[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 100 (Friday, May 23, 2003)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 28114-28115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12984]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

7 CFR Parts 318 and 319

[Docket No. 00-059-2]


Movement and Importation of Fruits and Vegetables

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

ACTION: Affirmation of interim rule as final rule.

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SUMMARY: We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim 
rule that amended the regulations that govern the movement of fruits 
and vegetables from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to require 
the treatment of pigeon peas (fresh shelled or in the pod) from Puerto 
Rico for movement into any other area of the United States. In 
addition, we amended the regulations that govern the importation of 
fruits and vegetables to require the treatment of pigeon peas (fresh 
shelled or in the pod) from the Dominican Republic imported into any 
area of the United States except Puerto Rico, and to prohibit the 
importation of mangoes from the British Virgin Islands into the U.S. 
Virgin Islands. These actions were necessary to prevent the 
introduction and dissemination of plant pests that are new to or not 
widely distributed within the United States.

DATES: The interim rule became effective January 21, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Hesham A. Abuelnaga, Import 
Specialist, Phytosanitary Issues Management Team, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 
River Road Unit 140, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 734-5334.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The regulations in ``Subpart--Fruits and Vegetables from Puerto 
Rico or Virgin Islands'' (7 CFR 318.58 through 318.58-16) are designed 
to prevent the dissemination of plant pests, including diseases, from 
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands into other parts of the United 
States. The regulations in ``Subpart--Fruits and Vegetables'' (7 CFR 
319.56 through 319.56-8) prohibit or restrict the importation of fruits 
and vegetables into the United States from certain parts of the world 
to prevent the introduction and dissemination of plant pests that are 
new to or not widely distributed within the United States.
    In an interim rule effective and published in the Federal Register 
on January 21, 2003 (68 FR 2681-2684, Docket No. 00-059-1), we amended 
the regulations in ``Subpart--Fruits and Vegetables from Puerto Rico or 
Virgin Islands'' to require the treatment of pigeon peas (fresh shelled 
or in the pod) from Puerto Rico for movement into any other area of the 
United States, including the U.S. Virgin Islands. (The Federal Register 
published a correction (68 FR 6544) to the interim rule on February 7, 
2003.) In addition, we amended the regulations in ``Subpart--Fruits and 
Vegetables'' to require the treatment of pigeon peas (fresh shelled or 
in the pod) from the Dominican Republic for importation into any area 
of the United States, except Puerto Rico, and to prohibit the 
importation of mangoes from the British Virgin Islands into the U.S. 
Virgin Islands. These actions were necessary to protect the United 
States from the introduction or spread of injurious plant pests.
    Comments on the interim rule were required to be received on or 
before March 24, 2003. We did not receive any comments. Therefore, for 
the reasons given in the interim rule, we are adopting the interim rule 
as a final rule.
    This action also affirms the information contained in the interim

[[Page 28115]]

rule concerning Executive Order 12866 and the Regulatory Flexibility 
Act, Executive Order 12988, and the Paperwork Reduction Act.
    Further, for this action, the Office of Management and Budget has 
waived its review under Executive Order 12866.

List of Subjects

7 CFR Part 318

    Cotton, Cottonseeds, Fruits, Guam, Hawaii, Plant diseases and 
pests, Puerto Rico, Quarantine, Transportation, Vegetables, Virgin 
Islands.

7 CFR Part 319

    Bees, Coffee, Cotton, Fruits, Honey, Imports, Logs, Nursery stock, 
Plant diseases and pests, Quarantine, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Rice, Vegetables.

PART 318--HAWAIIAN AND TERRITORIAL QUARANTINE NOTICES

PART 319--FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES

0
Accordingly, we are adopting as a final rule, without change, the 
interim rule that amended 7 CFR parts 318 and 319 and that was 
published at 68 FR 2681-2684 on January 21, 2003.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7711-7714, 7718, 7731, 7732, 7751-7754, 
7756, and 7760; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 16th day of May, 2003.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 03-12984 Filed 5-22-03; 8:45 am]
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