[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 170 (Thursday, September 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60338-60339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21082]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 170 / Thursday, September 1, 2016 /
Notices
[[Page 60338]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2016-0045]
Environmental Impact Statement; Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket
Suppression Program
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service plans to prepare an environmental impact statement
to analyze the effects of a program to suppress populations of
grasshoppers and Mormon cricket from 17 States in the western United
States. This notice identifies potential issues and alternatives that
will be studied in the environmental impact statement, and requests
public comments to further delineate the scope of the alternatives and
environmental impacts and issues.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
October 17, 2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2016-0045.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2016-0045, 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-
0045 or in our reading room, which is located in 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: For questions related to the
Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program, contact Mr. William
D. Wesela, APHIS National Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Program
Manager, [email protected], (301) 851-2229. For questions
related to the environmental impact statement, contact Dr. Jim Warren,
Environmental Protection Specialist, Environmental and Risk Analysis
Services, PPD, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 149, Riverdale, MD 20737;
[email protected]; (202) 316-3216.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: About 400 species of grasshoppers inhabit
the 17 western States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas,
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon,
South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) involved in the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS') cooperative
grasshopper suppression program, but only a small percentage are
considered pest species. APHIS assists Federal land management agencies
and State, county, and local governments during rangeland pest
outbreaks. Grasshoppers and Mormon crickets (hereafter referred to
collectively as grasshoppers) feed on and damage grasses and other
vegetation, including some adjacent crops.
Rangeland in the western United States is a valuable agricultural
resource for livestock production. Other economic benefits include
energy production sites and recreation uses. Rangelands also provide
numerous ecosystem benefits, such as protection of water and soil
quality, nutrient cycling and serve as habitat for a variety of
wildlife. Grasshoppers are natural components of this ecosystem;
however, their populations can reach outbreak levels and cause serious
economic losses to rangeland forage, especially when accompanied by a
drought. A rapid and effective response is required when a grasshopper
outbreak develops and threatens rangeland forage.
Currently, APHIS conducts surveys for grasshopper populations on
rangeland in the western United States, provides technical assistance
on grasshopper management to land owners/managers, and cooperatively
suppresses grasshoppers when direct intervention is requested by a
Federal land management agency or a State agriculture department and
deemed necessary.
Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C 4321 et seq.), Federal agencies must
examine the potential environmental effects of the proposed Federal
actions and alternatives. As such, we intend to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) to examine the environmental
effects of control alternatives available to the agency, including a no
action alternative. The EIS will be used for planning and
decisionmaking and to inform the public about the environmental effects
of APHIS' grasshopper suppression activities. It will also provide an
overview of APHIS activities to which we can tier site-specific
analyses and environmental assessments if new grasshopper infestations
are discovered in the affected States.
We are requesting public comment to help us identify or confirm
potential alternatives and environmental issues that should be examined
in the EIS, as well as comments that identify other issues that should
be examined in the EIS.
The EIS will be prepared in accordance with: (1) NEPA, (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).
We have identified three alternatives for further examination in
the EIS:
No action. Under this alternative, APHIS would maintain the program
that was described in the 2002 EIS and Record of Decision. APHIS may
opt to provide technical assistance, but any suppression program would
be implemented by a Federal land management agency, a State agriculture
department, a local government, or a private group or individual.
No suppression program. Under this alternative, APHIS would not
fund or
[[Page 60339]]
participate in any program to suppress grasshopper infestations. APHIS
may opt to provide technical assistance, but any suppression program
would be implemented by a Federal land management agency, a State
agriculture department, a local government, or a private group or
individual.
Insecticide applications at conventional rates or reduced agent
area treatments. This alternative would update the information and
technologies that were analyzed in the 2002 EIS. The insecticides
available for use by APHIS include the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency-registered chemicals carbaryl, diflubenzuron,
chlorantraniliprole, and malathion. Carbaryl and malathion are
cholinesterase inhibitors which effects the nervous system.
Diflubenzuron is an insect growth regulator. Chlorantraniliprole
affects the nervous system by activating ryanodine receptors in
insects. Only one insecticide would be used at a time, and would be
applied at a rate that is normally or conventionally used for
grasshopper suppression treatments, or could be applied as a reduced
agent area treatment (RAATs). The RAATs strategy uses a reduced rate of
insecticide from conventional levels by alternating treatment swaths in
a spray block, reduced application rates, or both. The RAATs strategy
suppresses grasshoppers within treated swaths, while conserving
grasshopper predators and parasites in swaths that are not treated. An
adaptive approach of either conventional rates or RAATs will allow the
program to make site-specific suppression applications using a range of
application rates to ensure adequate suppression.
We have identified the following potential environmental impacts or
issues for further examination in the EIS:
Effects on wildlife, including consideration of migratory
bird species and changes in native wildlife habitat and populations,
and federally listed endangered and threatened species.
Effects on soil, air, and water quality.
Effects on human health and safety.
Effects on cultural and historic resources.
Effects on economic resources.
All comments on this notice will be carefully considered in
developing the final scope of the EIS. Upon completion of the draft
EIS, a notice announcing its availability and an invitation to comment
on it will be published in the Federal Register.
Done in Washington, DC, this 26th day of August 2016.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-21082 Filed 8-31-16; 8:45 am]
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