[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26183-26184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09467]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2019-0068]


Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment and Finding 
of No Significant Impact for Release of Lilioceris egena for Biological 
Control of Air Potato in the Continental United States

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Agriculture (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 final environmental assessment (EA) 
and finding of no significant impact relative to permitting the release 
of an insect, Lilioceris egena, for the biological

[[Page 26184]]

control of air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) in the continental United 
States. Based on our finding of no significant impact, we have 
determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.

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 20737-1237; (301) 851-2237; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is issuing 
permits for the release of an insect, Lilioceris egena, into the 
continental United States for use as a biological control agent to 
reduce the severity of air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) infestations.
    Air potato is an herbaceous, twining vine that can grow 65 feet 
long or more, capable of climbing and out-competing native vegetation. 
Since its introduction to Florida in 1905, air potato has aggressively 
spread throughout the State; this species is reportedly naturalized in 
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Hawaii. In 1999, 
the Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services added air 
potato to its list of noxious weeds in an attempt to protect the 
State's native plant species from being displaced or hybridized. 
Presently, the air potato is well established in Florida and probably 
throughout the Gulf States where it has the potential to severely 
disrupt entire ecosystems.
    On January 8, 2021, we published in the Federal Register (86 FR 
1477-1478, Docket No. APHIS-2019-0068) a notice \1\ in which we 
announced the availability, for public review and comment, of an 
environmental assessment (EA) that examined the release of L. egena 
into the continental United States for use as a biological control 
agent to reduce the severity of air potato (D. bulbifera) infestations. 
Comments on the notice were required to be received on or before 
February 8, 2021. We received 14 comments by that date, and they are 
addressed in the EA. All of the comments were in favor of the proposed 
release and did not raise any substantive issues.
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    \1\ To view the notice, supporting documents, and the comments 
we received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter APHIS-2019-
0068 in the Search field.
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    In this document, we are advising the public of our finding of no 
significant impact (FONSI) regarding the release of L. egena, into the 
continental United States for use as a biological control agent to 
reduce the severity of air potato (D. bulbifera) infestations. The 
finding, which is based on the EA, reflects our determination that 
release of L. egena, into the continental United States will not have a 
significant impact on the quality of the human environment.
    The EA and FONSI may be viewed on the Regulations.gov website (see 
footnote 1). Copies of the EA and FONSI are also available for public 
inspection at 1620 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. Persons 
wishing to inspect copies are requested to call ahead on (202) 799-7039 
to facilitate entry into the reading room. In addition, copies may be 
obtained by calling or writing to the individual listed 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 27th day of April 2022.
Anthony Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-09467 Filed 5-2-22; 8:45 am]
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