[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 9, 2002)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 1070-1072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-00453]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

7 CFR Part 354

[Docket No. 01-111-1]


Commuted Traveltime Periods: Overtime Services Relating to 
Imports and Exports

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: We are amending the regulations concerning overtime services 
provided by employees of Plant Protection and Quarantine by revising 
commuted traveltime allowances for travel between various locations in 
the State of Washington. Commuted traveltime allowances are the periods 
of time required for Plant Protection and Quarantine employees to 
travel from their dispatch points and return there from the places 
where they perform Sunday, holiday, or other overtime duty. The 
Government charges a fee for certain overtime services provided by 
Plant Protection and Quarantine employees and, under certain 
circumstances, the fee may include the cost of commuted traveltime. 
This action is necessary to inform the public of commuted traveltime 
for these locations.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 9, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Roger F. West, Senior Staff 
Officer, Port Operations, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 60, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 734-8891.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The regulations in 7 CFR, chapter III, and 9 CFR, chapter I, 
subchapter D, require inspection, laboratory testing, certification, or 
quarantine of certain plants, plant products, animals, animal products, 
or other commodities intended for importation into or exportation from 
the United States.
    When an employee of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service's Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program must provide 
these services on a Sunday, holiday, or at any other time outside the 
PPQ employee's regular duty hours, the Government charges a fee for the 
services according to 7 CFR part 354. Under circumstances described in 
Sec. 354.1(a)(2), this fee may include the cost of commuted traveltime. 
Section 354.2 contains administrative instructions prescribing commuted 
traveltime allowances, which reflect, as nearly as practicable, the 
periods of time required for PPQ employees to travel from their 
dispatch points and return there from the places where they perform 
Sunday, holiday, or other overtime duties.
    We are amending Sec. 354.2 of the regulations by revising the 
commuted traveltime allowances for travel between various locations in 
the State of Washington. The revised allowances are set forth in the 
rule portion of this document. This action is necessary to inform the 
public of the commuted traveltime between the dispatch and service 
locations.

Effective Date

    The commuted traveltime allowances appropriate for employees 
performing services at ports of entry and the features of the 
reimbursement plan for recovering the cost of furnishing port of entry 
services depend upon facts within the knowledge of the Department of 
Agriculture. It does not appear that public participation in this 
rulemaking proceeding would make additional relevant information 
available to the Department.
    Accordingly, pursuant to the administrative provisions in 5 U.S.C. 
553, we find upon good cause that prior notice and other public 
procedures with respect to this rule are impracticable and unnecessary; 
we also find good cause for making this rule effective less than 30 
days after publication of this document in the Federal Register.

Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory Flexibility Act

    This final rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12866. For 
this action, the Office of Management and Budget has waived its review 
process required by Executive Order 12866.
    The number of requests for overtime services of a PPQ employee at 
the locations affected by this rule represents an insignificant portion 
of the total number of requests for these services in the United 
States.
    Under these circumstances, the Administrator of the Animal and 
Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that this action will 
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities.

Executive Order 12988

    This final rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, 
Civil Justice Reform.
    This rule is intended to have preemptive effect with respect to any 
State or local laws, regulations, or policies that conflict with its 
provisions or that would otherwise impede its full implementation. This 
rule is not intended to have retroactive effect. There are no 
administrative procedures that must be exhausted prior to any judicial 
challenge to the provisions of this rule or the application of its 
provisions.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This rule contains no new information collection or recordkeeping 
requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.).

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 354

    Exports, Government employees, Imports, Plant diseases and pests, 
Quarantine, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Travel and 
transportation expenses.

    Accordingly, we are amending 7 CFR part 354 as follows:

PART 354--OVERTIME SERVICES RELATING TO IMPORTS AND EXPORTS; AND 
USER FEES

    1. The authority citation for part 354 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 2260; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 49 U.S.C. 
1741; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.

    2. In Sec. 354.2, the table is amended by revising the entry for 
the State of Washington to read as follows:


Sec. 354.2  Administrative instructions prescribing commuted 
traveltime.

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[[Page 1071]]



                                         Commuted Traveltime Allowances
                                                   [In hours]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                         Metropolitan area
               Location covered                           Served from--          -------------------------------
                                                                                      Within          Outside
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*                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *
                                                        *
Washington:
    Aberdeen..................................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               4
    Anacortes.................................  Blaine..........................  ..............               3
    Ault Field................................  Blaine..........................  ..............               4
    Bangor NSO................................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               4
    Bellingham................................  Blaine..........................  ..............               2
    Blaine....................................  ................................               1  ..............
    Brewster..................................  Ellensberg......................  ..............               6
    Brewster..................................  Spokane.........................  ..............               6
    Brewster..................................  Wenatchee.......................  ..............               4
    Cherry Point..............................  Blaine..........................  ..............               1
    Edmonds...................................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               2
    Ellensburg................................  ................................               1  ..............
    Everett...................................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               3
    Ferndale..................................  Blaine..........................  ..............               2
    Fort Lewis................................  Tacoma..........................  ..............               2
    Grays Harbor..............................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               6
    Grays Harbor..............................  Tacoma..........................  ..............               4
    Hood River................................  Ellensburg......................  ..............               6
    Lynden....................................  Blaine..........................  ..............               2
    McChord AFB...............................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               3
    McChord AFB...............................  Tacoma..........................  ..............               2
    Moses Lake................................  Ellensburg......................  ..............               3
    Moses Lake................................  Wenatchee.......................  ..............               3
    Olympia...................................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               3
    Olympia...................................  Tacoma..........................  ..............               2
    Oroville..................................  ................................               1  ..............
    Paine Field...............................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               3
    Pasco.....................................  Ellensburg......................  ..............               5
    Pasco.....................................  Spokane.........................  ..............               6
    Pasco.....................................  Wenatchee.......................  ..............               6
    Point Wells...............................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               2
    Port Angeles..............................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               6
    Port Angeles..............................  Tacoma..........................  ..............               6
    Port Townsend.............................  Seattle, maritime port..........  ..............               4
    Sawyer....................................  Ellensburg......................  ..............               3
    Sawyer....................................  Wenatchee.......................  ..............               5
    SEA TAC Airport...........................  ................................               2  ..............
    Seattle, maritime port....................  ................................               2  ..............
    Sumas.....................................  Blaine..........................  ..............               2
    Tacoma....................................  ................................               2  ..............
    Wenatchee.................................  ................................               1  ..............
    Wenatchee.................................  Ellensburg......................  ..............               4
    Wenatchee.................................  Spokane.........................  ..............               6
    Yakima....................................  ................................               1  ..............
    Yakima....................................  Ellensburg......................  ..............               3
    Yakima....................................  Wenatchee.......................  ..............               6
 
*                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *
                                                        *
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[[Page 1072]]

    Done in Washington, DC, this 2nd day of January 2002.
W. Ron DeHaven,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 02-00453 Filed 1-8-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P