(a) Movements from quarantined areas. (1) An inspector 1 may issue a certificate for the interstate movement of regulated articles, associated articles, or non-host nursery stock 2 from a quarantined area if the inspector determines that:

1 Services of an inspector may be requested by contacting local offices of Plant Protection and Quarantine, which are listed in telephone directories. The addresses and telephone numbers of local offices may also be obtained from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Invasive Species and Pest Management, 4700 River Road Unit 160, Riverdale, MD 20737, or the APHIS Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/sphd/.

2 Paragraph (d)(2)(ii) of § 301.92-4 allows the interstate movement of non-host nursery stock without a certificate under certain conditions.

(i) The regulated articles have been treated under the direction of an inspector in accordance with part 305 of this chapter; or

(ii) The regulated articles are wood products such as firewood, logs, or lumber that are free of bark; 3 or

3 Firewood, logs, lumber of species listed in accordance with § 301.92-2(d) and marked with an asterisk are not regulated articles, as noted in § 301.92-2(b)(1).

(iii) The regulated article is soil or growing media that has not been in direct physical contact with any article infected with Phytophthora ramorum, and from which all duff has been removed; or

(iv) The articles are nursery stock or regulated articles of decorative trees without roots, wreaths, garlands, or greenery that:

(A)(1) Are shipped from a nursery that has been inspected in accordance with the inspection and sampling protocol described in § 301.92-11(a)(1), and the nursery is free of evidence of Phytophthora ramorum infestation; or

(2) Are shipped from a nursery that has been inspected in accordance with the inspection and sampling protocol described in § 301.92-11(a)(2), and the nursery is free of evidence of Phytophthora ramorum infestation; or

(3) Are shipped from a nursery that has been inspected in accordance with the inspection and sampling protocol described in § 301.92-11(a)(2), is not free of evidence of Phytophthora ramorum infestation, but has entered into and is operating under a compliance agreement with APHIS, and is determined by an inspector to be abiding by all terms and conditions of that agreement; and

(B) Are part of a shipment of nursery stock, decorative trees without roots, wreaths, garlands, or greenery that has been inspected prior to interstate movement in accordance with § 301.92-11(a)(2), and the regulated articles in the shipment are free of evidence of Phytophthora ramorum infection; and

(C) Have been kept separate from regulated and associated articles and non-host nursery stock not inspected between the time of the inspection and the time of interstate movement; and

(D) Have not been grown in, or moved from, other areas within a quarantined area except nurseries that are annually inspected for Phytophthora ramorum in accordance with § 301.92-11 and that have been found free of evidence of Phytophthora ramorum infestation, except that certified nurseries which receive articles from a non-certified nursery in a quarantined or regulated area may continue to ship other plants interstate, provided that the uncertified plants are safeguarded, segregated, and withheld from interstate movement until the plants are inspected and tested and found free of evidence of Phytophthora ramorum.

(v) The regulated or associated article or non-host nursery stock is to be moved in compliance with any additional emergency conditions the Administrator may impose under section 414 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7714) 4 to prevent the spread of Phytophthora ramorum; and

4 Sections 414, 421, and 434 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7714, 7731, and 7754) provide that the Secretary of Agriculture may, under certain conditions, hold, seize, quarantine, treat, apply other remedial measures to destroy or otherwise dispose of any plant, plant pest, plant product, article, or means of conveyance that is moving, or has moved into or through the United States or interstate if the Secretary has reason to believe the article is a plant pest or is infested with a plant pest at the time of movement.

(vi) The regulated or associated article or non-host nursery stock is eligible for unrestricted movement under all other Federal domestic plant quarantines and regulations applicable to the regulated or associated article.

(2) [Reserved]

(b) Movements from regulated establishments. An inspector may issue a certificate for the movement of regulated, restricted, and/or associated articles from a regulated establishment if the inspector determines that:

(1) The nursery has entered into a compliance agreement APHIS in accordance with § 301.92-6 and is abiding by all terms and conditions of that agreement; and

(2) The nursery has been inspected in accordance with § 301.92-11(c); and

(3) The articles to be shipped interstate are free from Phytophthora ramorum inoculum; and

(4) The movement of the articles is not subject to additional restriction under section 414 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7714) or other Federal domestic plant quarantines and regulations.

(c) Certificates issued under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section may be issued by any person engaged in the business of growing, processing, handling, or moving regulated or associated articles or nursery stock provided such person has entered into and is operating under a compliance agreement in accordance with § 301.92-6. Any such person may execute and issue a certificate for the interstate movement of regulated or associated articles or nursery stock if an inspector has previously made the determination that the article is eligible for a certificate in accordance with any applicable section of this subpart.

(d) Any certificate that has been issued may be withdrawn, either orally or in writing, by an inspector if he or she determines that the holder of the certificate has not complied with all conditions in this subpart for the use of the certificate. If the withdrawal is oral, the withdrawal and the reasons for the withdrawal will be confirmed in writing as promptly as circumstances allow. Any person whose certificate has been withdrawn may appeal the decision in writing to the Administrator within 10 days after receiving the written notification of the withdrawal. The appeal must state all of the facts and reasons upon which the person relies to show that the certificate was wrongfully withdrawn. As promptly as circumstances allow, the Administrator will grant or deny the appeal, in writing, stating the reasons for the decision. A hearing will be held to resolve any conflict as to any material fact. Rules of practice concerning a hearing will be adopted by the Administrator.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control numbers 0579-0310 and 0579-0088) [72 FR 8597, Feb. 27, 2007, as amended at 75 FR 4241, Jan. 26, 2010; 84 FR 16193, Apr. 18, 2019; 87 FR 80019, Dec. 29, 2022]