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

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section.

Notices Federal Register

60683

Vol. 62, No. 218

Wednesday, November 12, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 97–106–1]

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 the

proposed release into the environment

of nonindigenous species of wasps for

use as biological control agents to

suppress the Pink Hibiscus Mealybug.

The environmental assessment provides

a basis for our conclusion that the

release into the environment of the

biological control agents will not

present a risk of introducing plant pests

into the United States or disseminating

plant pests within the United States and

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 those documents are

requested to call ahead on (202) 690–

2817 to facilitate entry into the

comment reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Dale E. Meyerdirk, Senior Staff Officer,

Pink Hibiscus Mealybug Program, PPQ,

APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 135,

Riverdale, MD 20737–1236, (301) 734–

5667. For copies of the environmental

assessment and finding of no significant

impact, write to Dr. Meyerdirk at the

same address. Please refer to the title of

the environmental assessment when

ordering copies.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As a part

of a biological control project to

suppress the Pink Hibiscus Mealybug

(PHM) (Maconellicoccus hirsutus)

(Homoptera: Pseudococcidae), the

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service (APHIS) is proposing to release

nonindigenous wasps in the genus

Leptomastix in the continental United

States and its Caribbean territories. PHM

is currently established on the islands of

St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John in

the U.S. Virgin Islands and on Vieques

of Puerto Rico. However, we anticipate

that PHM will spread to other U.S.

territories in the Caribbean and to the

mainland United States. As PHM

spreads, nonindigenous wasps in the

genus Leptomastix, which have

controlled PHM in Egypt, would be

released in affected areas to suppress

PHM. PHM is a devastating pest of

cocoa, grapes, fiber crops, hibiscus, and

many other field crops and ornamental

plants.

To provide the public with

documentation of APHIS’’ review and

analysis of the environmental impact

and plant pest risk associated with

releasing these biological control agents

into the environment, we have prepared

an environmental assessment and

finding of no significant impact relative

to the release into the environment of

the following biological control agents:

Organisms Title of environmental assessment

Date of finding of no

significant

impact

Leptomastix spp. ....................... ‘‘Field Releases of Nonindigenous Species of Leptomastix (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) for Biological Control of Pink Hibiscus Mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Homoptera:

Pseudococidae)’’ (September 1997).

10/14/97

The environmental assessment and

finding of no significant impact have

been prepared in accordance with: (1)

The National Environmental Policy Act

of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (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 5th day of

November 1997.

Terry L. Medley,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 97–29712 Filed 11–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A–405–802]

Cut-to-Length Carbon Steel Plate From

Finland; Antidumping Duty

Administrative Review; Extension of

Time Limit

AGENCY: Import Administration,

International Trade Administration,

Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of extension of time

limit.