Horses From Qatar; Change in Disease Status

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

9 CFR Part 93

[Docket No. 97-131-2]

Horses From Qatar; Change in Disease Status

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of reopening and extension of comment period.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

proposed rule concerning the importation of horses to remove Qatar from

the list of regions the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

considers affected with African horse sickness. This reopening and

extension will provide interested groups and individuals with

additional time to prepare comments on the proposed rule.

DATES: Consideration will be given only to comments on Docket No. 97-

131-1 that are received on or before February 16, 1999.

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

Docket No. 97-131-1, 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. 97-131-1. 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: Dr. John Cougill, Senior Staff

Veterinarian, Products Program, National Center for Import and Export,

VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 40, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, (301)

734-3399; or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 12, 1998, we published in the Federal

Register (63 FR 26099-26100 Docket No. 97-131-1) a proposed rule

concerning the importation of horses to remove Qatar from the list of

regions the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service considers

affected with African horse sickness. Comments on the proposed rule

were required to be received on or before July 13, 1998.

So that we may consider comments received after that date, we are

reopening and extending the public comment period on Docket No. 97-131-

1 until 30 days after the date of the 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. 1622; 19 U.S.C. 1306; 21 U.S.C. 102-105,

111, 114a, 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d, 134f, 135, 136, and 136a; 31

U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(d).

Done in Washington, DC, this 23rd day of December 1998.

Joan M. Arnoldi,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 99-799 Filed 1-13-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-34-P