7 CFR 2.18 – Under Secretary for Food Safety
(a) The following delegations of authority are made by the Secretary of Agriculture to the Under Secretary for Food Safety:
Terms Used In 7 CFR 2.18
- Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
(1) Related to food safety and inspection. (i) Exercise the functions of the Secretary of Agriculture contained in the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended (7 U.S.C. §§ 1621–1627), relating to voluntary inspection of poultry and edible products thereof; voluntary inspection and certification of technical animal fat; certified products for dogs, cats, and other carnivora; voluntary inspection of rabbits and edible products thereof; and voluntary inspection and certification of edible meat and other products.
(ii) Exercise the functions of the Secretary of Agriculture contained in the following legislation:
(A) Poultry Products Inspection Act, as amended (21 U.S.C. §§ 451-470, 472);
(B) Federal Meat Inspection Act, as amended, and related legislation, excluding so much of section 18 as pertains to issuance of certificates of condition of live animals intended and offered for export (21 U.S.C. §§ 601–613, 615-624, 641-645, 661, 671-680, 683, 691-692, 694-695);
(C) Egg Products Inspection Act, except for the Shell Egg Surveillance Program, voluntary laboratory analyses of egg products, and the Voluntary Egg Grading Program (21 U.S.C. §§ 1031–1056);
(D) Talmadge-Aiken Act (7 U.S.C. § 450) with respect to cooperation with States in administration of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act;
(E) Humane Slaughter Act (7 U.S.C. §§ 1901–1906);
(F) National Laboratory Accreditation Program (7 U.S.C. §§ 138–138i) with respect to laboratories accredited only for pesticide residue analysis in meat and poultry products;
(G) Administer and conduct a Food Safety Research Program (7 U.S.C. § 427); and
(H) Conduct an education program regarding the availability and safety of processes and treatments that eliminate or substantially reduce the level of pathogens on meat, meat food products, poultry, and poultry products (21 U.S.C. § 679b).
(iii) Coordinate with the Assistant Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs the administration of programs relating to human pathogen reduction (such as salmonella enteritidis) pursuant to section 2 of the Act of February 2, 1903, as amended (21 U.S.C. § 111), and sections 4 and 5 of the Act of May 29, 1884, as amended (21 U.S.C. § 120).
(iv) Enter into contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements to further research programs in the agricultural sciences (7 U.S.C. § 3318).
(2) Related to committee management. Establish and reestablish regional, State, and local advisory committees for activities under his or her authority. This authority may not be redelegated.
(3) Related to defense and emergency preparedness. Administer responsibilities and functions assigned under the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (50 U.S.C. App. 2061 et seq.), and title VI of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. § 5195 et seq.), concerning the wholesomeness of meat and poultry and products thereof and inspection of eggs and egg products.
(4) Related to biotechnology. Coordinate the development and carrying out by Department agencies of all matters and functions pertaining to the Department’s regulation of biotechnology as they may affect the safety of meat, poultry or egg products.
(5) Related to environmental response. With respect to land and facilities under his or her authority, exercise the functions delegated to the Secretary by Executive Order 12580, 3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 193, under the following provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (“the Act”), as amended:
(i) Sections 104 (a), (b), and (c)(4) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9604 (a), (b), and (c)(4)), with respect to removal and remedial actions in the event of release or threatened release of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant into the environment;
(ii) Sections 104(e)-(h) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9604(e)-(h)), with respect to information gathering and access requests and orders; compliance with Federal health and safety standards and wage and labor standards applicable to covered work; and emergency procurement powers;
(iii) Section 104(i)(11) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9604(i)(11)), with respect to the reduction of exposure to significant risk to human health;
(iv) Section 104(j) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9604(j)), with respect to the acquisition of real property and interests in real property required to conduct a remedial action;
(v) The first two sentences of section 105(d) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9605(d)), with respect to petitions for preliminary assessment of a release or threatened release;
(vi) Section 105(f) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9605(f)), with respect to consideration of the availability of qualified minority firms in awarding contracts, but excluding that portion of section 105(f) pertaining to the annual report to Congress;
(vii) Section 109 of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9609), with respect to the assessment of civil penalties for violations of section 122 of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9622), and the granting of awards to individuals providing information;
(viii) Section 111(f) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9611(f)), with respect to the designation of officials who may obligate money in the Hazardous Substances Superfund;
(ix) Section 113(k) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9613(k)), with respect to establishing an administrative record upon which to base the selection of a response action and identifying and notifying potentially responsible parties;
(x) Section 116(a) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9616(a)), with respect to preliminary assessment and site inspection of facilities;
(xi) Sections 117(a) and (c) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9617(a) and (c)), with respect to public participation in the preparation of any plan for remedial action and explanation of variances from the final remedial action plan for any remedial action or enforcement action, including any settlement or consent decree entered into;
(xii) Section 119 of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9119), with respect to indemnifying response action contractors;
(xiii) Section 121 of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9621), with respect to cleanup standards; and
(xiv) Section 122 of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9622), with respect to settlements, but excluding section 122(b)(1) of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 9622(b)(1)), related to mixed funding agreements.
(6) Related to compliance with environmental laws. With respect to facilities and activities under his or her authority, to exercise the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to section 1-102 related to compliance with applicable pollution control standards and section 1-601 of Executive Order 12088, 3 CFR, 1978 Comp., p. 243, to enter into an inter-agency agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or an administrative consent order or a consent judgment in an appropriate State, interstate, or local agency, containing a plan and schedule to achieve and maintain compliance with applicable pollution control standards established pursuant to the following:
(i) Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as further amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments, and the Federal Facility Compliance Act (42 U.S.C. § 6901 et seq.);
(ii) Federal Water Pollution Prevention and Control Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq.);
(iii) Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 300f et seq.);
(iv) Clean Air Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq.);
(v) Noise Control Act of 1972, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 4901 et seq.);
(vi) Toxic Substances Control Act, as amended (15 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq.);
(vii) Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, as amended (7 U.S.C. § 136 et seq.); and
(viii) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. § 9601 et seq.).
(7) Related to hazardous materials management. (i) Serve on the USDA Hazardous Materials Policy Council.
(ii) Recommend actions and policies that enable the USDA agency under his or her authority to comply with the intent, purposes, and standards of environmental laws for pollution prevention, control, and abatement.
(iii) Consult with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and other appropriate Federal agencies in developing pollution prevention, control, and abatement policies and programs relating to agencies under his or her authority.
(iv) Exercise primary responsibility to regulate drug, pesticide, and environmental contaminants in food products as covered by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, as amended (7 U.S.C. § 136 et seq.), including the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, Public Law 104-170, and the Toxic Substances Control Act, as amended (15 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq.), as implemented by the Food Safety and Inspection Service through a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
(8) Carry out prize competition authorities in section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. § 3719) related to functions otherwise delegated to the Under Secretary for Food Safety, except for authorities delegated to the Chief Financial Officer in § 2.28(a)(29) and authorities reserved to the Secretary in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(b) The following authorities are reserved to the Secretary of Agriculture:
(1) Approval of prize competitions that may result in the award of more than $1,000,000 in cash prizes under section 24(m)(4)(B) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. § 3719(m)(4)(B)).
(2) [Reserved]