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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 104 / Wednesday, June 2, 2021 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Docket No. APHIS20180066

Notice of Decision To Add Taxa of Plants for Planting That Are Quarantine Pests or Hosts of Quarantine Pests to the Lists of Plants for Planting Whose Importation Is Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

We are advising the public of our decision to add 26 taxa of plants for planting that are quarantine pests weeds, all Myrtaceae taxa when destined to Hawaii, and 43 other taxa of plants for planting that are hosts of 17 quarantine pests, to our lists of plants for planting whose importation is now not authorized pending pest risk analysis. A previous notice made datasheets available for public comment that listed the evidence we used to determine that the taxa are quarantine pests or hosts of quarantine pests. This notice responds to the comments we received and announces final versions of the datasheets.
DATES: The changes to the lists will be made on July 2, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Indira Singh, Botanist, Plants for Planting Policy, IRM, PPQ, APHIS, 4700
River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD
207371236; Indira.Singh@usda.gov;
301 8512020.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:

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Background Under the regulations in Subpart HPlants for Planting 7 CFR 319.37
1 through 319.3723, referred to below as the regulations, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service APHIS
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA prohibits or restricts the importation of plants for planting to prevent the introduction of quarantine pests into the United States. Quarantine pest is defined in 319.371 as a plant pest or noxious weed that is of potential economic importance to the United States and not yet present in the United States, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled.
The regulations in 319.374a provide for the listing of plants for planting whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis NAPPRA in order to prevent the introduction of quarantine pests into the
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United States. Those regulations establish two lists of taxa whose importation is NAPPRA: A list of taxa of plants for planting that are quarantine pests, and a list of taxa of plants for planting that are hosts of quarantine pests. Paragraph b of 319.374
describes the process for adding plant taxa to the NAPPRA category.
In accordance with that process, on November 25, 2019, we published in the Federal Register 84 FR 6482564826, Docket No. APHIS20180066 a notice 1 that announced our determination that 26 taxa of plants for planting are quarantine pests, and that all Myrtaceae taxa when destined to Hawaii and 43 other taxa of plants for planting are hosts of 18 2 quarantine pests. The notice also made available datasheets that detail the scientific evidence we evaluated in making the determination that the taxa are quarantine pests or hosts of a quarantine pest and are being added to the NAPPRA category.
We solicited comments concerning the notice and the datasheets for 60 days ending January 24, 2020, and extended the deadline for comments until February 25, 2020. We received 132
comments from producers, importers, industry groups, conservationists, scientists, plant pathologists, ecologists, administrators, teachers, students, and private citizens. This notice responds to the comments we received and announces the final versions of the datasheets.
Most commenters supported our addition of Myrtaceae 3 propagative material to Hawaii to the NAPPRA list because of the risk posed to important tree species, particularly ohia Metrosideros polymorpha, which is part of the native ecosystem and provides habitat for threatened and endangered animal species. Most commenters expressed no concerns with the other taxa we proposed to add to the NAPPRA list. Commenter concerns are addressed below by topic.
NAPPRA Lists One commenter stated that Crocosmia, Pterocarya, Tectona, Cassia, Abies, and many other species that APHIS designates as NAPPRA do not appear on the APHIS NAPPRA website 1 To view the notice, datasheets, and comments we received, go to www.regulations.gov and enter APHIS20180066 in the Search field.
2 The number of pests in the initial notice was 18, but is 17 in this notice, as the Bambusoideae taxa was subsequently removed from the quarantine pest list for reasons explained in this notice.
3 Myrtaceae is a host of Austropuccinia psidii, which is a quarantine pest only for the State of Hawaii.

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and that the only place where plant taxa are designated as NAPPRA is in the USDA Plants for Planting Manual. The commenter suggested that APHIS make a comprehensive list of all NAPPRA
plants, with pests of concern for each, so that the reasons why a previously approved plant can no longer come in are made clear to the public.
All NAPPRA plants are listed in chapter 6 of the USDA Plants for Planting Manual. The APHIS website also lists the NAPPRA weeds and hosts of quarantine pests of Round 1, Round 2, and Round 3.4 A 2018 final rule 5
moved about 120 plant genera, including Abies, Cassia, Crocosmia, Poaceae, and all herbaceous Fabaceae from the Prohibited List in 319.372a to the NAPPRA category. We intend to update our APHIS website to have a complete list of taxa restricted through NAPPRA notices.
Another commenter noted that hosts cited in a 2013 Asian longhorned beetle ALB/citrus longhorned beetle CLB
Federal Order 6 were included in a revised Federal Order but not added to the NAPPRA tables on the APHIS
website.
The commenter is correct. The 2013
ALB/CLB Federal Order added Cunninghamia, Pterocarya, and Tectona as hosts of Anoplophora chinensis. We will update the Round 1 table on the APHIS website accordingly.
One commenter suggested that APHIS
go to ports where non-native invasive species are likely to enter the United States and locate and remove all such pests 500 acres inland from the site. The commenter stated that this Early Detection and Rapid Response EDRR
has been successful in the past.
The purpose of EDRR is to detect, identify, assess, and make a rapid response to verified new domestic infestations that are determined to be invasive. The purpose of listing plants on NAPPRA is to prevent entry of unwanted plants and pests at United States ports of entry. Domestic issues involving new invasive species are therefore beyond the scope of this NAPPRA notice.
NAPPRA Exemptions In some cases, APHIS exempts imports of plants that are hosts of quarantine pests from NAPPRA
4 The NAPPRA lists can be viewed at https
www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/
import-information/permits/plants-and-plantproducts-permits/plants-for-planting/ct_nappra.
5 83 FR 1184511867, Docket No. APHIS2008
0011.
6 DA201318, Importation of Host Material of Anoplophora chinensis and A. glabripennis, May 9, 2013.

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