[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 29 (Thursday, February 12, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 7827]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02914]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 29 / Thursday, February 12, 2015 / 
Notices  

[[Page 7827]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2014-0094]


Availability of an Environmental Assessment for the Biological 
Control of Emerald Ash Borer

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 draft environmental assessment 
relative to the control of emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis. The 
environmental assessment considers the effects of, and alternatives to, 
the field release of a parasitic wasp, Spathius galinae, into the 
continental United States for use as a biological control agent to 
reduce the severity of emerald ash borer infestations. We are making 
the environmental assessment available to the public for review and 
comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before March 
16, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2014-0094.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2014-0094, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may 
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2014-
0094 or in our reading room, which 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) 799-7039 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Shirley Wager-Pag[eacute], 
Assistant Director, Pest Permitting Branch, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road 
Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 851-2323.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus 
planipennis, is an invasive wood-boring beetle from Asia threatening 
the ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in the United States. EAB larvae feed on 
ash phloem, cutting off the movement of resources within the tree and 
killing the tree in 4-5 years. EAB is able to attack and kill healthy 
trees in both natural and urban environments and is well suited for 
climate conditions in the continental United States. As a result, EAB 
infestations have been detected in 24 states: Arkansas, Colorado, 
Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, 
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, 
New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, 
Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to issue permits for the field 
release of a parasitic wasp, Spathius galinae, into the continental 
United States to reduce the severity of EAB infestations.
    APHIS' review and analysis of the proposed action are documented in 
detail in a draft environmental assessment (EA) entitled ``Field 
Release of the Parasitoid Spathius galinae for the Biological Control 
of the Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) in the Continental 
United States'' (January 2014). We are making the EA 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 EA may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site or in our 
reading room (see ADDRESSES above for a link to Regulations.gov and 
information on the location and hours of the reading room). You may 
request paper copies of the draft EA by calling or writing to the 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to 
the title of the EA when requesting copies.
    The EA 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 1b); and (4) 
APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 6th day of February 2015.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-02914 Filed 2-11-15; 8:45 am]
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