Importation of Fruit Trees From France

SUMMARY: We are reopening and extending the comment period for our

proposed rule to allow Chaenomeles spp., Cydonia spp., Malus spp.,

Pyrus spp., and certain Prunus spp. plants (except seeds) to be

imported into the United States as restricted articles, if grown in

private nurseries in France and certified by the French plant

protection service to be free of various diseases. The same proposed

rule also would remove Laredo, TX, from the list of ports equipped with

plant inspection stations. This extension will provide interested

persons with additional time in which to prepare comments on the

proposed rule.

DATES: Consideration will be given only to written comments on Docket

No. 94-102-1 that are received on or before May 26, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and three copies of your comments to

Docket No. 94-102-1, 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. 94-102-1. 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. James Petit de Mange or Mr. Peter

Grosser, Operations Officers, Port Operations, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River

Road Unit 139, Riverdale, MD, 20737-1236, (301) 734-8645.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On March 13, 1995, we published in the Federal Register (60 FR

13382-13384, Docket No. 94-102-1) a proposed rule to amend Sec. 319.37-

5(b) of the regulations to allow Chaenomeles spp., Cydonia spp., Malus

spp., Pyrus spp., and certain Prunus spp. grown in private nurseries in

France to be imported as restricted articles into the United States

under the same conditions already applied to those same articles when

grown in government nurseries in France. In addition, we proposed to

amend Sec. 319.37-14(b) of the regulations by removing the port of

Laredo, TX, from the list of ports with plant inspection stations.

Comments on the proposed rule were required to be received on or before

April 12, 1995.

In response to a request, we are reopening and extending the public

comment period on Docket No. 94-102-1 until 30 days after the date of

publication of this notice in the Federal Register. During this period,

other interested persons may also submit their comments for our

consideration.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 150dd, 150ee, 150ff, 151-167, and 450; 21

U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR 2.17, 2.51, and 371.2(c).

Done in Washington, DC, this 20th day of April 1995.

Lonnie J. King,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 95-10243 Filed 4-25-95; 8:45 am]

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