Consolidation of the Fruit Fly Regulations

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 7 CFR Parts 301 and 305 [Docket No. APHIS-2007-0084] RIN 0579-AC57 AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: We are amending the regulations to consolidate our domestic regulations regarding exotic fruit flies. Currently, these regulations are contained in six separate subparts, each of which covers a different species of fruit fly, and each of these subparts has parallel sections that are substantially the same as the corresponding sections in the other subparts. Therefore, we are combining these six subparts into a single subpart. We are also modifying the regulations by adding a mechanism through which quarantined areas can be removed from regulation expeditiously. These actions eliminate duplication and enhance the flexibility of our regulatory program. DATES: Effective Date: July 9, 2008. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Wayne D. Burnett, Domestic Coordinator, Fruit Fly Exclusion and Detection Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 137, Riverdale, MD 20737-1234; (301) 734-4387. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background On September 18, 2007, we published in the Federal Register ( 72 FR 53171-53181 , Docket No. APHIS-2007-0084) a proposal  [ 1 ] to consolidate our domestic regulations regarding exotic fruit flies. These regulations have been maintained in six separate subparts, each of which covers a different species of fruit fly, and each of these…