[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 216 (Thursday, November 9, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77259-77260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24752]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2023-0079]


Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program; Availability of a 
Programmatic Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service has prepared a programmatic environmental assessment 
relative to the Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program in the 
conterminous United States. The environmental assessment documents our 
review and analysis of environmental impacts associated with the 
Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program. We are making the 
programmatic environmental assessment available to the public for 
review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
December 11, 2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. 
Enter APHIS-2023-0079 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab, 
then select the Comment button in the list of documents.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2023-0079, 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 regulations.gov or in our reading room, which is located 
in room 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. To be sure someone is 
there to help you, please call (202) 799-7039 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Matthew Travis, Spotted Lanternfly 
National Policy Manager, PPQ, APHIS, Emergency and Domestic Programs, 
4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma

[[Page 77260]]

delicatula, an invasive species native to Asia, is a destructive pest 
that in large numbers can cause significant damage to critical habitat 
and economically important plants. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to 
control SLF, to slow the spread of this invasive insect in the 
conterminous United States, wherever outbreaks are detected.
    SLF was first detected in the United States in 2014 in 
Pennsylvania. In 2015, APHIS implemented SLF control activities to 
respond to this new pest threat. Later, in 2019, APHIS started an 
official SLF program. SLF is a significant economic and lifestyle pest 
for residents, businesses, tourism, forestry, and agriculture.
    SLF infestation has led to crop loss, agriculture exportation 
problems, and increased management costs. APHIS is concerned by the 
potential for long-distance movement of SLF within the United States, 
and by the continued risk of SLF introduction from other countries. The 
environmental and socioeconomic damage to SLF-affected regions can be 
substantial. For context, grape vineyards in South Korea and the United 
States appear to be particularly affected, jeopardizing an industry 
worth billions of dollars. One vineyard in the United States reportedly 
faced a crop yield loss of up to 90 percent. An uncontained SLF 
infestation could drain Pennsylvania's economy of at least $324 million 
annually.
    While SLF has not yet been found in western United States, it has 
been intercepted in airplanes arriving from the eastern United States. 
Suitable conditions for SLF establishment exist in large regions of the 
United States, giving the insect the potential to damage valuable host 
crops, forests, and critical habitat for listed species. APHIS' review 
and analysis of potential environmental impacts associated with the 
Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program are documented in a 
programmatic environmental assessment (ProEA) titled ``Spotted 
Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program for the Conterminous United 
States'' (June 2023). The ProEA incorporates by reference, the analysis 
in ``Expanded Spotted Lanternfly Control Program in Select States in 
the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic Regions of the United States 
EA''.\1\ In our analysis, APHIS found that an adaptive pest management 
approach that combines quarantine, chemical treatments, and pest survey 
is the preferred alternative to address the potential environmental 
impact of a SLF outbreak.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/ea/2023/regional-slf-2023-ea.pdf.
_____________________________________-

    The ProEA may be viewed on the regulations.gov website 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 
also request paper copies of the ProEA by calling or writing to the 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to 
the title of the ProEA when requesting copies.
    The ProEA 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 31st day of October 2023.
Michael Watson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-24752 Filed 11-8-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P