[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 224 (Tuesday, November 21, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 67313]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19662]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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 

  Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 224 / Tuesday, November 21, 2006 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 67313]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

9 CFR Parts 55 and 81

[Docket No. 00-108-6]
RIN 0579-AB35


Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program and Interstate 
Movement of Farmed or Captive Deer, Elk, and Moose; Petitions and 
Request for Comments

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of petitions and request for comments; 
extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: We are extending the comment period for our notice that 
announced the receipt of three petitions requesting that we delay 
implementation of, and reconsider provisions in, a recent final rule 
establishing a herd certification program and interstate movement 
restrictions for cervids to control the spread of chronic wasting 
disease. This action will allow interested persons additional time to 
prepare and submit comments.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
January 3, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Dean E. Goeldner, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, Ruminant Health Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 
43, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-4916. Copies of the petitions 
are available at the Federal eRulemaking Portal, http://www.regulations.gov, as described under ADDRESSES below.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov, select ``Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service'' from the agency drop-down menu, then click ``Submit'' In the 
Docket ID column, select APHIS-2006-0118 to submit or view public 
comments and to view supporting and related materials available 
electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, including 
instructions for accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing 
the docket after the close of the comment period, is available through 
the site's ``User Tips'' link.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies 
of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. 00-108-5, 
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 
River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your 
comment refers to Docket No. 00-108-5.
     Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on 
this docket 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.
    Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its 
programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 3, 2006, we published in the 
Federal Register (71 FR 64650-64651, Docket No. 00-108-5) a document in 
which we announced the receipt of, and requested comments on, three 
petitions from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the 
National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials, and the United 
States Animal Health Association. The petitions requested that APHIS 
delay the effective date of a recent final rule and reconsider several 
requirements of the rule. The final rule, published in the Federal 
Register on July 21, 2006 (71 FR 41682-41707, Docket No. 00-108-3), 
establishes a herd certification program and interstate movement 
regulations for farmed or captive cervids to help eliminate chronic 
wasting disease in the United States. We published a notice in the 
Federal Register on September 8, 2006 (71 FR 52983, Docket No. 00-108-
4), delaying the effective date of the final rule until further notice.
    Comments on the petitions were required to be received on or before 
December 4, 2006. We are extending the comment period on Docket No. 00-
108-5 until January 3, 2007, an additional 30 days from the original 
close of the comment period. This action will allow interested persons 
additional time to prepare and submit comments.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 8301-8317; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 15th day of November 2006.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E6-19662 Filed 11-20-06; 8:45 am]
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