[PCA] Change to Nursery Stock Regulations

[Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov]

This message is being cross-posted.

The DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is
currently accepting comments on an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking
regarding their Nursery Stock Regulations.  This pertains to imports of
propagative material with an eye toward, among other things, preventing
imports of plant pests or invasive species.  They are seeking information
about which many of you may have insight.

A summary of the notice is provided below.
To see the full document,
1. Go to: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/
2. Under the second heading (1994 (Volume 59) through 2005 (Volume 70)),
click on "Simple"
3. Select Volume 69
4. In the search block, type: "Nursery stock regulations"  (include the
quotation marks)
5. Click on "submit"

The notice provides several options for submitting comments.  Comments will
be accepted until March 10, 2005.

Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist - Division of Scientific Authority
Chair - Plant Conservation Alliance - Medicinal Plant Working Group
US Fish & Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 750
Arlington, VA  22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276
Working for the conservation and sustainable use of our green natural
resources.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>

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Federal Register
71736
Vol. 69, No. 237
Friday, December 10, 2004

Nursery Stock Regulations

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed
rulemaking and request for comments.

SUMMARY: We are soliciting public
comment on whether and how we
should amend the regulations that
govern the importation of nursery stock,
also known as plants for planting.
Under the current regulations, all plants
for planting are allowed to enter the
United States if they are accompanied
by a phytosanitary certificate and if they
are inspected and found to be free of
plant pests, unless their importation is
specifically prohibited or further
restricted by the regulations. We are
considering several possible changes to
this approach, including establishing a
category in the regulations for plants for
planting that would be excluded from
importation pending risk evaluation and
approval; developing ongoing programs
to reduce the risk of entry and
establishment of quarantine pests via
imported plants for planting; combining
existing regulations governing the
importation of plants for planting into
one subpart; and reevaluating the risks
posed by importation of plants for
planting whose importation is currently
prohibited. We are also considering how
to best collect data on current imports
of plants for planting so we can
accurately ascertain the volume, type,
and origin of such plants entering the
United States. We are soliciting public
comment on these issues to help us
determine what changes we should
propose to improve our regulations and
which of these changes should be
assigned the highest priority for
implementation.

DATES: We will consider all comments
that we receive on or before March 10,
2005