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,

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rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

6289 

Vol. 86, No. 12 

Thursday, January 21, 2021 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2020–0035] 

Notice of Availability of an 

Environmental Assessment for 

Release of Bikasha collaris and 

Gadirtha fusca for Biological Control 

of Chinese Tallow 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service has prepared an 

environmental assessment relative to 

permitting the release of the insects 

Bikasha collaris and Gadirtha fusca for 

biological control of Chinese tallow tree 

(Triadica sebifera) in the contiguous 

United States. Based on the 

environmental assessment and other 

relevant data, we have reached a 

preliminary determination that the 

release of this control agent will not 

have a significant impact on the quality 

of the human environment. We are 

making the environmental assessment 

available to the public for review and 

comment. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before February 

22, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2020-0035. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2020–0035, 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-2020-0035 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: 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; 

(301) 851–2327; email: Colin.Stewart@

usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Chinese 

tallow, native to China, is one of the 

most aggressive and widespread 

invasive weeds in the Southeastern 

United States; it grows as a large shrub, 

or a medium-height but large diameter 

tree, up to 60 feet tall and 3 feet in 

diameter with dark green bark and 

hairless leaves. Since its introduction, 

the weed has been reported primarily in 

10 States including North Carolina, 

South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, 

Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, 

Arkansas, Texas, and California. Tallow 

invasions alter species composition, 

community structure, and ecosystem 

processes in many native habitats. 

Bikasha collaris is a small beetle. 

Adults are about 2 millimeters long and 

feed on tallow leaves, young stems, and 

even woody stems. In nature, females 

lay eggs on the soil surface at the base 

of plants. Larvae hatch and tunnel into 

the ground and feed on the roots of 

tallow plants. Gadirtha fusca is a small 

moth with adults about 2 centimeters 

long. Eggs are usually laid individually 

on leaves, and early and late instar 

larvae feed externally on leaves. 

The Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service’s (APHIS’) review 

and analysis of the potential 

environmental impacts associated with 

the proposed release are documented in 

detail in an environmental assessment 

(EA) entitled ‘‘Field Release of the 

Insects Bikasha collaris (Coleoptera: 

Chrysomelidae) and Gadirtha fusca 

(Lepidoptera: Nolidae) for Classical 

Biological Control of Chinese Tallow 

Tree in the Contiguous United States’’ 

(April 2020). We are making the EA 

available to the public for review and 

comment. We will consider all 

comments that we receive on or before 

the date listed under the heading DATES

at the beginning of this notice. 

The EA 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 EA by calling or 

writing to the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please 

refer to the title of the EA when 

requesting copies. 

The EA 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 13th day of 

January 2021. 

Mark Davidson, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–01124 Filed 1–19–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2020–0122] 

Notice of Request for Revision to and 

Extension of Approval of an 

Information Collection; Importation of 

Gypsy Moth Host Materials From 

Canada 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Revision to and extension of 

approval of an information collection; 

comment request. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service’s intention to 

request a revision to and extension of 

approval of an information collection 

associated with the regulations to 

prevent the introduction of gypsy moth 


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