[Federal Register: March 12, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 47)]
[Notices]
[Page 10707-10708]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12mr09-22]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2009-0008]
Availability of an Environmental Assessment for a Biological
Control Agent for Russian Knapweed
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 an environmental assessment relative to
the control of Russian knapweed, Acroptilon repens. The environmental
assessment considers the effects of, and alternatives to, the release
of a gall midge, Jaapiella ivannikovi, into the continental United
States for use as a biological control agent to reduce the severity of
Russian knapweed 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
13, 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-2009-0008 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-2009-0008, 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-2009-0008.
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. L. Carmen Soileau, Senior Staff
Entomologist, Permits, Registrations, Imports, and Manuals, PPQ, APHIS,
4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1237; (866) 524-5421.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing
to issue permits for the release of a gall midge, Jaapiella ivannikovi,
into the continental United States for use as a biological control
agent to reduce the severity of Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens)
infestations.
Russian knapweed is a long-lived perennial in the plant tribe
Asteraceae (sunflower, aster, or daisy family). The highly invasive
weed was first introduced into North America in 1898. By 1998, the weed
had spread to 313 counties in 45 of the 48 contiguous States in the
United States with 80 percent of the infestation occurring in the
States of Colorado, Idaho, Washington, and Wyoming. Russian knapweed
thrives in a variety of habitats and is found in both irrigated and
arid environments and in croplands, pastures, rangelands, and
wastelands. The weed is a strong competitor and produces a chemical
substance that inhibits the growth of other plant species, and, as a
result, dense (100-300 plants/square meter) infestations may develop.
It is generally not used for forage because of its bitter taste and
because it presents a risk of causing neurological disorders in horses
if consumed. Additionally, it reduces wildlife habitats, suppresses
other plants, and has no beneficial qualities.
Existing Russian knapweed management options are ineffective,
expensive, and temporary and have negative impacts on other species of
plants. Therefore, APHIS is proposing to issue permits for the release
of a gall midge, J. ivannikovi, into the continental United States for
use as a biological control agent to reduce the severity of Russian
knapweed infestations.
The proposed biological control agent, J. ivannikovi, is an insect
measuring 1.6 to 2.5 mm in length with relatively large wings, long
legs, and a long ovipositor (egg-laying organ) that can be extended
from the tip of the abdomen. The female gall midge deposits its eggs on
the surface of the buds situated on the tips of the main and side
shoots of the Russian knapweed. Larval feeding causes stunted growth of
the shoot and fusion of leaves, resulting in a so-called ``rosette
gall.''
Host specificity laboratory tests conducted at the CABI Bioscience
Centre in Dele[eacute]mont, Switzerland, and open-field experiments in
Uzbekistan indicate that J. ivannikovi is host-specific to Russian
knapweed. The list of plants tested in the laboratory consisted of the
target plant, Russian knapweed, collected in the native range
(Uzbekistan), a population of Russian knapweed collected in North
America (Wyoming), and 50 non-target plant species or varieties. During
these tests, several male and female J. ivannikovi gall midges were
placed into a plastic cylinder that covered each plant. After exposure,
the plants were inspected for gall formation. In these laboratory
tests, galls occurred only on the target weed Russian knapweed and on
the Eurasian knapweed.
In addition to the laboratory tests, gall formation tests were
conducted under open-field conditions in an experimental garden at the
Institute of Zoology, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Test plant species were
either grown from seed or collected in the local area and transplanted
to the experimental sites and were arranged with Russian knapweed in a
randomized design. J. ivannikovi galls were collected locally over an
approximate span of 2 years. In these tests, gall formation was
recorded in large numbers on Russian knapweed but on no other test
plant species, including the Eurasian knapweed.
APHIS' review and analysis of the proposed action are documented in
detail in an environmental assessment (EA) entitled ``Field Release of
Jaapiella ivannikovi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), an Insect for Biological
Control of Russian Knapweed (Acroptilon repens), in the Continental
United States'' (December 2008). We are making the EA available to the
public for review and comment. We will consider all comments that we
[[Page 10708]]
receive on or before the date listed under the heading DATES at the
beginning of this notice.
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 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 6th day of March 2009.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E9-5370 Filed 3-11-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P