Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment; Cogongrass Control Efforts in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina, 12250 [2020-04239]
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12250
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 85, No. 41
Monday, March 2, 2020
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
APHIS-2019-0083 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.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms.
Anne LeBrun, APHIS, 4700 River Road,
Unit 26, Riverdale, MD 20737, Phone:
301–851–2259, Email: anne.lebrun@
usda.gov.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
[Docket No. APHIS–2019–0083]
Notice of Availability of an
Environmental Assessment;
Cogongrass Control Efforts in
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and
South Carolina
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability and
request for comments.
AGENCY:
We are advising the public
that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service is making available a
draft programmatic environmental
assessment for control of cogongrass, a
noxious weed, in Alabama, Georgia,
Mississippi, and South Carolina. The
environmental assessment assesses the
potential environmental effects of
establishing an integrated management
strategy to control cogongrass in
coordination with the above States. We
are making the draft programmatic
environmental assessment available to
the public for review and comment.
DATES: We will consider all comments
that we receive on or before April 1,
2020.
SUMMARY:
You may submit comments
by either of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov/#!docket
Detail;D=APHIS-2019-0083.
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery:
Send your comment to Docket No.
APHIS–2019–0083, 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 https://
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:10 Feb 28, 2020
Jkt 250001
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) is an
invasive, exotic perennial grass that is
naturalized throughout the southeastern
United States. Cogongrass grows in both
natural and disturbed areas, including
around homes, on public properties,
paved and unpaved roadways,
forestland, stream banks, and farmland.
It spreads rapidly, reducing forest
productivity, harming wildlife habitat
and native ecosystems, encroaching in
pasture and hayfields, and impacting
rights-of-way. It usually grows in warm
or tropical areas and is widely
distributed on all continents except
Antarctica.
In 7 CFR part 360, a noxious weed is
defined as ‘‘any plant or plant product
that can directly or indirectly injure or
cause damage to crops (including
nursery stock or plant products),
livestock, poultry, or other interests of
agriculture, irrigation, navigation, the
natural resources of the United States,
the public health, or the environment.’’
As a federally regulated noxious weed,
Cogongrass is restricted from entry into
the United States.
Due to the impact cogongrass has on
the agriculture and forestry industries,
Congress has provided the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
with funding to partner with four
States—Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi,
and South Carolina—to establish a
program for controlling the spread of
cogongrass. While it is unlikely that
cogongrass can be eliminated from the
southeastern United States, we have
proposed that active control and
eradication of cogongrass along the edge
of the naturalized distribution area may
be possible through an integrated
management strategy employing
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
preventative, cultural, mechanical,
biological, and chemical methods.
We are therefore announcing the
availability of a draft programmatic
environmental assessment (EA), entitled
‘‘Cogongrass Control Program in the
Southeastern United States—Alabama,
Georgia, Mississippi and South
Carolina’’ (December 2019), that
considers the potential environmental
effects of an integrated management
strategy—APHIS’ preferred alternative—
to control the spread of cogongrass. The
EA also considers the alternative of
having no Federal program and taking
no action. APHIS will use this EA for
cogongrass program planning and
decisionmaking, in addition to
informing the public about the potential
environmental effects of actions
considered as part of the integrated
management strategy. We are making
the EA available for review and
comment and 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 website 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).
Done in Washington, DC, this 25th day of
February 2020.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–04239 Filed 2–28–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
E:\FR\FM\02MRN1.SGM
02MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 41 (Monday, March 2, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 12250]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04239]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 41 / Monday, March 2, 2020 /
Notices
[[Page 12250]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2019-0083]
Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment; Cogongrass
Control Efforts in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service is making available a draft programmatic
environmental assessment for control of cogongrass, a noxious weed, in
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina. The environmental
assessment assesses the potential environmental effects of establishing
an integrated management strategy to control cogongrass in coordination
with the above States. We are making the draft programmatic
environmental assessment available to the public for review and
comment.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before April
1, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2019-0083.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2019-0083, 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 https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2019-
0083 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: Ms. Anne LeBrun, APHIS, 4700 River
Road, Unit 26, Riverdale, MD 20737, Phone: 301-851-2259, Email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) is an
invasive, exotic perennial grass that is naturalized throughout the
southeastern United States. Cogongrass grows in both natural and
disturbed areas, including around homes, on public properties, paved
and unpaved roadways, forestland, stream banks, and farmland. It
spreads rapidly, reducing forest productivity, harming wildlife habitat
and native ecosystems, encroaching in pasture and hayfields, and
impacting rights-of-way. It usually grows in warm or tropical areas and
is widely distributed on all continents except Antarctica.
In 7 CFR part 360, a noxious weed is defined as ``any plant or
plant product that can directly or indirectly injure or cause damage to
crops (including nursery stock or plant products), livestock, poultry,
or other interests of agriculture, irrigation, navigation, the natural
resources of the United States, the public health, or the
environment.'' As a federally regulated noxious weed, Cogongrass is
restricted from entry into the United States.
Due to the impact cogongrass has on the agriculture and forestry
industries, Congress has provided the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) with funding to partner with four States--
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina--to establish a
program for controlling the spread of cogongrass. While it is unlikely
that cogongrass can be eliminated from the southeastern United States,
we have proposed that active control and eradication of cogongrass
along the edge of the naturalized distribution area may be possible
through an integrated management strategy employing preventative,
cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods.
We are therefore announcing the availability of a draft
programmatic environmental assessment (EA), entitled ``Cogongrass
Control Program in the Southeastern United States--Alabama, Georgia,
Mississippi and South Carolina'' (December 2019), that considers the
potential environmental effects of an integrated management strategy--
APHIS' preferred alternative--to control the spread of cogongrass. The
EA also considers the alternative of having no Federal program and
taking no action. APHIS will use this EA for cogongrass program
planning and decisionmaking, in addition to informing the public about
the potential environmental effects of actions considered as part of
the integrated management strategy. We are making the EA available for
review and comment and 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 website 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).
Done in Washington, DC, this 25th day of February 2020.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-04239 Filed 2-28-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
