Federal Register, Volume 79 Issue 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2014)

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 4410-4414]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01581]

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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

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. 79, No. 18 / Tuesday, January 28, 2014 /
Proposed Rules

[[Page 4410]]

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

7 CFR Part 319

[Docket No. APHIS-2013-0045]
RIN 0579-AD82

Importation of Fresh Bananas From the Philippines Into Hawaii and
U.S. Territories

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: We are proposing to amend the regulations concerning the
importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh
bananas from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern
Mariana Islands. As a condition of entry, the bananas would have to be
produced in accordance with a systems approach that would include
requirements for importation of commercial consignments, monitoring of
fruit flies to establish low-prevalence places of production,
harvesting only of hard green bananas, and inspection for quarantine
pests by the national plant protection organization of the Philippines.
The bananas would also have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary
certificate with an additional declaration stating that they were
grown, packed, inspected, and found to be free of quarantine pests in
accordance with the proposed requirements. This action would allow the
importation of bananas from the Philippines while continuing to protect
against the introduction of plant pests into Guam, Hawaii, and the
Northern Mariana Islands.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before March
31, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0045-0001.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2013-0045, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD,
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-
0045 or in our reading room, which 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) 799-7039 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Meredith Jones, Senior Regulatory
Coordination Specialist, RPM, RCC, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit
133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 851-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The regulations in ``Subpart-Fruits and Vegetables'' (7 CFR 319.56-
1 through 319.56-64, referred to below as the regulations) 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.
The national plant protection organization (NPPO) of the
Philippines has requested that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) amend the regulations to allow bananas from the
Philippines to be imported into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana
Islands. Currently, bananas may be imported from the Philippines into
the continental United States as a result of a rule published in the
Federal Register and effective on February 7, 2013 (78 FR 8957-8960,
Docket No. APHIS-2011-0028). The rule allows the importation of bananas
from the Philippines into the continental United States under a systems
approach described in the regulations under Sec. 319.56-58.
As part of our evaluation of the Philippines' request, we prepared
a pest risk assessment (PRA), titled ``Importation of Banana, Musa
spp., as Fresh, Hard Green Fruit From the Philippines to Guam, Hawaii,
and the Northern Mariana Islands'' (January 29, 2013). The PRA
evaluates the risks associated with the importation of green bananas
from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana
Islands from the Philippines.
The PRA identified 62 pests of quarantine significance present in
the Philippines that could be introduced into Guam, Hawaii and the
Northern Mariana Islands through the importation of green bananas: 2
mites (Brevipalpus spp.), 5 beetles, 5 flies (3 Bactrocera spp. fruit
flies, 1 house fly, and 1 black fly), 35 scales, 4 moths, 4
grasshoppers, 3 thrips, 1 snail, 1 weed, and 2 bacteria. For a full
list of the pests, please see the PRA.
Based on the information contained in the PRA, APHIS has determined
that measures beyond standard port-of-entry inspection are required to
mitigate the risks posed by the quarantine pests with bananas from the
Philippines. To recommend specific measures to mitigate those risks, we
prepared a risk management document (RMD). Copies of the PRA and RMD
may be obtained from the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT or viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site (See ADDRESSES above
for instructions for accessing Regulations.gov).
Based on the recommendations of the RMD, we are proposing to allow
the importation of bananas from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii, and
the Northern Mariana Islands only if they are produced in accordance
with a systems approach. The systems approach we are proposing would
require:
Registration, monitoring, and oversight of places of
production;
Trapping for Bactrocera spp. fruit flies to establish low-
prevalence places of production;
Covering bananas with pesticide bags during the growing
season;
Harvesting only of hard green bananas;
Requirements for culling, safeguarding, and identifying
the fruit; and
Inspection by the NPPO of the Philippines for quarantine
pests.
Bananas from the Philippines would also be required to be
accompanied by

[[Page 4411]]

a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that
the bananas were grown, packed, and inspected in accordance with the
proposed requirements.
The proposed systems approach to pest mitigation for the
importation of bananas from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii, and the
Northern Mariana Islands has been used successfully to mitigate the
risks associated with the importation of bananas from the Philippines
into the continental United States (Sec. 319.56-58). The RMD for
bananas from the Philippines evaluated the effectiveness of these
measures against quarantine pests identified in the PRA and concluded
that the provisions in Sec. 319.56-58, along with the general
requirements for the importation of fruits and vegetables in the
regulations, will be sufficient to prevent the introduction of those
pests into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Therefore,
we are proposing to amend Sec. 319.56-58 to allow the importation of
bananas from the Philippines into the United States that would include
the continental United States, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana
Islands. The mitigation measures in the systems approach are outlined
in greater detail below.
The introductory text of Sec. 319.56-58 currently lists the 12
quarantine pests of concern associated with the importation of bananas
from the Philippines into the continental United States. As noted
above, the number of quarantine pests of concern associated with the
importation of those bananas into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern
Mariana Islands is 62. Given that large number, we are proposing to no
longer list the pests of concern in the introductory text of the
section and would instead list the pests in the operational workplan
described below.

General Requirements

The importation of bananas from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii,
and the Northern Mariana Islands would be allowed under an operational
workplan. A operational workplan is an agreement between APHIS' Plant
Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program, officials of the NPPO of a
foreign government, and, when necessary, foreign commercial entities
that specifies in detail the phytosanitary measures that will comply
with our regulations governing the import or export of a specific
commodity. Operational workplans apply only to the signatory parties
and establish detailed procedures and guidance for the day-to-day
operations of specific export programs. Operational workplans also
establish how specific phytosanitary issues are dealt within the
exporting country and make clear who is responsible for dealing with
those issues.
Paragraph (a)(1) of Sec. 319.56-58 requires the NPPO of the
Philippines to provide an operational workplan to APHIS that details
activities that the NPPO of the Philippines will, subject to APHIS'
approval of the workplan, carry out to meet the requirements of the
regulations. The bananas would have to be grown at places of production
that are registered with the NPPO of the Philippines and that meet the
requirements for places of production. Paragraph (a)(2) requires
bananas to be grown at places of production that are registered with
the NPPO of the Philippines and that meet the proposed requirements for
places of production that are discussed later in this document. It also
requires that each registered place of production renew its
registration annually.
Paragraph (a)(3) requires the bananas to be packed for export to
the United States in packinghouses that meet the packinghouse
requirements that are described later in this document.
The bananas must be imported in commercial consignments only.
Commercial consignments, as defined in Sec. 319.56-2, are consignments
that an inspector identifies as having been imported for sale and
distribution. Such identification is based on a variety of indicators,
including, but not limited to: Quantity of produce, type of packaging,
identification of grower or packinghouse on the packaging, and
documents consigning the fruits or vegetables to a wholesaler or
retailer. Produce grown commercially is less likely to be infested with
plant pests than noncommercial consignments. Noncommercial consignments
are more prone to infestations because the commodity is often ripe to
overripe and is often grown with little or no pest control.
As such, paragraph (a)(4) requires the bananas to be imported in
commercial consignments only. That provision would apply to bananas
from the Philippines to be imported into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern
Mariana Islands as well as the continental United States.

Monitoring and Oversight

The systems approach includes monitoring and oversight
requirements, located in paragraph (b) of Sec. 319.56-58, to ensure
that the required phytosanitary measures are properly implemented
through the process of growing and packing of bananas for export to the
United States.
Paragraph (b)(1) requires the NPPO of the Philippines to visit and
inspect registered places of production monthly, starting at least 3
months before harvest and continuing until the end of the shipping
season, to verify that the growers are complying with the requirements
and follow pest control guidelines, when necessary, to reduce
quarantine pest populations. The NPPO of the Philippines must verify
that the growers are complying with the fruit fly trapping requirements
and would have to certify that each place of production has effective
fruit fly trapping programs. Any personnel conducting trapping would
have to be trained and supervised by the NPPO of the Philippines. APHIS
would monitor the places of production by conducting random and
scheduled inspections.
Under paragraph (b)(2), if the NPPO of the Philippines finds that a
place of production or packinghouse is not complying with the
regulations, no fruit from the place of production or packinghouse is
eligible for export to the United States until APHIS and the NPPO of
the Philippines conduct an investigation and appropriate remedial
actions have been implemented.
Paragraph (b)(3) requires the NPPO of the Philippines to retain all
forms and documents related to export program activities in groves and
packinghouses for at least 1 year and, as requested, provide them to
APHIS for review. Such forms and documents include, but are not limited
to, fruit fly trapping and inspection records.

Fruit Fly Trapping To Establish Places of Production With Low
Prevalence

Paragraph (c) of Sec. 319.56-58 provides for the use of trapping
to demonstrate that registered places of production have a low
prevalence of the Bactrocera spp. fruit flies. Although the PRA has
determined that the three Bactrocera spp. are potential pests of
bananas from the Philippines, bananas are known to be poor hosts to
most species of fruit flies. However, B. musae is recorded as attacking
green bananas. Trapping to demonstrate an area of low pest prevalence
would therefore be an appropriate mitigation for fruit flies.
Beginning at least 3 months before harvest begins and continuing
through the end of the harvest, trapping would have to be conducted in
registered places of production with at least 1 trap per 0.2 square
kilometers to demonstrate that the places of production have a low
prevalence of the Bactrocera spp. fruit flies. APHIS-approved traps
baited with APHIS-approved plugs would have to be used and serviced at
least once every 2 weeks.

[[Page 4412]]

During the trapping, when traps are serviced, if the Bactrocera
spp. fruit flies are trapped at a registered place of production at
cumulative levels above 2 flies per trap per day, pesticide bait
treatments must be applied in the affected place of production in order
for the place of production to remain eligible to export bananas to the
United States. The NPPO of the Philippines must keep records of fruit
fly detections for each trap, update the records each time the traps
are checked, and make the records available to APHIS inspectors upon
request.
Although the Bactrocera spp. fruit flies have been identified as
pests of banana in the Philippines, we do not want to impose trapping
requirements if they are not justified by the presence of fruit fly
larvae in Philippine bananas; as noted earlier, bananas are poor hosts
of fruit flies in general, especially when harvested green. Under the
heading ``NPPO of the Philippines Inspection'' later in this document,
we describe requirements for cutting bananas to inspect for internal
feeders such as fruit fly larvae. Currently, paragraph (c) provides
that the fruit fly trapping requirements would no longer apply if, by
February 9, 2015, no fruit fly larvae are found during such
inspections, inspections are no longer required. We are proposing to
provide that the fruit fly trapping requirements described in proposed
paragraph (c) would no longer apply if, after 2 years from the
effective date of a final rule following this proposed rule, such
inspections do not find any larvae of the Bactrocera spp. fruit flies.
Extending the date will provide APHIS with additional fruit fly
trapping data, which are especially important given the vulnerability
of Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands to fruit fly
introductions.
The date on which trapping would no longer be required would be
included in the regulations. If no fruit fly larvae are found, we would
publish a notice in the Federal Register to confirm that fruit fly
trapping would no longer be required. If fruit fly larvae are found, we
would amend the regulations to address the demonstrated risk.

Bagging Requirements

Each place of production must follow a pest management program
specified by the NPPO of the Philippines to reduce populations of
quarantine pests. This includes applying pesticides to reduce pest
populations and bagging bananas after flower drop with plastic bags
impregnated with pesticides.
As such, paragraph (d) provides that plastic bags impregnated with
pesticides must cover the bananas during the growing period. If a
pesticide bag falls off or is torn so that fruit flies can enter, that
fruit would no longer be eligible for export to the United States. This
growing requirement would prevent quarantine pests from attacking the
bananas.

Harvesting Requirements

Paragraph (e) of Sec. 319.56-58 sets out requirements for
harvesting bananas. Under paragraph (e)(1), bananas would have to be
harvested at a hard green stage.
Harvesting bananas at a hard green stage (i.e., bananas with no
yellow or green color break) is a standard industry practice for banana
production in Central and South America, the Philippines, Hawaii, and
most of the world because ripe bananas are more likely to be infested
by fruit flies. Inspectors at the port of entry would need to determine
that:
Bananas shipped by air are still green upon arrival in the
United States;
Bananas shipped by sea are either green upon arrival in
the United States or yellow but firm.
Under paragraph (e)(2), harvested bananas are required to be placed
in field cartons or containers that are marked with the official
registration number of the place of production. The fruit would have to
be safeguarded from exposure to fruit flies from harvest to export,
including being packaged so as to prevent access by fruit flies and
other injurious insect pests. These requirements ensure that APHIS and
the NPPO of the Philippines can identify the place of production where
the bananas were produced if inspectors find quarantine pests in the
fruit either before export or at the port of entry. Places of
production with quarantine pests would be removed from the program.

Post-Harvesting Processing

As such, paragraph (f) of Sec. 319.56-58 provides that all damaged
fruit would have to be culled at the packinghouse. Fruit with broken or
bruised skin is more susceptible to infestation by pests than undamaged
fruit. In addition, the fruit would have to be washed with a high
pressure water spray and with soap and water. This requirement would
remove mites, mealy bugs, scale insects, and other surface-feeding
quarantine pests from the fruit prior to export.

Packinghouse Requirements

The RMD suggests that the packinghouses prevent the entry of pests
with double-door entry and other measures designed to exclude fruit
flies and other pests of quarantine concern. The packinghouse
operations for export of bananas must be monitored by the NPPO of the
Philippines. No other fruit is allowed in a packinghouse during the
time export fruit is being packed.
Such requirements are contained in paragraph (g) of Sec. 319.56-
58. Specifically, paragraph (g)(1) provides that the packinghouse would
have to have double doors at the entrance to the facility and at the
interior entrance to the area where the bananas are packed to exclude
fruit flies and other pests of quarantine concern. Paragraph (g)(2)
requires that bananas for export be packed into new, clean boxes,
crates, or other packing material. Paragraph (g)(2) also requires that
bananas intended for export to the United States be labeled with the
name and location of the packinghouse marked on the boxes, and
segregated from bananas intended for other markets. These requirements
would ensure that APHIS and the NPPO of the Philippines could identify
the packinghouse at which the fruit was packed if inspectors find
quarantine pests in the fruit either before export or at the port of
entry.
Paragraph (g)(3) requires that shipping documents accompanying
consignments of bananas from the Philippines that are exported to the
United States include the official registration number of the place of
production at which the bananas were grown and must identify the
packinghouse in which the fruit was processed and packed. This
identification must be maintained until the fruit is released for entry
into the United States.
Paragraph (g)(4) requires that the packinghouse operations for
export of bananas be monitored by the NPPO of the Philippines. This
requirement would ensure that the packinghouses remain compliant with
the regulations.

NPPO of the Philippines Inspection

To ensure that the mitigations required in the systems approach are
effective at producing fruit free of the targeted quarantine pests, we
would require the NPPO of the Philippines to inspect the fruit after
harvest. Paragraph (h)(1) of Sec. 319.56-58 requires inspectors from
the NPPO of the Philippines to certify that bananas were harvested at
the hard green stage.
Under paragraph (h)(2), the NPPO of the Philippines is required to
inspect a biometric sample of the fruit from each place of production
at a rate to be determined by APHIS. The inspectors must visually
inspect fruit from each place of production for all the quarantine
pests. (The paragraph currently states that the inspectors must

[[Page 4413]]

visually inspect for quarantine pests listed in the introductory text
of the section; we would amend the text to refer to the quarantine
pests listed in the operational workplan to conform with the proposed
change described above.) The inspectors must also cut fruit to inspect
for quarantine pests that are internal feeders, which include larvae of
the three Bactrocera fruit fly species (B. musae, B. occipitalis, and
B. philippinensis). We have determined that inspection can serve as an
effective mitigation for the risk associated with these pests in
bananas exported from the Philippines.
If any Bactrocera spp. fruit flies are detected in this inspection,
the place of production where the infested bananas were grown will
immediately be suspended from the export program until an investigation
has been conducted by APHIS and the NPPO of the Philippines and
appropriate mitigations have been implemented. If other quarantine
pests are detected in this inspection, the consignment will be
ineligible for exportation to the United States.

Phytosanitary Certificate

To certify that the bananas from the Philippines have been grown
and packed in accordance with the requirements of Sec. 319.56-58,
paragraph (i) requires each consignment of bananas imported from the
Philippines into the United States to be accompanied by a phytosanitary
certificate issued by the NPPO of the Philippines with an additional
declaration stating that the bananas in the consignment were grown,
packed, and inspected in accordance with the systems approach in Sec.
319.56-58.

Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory Flexibility Act

This proposed rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12866.
The proposed rule has been determined to be not significant for the
purposes of Executive Order 12866 and, therefore, has not been reviewed
by the Office of Management and Budget.
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 603, we have performed an initial
regulatory flexibility analysis, which is summarized below, regarding
the economic effects of this proposed rule on small entities. Copies of
the full analysis are available by contacting the person listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or on the Regulations.gov Web site (see
ADDRESSES above for instructions for accessing Regulations.gov).
Based on the information we have, there is no reason to conclude
that adoption of this proposed rule would result in any significant
economic effect on a substantial number of small entities. However, we
do not currently have all of the data necessary for a comprehensive
analysis of the effects of this proposed rule on small entities.
Therefore, we are inviting comments on potential effects. In
particular, we are interested in determining the number and kind of
small entities that may incur benefits or costs from the implementation
of this proposed rule.
Currently, about 4.1 million metric tons (MT) of bananas are
imported into the United States every year. In 2011, Hawaii's banana
harvest totaled about 7,900 MT compared to U.S. imports of about 4.1
million MT. We do not have information at this point on the quantity of
bananas that the Philippines expects to ship to the State of Hawaii or
to U.S. territories, or the quantity of bananas already imported into
these destinations. We note that for a recent rulemaking to allow
banana imports from the Philippines into the continental United States,
that the quantity was expected to be relatively insignificant,
equivalent to about 0.05 percent of U.S. imports from other countries,
4.1 million MT. Consumers in Hawaii and U.S. territories would benefit
from the additional source of fresh bananas. APHIS does not expect the
proposed rule to have a significant economic impact on small entities.

Executive Order 12988

This proposed rule would allow bananas to be imported into Guam,
Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands from the Philippines. If this
proposed rule is adopted, State and local laws and regulations
regarding bananas imported under this rule would be preempted while the
fruit is in foreign commerce. Fresh fruits are generally imported for
immediate distribution and sale to the consuming public and would
remain in foreign commerce until sold to the ultimate consumer. The
question of when foreign commerce ceases in other cases must be
addressed on a case-by-case basis. If this proposed rule is adopted, no
retroactive effect will be given to this rule, and this rule will not
require administrative proceedings before parties may file suit in
court challenging this rule.

National Environmental Policy Act

We made an environmental assessment that reviewed and analyzed the
potential impacts of importation of bananas from the Philippines into
the continental United States available with our proposal to allow that
importation, which was published in the Federal Register on May 30,
2012 (77 FR 31829-31830, Docket No. APHIS-2011-0028). The environmental
assessment was prepared 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). Subsequently, we
published a finding of no significant impact along with the February
2013 final rule mentioned earlier in this document.
We have reviewed the potential environmental impacts of allowing
the importation of bananas from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii, and
the Northern Mariana Islands and found that they are the same as those
described in the earlier environmental assessment; therefore, we are
extending our finding of no significant impact to include this action
as well.

Paperwork Reduction Act

In accordance with section 3507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the information collection or
recordkeeping requirements included in this proposed rule have been
submitted for approval to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Please send written comments to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for APHIS, Washington,
DC 20503. Please state that your comments refer to Docket No. APHIS-
2013-0045. Please send a copy of your comments to: (1) Docket No.
APHIS-2013-0045, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS,
Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238,
and (2) Clearance Officer, OCIO, USDA, Room 404-W, 14th Street and
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250. A comment to OMB is best
assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of
publication of this proposed rule.
Allowing the importation of fresh bananas from the Philippines into
Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands will require the
completion of the following information: A bilateral workplan,
registration of production sites, monitoring and oversight of
production sites, maintenance of records, forms, and documents, marking
of production sites with registration numbers, identification of
packinghouses name location, and a phytosanitary certificate.
We are soliciting comments from the public (as well as affected
agencies)

[[Page 4414]]

concerning our proposed information collection and recordkeeping
requirements. These comments will help us:
(1) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper performance of our agency s functions,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) Minimize the burden of the information collection on those who
are to respond (such as through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology; e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses).
Estimate of burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 0.78 hours per response.
Respondents: Foreign government, importers and growers of bananas
from the Philippines.
Estimated annual number of respondents: 46.
Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 5.34.
Estimated annual number of responses: 246.
Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 192 hours. (Due to
averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of
the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per
response.)
Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Mrs.
Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at (301)
851-2908.

E-Government Act Compliance

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is committed to
compliance with the E-Government Act to promote the use of the Internet
and other information technologies, to provide increased opportunities
for citizen access to Government information and services, and for
other purposes. For information pertinent to E-Government Act
compliance related to this proposed rule, please contact Mrs. Celeste
Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851-2908.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 319

Coffee, Cotton, Fruits, Imports, Logs, Nursery stock, Plant
diseases and pests, Quarantine, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Rice, Vegetables.
Accordingly, we propose to amend 7 CFR part 319 as follows:

PART 319--FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES

0
1. The authority citation for part 319 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7701-7772, and 7781-7786; 21 U.S.C. 136
and 136a; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.
0
2. Section 319.56-58 is amended as follows:
0
a. The introductory text is revised;
0
b. In paragraph (c), the date, ``February 9, 2015'' is removed and the
date ``[date 2 years after the effective date of final rule]'' is added
in its place;
0
c. In paragraph (h)(2), in the second sentence, the words
``introductory text of this section'' are removed and the words
``operational workplan required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section''
are added in their place.
The revision reads as follows:

Sec. 319.56-58 Bananas from the Philippines.

Bananas (Musa spp., which include M. acuminate cultivars and M.
acuminate x M. balbisiana hybrids) may be imported into the continental
United States, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands from the
Philippines only under the conditions described in this section.
* * * * *

Done in Washington, DC, this 23rd day of January 2014.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-01581 Filed 1-27-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P