Environmental statements; availability, etc.: Florida Fruit Fly Cooperative Control Program,

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Federal Register: August 12, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 155)NoticesPage 43976-43977From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr12au99-33

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Docket No. 98-020-2Fruit Fly Cooperative Control Program; Draft Environmental Impact Statement

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 a draft environmental impact statement for the Fruit Fly Cooperative Control Program. This document analyzes potential environmental effects of cooperative efforts to control exotic fruit fly pests in the United States. We are requesting public comments on the draft environmental impact statement, and notifying the public of the comment period and public meetings for the draft environmental impact statement.

DATES: We invite you to comment on the draft environmental impact statement. We will consider all comments that we receive by October 12, 1999. The public meetings will be held in (1) Washington, DC, on August 16, 1999; (2) Tampa, FL, on August 18, 1999; (3) Miami, FL, on August 20, 1999; (4) Brownsville, TX, on August 23, 1999; and (5) Los Angeles, CA, on August 25, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Please send your comment and three copies to: Mr. Harold T. Smith, Environmental Protection Officer, Environmental Analysis and Documentation, PPD, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 149, Riverdale, MD 20737-1228.

Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. 98-020-2.

You may read any comments that we receive on the draft environmental impact statement 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.

Copies of the draft environmental impact statement are available for review between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays at the following locations:

APHIS Reading Room, room 1141, South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC; USDA, APHIS Library, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, MD; USDA, APHIS, PPQ, 9580 Micron Avenue, Suite I, Sacramento, CA 95827; USDA, APHIS, PPQ, 3505 Boca Chica Boulevard, Suite 360, Brownsville, TX 78521-4065; USDA, APHIS, PPQ, 3505 25th Avenue, Building 1 North, Gulfport, MS 39501; and USDA, APHIS, PPQ, Blason II, 1st Floor, 505 South Lenola Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057.

Interested persons may obtain a copy of the draft environmental impact statement by writing to any of the last four addresses listed above (those beginning with USDA, APHIS, PPQ) or to the address listed below under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

The public meeting will be held at the following locations and times:

  (1) South Agriculture Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, on August 16, 1999, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; (2) Ramada Airport Inn and Conference Center, 5303 West Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, FL, on August 18, 1999, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; (3) Doubletree Grand Hotel, 1717 North Bayshore, Miami, FL, on August 20, 1999, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; (4) Holiday Inn Fort Brown, 1900 East Elizabeth Street, Brownsville, TX, on August 23, 1999, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and (5) Embassy Suites Los Angeles/Downey, 8425 Firestone Boulevard, Downey, CA, on August 25, 1999, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Harold T. Smith, Environmental Protection Officer, Environmental Analysis and Documentation, PPD, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 149, Riverdale, MD 20737-1228; (301) 734- 8565.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Many fruit fly species are serious pests of agriculture throughout the World and represent a threat to the agriculture and ecology of the United States. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with other Federal and State organizations, is proposing a national program, a broad strategy, to respond to that threat. The national program includes what formerly were separate cooperative programs to control various fruit fly pest species.

APHIS, with the assistance of its cooperators, has developed a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) that analyzes a range of program alternatives and their associated components, including exclusion, detection and prevention, and control. The EIS focuses principally on the potential environmental effects of the control measures, but maintains a secondary focus on the identification of strategies for the reduction of risk in fruit fly programs.

We published a notice of intent to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register on March 20, 1998 (63 FR 13614-13615, Docket No. 98-020-1). The notice of intent requested comments from the public concerning issues that should be addressed in the EIS. Comments from the public during the formal scoping period were considered by APHIS for the development of the draft.

Major Issues

The comments received from the public helped us to determine the principal focus and issues of the draft EIS. The document analyzes the following broad alternatives: (1) No action, (2) a nonchemical program, and (3) an integrated program. The draft focuses principally on the potential environmental effects of control components (especially chemicals) but also focuses on the identification of strategies to reduce risk in fruit fly programs.

The draft EIS is now available for review and comment. We are seeking input from the public, including private citizens, organizations, industry, and other government agencies.

[Page 43977]Preparation of the Final Environmental Impact Statement.

APHIS will consider all comments received by the close of the comment period in the development of the final EIS for the Fruit Fly Cooperative Control Program. A notice announcing the availability of the final document will be published in a subsequent Federal Register notice.

This notice is issued in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (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).

Done in Washington, DC, this 3rd day of August 1999. Bobby R. Acord, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

FR Doc. 99-20820Filed8-11-99; 8:45 amBILLING CODE 3410-34-U

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