No person may move interstate from any quarantined area any regulated article except in accordance with this subpart.

Administrator. The Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or any person authorized to act for the Administrator.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (APHIS).

Certificate. A document in which an inspector or a person operating under a compliance agreement affirms that a specified regulated article meets the requirements of this subpart and may be moved interstate to any destination.

Compliance agreement. A written agreement between APHIS and a person engaged in growing, handling, or moving regulated articles that are moved interstate, in which the person agrees to comply with the provisions of this subpart and any conditions imposed under this subpart.

Imported fire ant. Living imported fire ants of the species Solenopsis invicta Buren and Solenopsis richteri Forel, and hybrids of these species.

Infestation (infested). The presence of an imported fire ant queen or a reproducing colony of imported fire ants, except that on grass sod and plants with roots and soil attached, an infestation is the presence of any life form of the imported fire ant.

Inspector. An APHIS employee or other person authorized by the Administrator to enforce the provisions of this subpart.

Interstate. From any State into or through any other State.

Limited permit. A document in which an inspector affirms that a specified regulated article not eligible for a certificate is eligible for interstate movement only to a specified destination and in accordance with conditions specified on the permit.

Movement (moved). The act of shipping, transporting, delivering, or receiving for movement, or otherwise aiding, abetting, inducing or causing to be moved.

Noncompacted soil. Soil that can be removed from an article by brisk brushing or washing with water under normal city water pressure (at least 4 gallons per minute at 40 to 50 pounds per square inch through a 1/2-inch orifice).

Person. Any association, company, corporation, firm, individual, joint stock company, partnership, society, or any other legal entity.

Reproducing colony. A combination of one or more imported fire ant workers and one or more of the following immature imported fire ant forms: Eggs, larvae, or pupae.

Soil. Any non-liquid combination of organic and/or inorganic material in which plants can grow.

Soil-moving equipment. Equipment used for moving or transporting soil, including, but not limited to, bulldozers, dump trucks, or road scrapers.

State. The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, or any State, territory, or possession of the United States.

(a) List of regulated articles. The Administrator has determined that certain articles present a risk of spread of the imported fire ant. A list of all such articles is found on the internet at www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases/imported-fire-ants/ct_imported_fire_ants. Lists of all regulated articles may also be obtained by request from any local Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) office; local offices are listed in telephone directories and on the internet at www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/ppq-program-overview/sphd.

(b) Normal process for designating additional regulated articles. (1) If the Administrator determines that an article not already listed at www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases/imported-fire-ants/ct_imported_fire_ants presents a risk of spread of the imported fire ant, APHIS will publish a notice in the Federal Register proposing to designate the article as a regulated article for imported fire ant. The notice will provide the basis for this determination, and will request public comment.

(2) If no comments are received on the notice, or if the comments do not change the Administrator's determination, APHIS will publish a second notice in the Federal Register designating the article as a regulated article for the imported fire ant and listing it.

(c) Immediate designation of regulated articles. An inspector may designate any other article or means of conveyance as a regulated article if the inspector determines that it presents a risk of spread of the imported fire ant due to its proximity to an infestation of the imported fire ant, and after the inspector provides notification to the person in possession of the article or means of conveyance that it is now regulated under this subpart.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the Administrator will list as a quarantined area each State or portion of a State determined to be infested with the imported fire ant. The Administrator will also list as a quarantined area an area that is uninfested but determined to be in proximity to an infestation or that is determined to be inseparable from an infested locality for quarantine purposes; such a determination will be based on projections of spread of imported fire ant around the periphery of the infestation, as determined by previous years' surveys; availability of natural habitats and host materials, within the uninfested acreage, suitable for establishment and survival of imported fire ant populations; and the necessity of including uninfested acreage within the quarantined area in order to establish readily identifiable boundaries. The Administrator will publish a list of all quarantined areas (the quarantine list) on the PPQ website at www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases/imported-fire-ants/ct_imported_fire_ants. The list will include the date that the list was last updated. Lists of all quarantined areas may also be obtained by request from any local PPQ office; local offices are listed in telephone directories and on the internet at www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/ppq-program-overview/sphd. After a change is made to the list of quarantined areas, APHIS will publish a notice in the Federal Register informing the public that the change has occurred and describing the change to the quarantined areas. Less than an entire State will be designated as a quarantined area only if the Administrator determines that:

(1) The State has adopted and is enforcing restrictions on the intrastate movement of the regulated articles that are equivalent to the interstate movement restrictions imposed by this subpart; and

(2) Designating less than the entire State as a quarantined area will prevent the spread of the imported fire ant.

(b) The Administrator or an inspector may temporarily designate any nonquarantined area as a quarantined area in accordance with the criteria specified in paragraph (a) of this section. The Administrator will give written notice of this designation to the owner or person in possession of the nonquarantined area, or, in the case of publicly owned land, to the person responsible for the management of the nonquarantined area; thereafter, the interstate movement of any regulated article from an area temporarily designated as a quarantined area is subject to this subpart. As soon as practicable, this area either will be added to the quarantine list, or the Administrator will terminate the designation. The owner or person in possession of, or, in the case of publicly owned land, the person responsible for the management of, an area for which the designation is terminated will be given written notice of the termination as soon as practicable.

(a) Any regulated article may be moved interstate from a quarantined area into or through an area that is not quarantined only if moved under the following conditions:

(1) With a certificate or limited permit issued and attached in accordance with §§ 301.81-5 and 301.81-9;

(2) Without a certificate or limited permit, provided that each of the following conditions is met:

(i) The regulated article was moved into the quarantined area from an area that is not quarantined;

(ii) The point of origin is indicated on a waybill accompanying the regulated article;

(iii) The regulated article is moved through the quarantined area (without stopping except for refueling, or for traffic conditions, such as traffic lights or stop signs), or has been stored, packed, or parked in locations inaccessible to the imported fire ant, or in locations that have been treated in accordance with part 305 of this chapter, while in or moving through any quarantined area; and

(iv) The article has not been combined or commingled with other articles so as to lose its individual identity; or

(3) Without a certificate or limited permit provided the regulated article is a soil sample being moved to a laboratory approved by the Administrator 1 to process, test, or analyze soil samples.

(b) Inspectors are authorized to stop any person or means of conveyance moving in interstate commerce they have probable cause to believe is moving regulated articles, and to inspect the articles being moved and the means of conveyance. Articles found to be infested by an inspector, and articles not in compliance with the regulations in this subpart, may be seized, quarantined, treated, subjected to other remedial measures, destroyed, or otherwise disposed of. Any treatments will be in accordance with part 305 of this chapter.

(a) An inspector 1 or person operating under a compliance agreement will issue a certificate for the interstate movement of a regulated article approved under such compliance agreement if he or she determines that the regulated article:

(1) Is eligible for unrestricted movement under all other applicable Federal domestic plant quarantines and regulations;

(2) Is to be moved interstate in compliance with any additional conditions deemed necessary under section 414 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7714) to prevent the spread of the imported fire ant; 2 and

(3)(i) Is free of an imported fire ant infestation, based on his or her visual examination of the article;

(ii) Has been grown, produced, manufactured, stored, or handled in a manner that would prevent infestation or destroy all life stages of the imported fire ant;

(iii) Has been treated in accordance with part 305 of this chapter; or.

(iv) If the article is containerized nursery stock, it has been produced in accordance with § 301.81-11.

(b) An inspector will issue a limited permit for the interstate movement of a regulated article not eligible for a certificate if the inspector determines that the regulated article:

(1) Is to be moved interstate to a specified destination for specified handling, utilization, or processing (the destination and other conditions to be listed in the limited permit), and this interstate movement will not result in the spread of the imported fire ant because the imported fire ant will be destroyed by the specified handling, utilization, or processing;

(2) Is to be moved interstate in compliance with any conditions that the Administrator may impose under section 414 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7714) to prevent the spread of the imported fire ant; and

(3) Is eligible for interstate movement under all other Federal domestic plant quarantines and regulations applicable to the regulated article.

(c) An inspector shall issue blank certificates to a person operating under a compliance agreement (in accordance with § 301.81-6) or authorize reproduction of the certificates on shipping containers, or both, as requested by the person operating under the compliance agreement. These certificates may then be completed and used, as needed, for the interstate movement of regulated articles that have met all of the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section.

Persons who grow, handle, or move regulated articles interstate may enter into a compliance agreement 1 if such persons review with an inspector each stipulation of the compliance agreement, have facilities and equipment to carry out disinfestation procedures or application of chemical materials in accordance with part 305 of this chapter, and meet applicable State training and certification standards as authorized by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (86 Stat. 983; 7 U.S.C. 136b). Any person who enters into a compliance agreement with APHIS must agree to comply with the provisions of this subpart and any conditions imposed under this subpart.

Any certificate, limited permit, or compliance agreement may be canceled orally or in writing by an inspector whenever the inspector determines that the holder of the certificate or limited permit, or the person who has entered into the compliance agreement, has not complied with this subpart or any conditions imposed under this subpart. If the cancellation is oral, the cancellation will become effective immediately and the cancellation and the reasons for the cancellation will be confirmed in writing as soon as circumstances allow within 20 days after oral notification of the cancellation. Any person whose certificate, limited permit, or compliance agreement has been canceled may appeal the decision, in writing, within 10 days after receiving the written cancellation notice. The appeal must state all of the facts and reasons that the person wants the Administrator to consider in deciding the appeal. A hearing may be held to resolve any conflict as to any material fact. Rules of practice for the hearing will be adopted by the Administrator. As soon as practicable, the Administrator will grant or deny the appeal, in writing, stating the reasons for the decision.

(a) Persons requiring certification or other services must request the services from an inspector 1 at least 48 hours before the services are needed.

(b) The regulated articles must be assembled at the place and in the manner the inspector designates as necessary to comply with this subpart.

(a) The consignor must ensure that the certificate or limited permit authorizing interstate movement of a regulated article is, at all times during interstate movement, attached to:

(1) The outside of the container encasing the regulated article;

(2) The article itself, if it is not in a container; or

(3) The consignee's copy of the accompanying waybill: Provided, that the descriptions of the regulated article on the certificate or limited permit, and on the waybill, are sufficient to identify the regulated article; and

(b) The carrier must furnish the certificate or limited permit authorizing interstate movement of a regulated article to the consignee at the shipment's destination.

The services of the inspector during normal business hours will be furnished without cost to persons requiring the services. The United States Department of Agriculture will not be responsible for any other costs or charges.

This detection, control, exclusion, and enforcement program is designed to keep nurseries free of the imported fire ant and provides a basis to certify containerized nursery stock for interstate movement. Participating regulated establishments must be operating under a compliance agreement in accordance with § 301.81-6. Such compliance agreements shall state the specific requirements that a shipper agrees to follow to move plants in accordance with the requirements of the program. Certificates and a nursery identification number may be issued to the nursery for use on shipments of regulated articles.

(a) Detection. (1) Nursery owners are required to visually survey their entire premises twice monthly for the presence of imported fire ants.

(2) Nurseries participating in this program will be inspected by Federal or State inspectors at least twice per year. More frequent inspections may be necessary depending upon imported fire ant infestation levels immediately surrounding the nursery, the thoroughness of nursery management in maintaining imported-fire-ant-free premises, and the number of previous detections of imported fire ants in or near containerized plants. Inspections by Federal and State inspectors should be more frequent just before and during the peak shipping season. Any nurseries determined during nursery inspections to have imported fire ant colonies must be immediately treated to the extent necessary to eliminate the colonies.

(b) Control. Nursery plants that are shipped under this program must originate in a nursery that meets the requirements of this section. Nursery owners must implement a treatment program with registered bait and contact insecticides. The premises, including growing and holding areas, must be maintained free of the imported fire ant. As part of this treatment program, all exposed soil surfaces (including sod and mulched areas) on property where plants are grown, potted, stored, handled, loaded, unloaded, or sold must be treated in accordance with part 305 of this chapter at least once every 6 months. The first application must be performed early in the spring. Followup treatments with a contact insecticide in accordance with part 305 of this chapter must be applied to eliminate all remaining colonies.

(c) Exclusion. (1) For plants grown on the premises, treatment of soil or potting media in accordance with part 305 of this chapter prior to planting is required.

(2) For plants received from outside sources, to prevent the spread into a nursery free of the imported fire ant by newly introduced, infested nursery plants, all plants must be:

(i) Obtained from nurseries that comply with the requirements of this section and that operate under a compliance agreement in accordance with § 301.81-6; or

(ii) Treated upon delivery in accordance with part 305 of this chapter, and within the specified number of days be either:

(A) Repotted in treated potting soil media;

(B) Retreated in accordance with part 305 of this chapter at the specified interval; or

(C) Shipped.

(d) Enforcement. (1) The nursery owner must maintain records of the nursery's surveys and treatments for the imported fire ant. These records must be made available to State and Federal inspectors upon request.

(2) If imported fire ants are detected in nursery stock during an inspection by a Federal or State inspector, issuance of certificates for movement will be suspended until necessary treatments are applied and the plants and nursery premises are determined to be free of the imported fire ant. A Federal or State inspector may declare a nursery to be free of the imported fire ant upon reinspection of the premises. This inspection must be conducted no sooner than 30 days after treatment. During this period, certification may be based upon treatments for plants in accordance with part 305 of this chapter.

(3) Upon notification by the department of agriculture in any State of destination that a confirmed imported fire ant infestation was found on a shipment from a nursery considered free of the imported fire ant, the department of agriculture in the State of origin must cease its certification of shipments from that nursery. An investigation by Federal or State inspectors will commence immediately to determine the probable source of the problem and to ensure that the problem is resolved. If the problem is an infestation, issuance of certification for movement on the basis of imported-fire-ant-free premises will be suspended until treatment and elimination of the infestation is completed. Reinstatement into the program will be granted upon determination that the nursery premises are free of the imported fire ant, and that all other provisions of this subpart are being followed.

(4) In cases where the issuance of certificates is suspended through oral notification, the suspension and the reasons for the suspension will be confirmed in writing within 20 days of the oral notification of the suspension. Any person whose issuance of certificates has been suspended may appeal the decision, in writing, within 10 days after receiving the written suspension notice. The appeal must state all of the facts and reasons that the person wants the Administrator to consider in deciding the appeal. A hearing may be held to resolve any conflict as to any material fact. Rules of practice for the hearing will be adopted by the Administrator. As soon as practicable, the Administrator will grant or deny the appeal, in writing, stating the reasons for the decision.