2010-32768. Asian Longhorned Beetle; Quarantined Area and Regulated Articles

AGENCY:

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION:

Affirmation of interim rule as final rule.

SUMMARY:

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the Asian longhorned beetle regulations by adding a portion of Worcester County, MA, to the list of quarantined areas and restricting the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area. The interim rule also updated the list of regulated articles in order to reflect new information concerning host plants. The interim rule was necessary to prevent the artificial spread of Asian longhorned beetle to noninfested areas of the United States. As a result of the interim rule, the interstate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined area is restricted.

DATES:

Effective on December 29, 2010, we are adopting as a final rule the interim rule published at 75 FR 34320-34322 on June 17, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Claudia Ferguson, Regulatory Policy Specialist, Regulations, Permits, and Import Manuals, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB, Anoplophora glabripennis), an insect native to China, Japan, Korea, and the Isle of Hainan, is a destructive pest of hardwood trees. It attacks many healthy hardwood trees, including maple, horse chestnut, birch, poplar, willow, and elm. In addition, nursery stock, logs, green lumber, firewood, stumps, roots, branches, and wood debris of half an inch or more in diameter are subject to infestation. The beetle bores into the heartwood of a host tree, eventually killing the tree. Immature beetles bore into tree trunks and branches, causing heavy sap flow from wounds and sawdust accumulation at tree bases. They feed on, and over-winter in, the interiors of trees. Adult beetles emerge in the spring and summer months from round holes approximately three-eighths of an inch in diameter (about the size of a dime) that they bore through branches and trunks of trees. After emerging, adult beetles feed for 2 to 3 days and then mate. Adult females then lay eggs in oviposition sites that they make on the branches of trees. A new generation of ALB is produced each year. If this pest moves into the hardwood forests of the United States, the nursery, maple syrup, and forest product industries could experience severe economic losses. In addition, urban and forest ALB infestations will result in environmental damage, aesthetic deterioration, and a reduction of public enjoyment of recreational spaces.

In an interim rule ^[1] effective and published in the Federal Register on June 17, 2010 (75 FR 34320-34322, Docket No. APHIS-2010-0004), we amended the Asian longhorned beetle regulations in 7 CFR part 301 by adding a portion of Worcester County, MA, to the list of quarantined areas, restricting the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area, and updating the list of regulated articles to include the Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum spp).

Comments on the interim rule were required to be received on or before August 16, 2010. We did not receive any comments. Therefore, for the reasons given in the interim rule, we are adopting the interim rule as a final rule without change.

This action also affirms the information contained in the interim rule concerning Executive Order 12866 and the Regulatory Flexibility Act, Executive Orders 12372 and 12988, and the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Further, for this action, the Office of Management and Budget has waived its review under Executive Order 12866.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 301

• Agricultural commodities
• Plant diseases and pests
• Quarantine
• Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
• Transportation

PART 301—DOMESTIC QUARANTINE NOTICES

Accordingly, we are adopting as a final rule, without change, the interim rule that amended 7 CFR part 301 and that was published at 75 FR 34320-34322 on June 17, 2010.

Done in Washington, DC on December 22, 2010.

Kevin Shea,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Footnotes

1.  To view the interim rule, go to http://www.regulations.gov/​fdmspublic/​component/​main?​main=​DocketDetail&​d=​APHIS-2010-0004.