Certification of Export Port Locations for Alabama and Washington and Geographic Areas Under the Delegated Authority of United States Grain Standards Act

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Certification of Delegated State Agencies

This notice announces AMS's certification that the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and the Washington State Department of Agriculture are meeting the criteria required to perform official services at export port locations in the States of Alabama and Washington, respectively. Section 7(e) of the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 79(e)) requires the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to certify, every five years, that each State agency with a delegation of authority is meeting the criteria described in section 7(f)(1)(A) of the Act for carrying out inspections on behalf of the Secretary. Under the certification process prescribed by the statute, the Secretary must: (1) publish in the Federal Register a notice of intent to certify a State agency and provide a 30-day period for public comment; (2) evaluate the public comments received and, in accordance with section 7(e)(3) of the Act, conduct an investigation to determine whether the State agency is qualified; (3) make findings based on the public comments received and the investigation conducted; and (4) publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing whether the certification has been granted and describing the basis on which the Secretary made the decision.

For more information about the delegation and certification processes, please see 7 CFR 800.195. Table 1 provides relevant information about the delegations of authority to the Alabama and Washington State agencies to perform official services at export port locations.