Texas Register, Volume 47, Number 7, Pages 715-820, February 18, 2022 Page: 744
717-820 p. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
(A) The counties listed in this subparagraph are in the
Spring North Zone. In Archer, Armstrong, Bandera, Baylor, Bell,
Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Bosque, Brewster, Briscoe, Brown, Burnet,
Callahan, Carson, Childress, Clay, Coke, Coleman, Collingsworth,
Comal, Comanche, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Cottle, Crane, Crockett,
Crosby, Dawson, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Ector, Edwards,
Ellis (west of Interstate Hwy. 35), Erath, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Garza,
Gillespie, Glasscock, Gray, Guadalupe, Hall, Hamilton, Hardeman,
Hartley, Haskell, Hays, Hemphill, Hill, Hood, Howard, Hutchinson,
Irion, Jack, Jeff Davis, Johnson, Jones, Kendall, Kent, Kerr, Kimble,
King, Kinney (north of U.S. Hwy. 90), Knox, Lampasas, Lipscomb,
Llano, Lynn, Martin, Mason, McCulloch, McLennan, Medina (north
of U.S. Hwy. 90), Menard, Midland, Mills, Mitchell, Montague,
Moore, Motley, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Palo Pinto, Parker, Pecos,
Potter, Randall, Reagan, Real, Roberts, Runnels, San Saba, Schleicher,
Scurry, Shackelford, Somervell, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton,
Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Travis,
Upton, Uvalde (north of U.S. Hwy. 90), Val Verde (north of a line
beginning at the International Bridge and proceeding along Spur
239 to U.S. Hwy. 90 and thence to the Kinney County line), Ward,
Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Williamson, Wise, and Young counties,
there is a spring general open season.
(i) - (ii) (No change.)
(B) - (C) (No change.)
(4) (No change.)
(c) - (d) (No change.)
The agency certifies that legal counsel has reviewed the pro-
posal and found it to be within the state agency's legal authority
to adopt.
Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on February 7,
2022.
TRD-202200394
James Murphy
General Counsel
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Earliest possible date of adoption: March 20, 2022
For further information, please call: (512) 389-4775
SUBCHAPTER B. DISEASE DETECTION AND
RESPONSE
DIVISION 2. CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE -
COMPREHENSIVE RULES
31 TAC 65.97
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (the department)
proposes amendments to 31 TAO 65.97, concerning Testing
and Movement of Deer Pursuant to a Triple T or TTP Permit.
The proposed rule would establish chronic wasting disease
(CWD) testing requirements and other provisions for properties
that are prospective trap sites for permits to trap, transport,
and transplant game animals and game birds (colloquially
known as "Triple T" permits). The department earlier this year
promulgated rules that made extensive changes to the CWD
management rules (46 TexRegr8724) contained in Chapter 65,
Subchapter B (commonly referred to as the "comprehensive
rules"). Among other things, that rulemaking imposed a tem-porary moratorium on the issuance of Triple T permits for deer;
however, the Parks and Wildlife Commission directed staff to
develop a proposal as quickly as possible to allow resumption
of program functionality. The intent of this proposed rulemaking
is to restore the availability of the Triple T permit program for
deer while minimizing the probability of CWD being spread as a
result of deer translocation activities.
CWD is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that affects cervid
species such as white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, red deer, sika,
and others (susceptible species). CWD is classified as a TSE
(transmissible spongiform encephalopathy), a family of diseases
that includes scrapie (found in sheep) and bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE, found in cattle and commonly known as
"Mad Cow Disease"), and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
(vCJD) in humans. CWD is transmitted both directly (through
deer-to-deer contact) and indirectly (through environmental
contamination).
White-tailed deer and mule deer are indigenous species autho-
rized to be regulated by the department under the Parks and
Wildlife Code. Under Parks and Wildlife Code, Chapter 43, Sub-
chapter E, the department may issue permits authorizing the
trapping, transporting, and transplanting of game animals and
game birds for wildlife management (popularly referred to as
"Triple T" permits).
The department, along with the Texas Animal Health Commis-
sion (TAHC), has been engaged in an ongoing battle against
CWD in Texas since 2002. The recent detections of CWD in mul-
tiple deer breeding facilities created an unprecedented situation
because it greatly increased the probability that CWD could have
been spread to many new locations, including breeder deer re-
lease sites that subsequently could become trap sites for deer re-
locations under Triple T permits, which introduces even greater
concerns regarding disease propagation.
Much remains unknown about CWD. The peculiarities of its
transmission (how it is passed from animal to animal), infection
rate (the frequency of occurrence through time or other com-
parative standard), incubation period (the time from exposure
to clinical manifestation), and potential for transmission to other
species are still being investigated. There is currently no scien-
tific evidence to indicate that CWD is transmissible to humans;
however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
the World Health Organization strongly recommend testing
animals from CWD Zones prior to consumption, and if positive,
recommend not consuming the meat. What is known is that
CWD is invariably fatal to cervids. Additionally, the apparent
persistence of CWD in contaminated environments represents
a significant obstacle to eradication of CWD from either captive
or free-ranging cervid populations. The potential implications of
CWD for Texas and its multi-billion-dollar ranching, hunting, real
estate, tourism, and wildlife management-related economies
could be significant, unless it is contained and controlled.
The department has engaged in frequent rulemaking over the
years to address both the general threat posed by CWD and the
repeated detection of CWD in deer breeding facilities. In 2005,
the department adopted rules (30TexReg 3595) that closed the
Texas border to the entry of out-of-state captive white-tailed and
mule deer and increased regulatory requirements regarding dis-
ease monitoring and record keeping. In 2012, based on recom-
mendations from the department's CWD Task Force (an ad hoc
group of deer management professionals, landowners, veteri-
narians, scientists, and deer breeders), the department adopted
rules (37 TexReg 10231) to implement a CWD containment strat-47 TexReg 744 February 18, 2022
Texas Register
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas. Secretary of State. Texas Register, Volume 47, Number 7, Pages 715-820, February 18, 2022, periodical, February 18, 2022; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1462843/m1/30/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.