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13433 Proposed Rules Federal Register Vol. 83, No. 61 Thursday, March 29, 2018 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER may be viewed at http:// pummelo fruit into the continental contains notices to the public of the proposed www.regulations.gov/ United States from Thailand. issuance of rules and regulations. The #!docketDetail;D=APHIS–2016–0034 or The PRA identifies 21 actionable purpose of these notices is to give interested in our reading room, which is located in pests that could be introduced into the persons an opportunity to participate in the Room 1141 of the USDA South United States in consignments of fresh rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules. Building, 14th Street and Independence pummelo fruit from Thailand. The pests Avenue SW, Washington, DC. Normal listed in the PRA are as follows: reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 • Bactrocera correcta Bezzi, guava DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE p.m., Monday through Friday, except fruit fly; holidays. To be sure someone is there to • Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett, Animal and Plant Health Inspection help you, please call (202) 799–7039 melon fruit fly; Service before coming. • Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel, oriental FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: fruit fly; Ms. • 7 CFR Part 319 Claudia A. Ferguson, MS, Senior Bactrocera papayae Drew & Hancock, Asian papaya fruit fly; [Docket No. APHIS–2016–0034] Regulatory Policy Coordinator, Imports, • Regulations, and Manuals, Regulatory Bactrocera tau Walker, a complex RIN 0579–AE33 of fruit flies; Coordination and Compliance, PPQ, • APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 133, Ceroplastes rubens Maskell, pink Importation of Pummelo From Thailand Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 851– wax scale; Into the Continental United States • 2352. Citripestis sagittiferella Moore, citrus fruit borer; AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: • Eotetranychus cendanai Rimando, Inspection Service, USDA. Background citrus yellow mite; ACTION: Proposed rule. • Monacrostichus citricola Bezzi, a Under the regulations in ‘‘Subpart– fruit fly; SUMMARY: We are proposing to amend Fruits and Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56– • the regulations to allow the importation Nipaecoccus viridis Newstead, 1 through 319.56–82, referred to below spherical mealybug; of fresh pummelo fruit from Thailand as the regulations), the Animal and • into the continental United States. As a Paradrosophila punctipennis Duda, Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) a fruit fly; condition of entry, fresh pummelo fruit of the United States Department of • from Thailand would be subject to a Phyllosticta citriasiana Wulandari, Agriculture (USDA) prohibits or Crous & Gruyter, the causal agent for systems approach that would include restricts the importation of fruits and irradiation treatment, packinghouse citrus tan spot; vegetables into the United States from • Phyllosticta citricarpa, the causal processing requirements, and port of certain parts of the world to prevent the entry inspection. The fruit would also agent for citrus black spot; introduction and dissemination of plant • Planococcus lilacinus Cockerell, be required to be imported in pests. commercial consignments and be cacao mealybug; The regulations currently do not • ` accompanied by a phytosanitary Prays citri Milliere, citrus flower authorize the importation of fresh certificate issued by the national plant moth; pummelo fruit (Citrus maxima (Berm.) • protection organization of Thailand. Prays endocarpa Meyrick, citrus Merr.) from Thailand. The national This action would allow for the pock caterpillar; plant protection organization (NPPO) of • importation of fresh pummelo fruit from Pseudococcus cryptus Hempel, Thailand has requested that APHIS Thailand while continuing to provide citriculus mealybug; amend the regulations to allow the • protection against the introduction of Rastrococcus spinosus Robinson, importation of commercially produced plant pests into the continental United Philippine mango mealybug; fresh pummelo fruit from Thailand into • States. Rastrococcus tropicasiaticus the continental United States. In Williams, a mealybug; DATES: We will consider all comments evaluating Thailand’s request, we • Schizotetranychus baltazari that we receive on or before May 29, prepared a pest risk assessment (PRA) Rimando, Bamboo spider mite; and 2018. and a risk management document • Xanthomonas citri Gabriel et al. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (RMD). Copies of the PRA and the RMD (XCC), the causal agent for citrus canker. by either of the following methods: may be obtained from the person listed Based on the findings of the PRA, • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION APHIS has determined that measures http://www.regulations.gov/ CONTACT or viewed on the beyond standard port of entry #!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2016-0034. Regulations.gov website (see ADDRESSES inspection are required to mitigate the • Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: above for instructions for accessing risks posed by these pests. These Send your comment to Docket No. Regulations.gov). measures are identified in the RMD and APHIS–2016–0034, Regulatory Analysis The PRA, titled ‘‘Importation of Fruit are used as the basis for the and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station of Pummelo, Citrus maxima (Burm.) requirements included in this proposed 3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Merr., from Thailand into the rule. We are therefore proposing to Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. Continental United States’’ (December allow the importation of fresh pummelo Supporting documents and any 2017) analyzes the potential pest risk fruit from Thailand into the continental comments we receive on this docket associated with the importation of fresh United States if it is produced and VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:13 Mar 28, 2018 Jkt 244001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\29MRP1.SGM 29MRP1 rmajette on DSKBCKNHB2PROD with PROPOSALS 13434 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 61 / Thursday, March 29, 2018 / Proposed Rules shipped in accordance with the systems all other relevant treatment therefore, has not been reviewed by the approach as described below. The requirements in part 305. Office of Management and Budget. This requirements of the systems approach proposed rule is not expected to be an Packinghouse Procedures would be added to the regulations as a Executive Order 13771 regulatory action new § 319.56–83. Those plant pests associated with the because this proposed rule is not importation pathway for fresh pummelo significant under Executive Order Commercial Consignments fruit from Thailand that are non-Insecta 12866. Only commercial consignments of (XCC, P. citriasiana, and P. citricarpa), In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 603, we fresh pummelo fruit from Thailand Insecta but not neutralized by have performed an initial regulatory would be accepted for import into the irradiation (E. cendanai and S. flexibility analysis, which is continental United States. Produce baltazari), and the pupae and adult summarized below, regarding the grown commercially is less likely to be forms of lepidoptera (C. sagittiferella, P. economic effects of this proposed rule infested with plant pests than citri, and P. endocarpa), require the on small entities. Copies of the full noncommercial consignments. application of additional mitigations. analysis are available by contacting the Noncommercial consignments are more Prior to packing, the fresh pummelo person listed under FOR FURTHER prone to infestations because the fruit would have to be washed, brushed, INFORMATION CONTACT or on the commodity is often ripe to overripe, and disinfested. The fresh pummelo Regulations.gov website (see ADDRESSES could be of a variety with unknown fruit would also be required to be above for instructions for accessing susceptibility to pests, or is grown with submerged in a surfactant, treated for Regulations.gov). little or no pest control. Commercial XCC with an APHIS-approved surface Pummelo is a relatively minor citrus consignments, as defined in § 319.56–2, disinfectant, and treated for P. fruit for which there is limited are consignments that an inspector citriasiana and P. citricarpa with an information. There are no official identifies as having been imported for APHIS-approved fungicide. These statistics on the volume or value of sale and distribution. Such packinghouse processing requirements pummelos produced or consumed in the identification is based on a variety of will ensure that all pests of concern not United States. Agricultural statistics for indicators, including, but not limited to: mitigated by irradiation are removed California report that the area planted in Quantity of produce, type of packing, from the importation pathway. pummelo and hybrid groves in 2016 totaled 1,587 acres. California identification of grower or packinghouse Phytosanitary Certificate on the packaging, and documents production that year totaled 540,000 consigning the fruits or vegetables to a A phytosanitary certificate issued by boxes, or about 19,595 metric tons, and wholesaler or retailer. the NPPO of Thailand would have to had a farm gate value of $9.04 million. accompany each consignment of fresh The expected volume of imports from Treatments pummelo fruit. If the fresh pummelo Thailand would be the equivalent of Under this proposed rule, fresh fruit was irradiated in Thailand, the about 1 percent of California’s pummelo pummelo fruit from Thailand would be fresh pummelo fruit would have to be production. Unofficially, there are about required to be treated with a minimum jointly