[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 159 (Thursday, August 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49409-49410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-20174]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2012-0052]
Oral Rabies Vaccine Trial; Availability of an Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment and finding
of no significant impact relative to an oral rabies vaccination field
trial in New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia.
Based on its finding of no significant impact, the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service 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 Chennell Drive, Suite 7,
Concord, NH 03301; (603) 223-9623. To obtain copies of the
environmental assessment or finding of no significant impact, contact
Ms. Beth Kabert, Environmental Coordinator, Wildlife Services, 140-C
Locust Grove Road, Pittstown, NJ 08867; (908) 735-5654, fax (908) 735-
0821, email: beth.e.kabert@aphis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Wildlife Services (WS) program in the Animal and Plant Health
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.
On July 9, 2012, we published in the Federal Register (77 FR 40322-
40323, Docket No. APHIS-2012-0052) a notice \1\ 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 field trial to test the safety and
efficacy of an experimental oral rabies vaccine for wildlife in New
Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia.
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\1\ To view the notice, the comments we received, the EA, and
the FONSI, go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-
2012-0052.
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We solicited comments on the EA for 30 days ending August 8, 2012.
We received nine comments by that date. They were from private citizens
(including five comments from the same individual), a foreign
government, a Federal agency, and a State department of health. Three
commenters expressed support for the proposed field trial. One
commenter indicated we should prepare an environmental impact statement
rather than an EA for this action but did not provide a reason for
doing so. Other issues raised by commenters include concerns regarding
possible effects on public health and whether the field trial is
necessary. The comments, and APHIS' responses to the comments, are
presented in an appendix to the EA (see footnote 1).
In this document, we are advising the public of our finding of no
significant impact (FONSI) regarding the implementation of a field
trial to test the safety and efficacy of the AdRG1.3 wildlife rabies
vaccine in New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia,
including portions of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest
Service National Forest System lands, but excluding Wilderness Areas.
The finding, which is based on the EA, reflects our determination that
the distribution of this experimental wildlife rabies vaccine will not
have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment.
The EA and FONSI may be viewed on the APHIS Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/ws/ws_nepa_environmental_documents.shtml and on the Regulations.gov Web site (see footnote 1).
Copies of the EA and
[[Page 49410]]
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
on (202) 799-7039 to facilitate entry into 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 13th day of August 2012.
Peter Fernandez,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-20174 Filed 8-13-12; 4:15 pm]
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