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

4594

Vol. 65, No. 20

Monday, January 31, 2000

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 99–093–1]

Asian Longhorned Beetle; Availability

of an Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and

request for comments.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public

that an environmental assessment has

been prepared by the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service relative to a

proposed field test program for the

control of the Asian longhorned beetle,

Anoplophora glabripennis

(Motschulsky). The environmental

assessment documents our review and

analysis of environmental impacts

associated with the proposed field test

program. We are making this

environmental assessment available to

the public for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments

that we receive by March 31, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Please send your comment

and three copies to: Docket No. 99–093–

1, Regulatory Analysis and

Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03,

4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale,

MD 20737–1238.

Please state that your comment refers

to Docket No. 99–093–1.

You may read any comments that we

receive on this environmental

assessment in our reading room. The

reading room 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) 690–2817 before

coming.

APHIS documents published in the

Federal Register, and related

information, including the names of

organizations and individuals who have

commented on APHIS rules, are

available on the Internet at http://

www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/

webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Ron Milberg, Operations Officer, PPQ,

APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 135,

Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 734–

5255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Asian longhorned beetle,

Anoplophora glabripennis

(Motschulsky), 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 a half an 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 the

city of Chicago, 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 the

removal of host trees is time consuming

and expensive, APHIS is investigating

the use of prophylactic methods to

prevent new infestations of healthy trees

in the vicinity of infected areas.

APHIS has completed an

environmental assessment that

considers various methods of

prophylactic protection for trees against

the harmful effects of the Asian

longhorned beetle. Based on our

findings, we believe that the most

effective prophylactic treatment

available for trees appears to be the use

of a soil-injected insecticide. Therefore,

we are planning to conduct field tests

on this method in the spring of 2000 to

determine whether it can be a successful

and efficient deterrent to the spread of

the Asian longhorned beetle.

APHIS’ review and analysis of the

potential environmental impacts

associated with these proposed field

tests are documented in detail in an

environmental assessment entitled

‘‘Asian Longhorned Beetle Field Trial’’

(October 1999). We are making this

environmental assessment available to

the public for review and comment. We

will consider all comments that we

receive by the date listed under the

heading DATES at the beginning of this

notice.

The environmental assessment may

be viewed on the Internet at http://

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

You may request paper copies of the

environmental assessment 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 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

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 20 / Monday, January 31, 2000 / Notices 4595

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 14th day of

January 2000.

Craig A. Reed,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 00–1493 Filed 1–27–00; 11:53 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

National Power Cooperative; Notice of

Intent

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to hold a public

meeting and prepare an environmental

assessment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Rural Utilities Service (RUS),

pursuant to the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et

seq.), the Council on Environmental

Quality (CEQ) Regulations for

Implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts

1500–1508), and RUS Environmental

Policies and Procedures (7 CFR part

1794) proposes to prepare an

Environmental Assessment for possible

financing assistance to National Power

Cooperative, Inc. (NPC) to construct a

510 megawatt, natural gas fired

combustion turbine electric generation

plant in northwest Ohio.

MEETING INFORMATION: RUS will conduct

a public meeting in an open house

forum on Wednesday, February 16,

2000, from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., at

Delphos Jefferson Senior High School

on Route 66 in Delphos, Ohio. All

interested parties are invited to attend

the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob

Quigel, Engineering and Environmental

Staff, Rural Utilities Service, at (202)

720–0468. Bob’s E-mail address is:

bquigel@rus.usda.gov. You can also

contact Keith A. Crabtree of NPC at

(614) 846–5757. Keith’s email address

is: kac@buckeyepower.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NPC, a

wholly owned subsidiary of the Ohio

Rural Electric Cooperatives, proposes to

construct the natural gas fired electric

generation plant at one of two potential

sites. One site is located in Van Wert

County near Convoy, just southwest of

the intersection of Mentzer Road and

Shaner Road. The other site is located

in Allen County, east of Cairo, north of

the Lincoln Highway between Stewart

Road and Slabtown Road.

The proposed project will be

composed of three gas fired turbine

generation units with an output of 170

megawatts each. The entire plant will

require approximately 30 acres. No

major natural gas pipeline or electric

transmission line improvements will be

needed at either site beyond the

proposed site boundaries. Specific

details of the plant will be available at

the scoping meeting.

Alternatives to be considered by RUS

to constructing the generation facility

proposed include: (a) No action, (b)

Load management, (c) Purchased power,

and (d) An alternative site location.

To be presented at the public scoping

meeting will be a siting study and

alternative evaluation study prepared by

AEP Resources and Dames & Moore for

NPC. The siting study and alternative

evaluation study are available for public

review at RUS in Room 2242, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC, and at the NPC

headquarters located at 6677 Busch

Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio. This

document will also be available at the

Lima Public Library, 650 W. Market St.,

Lima, Ohio (419–228–5113) and it’s

Cairo Branch, 519 Wall St., Cairo, Ohio

(419–641–7744) and at the Brumback

Library, 215 W. Main St. in Van Wert,

Ohio (419–238–2168) and it’s Convoy

Branch, 116 E. Tully St., Convoy, Ohio

(419–749–4000).

Government agencies, private

organizations, and the public are invited

to participate in the planning and

analysis of the proposed project.

Representatives of RUS and NPC will be

available at the scoping meeting to

discuss RUS’ environmental review

process, describe the project and

alternatives under consideration,

discuss the scope of environmental

issues to be considered, answer

questions, and accept oral and written

comments. Written comments will be

accepted for at least 30 days after the

public scoping meeting.

From information provided in the

siting study and alternative evaluation

study, input that may be provided by

government agencies, private

organizations, and the public, NPC will

prepare an environmental analysis to be

submitted to RUS for review. RUS will

use the environmental analysis to

determine the significance of the

impacts of the project and may adopt it

as its environmental assessment of the

project. RUS’ environmental assessment

of the project would be available for

review and comment for 30 days.

Should RUS determine, based on the

environmental assessment of the

project, that the impacts of the

construction and operation of the plant

would not be significant, it will prepare

a finding of no significant impact.

Public notification of a finding of no

significant impact would be published

in the Federal Register and in

newspapers with a circulation in the

project area.

Any final action by RUS related to the

proposed project will be subject to, and

contingent upon, compliance with

environmental review requirements as

prescribed by CEQ and RUS

environmental policies and procedures.

Dated: January 24, 2000.

Glendon D. Deal,

Acting Director, Engineering and

Environmental Staff.

[FR Doc. 00–2014 Filed 1–28–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A–428–827, A–475–828, A–557–809, A–565–

801]

Initiation of Antidumping Duty

Investigations: Stainless Steel ButtWeld Pipe Fittings From Germany,

Italy, Malaysia and the Philippines

AGENCY: Import Administration,

International Trade Administration,

Department of Commerce.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

Germany: Carrie Blozy or Rick Johnson

at (202) 482–0165 and (202) 482–3818,

respectively; for Italy, Helen Kramer or

Linda Ludwig at (202) 482–0405 and

(202) 482–3833, respectively; for

Malaysia, Becky Hagen or Rick Johnson

at (202) 482–3362 and (202) 482–3818,

respectively; for the Philippines, Fred

Baker or Robert James at (202) 482–2924

and (202) 482–0649, respectively,

Import Administration, International

Trade Administration, U.S. Department

of Commerce, 14th Street and

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,

D.C. 20230.

Initiation of Investigations

The Applicable Statute and Regulations

Unless otherwise indicated, all

citations to the statute are references to

the provisions effective January 1, 1995,

the effective date of the amendments

made to the Tariff Act of 1930 (‘‘the

Act’’) by the Uruguay Round

Agreements Act (‘‘URAA’’). In addition,

unless otherwise indicated, all citations

to the Department’s regulations are

references to the provisions codified at

19 CFR part 351 (1999).