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

27488

Vol. 66, No. 96

Thursday, May 17, 2001

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 00–097–1]

Notice of Request for an Extension of

a Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Extension of approval of an

information collection; comment

request.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service’s intention to

request an extension of a currently

approved information collection to

gather data on West Nile virus.

DATES: We invite you to comment on

this docket. We will consider all

comments that we receive by July 16,

2001.

ADDRESSES: Please send four copies of

your comment (an original and three

copies) to: Docket No. 00–097–1,

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. 00–097–1.

You may read any comments that we

receive on this docket 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 dockets, are

available on the Internet at http://

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

webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

information on the West Nile virus

collection activities, contact Dr. Randall

Crom, Senior Staff Veterinarian,

Emergency Programs, Veterinary

Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit

41, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734–

8073. For copies of more detailed

information on the information

collection, contact Mrs. CelesteSickles,

APHIS’ Information Collection

Coordinator, at (301) 734–7477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: West Nile Virus Surveillance

Project.

OMB Number: 0579–0162.

Expiration Date of Approval: June 30,

2001.

Type of Request: Extension of

approval of an information collection.

Abstract: The Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service (APHIS),

Veterinary Services (VS), is responsible

for protecting the health of our Nation’s

livestock and poultry by controlling and

eradicating contagious, infectious, or

communicable animal diseases.

Veterinary Services’Emergency

Programs unit coordinates APHIS’ roles

and responsibilities in planning for and

responding to emerging or exotic animal

diseases.

In 1999, West Nile virus (WNV),

which can cause encephalitis, an

inflammation of the brain, was first

identified in the United States in wild

birds, mosquitoes, humans, and

equines. Clinical illness in humans and

equines occurred during early August

through late October 1999, with 62

human cases, including 7 deaths, and 25

equine cases, including 9 deaths.

Because the virus is transmitted by

mosquitoes, it has the potential to affect

humans, livestock, and poultry. No

treatment or vaccine is currently

available.

In 2000, WNV was detected in

humans, equines, other mammals, birds,

and mosquitoes in the northeastern

United States and in one crow in North

Carolina. Of the 21 additional cases of

WNV confirmed in humans in 2000, two

deaths have been reported. Of the 59

cases confirmed in equines in 2000, 23

equines died or were euthanized. The

equine cases were confirmed in

Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts,

New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,

and Rhode Island. The three equine

cases in Delaware were the first cases of

WNV to be documented in that State.

Over 4,300 dead birds and 480 mosquito

pools were documented as positive for

WNV in 12 States and the District of

Columbia. A dead crow tested positive

for WNV in North Carolina, making that

the first confirmation of the presence of

WNV in that southeastern State. More

data on the distribution of WNV is

available online at http://

www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/wnv/

wnvstats.html.

Under an approved emergency

information collection, data was

collected on equines infected in 2000

from equine owners in up to five States

in the northeastern United States. We

collected data on equines infected in

2000, the premises on which they

reside, and on equines and premises in

the immediate area of the infected

equines. We will analyze the data in an

attempt to explain equine or premises

risk factors for WNV infection.

Extending the approval for an additional

3 years will allow additional

epidemiologic data to be collected and

analyzed.

We are asking the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) to

approve the WNV information

collection activity for an additional 3

years.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit

comments from the public (as well as

affected agencies) concerning our

information collection. These comments

will help us:

(1) Evaluate 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;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our

estimate of the burden of the

information collection, including the

validity of the methodology and

assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the

information collection on those who are

to respond, through use, as appropriate,

of automated, electronic, mechanical,

and other collection technologies, e.g.,

permitting electronic submission of

responses.

Estimate of burden: The public

reporting burden for this collection of

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 96 / Thursday, May 17, 2001 / Notices 27489

information is estimated to average

1.125 hours per response.

Respondents: Equine owners.

Estimated annual number of

respondents: 420.

Estimated annual number of

responses per respondent: 2.

Estimated annual number of

responses: 840.

Estimated total annual burden on

respondents: 945 hours.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Done in Washington, DC, this 11th day of

May 2001.

Richard L. Dunkle,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 01–12429 Filed 5–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 01–009–2]

Wildlife Services; Availability of

Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public

that the Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service has prepared an

environmental assessment for oral

rabies vaccination programs in several

States. The environmental assessment

analyzes the potential environmental

effects of a proposal to continue and

expand the Agency’s involvement in

programs to stop the spread of certain

wildlife-borne rabies strains in the

States of New York, Ohio, Texas,

Vermont, and West Virginia, and

examines similar efforts that may be

conducted in New Hampshire,

Pennsylvania, Florida, Massachusetts,

Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and

Alabama. We are making this

environmental assessment available to

the public for review and comment

prior to an Agency decision.

DATES: We will consider all comments

that we receive by June 18, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Please send four copies of

your comment (an original and three

copies) to: Docket No. 01–009–2,

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. 01–009–2.

To obtain a copy of the environmental

assessment, contact Elizabeth Harris,

Operational Support Staff, Wildlife

Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit

87, Riverdale, MD 20737–1234; phone

(301) 734–7921, fax (301)734–5157, or email: elizabeth.harris@aphis.usda.gov.

You may also read the environmental

assessment and any comments we

receive on this notice of availability 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 dockets, are

available on the Internet at http://

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

webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dennis Slate, Rabies Program

Coordinator, Wildlife Services, APHIS,

59 Chennell Drive, Suite 7, Concord, NH

03301–8548; phone (603) 223–6832.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Wildlife Services (WS) program

in the Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service (APHIS) cooperates

with Federal agencies, State and local

governments, and private individuals to

research and implement the best

methods of managing conflicts between

wildlife and human health and safety,

agriculture, property, and natural

resources. Wildlife-borne diseases that

can affect domestic animals and humans

are among the types of conflicts that

APHIS–WS addresses. Wildlife is the

dominant reservoir of rabies in the

United States.

On December 7, 2000, a notice was

published in the Federal Register (65

FR 76606–76607, Docket No. 00–045–1)

in which the Secretary of Agriculture

declared an emergency and transferred

funds from the Commodity Credit

Corporation to APHIS–WS for the

continuation and expansion of oral

rabies vaccination (ORV) programs to

address rabies in the States of Ohio,

New York, Vermont, Texas, and West

Virginia.

On March 7, 2001, we published a

notice in the Federal Register (66 FR

13697–13700, Docket No. 01–009–1) to

solicit public involvement in the

planning of a proposed cooperative

program to stop the spread of rabies in

the States of New York, Ohio, Texas,

Vermont, and West Virginia. The notice

also stated that a small portion of

northeastern New Hampshire and the

western counties in Pennsylvania that

border Ohio could also be included in

these control efforts, and discussed the

possibility of APHIS–WS cooperating in

smaller-scale ORV projects in the States

of Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland,

New Jersey, Virginia, and Alabama. The

March 2001 notice contained detailed

information about the history of the

problems with raccoon rabies in eastern

States and with gray fox and coyote

rabies in Texas, along with information

about previous and ongoing efforts

using ORV baits in programs to prevent

the spread of the rabies strains of

concern.

To provide the public with

documentation of APHIS’ review and

analysis of the environmental impacts

associated with the proposed rabies

control programs discussed in the

March 2001 notice, we have prepared an

environmental assessment (EA). The EA

was 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 1b), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA

Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part

372).

This EA reflects our review and

consideration of the comments received

in response to the March 2001 notice, as

well as a number of issues and

alternatives identified during the

preparation of previous EA’s covering

ORV use in earlier, State-level ORV

programs. The EA is now available for

public review and comment prior to an

Agency decision.

Done in Washington, DC, this 11th day of

May 2001.

Richard L. Dunkle,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 01–12430 Filed 5–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P