82 FR 45796 - Availability of an Environmental Assessment for the Biological Control of Yellow Toadflax

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 189 (October 2, 2017)

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a draft environmental assessment relative to the control of yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris). The environmental assessment considers the effects of, and alternatives to, the field release of a stem gall weevil, Rhinusa pilosa, into the continental United States for use as a biological control agent to reduce the severity of yellow toadflax infestations. We are making the environmental assessment available to the public for review and comment.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 189 (Monday, October 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45796-45797]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-21105]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2017-0071]


Availability of an Environmental Assessment for the Biological 
Control of Yellow Toadflax

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 yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris). The 
environmental assessment considers the effects of, and alternatives to, 
the field release of a stem gall weevil, Rhinusa pilosa, into the 
continental United States for use as a biological control agent to 
reduce the severity of yellow toadflax 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 
November 1, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0071.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2017-0071, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may 
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-
0071 or in our reading room, which 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) 799-7039 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Colin D. Stewart, Assistant 
Director, Pests, Pathogens, and Biocontrol Permits, Permitting and 
Compliance Coordination, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 133, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 851-2327, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Yellow toadflax is an invasive plant in 
pastures and crops, particularly in the northern prairies of North 
America. First introduced to northeastern North America in the 1600s, 
yellow toadflax has since spread throughout the United States. 
Invasions of yellow toadflax in pastures and rangelands displace native 
and planted--and more valued and nutritious--forage species. Yellow 
toadflax is difficult to control using chemical, mechanical, cultural, 
or existing biological control practices, and infestations of the plant 
have caused economically significant losses to peppermint producers, 
mainly because chemical control is generally incompatible with 
production cropping practices. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service (APHIS) is proposing to issue permits for the field release of 
a stem gall weevil, Rhinusa pilosa, into the continental United States 
to reduce the severity of yellow toadflax infestations and to reduce 
economic losses in the areas of greatest impact since other 
alternatives are not effective or feasible.
    APHIS' review and analysis of the proposed action are documented in 
detail in a draft environmental assessment (EA) entitled ``Field 
release of the stem gall weevil Rhinusa pilosa (Coleoptera: 
Curculionidae) for classical biological control of yellow toadflax 
(Linaria vulgaris) (Plantaginaceae) in the contiguous United States'' 
(March 2017). We are making this 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 EA 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 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 1b), and (4) 
APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).


[[Page 45797]]


    Done in Washington, DC, this 26th day of September 2017.
Michael C. Gregoire,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-21105 Filed 9-29-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P