Animal Welfare; Marine Mammals

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

9 CFR Parts 1 and 3

[Docket No. 93-076-5]

RIN 0579-AA59

Animal Welfare; Marine Mammals

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: We are extending the comment period for our proposed rule

regarding the establishment of standards for ``swim-with-the-dolphin''

interactive programs. This extension will provide interested persons

with additional time to prepare comments on the proposed rule.

DATES: Consideration will be given only to comments on Docket No. 3-

076-2 that are received on or before March 13, 1995.

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

Chief, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, USDA, P.O.

Drawer 810, Riverdale, MD 20738. Please state that your comments refer

to Docket No. 93-076-2. Comments received may be inspected at USDA,

room 1141, South Building, 14th Street and Independence Ave. 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: Dr. Barbara Kohn, Senior Staff

Veterinarian, Animal Care Staff, Regulatory Enforcement and Animal

Care, APHIS, USDA, P.O. Drawer 810, Riverdale, MD 20738, (301) 734-

8699.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 23, 1995, we published in the

Federal Register (60 FR 4383-4389, Docket No. 93-076-2) a proposal to

amend the Animal Welfare regulations to establish standards for ``swim-

with-the-dolphin'' interactive programs.

Comments regarding the proposed rule were required to be received

on or before February 22, 1995. During the comment period, we received

a request that we extend the comment period beyond February 22. The

requestor, a marine mammal industry association, stated that additional

time was necessary to allow its members to meet and to formulate

comments.

In response to this request, on February 28, 1995, we published a

notice in the Federal Register (60 FR 10810, Docket No. 93-076-4),

reopening and extending the comment period for Docket No. 93-076-2

through March 9, 1995. However, the March 9 date was an error. We had

intended to extend the comment period through March 13, 1995.

Therefore, in this notice, we are extending the comment period for

Docket No. 93-076-2 through March 13, 1995. This will allow time for

the requestor and other interested persons to develop comments on the

proposed rule.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 2131-2159; 7 CFR 2.17, 2.51, and 371.2(g).

Done in Washington, DC, this 6th day of March 1995.

Terry L. Medley,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 95-5807 Filed 3-8-95; 8:45 am]

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