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

9779 

Vol. 74, No. 43 

Friday, March 6, 2009 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2008–0141] 

Availability of an Environmental 

Assessment for a Biological Control 

Agent for Arundo donax 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service has prepared an 

environmental assessment relative to 

the control of Arundo donax (giant reed, 

Carrizo cane). The environmental 

assessment considers the effects of, and 

alternatives to, the release of a wasp, 

Tetramesa romana, into the continental 

United States for use as a biological 

control agent to reduce the severity of A. 

donax infestations. 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 April 6, 

2009. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/

component/main?main=DocketDetail&

d=APHIS-2008-0141 to submit or view 

comments and to view supporting and 

related materials available 

electronically. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Please send two copies of your comment 

to Docket No. APHIS–2008–0141, 

Regulatory Analysis and Development, 

PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 

River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 

20737–1238. Please state that your 

comment refers to Docket No. APHIS– 

2008–0141. 

Reading Room: You may read any 

comments that we receive on the 

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. 

Other Information: Additional 

information about APHIS and its 

programs is available on the Internet at 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Carmen Soileau, Senior Entomologist, 

Evaluation and Permitting of Regulated 

Organisms and Soil, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 

River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 

20737–1237; (301) 734–5055. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing 

to issue permits for the release of a 

wasp, Tetramesa romana, into the 

continental United States for use as a 

biological control agent to reduce the 

severity of Arundo donax infestations. 

A. donax is a highly invasive, 

bamboo-like weed that was introduced 

to North America in the early 1500s for 

its fiber uses. It is among the fastest 

growing plants in the continental 

United States, making it a severe threat 

to riparian areas, where it causes 

erosion, damages bridges, alters channel 

morphology, increases costs for 

chemical and mechanical control along 

transportation corridors, and impedes 

law enforcement activities along 

international borders. Additionally, A. 

donax consumes excessive amounts of 

water, competing for water resources in 

arid regions where these resources are 

critical to the environment, agriculture, 

and municipal users. 

Existing A. donax management 

options include herbicides, prescribed 

fires, biomass removal, and other 

methods. However, these management 

measures are ineffective, expensive, 

temporary, and have impacts on species 

other than A. donax. Therefore, APHIS 

is proposing to issue permits for the 

release of a wasp, T. romana, into the 

continental United States in order to 

reduce the severity and extent of A. 

donax infestations. 

The proposed biological control agent, 

T. romana, is a wasp in the insect 

family Eurytomidae. It has a widespread 

presence around the Mediterranean 

basin, from Turkey to Spain and 

Morocco, and was also found at one site 

in southern Africa and one site in 

China. Two populations of T. romana 

have recently been discovered near 

Santa Barbara, CA, and in Austin, TX. 

The establishment of T. romana in 

Texas indicates that the wasp has a 

moderate level of cold hardiness and is 

therefore expected to establish 

throughout the range of A. donax. 

Female wasps lay their eggs inside the 

shoot cavity of the target weed, A. 

donax. A few days after eggs are laid, an 

abnormal overgrowth of plant tissue 

called gall tissue develops inside the A. 

donax shoot cavity. The wasp larvae 

feed on the expanding gall tissue during 

their 26- to 48-day generation period, 

resulting in stunted stem growth and 

sometimes death of the stem. 

Field studies were conducted 

throughout Mediterranean Europe to 

test the host specificity of T. romana 

using non-target species that were 

morphologically similar to A. donax or 

native to the southern United States. 

The development of T. romana was 

recorded only on A. donax and A. 

formosana, an exotic ornamental plant 

native to Taiwan, with greater 

reproduction and faster development 

time on A. donax. Based on these 

studies, T. romana is determined to be 

host specific to the Arundo genus. 

T. romana may not be successful in 

reducing the A. donax population in the 

continental United States, but its use is 

expected to be effective in combination 

with other control methods or biological 

control agents that may be released in 

the future. 

APHIS’ review and analysis of the 

proposed action are documented in 

detail in an environmental assessment 

(EA) entitled ‘‘Field Release of the 

Arundo Wasp, Tetramesa romana 

(Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), an Insect 

for Biological Control of Arundo donax 

(Poaceae), in the Continental United 

States’’ (October 2008). 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. 

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9780 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 43 / Friday, March 6, 2009 / Notices 

The EA may be viewed on the 

Regulations.gov Web site or in our 

reading room (see ADDRESSES above for 

instructions for accessing 

Regulations.gov and information on the 

location and hours of the reading room). 

You may request paper copies of the 

environmental 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 1), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA 

Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 

372). 

Done in Washington, DC, this 3rd day of 

March 2009. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–4881 Filed 3–5–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request: Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program, 

Administrative Review Requirements— 

Food Retailers and Wholesalers 

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service 

(FNS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice invites the general public and 

other public agencies to comment on 

proposed information collections. The 

proposed collection is a revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before May 5, 2009 to be 

assured of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Comments are invited on (a) 

Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether the 

information has practical utility; (b) the 

accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the 

burden of the proposed collection of 

information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions that 

were used; (c) ways to enhance the 

quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (d) 

ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including the use of 

appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments may be sent to Andrew 

Furbee, Acting Chief, Administrative 

Review Branch, Benefit Redemption 

Division, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, 

3101 Park Center Drive, Room 608, 

Alexandria, Virginia 22302. Comments 

may also be submitted via fax to the 

attention of Andrew Furbee at (703) 

305–2821, or via e-mail to brdhqweb@fns.usda.gov. 

All written comments will be open for 

public inspection at the office of the 

Food and Nutrition Service during 

regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday) at 3101 

Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 

22303, Room 608. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) approval. All comments will be 

a matter of public record. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information 

should be directed to Andrew Furbee, 

(703) 305–2822. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Request for Administrative 

Review. 

OMB Number: 0584–0520. 

Expiration Date: July 31, 2009. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved collection of 

information. 

Abstract: The Food and Nutrition 

Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture is the Federal agency 

responsible for the Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), 

formerly known as the Food Stamp 

Program. The Food and Nutrition Act of 

2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011–2036) requires that 

the FNS determine the eligibility of 

retail food stores and certain food 

service organizations in order to 

participate in SNAP. If a food retailer or 

wholesale food concern is aggrieved by 

certain administrative action by FNS, 

that store has the right to file a written 

request for review of the administrative 

action with FNS. 

Respondents: Retail food stores and 

wholesale food concerns. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

589. 

Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1.2. 

Estimated Time per Response: Public 

reporting burden for this collection of 

information is estimated to average 0.17 

of an hour per response. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 120.16 hours. 

Dated: March 3, 2009. 

E. Enrique Gomez, 

Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition 

Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–4817 Filed 3–5–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Special Supplemental Nutrition 

Program for Women, Infants and 

Children (WIC): Income Eligibility 

Guidelines 

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department announces 

adjusted income eligibility guidelines to 

be used by State agencies in 

determining the income eligibility of 

persons applying to participate in the 

Special Supplemental Nutrition 

Program for Women, Infants and 

Children Program (WIC). These income 

eligibility guidelines are to be used in 

conjunction with the WIC Regulations. 

DATES: Effective Date: July 1, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Debra Whitford, Branch Chief, Policy 

and Program Development Branch, 

Supplemental Food Programs Division, 

FNS, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, 

Alexandria, Virginia 22302, (703) 305– 

2746. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Executive Order 12866 

This notice is exempt from review by 

the Office of Management and Budget 

under Executive Order 12866. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

This action is not a rule as defined by 

the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 

601–612) and thus is exempt from the 

provisions of this Act. 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

This notice does not contain reporting 

or recordkeeping requirements subject 

to approval by the Office of 

Management and Budget in accordance 

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507). 

Executive Order 12372 

This program is listed in the Catalog 

of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Programs under No. 10.557, and is 

subject to the provisions of Executive 

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