5. In Sec. 1218.40 the words ``U.S.A. Blueberry Council'' are 
removed and the words ``U.S.A. Cultivated Blueberry Council'' are added 
in its place, and ``USABC'' is removed Wherever it appears and 
``USACBC'' is added in its place.


Secs. 1218.41, 1218.42, 1218.43, 1218.44, 1218.45, 1218.46, 1218.47, 
1218.48, 1218.50, 1218.51, 1218.55, 1218.56, 1218.62, 1218.70, 1218.73, 
1218.75, and 1218.77  [Amended]

    6. In Secs. 1218.41, 1218.42, 1218.43, 1218.44, 1218.45, 1218.46, 
1218.47, 1218.48, 1218.50, 1218.51, 1218.55, 1218.56, 1218.62, 1218.70, 
1218.73, 1218.75, and 1218.77, ``USABC'' is removed wherever it appears 
and ``USACBC'' is added in its place.


Secs. 1218.52, 1218.53, 1218.54, and 1218.60  [Amended]

    7. In Secs. 1218.52, 1218.53, 1218.54, and 1218.60, ``USABC'' is 
removed wherever it appears and ``USACBC'' is added in its place.

    Dated: July 11, 2001.
Kenneth C. Clayton,
Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 01-17767 Filed 7-16-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P