[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 60 (Friday, March 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17496-17497]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06948]



[[Page 17496]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2013-0009]


Notice of Availability of Treatment Evaluation Documents for 
Various Plant Commodities

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we have determined that it is 
necessary to immediately add to the Plant Protection and Quarantine 
Treatment Manual treatment schedules for various plant commodities. We 
have prepared four treatment evaluation documents that describe the new 
treatment schedules and explain why we have determined that they are 
effective at neutralizing certain target pests. We are making these 
treatment evaluation documents available to the public for review and 
comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 
27, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0009-0001.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2013-0009, 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-
0009 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: Dr. Inder P.S. Gadh, Senior Risk 
Manager-Treatments, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1231; (301) 851-2018.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 7 CFR chapter III are 
intended, among other things, to prevent the introduction or 
dissemination of plant pests and noxious weeds into or within the 
United States. Under the regulations, certain plants, fruits, 
vegetables, and other articles must be treated before they may be moved 
into the United States or interstate. The phytosanitary treatments 
regulations contained in part 305 of 7 CFR chapter III (referred to 
below as the regulations) set out standards for treatments required in 
parts 301, 318, and 319 of 7 CFR chapter III for fruits, vegetables, 
and other articles.
    In Sec.  305.2, paragraph (b) states that approved treatment 
schedules are set out in the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) 
Treatment Manual.\1\ Section 305.3 sets out the processes for adding, 
revising, or removing treatment schedules in the PPQ Treatment Manual. 
In that section, paragraph (b) sets out the process for adding, 
revising, or removing treatment schedules when there is an immediate 
need to make a change. The circumstances in which an immediate need 
exists are described in Sec.  305.3(b)(1). They are:
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    \1\ The Treatment Manual is available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/index.shtml or by 
contacting the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant 
Protection and Quarantine, Manuals Unit, 92 Thomas Johnson Drive, 
Suite 200, Frederick, MD 21702.
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     PPQ has determined that an approved treatment schedule is 
ineffective at neutralizing the targeted plant pest(s).
     PPQ has determined that, in order to neutralize the 
targeted plant pest(s), the treatment schedule must be administered 
using a different process than was previously used.
     PPQ has determined that a new treatment schedule is 
effective, based on efficacy data, and that ongoing trade in a 
commodity or commodities may be adversely impacted unless the new 
treatment schedule is approved for use.
     The use of a treatment schedule is no longer authorized by 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or by any other Federal 
entity.
    We have added five and removed one treatment schedule, and revised 
one treatment schedule. The proposed changes to the PPQ Treatment 
Manual are as follows:

Methyl Bromide Treatment of Asparagus Against External Pests

    Treatment T101-b-1 in the PPQ Treatment Manual requires asparagus 
to be fumigated using 4 lbs MB/1,000 ft \3\ for 2 hours at 40-
49[emsp14][deg]F. APHIS has determined that treatment T101-b-1 is not 
effective against eggs of Copitarsia sp. and that a longer treatment or 
higher dose of methyl bromide is needed to ensure treatment efficacy 
for all stages of that pest. Therefore, APHIS has revised treatment 
schedule T101-b-1 by increasing the treatment duration by 30 minutes 
for all temperature ranges.

Hot Water Dip Treatment of Plant Material Not Tolerant to Chemical 
Fumigation

    Special permit conditions authorize PPQ to import some otherwise 
prohibited plant material, subject to certain conditions. For plant 
material intolerant to fumigation, these conditions are described in 
treatment schedule T201-p-3. APHIS has determined that treatment T201-
p-3 is not effective for many pests of concern and that an alternate 
hot water treatment with a higher temperature and a longer treatment 
period is more effective against a wide range of pests that may 
accompany consignments. For this reason, we are removing treatment 
schedule T201-p-3 from the treatment manual and adding new treatment 
schedule T201-p-4 requiring hot water treatment at 52 [deg]C 
(125.6[emsp14][deg]F) for 30 minutes.

Cold Treatment for Snails on Articles Used for Food or Feed

    The treatment manual lists several cold treatments (T403-a-2-3, 
T403-a-6-1, T403-a-6-2, and T403-a-6-3) to control quarantine 
significant snails on non-food or non-feed type commodities. In the 
absence of approved cold treatments to control snails on food or feed 
commodities, APHIS has allowed the cold treatments approved for non-
food/non-feed commodities to be used on a case-by-case basis on food 
and feed commodities. Because the use of cold treatment in these 
circumstances has not resulted in the snail's introduction, APHIS has 
determined that those treatments could be used effectively to control 
snails on food and feed commodities without causing significant injury 
to the treated commodities and cover more families or genera of exotic 
snails. Therefore, we are adding treatments T110-c-1, T110-c-2, and 
T110-c-3 for use on food and feed commodities.

Heat Treatment for Plant Pathogenic Bacteria and Fungi on Dried Plant 
Parts, Including Wood and Articles Made From Wood

    Section 319.40 of the regulations lays out the requirements for the 
importation of wood and articles made with wood. Because there are no 
broad spectrum heat treatments for plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi 
on dried plant parts, dried plant parts including wood and articles 
made with wood that are found to be infested with plant pathogenic 
bacteria and fungi are destroyed or sent

[[Page 17497]]

back to the country of origin. APHIS has decided to add a new treatment 
schedule (T521) for plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi on dried plant 
parts, including wood and articles made with wood.
    Therefore, in accordance with Sec.  305.3(a)(1), we are providing 
notice that we have determined that it is necessary to make the changes 
described above to the treatment manual. In order to have minimum 
adverse impact on ongoing trade and using the immediate process as 
provided in Sec.  305.3(b), these changes are effective immediately 
upon publication of this notice. These treatment schedules will be 
listed in the PPQ Treatment Manual, which will indicate that these 
changes were made through the immediate process described in paragraph 
(b) of Sec.  305.3 and that they are subject to change or removal based 
on public comment.
    The reasons for these revisions to the treatment manual are 
described in detail in the treatment evaluation documents (TEDs) we 
have prepared to support this action. The TEDs may be viewed on the 
Regulations.gov Web site or in our reading room (see ADDRESSES above 
for instructions for accessing Regulations.gov and information on the 
location and hours of the reading room). You may also request paper 
copies of the TEDs by calling or writing to the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the subject of the TED 
when requesting copies.
    After reviewing the comments we receive, we will announce our 
decision regarding the new treatment schedules described in the TEDs in 
a subsequent notice, in accordance with paragraph (b)(3) of Sec.  
305.3. If we do not receive any comments, or the comments we receive do 
not change our determination that the proposed changes are effective, 
we will affirm these changes to the PPQ Treatment Manual and make 
available a new version of the PPQ Treatment Manual reflecting these 
changes. If we receive comments that cause us to determine that 
additional changes need to be made to one or more of the treatment 
schedules discussed above, we will make available a new version of the 
PPQ Treatment Manual that reflects the changes.

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 7701-7772 and 7781-7786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 
136a; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 24th day of March 2014.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-06948 Filed 3-27-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P