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

57923 

Vol. 88, No. 163 

Thursday, August 24, 2023 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Agriculture has 

submitted the following information 

collection requirement(s) to OMB for 

review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Comments are 

requested regarding; whether the 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; ways to enhance the 

quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and ways to 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

information on those who are to 

respond, including through the use of 

appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments regarding this information 

collection received by September 25, 

2023 will be considered. Written 

comments and recommendations for the 

proposed information collection should 

be submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor a collection of information 

unless the collection of information 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number, and the agency informs 

potential persons who are to respond to 

the collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

Title: National Veterinary Service 

Laboratories; Bovine Spongiform 

Encephalopathy Surveillance Program. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0409. 

Summary of Collection: The Animal 

Health Protection Act (AHPA) of 2002 (7 

U.S.C. 8301–8317) is the primary 

Federal law governing the protection of 

animal health. The law gives the 

Secretary of Agriculture broad authority 

to detect, control, or eradicate pests or 

diseases of livestock or poultry. The 

Secretary may also prohibit or restrict 

import or export of any animal or 

related material if necessary, to prevent 

the spread of any livestock or poultry 

pest or disease. APHIS’ National 

Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) 

safeguard U.S. animal health and 

contribute to public health by ensuring 

that timely and accurate laboratory 

support is provided by their nationwide 

animal health diagnostic system. USDA 

complies with the standard set by the 

World Organization for Animal Health 

for bovine spongiform encephalopathy 

surveillance. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

APHIS will collect information using 

forms VS 17–146 and VS 17–146a, BSE 

Surveillance Submission Form/ 

Continuation Sheet and VS 17–131, BSE 

Surveillance Data Collection Form. 

APHIS will use the information 

collected to safeguard the U.S. animal 

health population against BSE. Without 

the information APHIS would be unable 

to monitor and prevent the incursion of 

BSE into the United States. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit; State, local or Tribal 

government. 

Number of Respondents: 178. 

Frequency of Responses: 

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 3,421. 

Ruth Brown, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18266 Filed 8–23–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2022–0031] 

Notice of Availability of a Draft 

Supplemental Environmental 

Assessment and Draft Finding of No 

Significant Impact for Emergency 

Response for Highly Pathogenic Avian 

Influenza Outbreaks in the United 

States Migratory Bird Flyways 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that a draft supplemental environmental 

assessment (EA) and draft finding of no 

significant impact (FONSI) have been 

prepared by the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service relative to our 

emergency response activities to highly 

pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in 

commercial and backyard poultry 

operations located in the four migratory 

bird flyways in the United States. This 

draft EA supplements the initial EA and 

FONSI we published in September 

2022, which evaluated the 

environmental impacts associated with 

the first seven States where highly 

pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks 

occurred. We are making this draft 

supplemental EA and draft FONSI 

simultaneously available to the public 

for review and comment. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before September 

25, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS– 

2022–0031 in the Search field. Select 

the Documents tab, then select the 

Comment button in the list of 

documents. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2022–0031, Regulatory Analysis 

and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 

3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. 

The draft supplemental EA, draft 

FONSI, and any comments we receive 

on this docket may be viewed at 

www.regulations.gov or in our reading 

room, located in room 1620 of the 

USDA South Building, 14th Street and 


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57924 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 163 / Thursday, August 24, 2023 / Notices 

1 Domestic poultry that can be affected include 

chickens; turkeys; ring-necked pheasants; ducks; 

geese; common, Japanese, or bobwhite quail; Indian 

peafowl; chukar or grey partridge; pigeons; ostrich; 

and guinea fowl. 

2To view the draft EA, final EA, comments, and 

the FONSI, go to www.regulations.gov and enter 

APHIS–2022–0031 in the Search field. 

3Current HPAI outbreak data can be accessed at 

APHIS’ website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/ 

aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-diseaseinformation/avian/avian-influenza/2022-hpai. 

4The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (Pub. L. 

118–5), which became effective on June 3, 2023, 

amended the National Environmental Policy Act. 

The draft final EA and FONSI described in this 

notice were prepared before the effective date of the 

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 and reflect the 

requirements of the National Environmental Policy 

Act before June 3, 2023. 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250. 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: Ms. 

Chelsea Bare, Chief of Staff, Veterinary 

Services, APHIS, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW, Whitten Building Room 318–E, 

Washington, DC 20250; (515) 337–6128; 

chelsea.j.bare@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

Animal Health Protection Act (AHPA) 

(7 U.S.C. 8301–8322) the Secretary of 

Agriculture is authorized to protect the 

health of livestock, poultry, and 

aquaculture populations in the United 

States by preventing the introduction 

and interstate spread of serious diseases 

and pests of livestock, poultry, and 

aquaculture, and eradicating such 

diseases within the United States when 

feasible. This authority has been 

delegated to the United States 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services 

(VS). 

Highly pathogenic avian influenza 

(HPAI) virus is one such disease of 

livestock. HPAI is extremely infectious 

and often fatal to poultry.1 Avian 

influenza (AI) viruses may circulate 

freely in wild bird populations without 

the birds appearing sick. As these birds 

migrate, they carry HPAI and other AI 

viruses with them and may 

subsequently transmit AI to domestic 

birds. HPAI can rapidly spread within 

and between domestic poultry flocks 

and wild bird (especially waterfowl) 

populations. Because birds infected 

with HPAI become a source of disease 

to additional poultry and wild birds, it 

is APHIS’ objective to stamp out HPAI 

as rapidly as possible at locations where 

it has been found. Preventing the entry 

of diseased birds and eggs into the 

United States, monitoring AI in 

migratory birds, identifying AI strains 

occurring primarily in migratory 

waterbird species, as well as backyard 

and commercial poultry flocks, and 

stamping out HPAI as it arises in 

domestic poultry is important for the 

long-term maintenance of disease-free 

United States poultry stocks. 

On February 8, 2022, the HPAI H5N1 

(AI strain) virus subtype was detected in 

a commercial turkey flock in Indiana. 

By February 24, 2022, H5N1 had been 

detected in commercial poultry facilities 

and backyard flocks in seven States 

(Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia, New York, 

Maine, Delaware, and Michigan). Due to 

the emergency situation and in 

accordance with 7 CFR 372.10 of 

APHIS’ National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) Implementing Procedures, 

APHIS published a draft environmental 

assessment (EA) and draft finding of no 

significant impact (FONSI) in April 

2022 to allow VS to carry out emergency 

response activities as a result of HPAI 

outbreaks in the aforementioned seven 

States at the start of 2022. A final EA 

titled ‘‘Emergency Response for HPAI 

Outbreaks in Seven States’’ and final 

FONSI were published in September 

2022.2

Since the preparation and publication 

of the final EA and final FONSI for the 

initial seven States, HPAI outbreaks 

have continued to occur across the 

United States. Within 15 months, the 

virus was confirmed in 325 commercial 

and 507 backyard flocks, affecting 

approximately 59 million birds in 47 

States.3 As HPAI outbreaks have been 

stamped out, new outbreaks emerge and 

are likely to continue with seasonal (i.e., 

spring and fall) bird migrations. For this 

reason, APHIS prepared a supplemental 

EA to cover VS’ HPAI emergency 

outbreak response activities in the four 

North American migratory bird flyways 

(i.e., the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, 

and Pacific Flyways). APHIS’ review 

and analysis of the potential 

environmental impacts associated with 

VS’ HPAI emergency outbreak response 

activities for additional outbreaks in 

commercial and backyard poultry 

operations in the four North American 

migratory bird flyways are documented 

in detail in the draft supplemental EA 

titled ‘‘Emergency Response for Highly 

Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreaks 

in the United States Migratory Bird 

Flyways.’’ 

The draft supplemental EA presents 

the purpose and need for the action, a 

description of the affected environment, 

and an analysis of potential 

environmental impacts of the No Action 

and Proposed Action (Preferred) 

Alternatives. The two alternatives 

considered in the supplemental EA 

meet the purpose and need for VS to 

carry out its goal to stamp out HPAI as 

quickly as possible. 

Potential direct and indirect effects on 

the environment are evaluated under 

each alternative. The potential 

environmental impacts on the following 

resources are considered in the draft 

supplemental EA: Soil, air, and water 

quality; humans (including effects on 

health and safety; cultural and historic 

resources; equity and environmental 

justice; children’s health, and Tribes); 

and wildlife and plant populations, 

especially birds of conservation 

concern, eagles, and threatened and 

endangered species. The draft 

supplemental EA also considers 

cumulative impacts from other past, 

present, and reasonably foreseeable 

future related actions. 

Based on the draft supplemental EA, 

APHIS has concluded that the Proposed 

Action Alternative will not have a 

significant impact on the quality of the 

human environment and a draft FONSI 

is appropriate with respect to the 

proposed action. After the public 

comment period ends, we will consider 

all comments received, revise the draft 

supplemental EA to address these 

comments, as appropriate, and publish 

a final NEPA document and decision. 

The draft supplemental EA was 

prepared in accordance with: (1) the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 4 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) the 

Council on Environmental Quality’s 

NEPA Implementing Regulations (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508) in effect as of the 

date of this notice, (3) USDA’s NEPA 

implementing regulations (7 CFR part 

1b), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA Implementing 

Procedures (7 CFR part 372). 

Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of 

August 2023. 

Michael Watson, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18185 Filed 8–23–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Office of Secretary 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; The Environmental 

Questionnaire and Checklist 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit the following information 


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