[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 170 (Friday, August 31, 2001)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 45921]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-22032]



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 Rules and Regulations
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  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 170 / Friday, August 31, 2001 / Rules 
and Regulations  

[[Page 45921]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

7 CFR Part 319

[Docket No. 00-119-2]


Importation of Nursery Stock, Plants, Roots, Bulbs, Seeds, and 
Other Plant Products; Phytosanitary Certificates: Delay of Effective 
Date

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Policy statement; delay of effective date.

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SUMMARY: We are delaying by 120 days the planned effective date for a 
policy to enforce an existing requirement that a phytosanitary 
certificate of inspection accompany restricted articles, other than 
certain greenhouse-grown plants from Canada, that are offered for 
importation into the United States under our foreign quarantine 
regulations for nursery stock, plants, roots, bulbs, seeds, and other 
plant products. This action will allow affected parties additional time 
in making necessary preparations to comply with this requirement.

DATES: The effective date of the Importation of Nursery Stock, Plants, 
Roots, Bulbs, Seeds, and Other Plant Products; Phytosanitary 
Certificates policy statement, published in the Federal Register on 
July 23, 2001 (66 FR 38137-38139, Docket No. 00-119-1) is delayed for 
120 days, from September 21, 2001, to a new effective date of January 
22, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. James Petit de Mange, CITES and 
Plant Inspection Station Coordinator, Port Operations, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 
River Road Unit 60, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 734-8295.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The regulations in 7 CFR part 319 prohibit or restrict the 
importation into the United States of certain plants and plant products 
to prevent the introduction of plant pests into the United States. The 
regulations contained in ``Subpart Nursery Stock, Plants, Roots, Bulbs, 
Seeds, and Other Plant Products,'' Secs. 319.37 through 319.37-14 
(referred to below as the regulations), prohibit or restrict, among 
other things, the importation of living plants, plant parts, and seeds 
for propagation. Paragraph (a) of Sec. 319.37-4 of the regulations 
requires that any restricted article offered for importation into the 
United States, other than certain greenhouse-grown plants from Canada, 
be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate of inspection 
(phytosanitary certificate).
    On July 23, 2001, we published in the Federal Register (66 FR 
38137-38139, Docket No. 00-119-1) a policy statement advising the 
public of our decision to begin enforcing on a consistent basis an 
existing requirement in Sec. 319.37-4(a) of the regulations that a 
phytosanitary certificate of inspection accompany restricted articles, 
other than certain greenhouse-grown plants from Canada, that are 
offered for importation into the United States under our foreign 
quarantine regulations for nursery stock, plants, roots, bulbs, seeds, 
and other plant products. We notified the public that we intended to 
begin routinely enforcing this requirement effective September 21, 
2001.
    Several parties, including one official national plant protection 
organization, have requested that we delay the effective date to allow 
them and other parties affected by this change in policy additional 
time in making preparations to comply with this requirement. In 
response to these requests, we are delaying the effective date for an 
additional 120 days beyond the previously announced date of September 
21, 2001.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 166, 450, 7711-7714, 7718, 7731, 7732, and 
7751-7754; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 27th day of August 2001.
Craig A. Reed,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 01-22032 Filed 8-30-01; 8:45 am]
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