Opinion ID: 2824567
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: APHIS and Its 1994/1997 Programmatic

Text: Environmental Impact Statement The United States Department of Agriculture is authorized to protect the nation’s agricultural resources from damage associated with predatory wildlife. See 7 U.S.C. §§ 426-426c. The Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (“APHIS”) carries out wildlife control programs through Wildlife Services. 1 See 7 C.F.R. §§ 371.6, 371.11. APHIS conducts its programs in cooperation with other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as with private organizations and individuals. In 1994, APHIS assessed the environmental impact of its full program of ongoing wildlife damage control nationwide and issued an EIS, referred to as a “programmatic EIS” (“PEIS”). The PEIS was revised in 1997 to make technical corrections. The 1994/1997 PEIS discusses thirteen alternatives for wildlife management and identifies a preferred approach—the “Current Program Alternative.” 2 Rather than requiring the preferred approach to be implemented nationwide, however, the Record of Decision for the PEIS identifies five “viable alternatives discussed” in 1 Wildlife Services was formerly called Animal Damage Control. 2 The Record of Decision in the Federal Register defines this alternative: “The current program (the integrated pest management alternative) . . . consists of various practices and techniques, including both nonlethal and lethal actions, that are available for formulating a damage control strategy consistent with applicable State and local requirements, cooperative agreements, and interagency arrangements.” Animal Damage Control Program, Record of Decision Based on Final Environmental Impact Statement, 60 Fed. Reg. 13399, 13400 (Mar. 13, 1995). WILDEARTH GUARDIANS V. USDA 7 the PEIS and states that they would be forwarded to regional and local decision makers “for consideration as management approaches.” Animal Damage Control Program, Record of Decision Based on Final Environmental Impact Statement, 60 Fed. Reg. 13,399, 13,400 (Mar. 13, 1995).