Federal Register: December 20, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 245)
DOCID: FR Doc 02-32059
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Docket ID: [Docket No. 98-090-4]
NOTICE: NOTICES
ACTION: Environmental statements; availability, etc.:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
Recognition of Animal Disease Status of Regions in the European Union; Availability of Environmental Assessments and Request for Comments
DATES: We invite you to comment on the environmental assessments. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before January 21, 2003.
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
We are informing the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared two environmental assessments for a proposal to do the following: (1) Recognize a region in the European Union as a region in which hog cholera (classical swine fever) is not known to exist, and from which breeding swine, swine semen, and pork and pork products may be imported into the United States under certain conditions; and (2) recognize Greece and certain Regions in Italy as free of swine vesicular disease. The environmental assessments document our review and analysis of environmental impacts associated with the proposal. We are making these environmental assessments available to the public for review and comment.
SUMMARY:
European Union regions; animal disease status recognition,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Background
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture regulates the importation of animals and animal products into the United States to guard against the introduction of animal diseases not currently present or prevalent in this country. The regulations pertaining to the importation of animals and animal products are set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), title 9, chapter I, subchapter D (9 CFR parts 91 through 99).
On June 25, 1999, we published in the Federal Register (64 FR 3415534168, Docket No. 980901) a proposal to amend the regulations by recognizingwith the exception of specified areas in Germany and Italythe countries of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain as a region in which hog cholera (classical swine fever (CSF)) is not known to exist, and from which breeding swine, swine semen, and pork and pork products may be imported into the United States under certain conditions.
We also proposed to add Greece and eight Regions in northern Italy to the list of regions recognized as free of swine vesicular disease (SVD). Additionally, we proposed to add Greece and the eight Regions in Italy to the list of SVDfree regions whose exports of pork and pork products to the United States are subject to certain restrictions because those regions either supplement their national pork supply with fresh (chilled or frozen) meat of animals from a region where SVD is considered to exist, have a common border with such regions, or conduct certain trade practices that are less restrictive than are acceptable to the United States.
In our proposed rule, we stated that we were preparing an environmental assessment in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (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). We also stated that when the environmental assessment was completed, we would inform the public through a notice in the Federal Register that it was available.
This notice announces the availability of two environmental assessments for public review and comment. They are titled ``Proposed Rule for Importation of Live Swine, Swine Semen, and Pork and Pork Products from Certain Regions Within the European Union, Environmental Assessment,'' dated October 2002; and ``Proposed Rule for Importation of Pork and Pork Products from Greece and Certain Regions of Italy, Environmental Assessment,'' also dated October 2002. The environmental assessments do not take into consideration any regions that had an outbreak of either CSF or SVD following publication of the June 1999 proposed rule and for which, consequently, import restrictions due to CSF or SVD would not be removed.
The environmental assessments may be viewed on the Internet at
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/es/vsdocs.html. You may request paper copies of the environmental assessments
[[Page 77960]]
from the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please
refer to the title of the environmental assessments when requesting
copies. The environmental assessments are also available for review in
our reading room (the location and hours of the reading room are listed
under the heading ADDRESSES at the beginning of this notice).
Done in Washington, DC, this 16th day of December 2002. Peter Fernandez,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. 0232059 Filed 121902; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 341034P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Dr. Gary Colgrove, Assistant Director, Sanitary Trade Issues Team, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 207371231; (301) 7348364.