[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 100 (Friday, May 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31137-31138]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11108]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2019-0034]


Oral Rabies Vaccine Program; Notice of Availability of Decision 
and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service has prepared a Decision and Finding of No 
Significant Impact for the final environmental assessment, relative to 
an oral rabies vaccination program in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, 
Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. Based on 
our decision and finding of no significant impact, the Animal and Plant 
Health Inspection has determined that an environmental impact statement 
need not be prepared.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Richard Chipman, Rabies Program 
Coordinator, Wildlife Services, APHIS, 59 Chenell Drive, Suite 2, 
Concord, NH 03301; (603) 223-9623. To obtain copies of the 
environmental assessment and the finding of no significant impact, 
contact Ms. Beth Kabert, Environmental Coordinator, Wildlife Services, 
APHIS, 59 Chenell Drive, Suite 2, Concord, NH 03301; (908) 442-6761, 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Wildlife Services (WS) program in the 
Animal and Plant 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.
    Since 2011, WS has been conducting field trials to study the 
immunogenicity and safety of an experimental oral rabies vaccine, a 
human adenovirus type 5 rabies glycoprotein recombinant vaccine called 
ONRAB (produced by Artemis Technologies Inc., Guelph, Ontario, Canada). 
The field trials began in portions of West Virginia, including U.S. 
Department of Agriculture Forest Service National Forest System lands. 
Beginning in 2012, WS expanded field trials into portions of New 
Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and new areas of West Virginia, 
including additional National Forest System lands, in order to further 
assess the immunogenicity of ONRAB in raccoons and skunks for raccoon 
rabies virus variant.
    On July 9, 2019, we published in the Federal Register (84 FR 32700-
32701, Docket No. APHIS-2019-0034) \1\ a notice in which we announced 
the availability, for public review and comment, of an environmental 
assessment (EA) that examined the potential environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed expanded use of ONRAB vaccine-baits 
throughout the oral rabies vaccination (ORV) distribution zone in 
Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, 
Virginia, and West Virginia.
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    \1\ The EA, Decision/FONSI, and comments we received may be 
viewed at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=APHIS-2019-0034.
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    We solicited comments on the EA for 30 days ending August 8, 2019. 
We received 6 comments by that date. The comments were from private 
individuals supporting and opposing the oral rabies vaccination 
program. The comments, and APHIS' responses to the comments, are 
presented in an appendix to the Decision and Finding of No Significant 
Impact (FONSI).
    In the EA, we identified a number of alternatives for 
consideration. Our proposed alternative recommended the expanded use of 
ONRAB throughout the ORV zone in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, 
Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. This 
alternative involves the continued or expanded use of Federal funds by 
APHIS-WS to purchase ONRAB oral vaccine baits and to participate in the 
distribution of vaccine baits under the authorities of the appropriate 
State agencies in selected areas of the States listed above to stop or 
prevent raccoon, gray fox, and coyote rabies, and to assist with 
monitoring and surveillance efforts by capturing and releasing or 
killing target species for the purposes of obtaining biological 
samples.
    In this document, we are advising the public of our decision, as 
well as availability of a final EA and FONSI, regarding the 
implementation of the continued and expanded APHIS-WS ORV programs 
using the ONRAB wildlife rabies vaccine to eliminate or stop the spread 
of raccoon rabies variant in the eastern United States and prevent the 
reintroduction of the dog-coyote rabies variants from Mexico in the 
Southwestern United States, including National Forest System lands, in 
Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, 
Virginia, and West Virginia. The finding, which is based on the 
proposed alternative in the EA, reflects our determination that the 
distribution of the ONRAB wildlife rabies vaccine will not have a 
significant impact on the quality of the human environment.
    The final EA and FONSI may be viewed on the APHIS website at 
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/wildlifedamage/programs/nepa/ct_nepa_regulations_assessments and on the Regulations.gov website. 
Copies of the EA and FONSI 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) 799-7039 to facilitate entry into

[[Page 31138]]

the reading room. In addition, copies may be obtained as described 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    The EA and FONSI 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 1b); and (4) 
APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 19th day of May 2020.
Michael Watson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-11108 Filed 5-21-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P