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 appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

24445

Vol. 65, No. 81

Wednesday, April 26, 2000

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 00–039–1]

Availability of an Environmental

Assessment and Finding of No

Significant Impact

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public

that an environmental assessment and

finding of no significant impact have

been prepared by the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service relative to a

program for the control of the Asian

longhorned beetle, Anoplophora

glabripennis (Motschulsky). The

environmental assessment provides a

basis for our conclusion that the

implementation of our proposed

program to contain the Asian

longhorned beetle will not have a

significant impact on the quality of the

human environment. 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.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the environmental

assessment and finding of no significant

impact are 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 these documents are

requested to call (202) 690–2817 before

coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Michael B. Stefan, Operations Officer,

Invasive Species and Pest Management,

PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 134,

Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 734–

8247.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Asian longhorned beetle,

Anoplophora glabripennis, an insect

native to China, Japan, Korea, and the

Isle of Hainan, is a destructive pest of

hardwood trees. It is known to attack

healthy maple, horse chestnut, birch,

Rose of Sharon, poplar, willow, elm,

locust, mulberry, chinaberry, apple,

cherry, pear, and citrus trees. It may also

attack other species of hardwood trees.

In addition, nursery stock, logs, green

lumber, firewood, stumps, roots,

branches, and debris of one-half inch or

more in diameter are subject to

infestation. The beetle bores into the

heartwood of a host tree, eventually

killing it. Immature beetles bore into

tree trunks and branches, causing heavy

sap flow from wounds and sawdust

accumulation at tree bases. They feed

on, and overwinter in, the interiors of

trees. Adult beetles emerge in the spring

and summer months from round holes

approximately 3/8-inch diameter (about

the size of a dime) that they bore

through the trunks of trees. After

emerging, adult beetles feed for 2 to 3

days and then mate. Adult females then

lay eggs in oviposition sites that they

make on the branches of trees. A new

generation of Asian longhorned beetle is

produced each year. If this pest moves

into the hardwood forests of the United

States, the nursery and forest products

industries could experience severe

economic losses.

The Asian longhorned beetle

regulations (7 CFR 301.51–1 through

301.51–9) restrict the interstate

movement of regulated articles from

quarantined areas to prevent the

artificial spread of Asian longhorned

beetle to noninfested areas of the United

States. Portions of New York City and

Nassau and Suffolk Counties in the

State of New York and portions of Cook

County, Du Page County, and the village

of Summit in the State of Illinois are

already designated as quarantined areas.

APHIS’ current Asian longhorned

beetle eradication activities are limited

to the removal and destruction of trees

that are determined to be infested with

Asian longhorned beetle. Because

current eradication efforts have been

unsuccessful, APHIS has evaluated

additional control methods available to

help eradicate this destructive pest from

the United States.

To provide the public with APHIS’

review and analysis of environmental

impacts associated with these control

methods, we have prepared an

environmental assessment and finding

of no significant impact entitled, ‘‘Asian

Longhorned Beetle Program,’’ dated

February 2000. The environmental

assessment considers various methods

to protect trees against the harmful

effects of the Asian longhorned beetle

and provides a basis for our conclusion

that there would be no significant

impact on the quality of the human

environment from implementation of

soil or trunk injection insecticide

treatments of trees.

The environmental assessment and

finding of no significant impact may be

viewed on the Internet at http://

www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/ead/alb.html.

You may request paper copies of the

environmental assessment and finding

of no significant impact by calling or

writing to the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please

refer to the title of the environmental

assessment when requesting copies. The

environmental assessment is also

available for review in our reading room

(information on the location and hours

of the reading room is listed under the

heading ADDRESSES at the beginning of

this notice).

The environmental assessment and

finding of no significant impact 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 1), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA

Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part

372).

Done in Washington, DC, this 19th day of

April 2000.

Bobby R. Acord,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 00–10386 Filed 4–25–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P