[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 178 (Thursday, September 15, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-22852]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 15, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 94-086-1]

 

Availability of Environmental Assessments and Findings of No 
Significant Impact

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that six environmental assessments 
and findings of no significant impact have been prepared by the Animal 
and Plant Health Inspection Service relative to the issuance of permits 
to allow the release into the environment of nonindigenous biological 
control agents. The environmental assessments provide a basis for our 
conclusion that the release into the environment of the biological 
control agents will not present a risk of introducing or disseminating 
plant pests within the United States and will not have a significant 
impact on the quality of the human environment. Based on its findings 
of no significant impact, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service has determined that environmental impact statements need not be 
prepared.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the environmental assessments and findings of no 
significant impact are available for public inspection at USDA, room 
1141, South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW, 
Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except holidays. Persons wishing to inspect those documents are 
requested to call ahead on (202) 690-2817 to facilitate entry into the 
reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Matthew H. Royer, Chief Operations 
Officer, Biological Assessment and Taxonomic Support, Operational 
Support, Plant Protection and Quarantine, APHIS, USDA, room 626, 
Federal Building, 6505 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782, (301) 436-
8896. For copies of the environmental assessment and finding of no 
significant impact, write to Ms. Deborah Knott at the same address. 
Please refer to the title of the environmental assessment when ordering 
copies.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Federal Plant Pest Act as amended 
(7 U.S.C. 150aa et seq.) and the Plant Quarantine Act of 1912 as 
amended (7 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) (the Acts), the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) has broad authority to regulate the importation, 
interstate movement, and release into the environment of organisms in 
order to prevent the dissemination of plant pests into the United 
States or interstate. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
(APHIS) regulates plant pests under regulations promulgated pursuant to 
the Acts and contained in 7 CFR part 330 (referred to below as the 
regulations). The regulations require, among other things, that a 
permit be obtained for the movement of a plant pest into or through the 
United States or interstate. The regulations and Acts also allow the 
Department to include in the permit conditions to prevent the 
dissemination of plant pests.
    Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), APHIS typically prepares an environmental 
assessment before issuing a permit for the release in the United States 
of a nonindigenous organism.
    In accordance with applicable regulations, APHIS has received 
applications for permits for the release into the environment of 
nonindigenous biological control agents. In the course of reviewing 
each permit application, APHIS assessed the impact on the environment 
of releasing the organisms under the conditions described in the permit 
application. APHIS has issued permits for the release into the 
environment of the organisms listed below after concluding that their 
release will not present a risk of the introduction or dissemination of 
plant pests within the United States and will not have a significant 
impact on the quality of the human environment. The environmental 
assessments and findings of no significant impact, which are based on 
data submitted by the applicant and on a review of other relevant 
literature, provide the public with documentation of APHIS' review and 
analysis of the environmental impact associated with releasing the 
biological control agents into the environment.
    Environmental assessments and findings of no significant impact 
have been prepared by APHIS relative to the issuance of permits for the 
release into the environment of the following biological control 
agents: 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                      Date of   
                                                                                                   finding of no
               Organism                            Title of environmental assessment                significant 
                                                                                                      impact    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eretmocerus sp. B, Class Insecta,      ``Field Release of a Nonindigenous Wasp (Eretmocerus sp.          3/11/94
 Order Hymenoptera, Family              B) for Biological Control of Sweetpotato Whitefly''                     
 Aphelinidae.                           (March 1994).                                                           
Ageniaspis citricola,                  ``Field Release of a Nonindigenous Wasp (Ageniaspis               4/29/94
 (Logvinovskaya), Class Insecta,        citricola Logvinovskaya) for Biological Control of                      
 Order Hymenoptera, Family Encyrtidae.  Citrus Leafminer (Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton)''                    
                                        (April 1994).                                                           
Tetranychus lintearius (Dufour),       ``Field Release of the Nonindigenous Gorse Spider Mite,           5/12/94
 Class Arachnida, Order Acari, Family   Tetranychus lintearius Dufour (Acari: Tetranychidae),                   
 Tetranychidae.                         for Biological Control of Gorse, Ulex europaeus L.                      
                                        (Leguminosae)'' (May 1994).                                             
Calosoma sycophanta, Class Insecta,    ``Field Release of a Nonindigenous Predatory Beetle               5/23/94
 Order Coleoptera, Family Carabidae.    (Calosoma sycophanta) for Biological Control of Gypsy                   
                                        Moth'' (May 1994).                                                      
Nanophyes marmoratus and N. brevis,    ``Release of Two Nonindigenous Beetles, Nanophyes                  6/1/94
 Class Insecta, Order Coleoptera,       marmoratus and N. brevis, for Biological Control of                     
 Family Curculionidae.                  Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria'' (May 1994).                     
Aphytis, Class Insecta, Order          ``Field Releases of a Nonindigenous Species of Aphytis            7/12/94
 Hymenoptera, Family Aphelinidae.       (sp. T93015) for Biological Control of Armored Scale                    
                                        Insects'' (July 1994).                                                  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The environmental assessments and findings of no significant impact 
have been prepared in accordance with: (1) NEPA, (2) Regulations of the 
Council on Environmental Quality for Implementing the Procedural 
Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), (3) USDA Regulations 
Implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS Guidelines 
Implementing NEPA (44 FR 50381-50384, August 28, 1979, and 44 FR 51272-
51274, August 31, 1979).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 9th day of September 1994.
Terry L. Medley,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 94-22852 Filed 9-14-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P