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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is delaying for 30 days the implementation date for a recently announced increase in fees charged for certain agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) services. The AQI fees cover services provided for commercial vessels, trucks, rail cars and aircraft, as well as international airline passengers, arriving at U.S. ports of entry. The increase in fees was previously set to go into effect at the beginning of October, but will now take effect on Nov. 1, 2009. APHIS is delaying the implementation to ensure the affected industries have sufficient time to adjust their systems to account for the increase. Notice of the delay in the effective date will be published in the Federal Register soon. APHIS is increasing the fees for certain AQI services to address restore user fee collections for commercial vehicles and international air passengers that have diminished as a result of decreases in travel volume. Despite these decreases, inspections and other related support services, which are paid for by the fees, have remained the same due to the risk level of pest and disease introduction into the United States. In order to provide adequate funds for these purposes, APHIS is increasing the user fees by approximately 10 percent for commercial vehicles and international air passengers. The following increases will go into effect on Nov. 1:
International airline passenger user fees will increase from $5 in Fiscal Year (FY) 09 to $5.50 in FY 10;
Commercial aircraft user fees will increase from $70.75 in FY 09 to $78 in FY 10;
Commercial vessel user fees will increase from $494 in FY 09 to $544 in FY 10;
Loaded rail car user fees will increase from $7.75 in FY 09 to $8.75 in FY 10;
Commercial truck user fees will increase from $5.25 in FY 09 to $6 in FY 10 and
Commercial truck transponders will increase from $105 in FY 09 to $120 in FY 10. APHIS last adjusted the AQI user fees on Jan. 1, 2005, due to the need for increased inspections because of heightened security resulting from the events that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. This action is necessary to ensure adequate funding to continue these important inspection activities that help prevent the introduction of plant and animal pests and diseases into the United States. The interim rule establishing the increased fees was published in the Sept. 28, 2009, Federal Register. Consideration will be given to comments received on or before Nov. 27, 2009. Please send two copies of your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2009-0048, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2009-0048.
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