[Federal Register: December 19, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 244)]
[Notices]
[Page 70755-70756]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19de03-23]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
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.
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[[Page 70755]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 03-110-1]
Saltcedar; Availability of an Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service has prepared a draft environmental assessment
relative to the control of saltcedar (Tamarix spp.). The draft
environmental assessment considers the effects of, and alternatives to,
the release of a nonindigenous leaf beetle, Diorhabda elongata, into
the environment to reduce the severity of saltcedar infestations in 14
western States. We are making the draft environmental assessment
available to the public for review and comment.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
January 20, 2004.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by postal mail/commercial delivery
or by e-mail. If you use postal mail/commercial delivery, please send
four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to: Docket
No. 03-110-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station
3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state
that your comment refers to Docket No. 03-110-1. If you use e-mail,
address your comment to regulations@aphis.usda.gov. Your comment must
be contained in the body of your message; do not send attached files.
Please include your name and address in your message and ``Docket No.
03-110-1'' on the subject line.
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.
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: Mr. Robert Richard, Western Region
Program Manager, PPQ, APHIS, 2150 Centre Avenue Building B, Fort
Collins, CO 80526-8117; (970) 494-7565.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.), also known as tamarisk, is a dense,
deciduous shrub or small tree, indigenous to Asia, with the potential
to significantly affect native vegetation throughout much of the United
States. Saltcedars have long tap roots that allow them to access deep
water tables and interfere with natural aquatic systems. The saltcedar
is an aggressive colonizer, disrupting native plant communities and
degrading native wildlife habitat by replacing native plant species,
monopolizing limited water sources, and increasing the frequency,
intensity and effect of fires and floods.
A single mature saltcedar may produce hundreds of thousands of
seeds between April and October. The seeds are then dispersed by wind
and water throughout the growing season, germinating within 24 hours of
moistening. Seedlings are tolerant of water, saline soils, and drought
and may grow by as much as a foot a month.
Saltcedar was first introduced into the United States from Asia in
the early 1800s. The plant has been used for windbreaks, as
ornamentals, and for erosion control. By 1850, saltcedar had infested
river systems and drainages in the southwest. By 1938, infestations
were found from Florida to California and as far north as Idaho.
Saltcedar continues to spread rapidly and currently infests water
drainages and areas throughout the United States, including the
following western States: Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa,
Nebraska, Nevada, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington,
Utah, and Wyoming.
As a result of rising infestation levels, the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service has prepared a draft environmental assessment
(EA) relative to the environmental release of the nonindigenous
saltcedar leaf beetle (Diorhabda elongata) into the 14 western States
listed above in order to reduce the severity and extent of saltcedar
infestation in those areas.
The saltcedar leaf beetle is native to the Mediterranean region and
central and middle Asia. All stages of saltcedar leaf beetle larvae
feed on saltcedar foliage. As adults, the beetles continue to feed on
saltcedar foliage. Saltcedar leaf beetles have been known to completely
defoliate large areas of saltcedar. Release of this insect into the
environment is expected to produce a gradual reduction in the size of
saltcedar plants and in foliage cover and density of saltcedar stands.
APHIS' review and analysis of the proposed action and its
alternatives are documented in detail in a draft EA entitled,
``Proposed Program for Control of Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) in Fourteen
States'' (November 2003). We are making the draft 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.
The draft EA may be viewed on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/es/ppqdocs.html.
You may request paper copies of
the draft EA by calling or writing to the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the title of the draft EA
when requesting copies. The draft EA is also available for review in
our reading room (information on the location and hours of the reading
room is listed under the heading ADDRESSES at the beginning of this
notice).
The draft 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)
[[Page 70756]]
USDA regulations implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1), and (4) APHIS'' NEPA
Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).
Done in Washington, DC, this 15th day of December 2003.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 03-31311 Filed 12-18-03; 8:45 am]
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