Imported Fire Ant; Approved Treatments

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

7 CFR Part 301

[Docket No. 96-063-2]

Imported Fire Ant; Approved Treatments

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Withdrawal of a direct final rule.

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SUMMARY: This document withdraws the direct final rule that notified

the public of our intention to amend the imported fire ant regulations.

The direct final rule was to lengthen the certification period for

containerized nursery stock treated with a 10 parts per million dosage

of the insecticide tefluthrin in its granular formulation and to remove

the 15 parts per million dosage rate for granular tefluthrin. This

withdrawal is necessary because we received a written adverse comment

in response to the direct final rule.

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 13, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ronald P. Milberg, Operations

Officer, Program Support, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 134,

Riverdale, MD 20737-1236, (301) 734-5255; or E-mail:

[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

In a direct final rule published in the Federal Register on October

15, 1996 (61 FR 53601-53603, Docket No. 96-063-1), we notified the

public of our intention to amend the imported fire ant regulations to

lengthen the certification period for containerized nursery stock

treated with a 10 parts per million (ppm) dosage of the insecticide

tefluthrin in its granular formulation and to remove the 15 ppm dosage

rate for granular tefluthrin.

We solicited comments concerning the direct final rule for 30 days

ending November 14, 1996. We stated that the effective date of the

direct final rule would be 60 days after publication of the direct

final rule in the Federal Register, unless we received a written

adverse comment or a written notice of intent to submit an adverse

comment. We also stated that if we received any written adverse comment

or any written notice of intent to submit an adverse comment, we would

publish a notice in the Federal Register withdrawing the direct final

rule before the scheduled effective date and would publish a proposed

rule for public comment.

We received one written adverse comment and a written notice of

intent to submit an adverse comment. Therefore, we are withdrawing the

direct final rule and, at a later date, we will publish a proposed rule

in the Federal Register.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 150bb, 150dd, 150ee, 150ff, 161, 162, and

164-167; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(c).

Done in Washington, DC, this 9th day of December 1996.

A. Strating,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 96-31602 Filed 12-12-96; 8:45 am]

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