[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 191 (Monday, October 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61121-61122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24817]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2006-0172]
Interstate Movement of Garbage From Hawaii; Withdrawal of Finding
of No Significant Impact
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; withdrawal of finding of no significant impact.
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SUMMARY: On May 27, 2010, we advised the public that the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service prepared an environmental assessment
and a finding of no significant impact relative to a request to allow
the interstate movement of municipal solid waste
[[Page 61122]]
from Hawaii to a landfill in the State of Washington. Because we have
been made aware of additional information that was not previously
provided and we have an interest in examining that information to
determine the potential impacts, we are withdrawing the finding of no
significant impact effective immediately in order to reevaluate the
potential for environmental impacts that may be associated with this
action.
DATES: Effective Date: October 4, 2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Lamb, Import Specialist,
Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road
Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-0627.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The importation and interstate movement of garbage is regulated by
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service under 7 CFR 330.400 and
9 CFR 94.5 in order to protect against the introduction into and
dissemination within the United States of plant and animal pests and
diseases.
On January 19, 2010, we published in the Federal Register (75 FR
2845-2846, Docket No. APHIS-2006-0172) a notice \1\ in which we
announced the availability, for public review and comment, of an
environmental assessment documenting our review and analysis of the
environmental impacts associated with, and alternatives to, the
movement of palletized or containerized baled municipal solid waste to
three existing ports on the Columbia River via barge and the transfer
and transportation of the waste via truck or rail to the landfill.
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\1\ To view the environmental assessment, the comments we
received and our responses to the comments, and the finding of no
significant impact, go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2006-0172.
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We solicited comments on the environmental assessment for 30 days
ending on February 18, 2010. We received 37 comments by that date. The
commenters raised several issues, including the potential for invasive
species/pest introductions, impacts on air and water quality, impacts
on fish and wildlife habitat, impacts on existing infrastructure
(highway, rail, and barge), increased traffic at associated ports, and
the adequacy of the environmental assessment's analysis of cumulative
effects.
On May 27, 2010, we published in the Federal Register (75 FR 29706,
Docket No. APHIS-2006-0172) a notice announcing the availability of a
final environmental assessment and our finding of no significant impact
(FONSI).
Although the agency had requested public comment on the
environmental assessment published on January 19, 2010, with comments
due on February 18, 2010, we received new information regarding
potential impacts from that action after the FONSI had been issued.
Because APHIS had not previously had the opportunity to evaluate this
new information, we have decided to withdraw the FONSI effective
immediately and reevaluate the potential environmental impacts that may
be associated with this action.
Done in Washington, DC, this 28th day of September 2010.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-24817 Filed 10-1-10; 8:45 am]
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