[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 428-429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-31457]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2008-0062]


Availability of Site-Specific Environmental Assessment, Pest Risk 
Assessment, and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Interstate 
Movement of Garbage From Hawaii to Oregon

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that a site-specific environmental 
assessment, pest risk assessment, and finding of no significant impact 
have been prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
relative to a request to allow the interstate movement of garbage from 
Hawaii to a landfill in the State of Oregon. The environmental analysis 
has been prepared to determine whether the request is consistent with 
the environmental effects and impacts analyzed in our February 2008 
regional programmatic environmental assessment. The pest risk 
assessment evaluates the risks associated with the interstate movement 
of garbage from Hawaii to Oregon. Based on the finding of no 
significant impact, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has 
determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Shannon Hamm, Associate 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 in order to protect

[[Page 429]]

against the introduction into and dissemination within the United 
States of plant and animal pests and diseases.
    On March 13, 2008, we published in the Federal Register (73 FR 
13525, Docket No. APHIS-2007-0070) a notice in which we announced the 
availability, for public review and comment, of a regional programmatic 
environmental assessment relative to the interstate movement of 
municipal solid waste from Hawaii to landfills in the States of Idaho, 
Oregon, and Washington. On June 18, 2008 (73 FR 34700-34701, Docket No. 
APHIS-2007-0070), we published a followup notice in which we announced 
the availability of our final regional programmatic environmental 
assessment and finding of no significant impact.
    In our March 2008 notice, we stated that as new requests to move 
municipal solid waste from Hawaii are received, a specific 
environmental analysis will be prepared relative to each request to 
determine whether the request is consistent with the environmental 
effects and impacts analyzed in our regional programmatic environmental 
assessment. We also stated that the specific environmental analyses 
prepared for each new request to move municipal solid waste will be 
made available for a 30-day public comment period, after which APHIS 
will announce its environmental and pest risk decision regarding the 
new municipal solid waste movement proposal.
    In accordance with the process described in our March 2008 notice, 
on July 31, 2008, we published in the Federal Register (73 FR 44702-
44703, Docket No. APHIS-2008-0062) a notice \1\ in which we announced 
the availability, for public review and comment, of a site-specific 
environmental assessment, titled ``Site Specific Environmental 
Assessment for Off Island Transfer Proposal to Transport Municipal 
Solid Waste from Hawaii to Columbia Ridge Landfill,'' and the 
accompanying pest risk assessment, titled ``The Risk of Introducing 
Pests to Gilliam County, Oregon via Hawaiian Plastic-Baled Municipal 
Solid Waste'' (June 2008).
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    \1\ To view the notice, the site-specific environmental 
assessment, the pest risk assessment, and the finding of no 
significant impact, go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2008-0062.
_____________________________________-

    We solicited comments on the environmental assessment and the pest 
risk assessment for 30 days ending September 2, 2008. We received six 
comments by that date. In response to these comments, we have prepared 
a comment summary and response document that is available for review on 
the Regulations.gov Web site (see footnote 1). No changes to the 
environmental assessment or pest risk assessment were determined to be 
necessary in response to these comments.
    In this document, we are advising the public of our pest risk 
decision and finding of no significant impact regarding the interstate 
movement of garbage from Hawaii to a landfill in the State of Oregon. 
This decision is based upon the site-specific environmental assessment, 
titled ``Site Specific Environmental Assessment for Off Island Transfer 
Proposal to Transport Municipal Solid Waste from Hawaii to Columbia 
Ridge Landfill,'' and the accompanying pest risk assessment, titled 
``The Risk of Introducing Pests to Gilliam County, Oregon via Hawaiian 
Plastic-Baled Municipal Solid Waste'' (June 2008).
    The site-specific environmental assessment, pest risk assessment, 
and finding of no significant impact may be viewed on the 
Regulations.gov Web site (see footnote 1). Copies of the site-specific 
environmental assessment, pest risk assessment, and finding of no 
significant impact are also 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 copies are requested to 
call ahead at (202) 690-2817 to facilitate entry into the reading room. 
You may request paper copies of the site-specific environmental 
assessment, pest risk assessment, and the finding of no significant 
impact 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 and finding of no significant impact 
have 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's NEPA 
Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 30th day of December 2008.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
 [FR Doc. E8-31457 Filed 1-5-09; 8:45 am]
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