[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 165 (Friday, August 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52500-52502]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-18409]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2021-0019]


Notice of Availability of Bovine Tuberculosis Status Evaluation 
of Eight Mexican Regions and Intent To Classify Those Regions for 
Bovine Tuberculosis

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 
eight Mexican regions for bovine tuberculosis as follows: The State of 
Sonora as Level II; the Yucat[aacute]n Peninsula region (States of 
Yucat[aacute]n and Quintana Roo, and part of the State of Campeche), 
the Huasteca region (parts of the States of Puebla, Veracruz, and 
Hidalgo), part of the State of Chihuahua, and part of the State of 
Durango as Level III; and part of the State of Coahuila, part of the 
State of Nuevo Le[oacute]n, and the State of Tamaulipas as Level IV. 
These proposed recognitions are based on an evaluation

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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 
October 25, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. 
Enter APHIS-2021-0019 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-2021-0019, 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. Kari Coulson, Import Risk Analyst, 
Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and Policy, VS, APHIS, 
USDA, 920 Main Campus Drive, Venture II, 3rd floor, Raleigh, NC 27606; 
[email protected]; (919) 480-9876.

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 bovine tuberculosis within the 
United States. Within part 93, Sec.  93.437 contains the requirements 
for classification of foreign regions for bovine tuberculosis and Sec.  
93.438 contains the process for requesting regional classification for 
bovine tuberculosis.
    In accordance with Sec.  93.437(f), the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) maintains lists of all Level I, Level II, 
Level III, Level IV, and Level V regions for bovine tuberculosis and 
adds foreign regions classified in accordance with Sec.  93.438 to 
these lists. In accordance with Sec.  93.437(e), regions that do not 
have a program that meets APHIS requirements for bovine tuberculosis 
classification, have a prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in their 
domestic bovine herds equal to or greater than 0.5 percent, or are 
unassessed by APHIS with regard to bovine tuberculosis are considered 
to be Level V.
    Paragraph (a) of Sec.  93.438 provides that a representative of a 
national government with authority to make such a request may request 
that APHIS classify a region for bovine tuberculosis. Within that same 
section, paragraph (b) provides that if, after reviewing and evaluating 
the request for bovine tuberculosis classification, APHIS believes the 
region can be accurately classified, APHIS will publish a notice in the 
Federal Register with 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 several Mexican regions for bovine tuberculosis. APHIS has 
evaluated eight of the proposed Mexican regions to date in response to 
this request: The State of Sonora; the Yucat[aacute]n Peninsula region 
(States of Yucat[aacute]n and Quintana Roo, and part of the State of 
Campeche); the Huasteca region (parts of the States of Puebla, 
Veracruz, San Luis Potos[iacute], and Hidalgo); part of the State of 
Chihuahua, part of the State of Durango; part of the State of Coahuila; 
part of the State of Nuevo Le[oacute]n; and the State of Tamaulipas. We 
have detailed the findings and conclusions in a document titled ``APHIS 
Evaluation of Eight Mexican Regions for Bovine Tuberculosis (M. bovis) 
Classification'' (March 2022). The evaluation concludes that the Sonora 
region meets the conditions to be classified as Level II for bovine 
tuberculosis, which supports adding the Sonora region to the web-based 
list of Level II regions for bovine tuberculosis. The evaluation also 
concludes that the Yucat[aacute]n Peninsula (States of Yucat[aacute]n 
and Quintana Roo, and part of the State of Campeche), Huasteca 
(including parts of the States of Puebla, Veracruz, and Hidalgo, but 
excluding San Luis Potos[iacute]), Chihuahua, and Durango regions meet 
the conditions to be classified as Level III for bovine tuberculosis, 
which supports adding the Yucat[aacute]n Peninsula, Huasteca (parts of 
the States of Puebla, Veracruz, and Hidalgo), Chihuahua, and Durango 
regions to the web-based list of Level III regions for bovine 
tuberculosis. The evaluation further concludes that the Coahuila, Nuevo 
Le[oacute]n, and Tamaulipas regions meet the conditions to be 
classified as Level IV for bovine tuberculosis, which supports adding 
the Coahuila, Nuevo Le[oacute]n, and Tamaulipas regions to the web-
based list of Level IV regions for bovine tuberculosis.
    Additionally, although the Government of Mexico requested inclusion 
of part of the State of San Luis Potos[iacute] (Zone A1) in the 
Huasteca region, the APHIS evaluation concluded that Zone A1 does not 
meet the conditions to be classified as Level III at this time. San 
Luis Potos[iacute] (Zone A1) is eligible to export bovine animals to 
the United States under a previous agreement. Pursuant to a final rule 
published in the Federal Register on September 17, 2020 (85 FR 57944-
57956, Docket No. APHIS-2011-0044),\1\ San Luis Potos[iacute] (Zone A1) 
will continue to be able to trade with the United States under the 
terms of the status it currently holds until we reevaluate the zone and 
act to classify the zone in accordance with Sec.  93.437.
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    \1\ To view the final rule, go to www.regulations.gov and enter 
APHIS-2011-0044 in the Search field.
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    Regions of Mexico not listed above do not currently hold bovine 
tuberculosis status and are not eligible to export bovine animals to 
the United States except to direct slaughter. These regions either do 
not have a program that meets APHIS requirements for bovine 
tuberculosis classification or are unassessed by APHIS with regard to 
bovine tuberculosis and would be considered Level V for bovine 
tuberculosis.
    Therefore, in accordance with Sec.  93.438(b), we are announcing 
the availability of our evaluation of these eight Mexican regions for 
bovine tuberculosis for public review and comment.
    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 these eight Mexican regions 
with respect to bovine tuberculosis in a subsequent notice.

National Environmental Policy Act

    On December 27, 2021, we published in the Federal Register a notice 
(86 FR 73238-73239, Docket No. APHIS-2020-0071) announcing that we were 
classifying Canada as Level I for

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brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis. That final notice was accompanied 
by a final environmental assessment and finding of no significant 
impact (FONSI). The final environmental assessment and FONSI also 
evaluated the possible environmental impacts associated with 
classifying the State of Sonora as Level II; the Yucat[aacute]n 
Peninsula region (States of Yucat[aacute]n and Quintana Roo, and part 
of the State of Campeche), the Huasteca region (parts of the States of 
Puebla, Veracruz, and Hidalgo), part of the State of Chihuahua, and 
part of the State of Durango as Level III; and part of the State of 
Coahuila, part of the State of Nuevo Le[oacute]n, and the State of 
Tamaulipas as Level IV for bovine tuberculosis. Accordingly, we direct 
the public to go to www.regulations.gov and enter APHIS-2020-0071 in 
the Search field to view those documents, and are not republishing them 
for this action.
    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.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 22nd day of August 2022.
Anthony Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-18409 Filed 8-25-22; 8:45 am]
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