APHIS Considers Uniform Requirements for WPM Used in Domestic Commerce (Such as IPPC Standards)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking and is requesting comments on regulatory options that could be applied to wood packaging material (e.g., crates, dunnage, wooden spools, pallets, packing blocks) used in domestic commerce to decrease the risk of the artificial spread of plant pests such as the emerald ash borer and the Asian longhorned beetle.
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APHIS is also announcing its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement on various potential pest mitigation measures and opening a public scoping period for this document.
Comments are due by October 26, 2009.
Current Domestic WPM Requirements Vary for Different Pests, APHIS Seeks Uniform Measures
Currently, the regulations in 7 CFR Part 301 contain domestic quarantine notices for specific pests that identify regulated articles, quarantined areas, and conditions governing the interstate movement of regulated articles from quarantined areas. The domestic quarantines for wood pests, such as emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle, regulate the movement of logs, lumber, and other unmanufactured wood articles from quarantined areas to non-quarantined areas within the U.S.
Quarantine requirements governing movement of WPM vary for different pests. The variety of requirements creates a regulatory framework that may create confusion and present challenges to industry and stakeholder compliance. As a result, APHIS is exploring the development of uniform measures to govern interstate movement of all WPM in order to provide greater ease of comprehension and compliance.
(7 CFR 319.40-1 though 319.40-11 restrict the importation of types of wood articles, including WPM (e.g., pallets, crates, boxes, and pieces of wood used to support and brace cargo).)
APHIS Seeks Options for Establishing Uniform Requirements
APHIS is specifically seeking options for establishing uniform requirements for the domestic handling of WPM, alternative treatments to methyl bromide that could be used to reduce the risk of WPM contributing to the artificial spread of various plant pests, as well as alternative practices for handling WPM. These measures would be independent of any specific movement restrictions and treatment requirements contained in 7 CFR Part 301 for particular plant pests.
APHIS notes that it is considering the following options:
Implementation of IPPC. APHIS is considering the feasibility of implementing International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) treatment standards as requirements for the domestic movement of WPM.
Pallet pooling. Another option for strengthening regulations concerning the domestic movement of WPM is a practice employed by a segment of the pallet industry called pooling.
Pooled pallet companies retain ownership of individual pallets through a pallet's lifecycle through rigorous inventory tracking and management, leasing these pallets to companies engaged in interstate commodity movement. The pooled pallets are constructed from a higher grade of wood than traditional pallets, with strict specifications pertaining to such factors as species of tree and source location. Some pallets are constructed out of plastics or resin or out of a combination of wood and plastics.
Combining IPPC treatments with pallet pooling may provide sufficient mitigation of the pest risk associated with WPM moving domestically in the U.S.
APHIS Seeks Comments on Environment Concerns about Use of Methyl Bromide
APHIS is also seeking ways to respond to environmental concerns about the use of methyl bromide fumigation on domestic wood products in the long term. Any potential increase in the use of methyl bromide is of concern because of the associated risk of increased ozone depletion, which results in increased ultraviolet radiation at the Earth's surface. APHIS is intent on minimizing the use of methyl bromide in order to protect the stratospheric ozone layer, and is seeking options that will accomplish this objective.
(See APHIS' notice for additional details and information on its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.)
APHIS to Hold Public Meetings on WPM Used in Domestic Commerce
APHIS recently announced four public meetings to discuss mitigation measures that could be applied to WPM used in domestic commerce to decrease the risk of the artificial spread of plant pests. The meetings will be held in August and September 2009 in Washington, D.C.; Portland, OR; Houston, TX; and Grand Rapids, MI.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 08/18/09 news, 09081899 3, for BP summary announcing the meetings.)
APHIS contact- Paul Chaloux (301) 734-0917
APHIS ANPR (D/N APHIS-2009-0016, FR Pub 08/27/09) available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-20708.pdf