Notice2023-24752
Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program; Availability of a Programmatic Environmental Assessment
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 9, 2023
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Abstract
We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a programmatic environmental assessment relative to the Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program in the conterminous United States. The environmental assessment documents our review and analysis of environmental impacts associated with the Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program. We are making the programmatic environmental assessment available to the public for review and comment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 216 (Thursday, November 9, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 216 (Thursday, November 9, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77259-77260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24752]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2023-0079]
Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program; Availability of a
Programmatic Environmental Assessment
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 programmatic environmental assessment
relative to the Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program in the
conterminous United States. The environmental assessment documents our
review and analysis of environmental impacts associated with the
Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program. We are making the
programmatic environmental assessment available to the public for
review and comment.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
December 11, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
Enter APHIS-2023-0079 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab,
then select the Comment button in the list of documents.
<bullet> Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2023-0079, 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 <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> or in our reading room, which is located
in room 1620 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: Mr. Matthew Travis, Spotted Lanternfly
National Policy Manager, PPQ, APHIS, Emergency and Domestic Programs,
4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#420f2336362a27356c036c163023342b3102373126236c252d34"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4a072b3e3e222f3d640b641e382b3c23390a3f392e2b642d253c">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma
[[Page 77260]]
delicatula, an invasive species native to Asia, is a destructive pest
that in large numbers can cause significant damage to critical habitat
and economically important plants. The U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to
control SLF, to slow the spread of this invasive insect in the
conterminous United States, wherever outbreaks are detected.
SLF was first detected in the United States in 2014 in
Pennsylvania. In 2015, APHIS implemented SLF control activities to
respond to this new pest threat. Later, in 2019, APHIS started an
official SLF program. SLF is a significant economic and lifestyle pest
for residents, businesses, tourism, forestry, and agriculture.
SLF infestation has led to crop loss, agriculture exportation
problems, and increased management costs. APHIS is concerned by the
potential for long-distance movement of SLF within the United States,
and by the continued risk of SLF introduction from other countries. The
environmental and socioeconomic damage to SLF-affected regions can be
substantial. For context, grape vineyards in South Korea and the United
States appear to be particularly affected, jeopardizing an industry
worth billions of dollars. One vineyard in the United States reportedly
faced a crop yield loss of up to 90 percent. An uncontained SLF
infestation could drain Pennsylvania's economy of at least $324 million
annually.
While SLF has not yet been found in western United States, it has
been intercepted in airplanes arriving from the eastern United States.
Suitable conditions for SLF establishment exist in large regions of the
United States, giving the insect the potential to damage valuable host
crops, forests, and critical habitat for listed species. APHIS' review
and analysis of potential environmental impacts associated with the
Spotted Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program are documented in a
programmatic environmental assessment (ProEA) titled ``Spotted
Lanternfly Cooperative Control Program for the Conterminous United
States'' (June 2023). The ProEA incorporates by reference, the analysis
in ``Expanded Spotted Lanternfly Control Program in Select States in
the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic Regions of the United States
EA''.\1\ In our analysis, APHIS found that an adaptive pest management
approach that combines quarantine, chemical treatments, and pest survey
is the preferred alternative to address the potential environmental
impact of a SLF outbreak.
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\1\ <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/ea/2023/regional-slf-2023-ea.pdf">https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/ea/2023/regional-slf-2023-ea.pdf</a>.
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The ProEA may be viewed on the <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> website or in our
reading room (see ADDRESSES above for a link to <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> and
information on the location and hours of the reading room). You may
also request paper copies of the ProEA by calling or writing to the
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to
the title of the ProEA when requesting copies.
The ProEA 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).
Done in Washington, DC, this 31st day of October 2023.
Michael Watson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-24752 Filed 11-8-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
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