[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 96 (Thursday, May 17, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 27489]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-12430]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 01-009-2]


Wildlife Services; Availability of Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment for oral 
rabies vaccination programs in several States. The environmental 
assessment analyzes the potential environmental effects of a proposal 
to continue and expand the Agency's involvement in programs to stop the 
spread of certain wildlife-borne rabies strains in the States of New 
York, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia, and examines similar 
efforts that may be conducted in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Florida, 
Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and Alabama. We are 
making this environmental assessment available to the public for review 
and comment prior to an Agency decision.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive by June 18, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Please send four copies of your comment (an original and 
three copies) to: Docket No. 01-009-2, Regulatory Analysis and 
Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road Unit 118, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to 
Docket No. 01-009-2.
    To obtain a copy of the environmental assessment, contact Elizabeth 
Harris, Operational Support Staff, Wildlife Services, APHIS, 4700 River 
Road Unit 87, Riverdale, MD 20737-1234; phone (301) 734-7921, fax 
(301)734-5157, or e-mail: [email protected]. You may also 
read the environmental assessment and any comments we receive on this 
notice of availability in our reading room. The reading room is located 
in room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone 
is there to help you, please call (202) 690-2817 before coming.
    APHIS documents published in the Federal Register, and related 
information, including the names of organizations and individuals who 
have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis Slate, Rabies Program 
Coordinator, Wildlife Services, APHIS, 59 Chennell Drive, Suite 7, 
Concord, NH 03301-8548; phone (603) 223-6832.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Wildlife Services (WS) program in the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) cooperates with Federal agencies, State and 
local governments, and private individuals to research and implement 
the best methods of managing conflicts between wildlife and human 
health and safety, agriculture, property, and natural resources. 
Wildlife-borne diseases that can affect domestic animals and humans are 
among the types of conflicts that APHIS-WS addresses. Wildlife is the 
dominant reservoir of rabies in the United States.
    On December 7, 2000, a notice was published in the Federal Register 
(65 FR 76606-76607, Docket No. 00-045-1) in which the Secretary of 
Agriculture declared an emergency and transferred funds from the 
Commodity Credit Corporation to APHIS-WS for the continuation and 
expansion of oral rabies vaccination (ORV) programs to address rabies 
in the States of Ohio, New York, Vermont, Texas, and West Virginia.
    On March 7, 2001, we published a notice in the Federal Register (66 
FR 13697-13700, Docket No. 01-009-1) to solicit public involvement in 
the planning of a proposed cooperative program to stop the spread of 
rabies in the States of New York, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, and West 
Virginia. The notice also stated that a small portion of northeastern 
New Hampshire and the western counties in Pennsylvania that border Ohio 
could also be included in these control efforts, and discussed the 
possibility of APHIS-WS cooperating in smaller-scale ORV projects in 
the States of Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, 
and Alabama. The March 2001 notice contained detailed information about 
the history of the problems with raccoon rabies in eastern States and 
with gray fox and coyote rabies in Texas, along with information about 
previous and ongoing efforts using ORV baits in programs to prevent the 
spread of the rabies strains of concern.
    To provide the public with documentation of APHIS' review and 
analysis of the environmental impacts associated with the proposed 
rabies control programs discussed in the March 2001 notice, we have 
prepared an environmental assessment (EA). The EA was prepared in 
accordance with: (1) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), as amended(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (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' NEPA Implementing 
Procedures (7 CFR part 372).
    This EA reflects our review and consideration of the comments 
received in response to the March 2001 notice, as well as a number of 
issues and alternatives identified during the preparation of previous 
EA's covering ORV use in earlier, State-level ORV programs. The EA is 
now available for public review and comment prior to an Agency 
decision.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 11th day of May 2001.
Richard L. Dunkle,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 01-12430 Filed 5-16-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P