**Record of Categorical Exclusion Determination**

**Methyl Bromide Treatment Modification for Wood Packaging Material**

**Brief Description of Proposed Action:**

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) is amending its regulations on Logs, Lumber, and Other
Unmanufactured Wood Articles (7 CFR 319.40) to modify the current methyl
bromide treatment schedule for wood packaging material to align it with
the current International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) 15,
*Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international
trade*. This amendment will not require an increase in the amount of
methyl bromide used for treating wood packaging material. The amendment
simply encourages improvements in the efficacy of the treatment by
requiring higher minimum concentration readings during the treatment and
extending the required exposure time.

Based on a review of the current methyl bromide treatment requirements
for wood packaging material and the intended amendments to these
regulations, including how the amendments will affect the use of methyl
bromide, PPQ determined that this revision meets the definition of a
categorically excluded action under the Council on Environmental
Quality's (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions
of the National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR Parts 1500--1508), the
USDA NEPA regulations (7 CFR Part 1b.3(a)), and APHIS NEPA implementing
procedures (7 CFR Part 372).

**Number and Title of Categorical Exclusion Applied:**

Section 1508.4 of CEQ's NEPA implementing regulations define categorical
exclusion as a "category of actions which do not individually or
cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and
which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a
Federal agency in implementation of these regulations (section 1507.3)
and for which, therefore, neither an environmental assessment nor an
environmental impact statement is required."

Subsequent to CEQ's NEPA implementing regulations, USDA finalized its
NEPA implementing procedures (7 CFR Part 1b) in accordance with section
1507.3 of the CEQ NEPA implementing regulations and made them available
in the *Federal Register* on March 18, 1983. The USDA regulations define
categorical exclusions as "activities which have been determined not to
have a significant individual or cumulative effect on the human
environment . . ." and further state that "\[a\]gencies will identify in
their own procedures the activities which normally would not require an
environmental assessment or environmental impact statement" (7 CFR Part
1b.3(a)).

Further, on February 1, 1995, APHIS published in the *Federal Register*
(60 FR 6000--6005) its final NEPA regulations (7 CFR Part 372) which
state that "Those categorical exclusions, codified at 7 CFR 1b.3(a) are
entirely appropriate for APHIS." APHIS' NEPA regulations also define
categorically excluded actions under section 372.5(c) as a class of
actions that share many of the same characteristics as the class of
actions that normally requires environmental assessments, but not
necessarily environmental impact statements. The major difference
between these classes is that, for categorically excluded actions, the
means through which adverse environmental impacts may be avoided or
minimized have actually been built right into the actions themselves.
This standard applies to this regulatory change in the methyl bromide
treatment schedule, which does not change the amount of methyl bromide
used for wood packaging material.

PPQ examined information and data about the chemical use that will
result from this change in the regulations and also notified and
received a positive response from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) regarding this change. Consequently, PPQ has determined
that the proposed program meets the criteria for a categorically
excluded action established by the CEQ regulations, the USDA
regulations, and the APHIS regulations, namely that it is an activity
that, either individually or cumulatively, will not have a significant
effect on the environment.

**Regulatory Requirements:**

This action involves a treatment modification for methyl bromide for
imported wood packaging material. It introduces no new fumigation or
other required treatment of commodities that are offered for
importation, but rather encourages improvements in the efficacy of the
treatment by requiring higher minimum concentration readings during the
treatment and extending the required exposure time. In addition,
required treatments will be conducted in the country of origin. This
action will align our regulations for wood packaging material used for
imported articles with the current International Standard for
Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) 15, *Guidelines for regulating wood
packaging material in international trade*.

**Determination:**

Based on my review of information conveyed to me and in my possession
concerning the amendments to the regulations, I have determined that
this revision fits within the specified class of actions, and is hereby
categorically excluded from further NEPA review.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Alan Green

Executive Director, Plant Health Programs, PPQ Date