[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 178 (Monday, September 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53956-53957]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23545]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 178 / Monday, September 15, 2003 / 
Notices  

[[Page 53956]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 98-103-3]


Importation of Artificially Dwarfed Plants in Growing Media From 
the People's Republic of China; Availability of an Environmental 
Assessment and Request for Comments

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We are informing the public that the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment for a 
proposal to allow the importation of specific species of artificially 
dwarfed (penjing) plants of the genera Buxus, Ehretia (Carmona), 
Podocarpus, Sageretia, and Serissa to be imported into the United 
States from the People's Republic of China in an approved growing 
medium subject to specified growing, inspection, and certification 
requirements. The environmental assessment documents our review and 
analysis of environmental impacts associated with the proposed action. 
We are making this environmental assessment available to the public for 
review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
October 15, 2003.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by postal mail/commercial delivery 
or by e-mail. If you use postal mail/commercial delivery, please send 
four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to: Docket 
No. 98-103-3, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 
3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state 
that your comment refers to Docket No. 98-103-3. If you use e-mail, 
address your comment to [email protected]. Your comment must 
be contained in the body of your message; do not send attached files. 
Please include your name and address in your message and ``Docket No. 
98-103-3'' on the subject line.
    You may read any comments that we receive on the environmental 
assessment 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William Thomas, Import Specialist, 
Phytosanitary Issues Management, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 140, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 734-6799.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the 
United States Department of Agriculture regulates the importation of 
plants and plant parts into the United States to guard against the 
introduction of plant pests and noxious weeds into the United States.
    The regulations pertaining to the importation of plants and plant 
parts are set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), title 7, 
chapter III.
    On September 20, 2000, we published in the Federal Register (65 FR 
56803-56806, Docket No. 98-103-1) a proposal to amend the regulations 
to allow artificially dwarfed plants of the genera Buxus, Ehretia 
(Carmona), Podocarpus, Sageretia, and Serissa to be imported into the 
United States from the People's Republic of China in an approved 
growing medium subject to specified growing, inspection, and 
certification requirements. We accepted comments on our proposal for a 
total of 90 days, ending December 20, 2000.\1\
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    \1\ The comment period on the proposed rule was extended from 60 
to 90 days in a notice published in the Federal Register on December 
1, 2000 (65 FR 75187, Docket No. 98-103-2).
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    In response to comments received on the proposed rule, APHIS has 
revised the pest risk assessments, created a risk mitigation document, 
and narrowed the application of the rule to apply to particular species 
of the genera mentioned previously. The five revised pest risk 
assessments as well as the risk mitigation document are available on 
the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/pim. We have also 
concluded section 7 consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (FWS) to assess the potential effects of the proposed action on 
endangered or threatened species, as required under the Endangered 
Species Act. On April 10, 2003, FWS concluded the section 7 
consultation process by concurring with APHIS' determination that the 
importation of Buxus sinica, Ehretia microphylla, Podocarpus 
macrophyllus, Sageretia thea, and Serissa foetida from the People's 
Republic of China will not adversely affect federally listed or 
proposed endangered or threatened species or their habitats.
    Upon receiving FWS concurrence and after preparing the revised pest 
risk assessments and the pest mitigation document, APHIS prepared an 
environmental assessment in accordance with: (1) The National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.), (2) regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality for 
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508), (3) USDA regulations implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1b), and (4) 
APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).
    This notice announces the availability of the environmental 
assessment for public review and comment. The assessment, titled 
``Final Rule for the Importation of Artificially Dwarfed Plants in 
Growing Media From the People's Republic of China'' and dated September 
2003, is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/es/ppqdocs.html. You may request paper copies of the environmental 
assessment from the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.

[[Page 53957]]

Please refer to the title of the assessment when requesting copies.
    The environmental assessment is also available for review in our 
reading room (the location and the hours of the reading room are listed 
under the heading ADDRESSES at the beginning of this notice).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 11th day of September 2003.
Bobby R. Acord,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 03-23545 Filed 9-12-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P