[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 216 (Wednesday, November 8, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 65454]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19027]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2006-0172]


Interstate Movement of Garbage From Hawaii; Availability of an 
Environmental Assessment and a Pest Risk Assessment

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service has prepared a site-specific environmental 
assessment and a pest risk assessment relative to a request to allow 
the interstate movement of garbage from Hawaii to a landfill in the 
State of Washington. The environmental assessment contains a general 
assessment of the potential environmental effects associated with 
moving garbage interstate from Hawaii to Washington, subject to certain 
pest risk mitigation measures and documents our review and analysis of 
the environmental impacts associated with, and alternatives to, the 
proposed action. The pest risk assessment evaluates the risks 
associated with the interstate movement of garbage from Hawaii to 
Washington. We are making these assessments available to the public for 
review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
December 8, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov, select ``Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service'' from the agency drop-down menu, then click ``Submit.'' In the 
Docket ID column, select Docket No. APHIS-2006-0172 to submit or view 
public comments and to view supporting and related materials available 
electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, including 
instructions for accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing 
the docket after the close of the comment period, is available through 
the site's ``User Tips'' link.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies 
of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. APHIS-
2006-0172, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-
03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state 
that your comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0172.
    Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on the 
assessments 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.
    Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its 
programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Shannon Hamm, Assistant Deputy 
Administrator, Policy and Program Development, APHIS, 4700 River Road 
Unit 20, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-4957.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The importation and interstate movement of garbage is regulated by 
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under 7 CFR 
330.400 and 9 CFR 94.5 (referred to below as the regulations) in order 
to protect against the introduction into and dissemination within the 
United States of plant and animal pests and diseases.
    APHIS is advising the public that we have prepared a site-specific 
environmental assessment and a pest risk assessment relative to a 
request to allow the interstate movement of garbage from Hawaii to the 
State of Washington.
    The environmental assessment, titled ``Movement of Plastic-baled 
Municipal Solid Waste from Honolulu, Hawaii to Roosevelt Regional 
Landfill, Washington'' (October 2006), contains a general assessment of 
the potential environmental effects associated with moving garbage 
interstate from Hawaii to the Roosevelt Regional Landfill in Klickitat 
County, WA, subject to certain pest risk mitigation measures. The 
environmental assessment documents our review and analysis of 
environmental impacts associated with, and alternatives to, the 
proposed action.
    The pest risk assessment, titled ``The Risk of Introduction of 
Pests to Washington State via Plastic-Baled Municipal Solid Waste from 
Hawaii'' (September 2006), evaluates the plant pest risks associated 
with the interstate movement of garbage from Hawaii to the Roosevelt 
Regional Landfill.
    We are making these assessments available to the public for review 
and comment. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
the date listed under the heading DATES at the beginning of this 
notice. The environmental assessment and pest risk assessment may be 
viewed on the Internet on the Regulations.gov Web site or in our 
reading room (see ADDRESSES above for instructions for accessing 
Regulations.gov and information on the location and hours of the 
reading room). You may request paper copies of the documents by calling 
or writing to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 
Please refer to the title of the document(s) you wish to receive when 
requesting copies.
    The environmental assessment has been 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 1), and (4) APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 
372).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 3rd day of November 2006.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E6-19027 Filed 11-7-06; 8:45 am]
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