98-33444. Solid Wood Packing Material From China  

  • [Federal Register Volume 63, Number 242 (Thursday, December 17, 1998)]
    [Rules and Regulations]
    [Pages 69539-69543]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 98-33444]
    
    
    
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    Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 242 / Thursday, December 17, 1998 / 
    Rules and Regulations
    
    [[Page 69539]]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
    
    Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
    
    7 CFR Part 319
    
    [Docket No. 98-087-4]
    RIN 0579-AB01
    
    
    Solid Wood Packing Material From China
    
    AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
    
    ACTION: Interim rule.
    
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    SUMMARY: This document amends an interim rule published in the Federal 
    Register on September 18, 1998, and effective December 17, 1998. That 
    interim rule amends the regulations for importing logs, lumber, and 
    other unmanufactured wood articles by adding treatment and 
    documentation requirements for solid wood packing material imported 
    from the Peoples Republic of China, including the Hong Kong Special 
    Administrative Region. We are amending certain provisions of that rule 
    regarding two documents, the official certificate and the exporter 
    statement, and provisions regarding use of these documents for the 
    entry of goods imported into the United States from the Peoples 
    Republic of China including Hong Kong. We are adding a provision 
    regarding a third document, the importer statement. We are making these 
    changes to better coordinate the requirements of the rule with the 
    United States Customs Service's electronic Automated Broker Interface 
    system and entry operations procedures.
    
    DATES: Interim rule effective December 17, 1998. Consideration will be 
    given only to comments received on or before February 16, 1999.
    
    ADDRESSES: Please send an original and three copies of your comments to 
    Docket No. 98-087-4, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, 
    suite 3C03, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please 
    state that your comments refer to Docket No. 98-087-4. Comments 
    received may be inspected at USDA, room 1141, South Building, 14th 
    Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 
    4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Persons wishing to 
    inspect comments are requested to call ahead on (202) 690-2817 to 
    facilitate entry into the comment reading room.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ronald Campbell, Import 
    Specialist, Phytosanitary Issues Management Team, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 
    River Road Unit 140, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236, (301) 734-6799.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    
    Background
    
        The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates 
    the importation of logs, lumber, and other unmanufactured wood articles 
    to prevent the introduction into the United States of dangerous plant 
    pests, including forest pests.
        On September 18, 1998, we published in the Federal Register (63 FR 
    50100-50111, Docket No. 98-087-1) an interim rule that amended the 
    regulations by imposing certain requirements on imported solid wood 
    packing material (SWPM) from the Peoples Republic of China (referred to 
    below as the PRC), including the Hong Kong Special Administrative 
    Region (referred to below as Hong Kong). That interim rule was 
    promulgated in order to prevent the introduction and establishment of 
    the Asian longhorned beetle and other dangerous plant pests associated 
    with SWPM from the PRC including Hong Kong. Under that rule (referred 
    to below as the interim rule), if a commercial shipment from the PRC 
    including Hong Kong contains SWPM, then prior to departure from the PRC 
    including Hong Kong the SWPM must be heat treated, fumigated, or 
    treated with preservatives 1, and must be accompanied by a 
    certificate signed by an official of a responsible government agency 
    that documents the treatment of the SWPM. The interim rule also 
    required that commercial shipments from the PRC including Hong Kong 
    that do not contain any SWPM include an exporter statement on, or 
    attached to, the commercial invoice and as an attachment to the bill of 
    lading stating that the shipment contains no SWPM.
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        \1\ Allowed preservatives must use a product that is registered 
    by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, applied in 
    accordance with label directions. In response to questions from 
    industry, APHIS wishes to give notice that registered borate 
    products are one allowed preservative.
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        Since publication of the interim rule, in the course of 
    coordinating with the United States Customs Service (referred to below 
    as Customs) to prepare for implementation of the rule, we have become 
    aware of several potential problems that could be caused by the 
    language of the interim rule. These potential problems concern four 
    areas: (1) What types of shipments are regulated; (2) location and 
    presentation of documents required by the interim rule; (3) identity of 
    authorities authorized to issue certificates required by the interim 
    rule; and (4) liability of importers under the Customs import bond and 
    the international carrier bond. The changes we are making to address 
    these four problem areas are discussed below.
    
    What Types of Shipments Are Regulated
    
        The earlier interim rule imposed requirements on articles and SWPM 
    ``from China,'' which resulted in some confusion regarding 
    transshipments, through ports of the PRC including Hong Kong, of cargo 
    from other countries, and whether merchandise and SWPM from another 
    country would be regulated if it was transshipped through the Peoples 
    Republic of China including Hong Kong en route to the United States. 
    This current rule uses the terms ``merchandise exported from the PRC 
    including Hong Kong accompanied by solid wood packing material'' and 
    ``merchandise exported from the PRC including Hong Kong not accompanied 
    by any solid wood packing material.'' We have also added a prefatory 
    sentence reading ``This paragraph does not apply to shipments 
    transitting the Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong from 
    other countries en route to the United States, unless other merchandise 
    or solid wood packing material is added to such shipments while in the 
    Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong.'' In both the original 
    interim rule and this amendment, APHIS intends the
    
    [[Page 69540]]
    
    regulatory requirements to apply to merchandise and SWPM from the 
    Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong, not to merchandise and 
    SWPM that originated in other countries and were merely transshipped 
    through PRC or Hong Kong ports en route to the United States. So, for 
    example, merchandise from Europe packed in SWPM from Europe that was 
    transshipped through Hong Kong would not be subject to the regulations; 
    but if merchandise or SWPM was added to that shipment in Hong Kong, 
    that merchandise and SWPM would be subject to the regulations.
        As discussed in the interim rule, Hong Kong as well as the mainland 
    of China is subject to regulation due to the close and unique economic 
    connections between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the 
    mainland of China, and the fact that about half of the mainland of 
    China's exports to the United States go through Hong Kong. 
    Additionally, Hong Kong does not produce any SWPM from its own forests 
    and obtains the bulk of its SWPM from the mainland of China. Because 
    there are no internal controls in the PRC to prevent the movement of 
    the pests of concern, there is a significant risk that the SWPM Hong 
    Kong obtains from the mainland of China and uses to export Hong Kong 
    goods to the United States could introduce pests into the United States 
    unless the SWPM is treated in accordance with the regulations.
    
    Location and Presentation of Documents Required by the Interim Rule
    
        The interim rule required that SWPM from the PRC including Hong 
    Kong ``be accompanied by'' the required government certificate, and 
    that shipments of merchandise from the PRC including Hong Kong that 
    contain no SWPM must have an exporter statement ``on or attached to the 
    commercial invoice and as an attachment to the bill of lading.''
        Attachment of certificates and exporter statements could greatly 
    increase the size of vessel manifests. The purpose of requiring 
    documents to be attached was to allow inspectors at the port of entry 
    to confirm that the required documents exist.
        It is not necessary for the certificate to physically accompany the 
    shipment if the existence of the certificate is confirmed and a copy of 
    it is available to the inspector when needed. When cargo enters the 
    United States using Customs electronic entry procedures, the existence 
    of a certificate and the contact person who can provide a copy of the 
    certificate can be recorded in the Customs Automated Broker Interface 
    (ABI) discussed below. Therefore, this rule will not require that a 
    certificate accompany a shipment containing SWPM from the PRC including 
    Hong Kong, if the pertinent entry summary has been electronically filed 
    in the Customs ABI. Instead, the rule will require that an importer 
    must have on file in his or her office a certificate accurately 
    documenting the treatment of the SWPM. The importer must also have on 
    file an importer statement, which is a written statement by the 
    importer affirming that the importer has on file at his or her office 
    the required certificate. This importer statement will be useful in 
    enforcing the regulations because in the importer statement the 
    importer attests to awareness of and compliance with the certificate 
    requirement. The importer must produce a copy of the certificate and 
    the importer statement if requested by an inspector. The importer must 
    retain copies of these two documents in its office for a period of one 
    year following the date of importation.
        For importers who do not employ ABI filing for their shipments, the 
    rule will continue to require that a copy of the certificate accompany 
    the shipment. These importers, however, must also have a copy of the 
    certificate and importer statement on file at their office and retain 
    them for a period of one year following the date of importation.
        While using ABI records will allow inspectors to avoid having to 
    examine the certificate for every certified shipment from the PRC 
    including Hong Kong, it is necessary that an exporter statement be 
    available in the paperwork associated with every shipment that does not 
    contain SWPM. This is because APHIS enforcement activities at ports 
    usually begin with examination of manifests and other cargo documents, 
    and an exporter statement attached to these documents is the basis for 
    distinguishing between shipments that contain regulated SWPM and 
    shipments that do not. In other words, an inspector reviewing manifests 
    and bills of lading must assume that any shipment that does not have an 
    exporter statement in these documents should contain SWPM, and 
    therefore has a certificate and importer statement on file in the 
    importer's office. Any shipment that does not contain SWPM, but lacks 
    an exporter statement documenting this fact attached to the associated 
    paperwork, may be delayed while the inspector determines through 
    inspection that it does not contain SWPM.
        Therefore, we are continuing to require that an exporter statement 
    be presented at the port, rather than be available on file in the 
    importer's office. However, to provide more options for presenting the 
    exporter statement, we are changing the requirement that it be attached 
    to both the commercial invoice and the bill of lading. Instead, it may 
    be attached to the bill of lading, commercial invoice, or airway bill, 
    or may be supplied to the inspector at the port of arrival prior to 
    arrival of the cargo. In this last case the exporter statement would 
    not need to accompany the bill of lading, invoice, or airway bill.
        Thus, an importer using ABI must ensure that a certificate has been 
    issued for his shipment if it contains SWPM from the Peoples Republic 
    of China including Hong Kong, and must keep this certificate along with 
    the importer statement on file in his or her office, and must produce 
    them if requested by an inspector. Importers who do not use ABI must 
    ensure that a copy of the certificate accompanies their shipment, and 
    that the certificate and importer statement are on file in his or her 
    office. For shipments from the PRC including Hong Kong containing no 
    SWPM, the importer must present an exporter statement by either 
    attaching it to papers accompanying the shipment, or by sending it 
    (e.g., by fax) in advance to the port of arrival.
        We anticipate that brokers and importers will make extensive use of 
    fax transmission to provide inspectors with copies of certificates the 
    inspectors request, and to send inspectors exporter statements in 
    advance of the arrival of cargo. We will be enhancing the capabilities 
    of affected ports to receive large volumes of faxes, and will widely 
    publish the port fax machine telephone numbers.
        Additionally, as described below, brokers who use the ABI for their 
    shipments must indicate the existence of a certificate or exporter 
    statement for a shipment in the appropriate field of the ABI. (Customs 
    is currently developing ABI fields for this purpose, and instructions 
    to ABI users.) Inspectors will thus be able to use ABI data to see 
    whether the importer states that a certificate or exporter statement 
    exists for each shipment listed in the ABI (which is currently used for 
    over 75 percent of all seaborne cargo shipments).
        The ABI is being modified to include new fields for cargo imported 
    from the PRC including Hong Kong (at a minimum, one field documenting 
    existence of a certificate and that the shipment contains SWPM, and 
    another field documenting the existence of an exporter statement and 
    that the shipment does not contain SWPM).
    
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    Because the electronic filing protocol will not accept a filing for 
    cargo from the PRC including Hong Kong unless the broker making the 
    filing completes one of these two fields, the revised ABI will help 
    ensure that brokers and importers are aware of the APHIS regulatory 
    requirements for SWPM. We expect this feature will greatly enhance 
    awareness of and compliance with the regulations.
        On another topic related to the location and presentation of 
    documents required by the regulations, we are adding a new paragraph 
    Sec. 319.40-5(i), ``Special provisions for air overnight couriers and 
    air express delivery companies.'' This paragraph clarifies that 
    companies that carry express delivery packages from the PRC including 
    Hong Kong to the United States for many different customers may present 
    a single certificate, exporter statement, or both (as appropriate under 
    the regulations) for each aircraft carrying their packages for delivery 
    in the United States. The company may present a single certificate if 
    it has arranged treatment of all the SWPM on the flight, or it may 
    present multiple certificates if the flight carries multiple packages 
    containing SWPM that were accepted for delivery from multiple 
    customers, each of whom arranged treatment and certification of their 
    own packages. The company may also present a single exporter statement 
    if it determines that all packages on the flight not accompanied by 
    certificates are free from SWPM. Alternatively, the company may present 
    more than one exporter statement if it finds, for instance, that it is 
    more convenient to have individual customers write exporter statements 
    for their own packages.
        As provided by the original interim rule, if an importer does not 
    present the required documents, or is otherwise in violation of the 
    regulations, inspectors at the port of entry can order the shipment to 
    be reexported. If there is no immediate plant pest risk and appropriate 
    facilities ara available for use, inspectors may allow the SWPM to be 
    separated from the cargo and reexported or destroyed. Separation of the 
    cargo from the SWPM will only be allowed if the inspector determines 
    this may be done without risk of spreading plant pests. If there is no 
    secure area in which a shipment can be stored until the importer 
    produces required documentation, or if there is no secure area where 
    separation of cargo and SWPM can occur, or if separation cannot be done 
    in a manner to prevent risk of pests escaping, the inspector will order 
    the shipment reexported.
    
    Identity of National Authorities Authorized To Issue Certificates 
    Required by the Interim Rule
    
        It appears that readers of the interim rule would like further 
    guidance on which national authorities may issue certificates. 
    Therefore, we are changing the phrase ``a certificate signed by an 
    official of a Chinese government agency authorized by the national 
    government of China,'' to read ``a certificate signed by an official of 
    the applicable government agency authorized by the government of the 
    Peoples Republic of China or the government of the Hong Kong Special 
    Administrative Region.'' To make it perfectly clear that the 
    regulations apply to Hong Kong, we are also changing several references 
    to articles ``from China'' to read ``from the Peoples Republic of China 
    including Hong Kong.''
    
    Liability Under the Import Bond and the International Carrier Bond
    
        The interim rule explained how APHIS would charge user fees for 
    certain activities required to enter cargo from the PRC including Hong 
    Kong in accordance with the regulations, but did not specifically 
    discuss the overall liability of importers and carriers under the 
    interim rule. This amendment includes a new paragraph, Sec. 319.40-
    5(k), that describes the liability of importers. The new paragraph on 
    liability states that ``Any failure of an importer to comply with any 
    of the provisions regarding the maintenance or presentation of records 
    or information as prescribed in this subpart may result in liability 
    under the Customs basic import bond. Any failure of a carrier to comply 
    with any of the provisions regarding the maintenance or presentation of 
    records or information as prescribed in this subpart may result in 
    liability under the international carrier bond.'' Paragraphs (g)(6) and 
    (h) of Sec. 319.40-5 in this amendment also discuss importers' costs 
    associated with inspection, separation, and destruction or 
    reexportation of any solid wood packing material. This amendment adds 
    the sentence ``Any such costs may be charged to the importer's customs 
    bond'' to those paragraphs.
    
    Immediate Action
    
        The Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
    has determined that there is good cause for publishing this interim 
    rule without prior opportunity for public comment. Immediate action is 
    necessary to prevent further introduction and spread of exotic pests 
    associated with SWPM from the Peoples Republic of China including Hong 
    Kong.
        Because prior notice and other public procedures with respect to 
    this action are impracticable and contrary to the public interest under 
    these conditions, we find good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553 to make this 
    rule effective on December 17, 1998. We will consider comments that are 
    received within 60 days of publication of this rule in the Federal 
    Register. After the comment period closes, we will publish another 
    document in the Federal Register. The document will include a 
    discussion of any comments we receive and any amendments we are making 
    to the rule as a result of the comments.
    
    Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory Flexibility Act
    
        This interim rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12866. 
    The rule has been determined to be not significant for the purposes of 
    Executive Order 12866 and, therefore, has not been reviewed by the 
    Office of Management and Budget.
        This interim rule makes minor changes regarding documentation and 
    entry procedures to the earlier interim rule published on September 18, 
    1998 (63 FR 50100-50111, Docket No. 98-087-1) affecting importation of 
    solid wood packing materials from the PRC including Hong Kong. Please 
    refer to the text of that rule for a discussion of its effects under 
    Executive Order 12886 and the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
    
    Executive Order 12988
    
        This rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, Civil 
    Justice Reform. This rule: (1) Preempts all State and local laws and 
    regulations that are inconsistent with this rule; (2) has no 
    retroactive effect; and (3) does not require administrative proceedings 
    before parties may file suit in court challenging this rule.
    
    National Environmental Policy Act and Environmental Effects Abroad 
    of Major Federal Actions
    
        An environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact 
    have been prepared for the earlier interim rule published on September 
    18, 1998 (63 FR 50100-50111, Docket No. 98-087-1). This new interim 
    rule will not result in any environmental effects not discussed in that 
    environmental assessment.
    
    Paperwork Reduction Act
    
        In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
    3501 et seq.), the information collection or recordkeeping requirements 
    included in
    
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    this rule have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget 
    (OMB) under OMB control number 0579-0135.
    
    List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 319
    
        Bees, Coffee, Cotton, Fruits, Honey, Imports, Incorporation by 
    reference, Nursery Stock, Plant diseases and pests, Quarantine, 
    Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Rice, Vegetables.
    
        Accordingly, we are amending 7 CFR part 319 as follows:
    
    PART 319--FOREIGN QUARANTINE NOTICES
    
        1. The authority citation for part 319 continues to read as 
    follows:
    
        Authority: 7 U.S.C. 150dd, 150ee, 150ff, 151-167, 450, 2803, and 
    2809; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(c).
    
        2. In Sec. 319.40-1, a new definition is added in alphabetical 
    order to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 319.40-1  Definitions
    
    * * * * *
        Importer statement. A written declaration by the importer, for a 
    shipment containing solid wood packing material from the Peoples 
    Republic of China including Hong Kong, affirming that the importer has 
    on file at his or her office the certificate required under 
    Sec. 319.40-5(g)(2)(i).
    * * * * *
    
    
    Sec. 319.40-3  [Amended]
    
        3. In Sec. 319.40-3, paragraphs (b)(1), (b)(2), and (b)(3), the 
    first sentence of the introductory text in each paragraph is amended by 
    removing the phrase ``from China must be imported in accordance with 
    Sec. 319.40-5(g)'' and adding in its place the phrase ``from the 
    Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong must be imported in 
    accordance with Sec. 319.40-5(g), (h), and (i).''
        4. In Sec. 319.40-5, paragraphs (g) and (h) are revised, and new 
    paragraphs (i), (j), and (k) are added, to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 319.40-5  Importation and entry requirements for specified 
    articles.
    
    * * * * *
        (g) Solid wood packing material and merchandise from the Peoples 
    Republic of China including Hong Kong. This paragraph does not apply to 
    shipments transitting the Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong 
    from other countries en route to the United States, unless merchandise 
    or solid wood packing material is added to such shipments while in the 
    Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong. Otherwise, merchandise 
    exported from the Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong that is 
    accompanied by solid wood packing material may only be entered into the 
    United States in accordance with this paragraph (g) and paragraph (i) 
    of this section. This restriction applies to both merchandise that 
    originated in the Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong and 
    merchandise that entered the Peoples Republic of China including Hong 
    Kong for further processing or packaging, regardless of whether the 
    merchandise moves directly from the Peoples Republic of China including 
    Hong Kong to the United States or transits other countries en route to 
    the United States.
        (1) Prior to exportation from the Peoples Republic of China 
    including Hong Kong, any solid wood packing material must be heat 
    treated, fumigated, or treated with preservatives, using a treatment 
    schedule contained in Sec. 319.40-7 or in the Plant Protection and 
    Quarantine Treatment Manual, which is incorporated by reference at 
    Sec. 300.1 of this chapter. During the entire interval between 
    treatment and export the solid wood packing material must be stored, 
    handled, or safeguarded in a manner which excludes any infestation of 
    the solid wood packing material by plant pests.
        (2) Any merchandise accompanied by solid wood packing material 
    exported from the Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong may 
    only be entered if the importer has on file at its office, and retains 
    there for a period of one year following the date of importation, the 
    following documents:
        (i) A certificate signed by an official of the applicable 
    government agency authorized by the government of the Peoples Republic 
    of China or the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative 
    Region, stating that the solid wood packing material, prior to export 
    from the Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong, has been heat 
    treated, fumigated, or treated with preservatives using a treatment 
    schedule contained in Sec. 319.40-7 or in the Plant Protection and 
    Quarantine Treatment Manual, and
        (ii) An importer statement (a written statement by the importer 
    affirming that the importer has on file at his or her office the 
    certificate required under paragraph (g)(2)(i) of this section).
        (3) In addition to the document requirements of paragraph (g)(2) of 
    this section, a copy of the certificate must accompany all shipments 
    that do not enter using the United States Customs Service's electronic 
    entry filing and Automated Broker Interface.
        (4) Upon the request of an APHIS inspector or a United States 
    Customs Service officer, the importer must produce a copy of the 
    certificate and importer statement issued for any shipment.
        (5) At their option, in order to expedite release of a shipment, an 
    importer may provide a certificate to the APHIS inspector at the port 
    of first arrival prior to the arrival of the shipment. Exporters may 
    also at their option, in order to expedite release of their shipment at 
    the port of first arrival, arrange to have each article of solid wood 
    packing material that has been treated marked at the treatment facility 
    with a stamp or weatherproof label that reads CHINA TREATED. This type 
    of marking, however, is not a substitute for the required certificate.
        (6) If an APHIS inspector determines that a shipment imported from 
    the Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong contains plant pests, 
    or contains solid wood packing material that was not heat treated, 
    fumigated, or treated with preservatives, the APHIS inspector may 
    refuse entry of the entire shipment (merchandise and solid wood packing 
    material). If an importer does not produce upon request by an APHIS 
    inspector the certificate required for a shipment imported from the 
    Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong containing solid wood 
    packing material, the APHIS inspector may refuse entry into the United 
    States of the entire shipment (merchandise and solid wood packing 
    material) until the certificate is produced. For any shipment refused 
    entry, if the APHIS inspector determines that the merchandise may be 
    separated from the solid wood packing material and that the solid wood 
    packing material may be destroyed or reexported without risk of 
    spreading plant pests, the inspector may allow the importer to separate 
    the merchandise from the solid wood packing material at a location and 
    within a time period specified by the inspector to prevent the 
    dissemination of plant pests, and destroy or reexport the solid wood 
    packing material under supervision of an inspector. The means used to 
    destroy solid wood packing material under this section must be 
    incineration, or chipping followed by incineration. The importer shall 
    be responsible for all costs associated with inspection, separation, 
    and destruction or reexportation of any solid wood packing material, 
    including costs of the services of an inspector to monitor such 
    activities, in accordance with Sec. 354.3(j) of this chapter. Any such 
    costs may be charged to the importer's customs bond.
        (h) Cargo from the Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong 
    that does
    
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    not contain solid wood packing material. Merchandise exported from the 
    Peoples Republic of China including Hong Kong that is not accompanied 
    by any solid wood packing material must have attached to the commercial 
    invoice, the bill of lading, or the airway bill, an exporter statement 
    stating that the shipment contains no solid wood packing material. As 
    an alternative to attaching the exporter statement to the paperwork 
    presented at entry, the importer may provide the exporter statement to 
    the APHIS inspector at the port of entry prior to arrival of the 
    shipment. Any shipment is subject to inspection for solid wood packing 
    material, and if such inspection is ordered by an inspector, the 
    shipment will not be granted entry into the United States prior to 
    completion of the inspection. If the inspection reveals solid wood 
    packing material, the inspector may refuse entry into the United States 
    of the entire shipment (merchandise and solid wood packing material). 
    Any shipment refused entry will be handled in accordance with the 
    procedures in paragraph (g)(6) of this section. The importer shall be 
    responsible for all costs associated with inspection, separation, and 
    destruction or reexportation of any solid wood packing material, 
    including costs of the services of an inspector to monitor such 
    activities in accordance with Sec. 354.3(j) of this chapter. Any such 
    costs may be charged to the importer's customs bond.
        (i) Special provisions for air overnight couriers and air express 
    delivery companies. Overnight couriers and express delivery companies 
    must present to an APHIS inspector at the port of first arrival, at or 
    prior to the time of entry, one or more certificates for each arriving 
    aircraft that carries packages employing solid wood packing material. 
    The company may present one certificate in cases where the company has 
    arranged treatment of all solid wood packing material on the flight, 
    and may present multiple certificates in cases where packages with 
    solid wood packing material were accepted for delivery by the company 
    from multiple customers, each of whom arranged for treatment and 
    certification of their respective packages. The certificates must be 
    signed by an official of the applicable government agency authorized by 
    the government of the Peoples Republic of China or the Hong Kong 
    Special Administrative Region, and must state that the solid wood 
    packing material, prior to export from the Peoples Republic of China 
    including Hong Kong, has been heat treated, fumigated, or treated with 
    preservatives using a treatment schedule contained in Sec. 319.40-7 or 
    in the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual. If the 
    aircraft contains no packages that employ solid wood packing material, 
    or contains both packages that do and do not employ solid wood packing 
    material, the overnight courier or express delivery company must also 
    present to an APHIS inspector at the port of first arrival, at or prior 
    to the time of entry, one or more exporter statements stating that the 
    packages on the aircraft not covered by a certificate contain no solid 
    wood packing material.
        (j) Customs entry or entry summary filing requirements. By 
    instruction, the United States Customs Service will inform importers of 
    any information that may be required on entry or entry summary 
    documentation under the Automated Broker Interface or other entry 
    filing systems, electronic or otherwise, with regard to recording the 
    existence of certificates, importer statements affirming that the 
    importer has on file at his or her office any certificate required, and 
    exporter statements that there is no solid wood packing material in a 
    shipment.
        (k) Liability under the Customs import bond and international 
    carrier bond. Any failure of an importer to comply with any of the 
    provisions regarding the maintenance or presentation of records or 
    information as prescribed in this subpart may result in liability under 
    the Customs basic import bond. Any failure of a carrier to comply with 
    any of the provisions regarding the maintenance or presentation of 
    records or information as prescribed in this subpart may result in 
    liability under the international carrier bond.
    
        Done in Washington, DC, this 14th day of December 1998.
    Craig A. Reed,
    Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
    [FR Doc. 98-33444 Filed 12-14-98; 3:33 pm]
    BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Effective Date:
12/17/1998
Published:
12/17/1998
Department:
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Entry Type:
Rule
Action:
Interim rule.
Document Number:
98-33444
Dates:
Interim rule effective December 17, 1998. Consideration will be given only to comments received on or before February 16, 1999.
Pages:
69539-69543 (5 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Docket No. 98-087-4
RINs:
0579-AB01
PDF File:
98-33444.pdf
CFR: (7)
7 CFR 319.40-5(g)''
7 CFR 319.40-5(g)(2)(i)
7 CFR 319.40-5(i)
7 CFR 300.1
7 CFR 319.40-1
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