[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 216 (Tuesday, November 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78567-78568]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26937]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2016-0069]


Availability of an Environmental Assessment for the Biological 
Control of Giant Reed

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 giant reed (Arundo donax). The environmental 
assessment considers the effects of, and alternatives to, the field 
release of a gall-forming fly, Lasioptera donacis, into the continental 
United States for use as a biological control agent to reduce the 
severity of giant reed 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 
December 8, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2016-0069.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2016-0069, 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-2016-
0069 or in our reading room, which is located in

[[Page 78568]]

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. Colin D. Stewart, Assistant 
Director, Pests, Pathogens, and Biocontrol Permits Permitting and 
Compliance Coordination, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 851-2327, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Giant reed (Arundo donax), a native of the Mediterranean and Middle 
East, has become one of the most pervasive non-native plants to invade 
the riparian areas of the Southwest United States, especially in 
California and the Rio Grande area of Texas. Giant reed infestations in 
riparian habitats lead to loss of biodiversity, stream bank erosion, 
altered channel morphology, damage to bridges, increased costs for 
chemical and mechanical control along transportation corridors, and 
impediment of law enforcement activities on the international border. 
Many Federal and State agencies, as well as private entities, conduct 
programs to manage giant reed, as well as other invasive weeds. The 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to 
issue permits for the field release of a gall-forming fly, Lasioptera 
donacis, into the continental United States to reduce the severity of 
giant reed infestations.
    APHIS' review and analysis of the proposed action are documented in 
detail in a draft environmental assessment (EA) entitled ``Field 
release of the European leaf sheath mining midge, Lasioptera donacis 
Coutin (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), for biological control of giant reed, 
Arundo donax L. (Poales: Poaceae) in the Contiguous United States'' 
(April 2016). 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 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 2nd day of November 2016.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-26937 Filed 11-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P