Availability of Environmental Assessments: Change in Disease Status of Republic of Korea with Regard to Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Rinderpest

Federal Register: April 14, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 70)

Proposed Rules

Page 17115

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr14ap09-21

Proposed Rules

Federal Register

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

Page 17115

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 9 CFR Part 94

Docket No. APHIS-2008-0147

Change in Disease Status of the Republic of Korea With Regard to

Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Rinderpest; Availability of an Environmental

Assessment

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of an environmental assessment.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public that an environmental assessment has been prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service relative to a proposed rule that would add the Republic of Korea to the list of regions considered free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease. The environmental assessment documents our review and analysis of environmental impacts associated with adding the Republic of Korea to the list of regions considered free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease. We are making this environmental assessment available to the public for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 29, 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-2008-0147 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-2008-0147, 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-2008-0147.

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. Julia Punderson, Senior Staff

Veterinarian, Regionalization Evaluation Services, National Center for

Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-4356.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

In a proposed rule \1\ titled ``Change in Disease Status of the

Republic of Korea With Regard to Foot-and-Mouth Disease and

Rinderpest'' and published in the Federal Register on March 30, 2009

(74 FR 14093-14097, Docket No. APHIS-2008-0147), we proposed to amend the regulations in 9 CFR part 94 by adding the Republic of Korea to the list of regions that are considered free of rinderpest and foot-and- mouth disease.

\1\ To view the proposed rule and environmental assessment, go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/ main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2008-0147.

APHIS' review and analysis of the potential environmental impacts associated with adding the Republic of Korea to the list of regions considered free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease are documented in detail in an environmental assessment entitled ``Proposed Rule for the Status of the Republic of Korea Regarding Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Rinderpest: Environmental Assessment'' (February 2009). We are making this environmental assessment 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 environmental assessment may be viewed on the Regulations.gov

Web site or in our reading room (see ADDRESSES above for a link to

Regulations.gov and information on the location and hours of the reading room). You may request paper copies of the environmental assessment by calling or writing to the person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the title of the environmental assessment when requesting copies.

The environmental assessment was 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 1b), and (4) APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).

Done in Washington, DC, this 8th day of April 2009.

Kevin Shea,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

FR Doc. E9-8494 Filed 4-13-09; 8:45 am

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