§ 4909. Petitions

• (a) Any person may at any time submit to the Secretary a petition in writing requesting that the Secretary exercise authority of the Secretary under this chapter to—
  • (1) establish, modify, or terminate any prohibition, suspension, or quota under this chapter on importation of any species of exotic bird;
  • (2) add a species of exotic bird to, or remove such a species from, a list under section 4905 of this title ; or
  • (3) determine under section 4906 of this title whether an exotic bird breeding facility is a qualifying facility.
• (b) For each petition submitted to the Secretary in accordance with subsection (a), the Secretary shall—
  • (1) within 90 days after receiving the petition, issue and publish in the Federal Register a preliminary ruling regarding whether the petition presents sufficient information indicating that the action requested in the petition might be warranted; and
  • (2) for each petition determined to present such sufficient information—
    • (A) provide an opportunity for the submission of public comment on the petition; and
    • (B) issue and publish in the Federal Register a final ruling on the petition, by not later than 90 days after the end of the period for public comment.