[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11219-11220]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03771]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2020-0070]


Classify the State of Sonora, Mexico, as Level I for Brucellosis

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we are proposing to classify 
the State of Sonora, Mexico as Level 1 for brucellosis. This proposed 
recognition is based on an evaluation we have prepared in connection 
with this action, which we are making available for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before April 
26, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. 
Enter APHIS-2020-0070 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab, 
then select the Comment button in the list of documents.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2020-0070, 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 regulations.gov or in our reading room, which is located 
in Room 1620 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. Kelly Rhodes, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and Policy, 
VS, APHIS, USDA, 4700 River Road, Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; 
[email protected]; (301) 851-3315.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 93, subpart D 
(Sec. Sec.  93.400 through 93.442, referred to below as part 93 or the 
subpart), contain requirements for the importation of ruminants into 
the United States to address the risk of introducing or disseminating 
diseases of livestock within the United States. Part 93 currently 
contains provisions that address the risk that imported bovines (cattle 
or bison) may introduce or disseminate brucellosis within the United 
States. Within part 93, Sec.  93.440 contains the requirements for 
classification of foreign regions for brucellosis and Sec.  93.441 
contains the process for requesting regional classification for 
brucellosis.
    In accordance with Sec.  93.440(d), the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) maintains lists of all Level I, Level II, 
and Level III regions for brucellosis and adds foreign regions 
classified in accordance with Sec.  93.441 to these lists.
    Section 93.441(b) states that if, after reviewing and evaluating 
the request for classification, APHIS believes the request can be 
safely granted, APHIS will publish a notice in the Federal Register 
indicating the proposed classification and make its evaluation 
available for public comment. Following the close of the comment 
period, APHIS will review all comments received and will make a final 
determination regarding the request that will be detailed in another 
document published in the Federal Register.
    The Government of Mexico has requested that APHIS evaluate and 
classify the State of Sonora for brucellosis. In response to Mexico's 
request, we have prepared an evaluation, titled ``APHIS Evaluation of 
the State of Sonora, Mexico for Bovine Brucellosis Classification'' 
(September 2017). The evaluation concludes that the State of Sonora 
meets the conditions to be classified as Level I for brucellosis, which 
supports adding the State of Sonora to the web-based list of Level I 
regions for brucellosis.
    Therefore, in accordance with Sec.  93.441(b), we are announcing 
the availability of our evaluation of Sonora, Mexico for brucellosis, 
for public review and comment. We are also announcing the availability 
of an environmental assessment (EA) which has been 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 
provision 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).
    The evaluation and EA may be viewed on the Regulations.gov website 
or in our reading room. (Instructions for accessing Regulations.gov and 
information on the location and hours of the reading room are provided 
under the heading ADDRESSES at the beginning of this notice.) The 
documents are also available by contacting the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Information submitted in support of Mexico's request is available 
by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    After reviewing any comments we receive, we will announce our final 
determination regarding classification of the State of Sonora, Mexico 
with respect to brucellosis in a subsequent notice.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1622 and 8301-8317; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 
31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4.


[[Page 11220]]


    Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of February 2021.
Michael Watson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-03771 Filed 2-23-21; 8:45 am]
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