Notice of Availability of a Supplemental Environmental Assessment for Release of Aphalara itadori From Murakami, Japan for the Biological Control of Japanese, Giant, and Bohemian Knotweeds in the Contiguous United States, 8794-8795 [2023-02812]
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8794
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 28 / Friday, February 10, 2023 / Notices
Done in Washington, DC, this 6th day of
February 2023.
Anthony Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–02814 Filed 2–9–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
[Docket No. APHIS–2019–0002]
Notice of Availability of a
Supplemental Environmental
Assessment for Release of Aphalara
itadori From Murakami, Japan for the
Biological Control of Japanese, Giant,
and Bohemian Knotweeds in the
Contiguous United States
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 has prepared a
supplemental environmental assessment
(EA) relative to a 2020 EA for the release
of Aphalara itadori for the biological
control of Japanese, Giant, and
Bohemian knotweeds (Fallopia
japonica, F. sachalinensis, and F. x
bohemica), significant invasive weeds,
within the contiguous United States.
This supplement analyzes the potential
impacts of the release of A. itadori from
Murakami, Japan, that may be more
effective than the present Hokkaido and
Kyushu lines of A. itadori in reducing
infestations of knotweeds, particularly
hybrid knotweed, which is the most
abundant type of knotweed in the
United States. We are making the
supplemental EA available to the public
for review and comment.
DATES: We will consider all comments
that we receive on or before March 13,
2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by either of the following methods:
• FederaleRulemaking Portal: Go to
www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS–
2019–0002 in the Search field. Select
the Documents tab, then select the
Comment button in the list of
documents.
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery:
Send your comment to Docket No.
APHIS–2019–0002, Regulatory Analysis
and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station
3A–03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118,
Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.
The supplemental environmental
assessment and any comments we
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:41 Feb 09, 2023
Jkt 259001
receive on this docket may be viewed at
www.regulations.gov 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: Dr.
Robert S. Pfannenstiel, Acting Assistant
Director, Pests, Pathogens and
Biocontrol Permitting, Plant Health
Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road
Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737–1231;
(301) 851–2198; email:
bob.pfannenstiel@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Invasive
knotweeds in North America are a
complex of three closely related species
in the family Polygonaceae that were
introduced from Japan during the late
19th century. They include Fallopia
japonica (Japanese knotweed), F.
sachalinensis (Giant knotweed), and the
hybrid between the two, F. x bohemica
(Bohemian knotweed). These large
herbaceous perennials have spread
throughout much of North America,
with the greatest infestations in the
Pacific Northwest, the northeast of the
United States, and eastern Canada.
While capable of growing in diverse
habitats, the knotweeds have become
especially problematic along the banks
and floodplains of rivers and streams,
where they crowd out native plants and
potentially affect stream nutrients and
food webs. While several States have
active control programs against
knotweeds, the inaccessibility of some
of the infestations and the difficulty
with which the plants are killed suggest
that complete eradication of knotweeds
within the United States is unlikely.
Previously, the Hokkaido and Kyushu
biotypes of the insect, Aphalara itadori,
were chosen as potential biological
control organisms. The biotypes were
expected to reduce the severity of
infestations of Japanese, Giant, and
Bohemian knotweed, and they are
known to be highly host specific due to
their intimate relationship with their
host plants.
On May 28, 2019, the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
published in the Federal Register (84
FR 24463–24464, Docket No. APHIS–
2019–0002) 1 a notice in which we
announced the availability, for public
review and comment, of an
1 To view the notice, supporting documents, and
the comments we received, go to https://
www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS–2019–0002 in
the Search field.
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
environmental assessment (EA) that
examined the potential environmental
impacts associated with the release of A.
itadori from Kyushu and Hokkaido,
Japan, for the biological control of
Japanese, Giant, and Bohemian
knotweed within the contiguous United
States. After soliciting and reviewing
comments on the EA, we prepared a
finding of no significant impact
(FONSI). On November 30, 2020, we
published in the Federal Register (85
FR 76515–76516, Docket No. APHIS–
2019–0002) a notice in which we
announced the availability of the final
EA and FONSI.
In June 2021, APHIS received a
request to issue permits for the
environmental release of A. itadori
sourced from Murakami, Japan, into the
contiguous United States.
Environmental release of the Murakami
line of A. itadori may be more effective
than the Hokkaido and Kyushu lines. It
is native to a climate and photoperiod
better matched to the primary target
knotweed regions of the United States.
It is recently collected and thus fieldadapted (not lab-adapted as are
currently permitted lines). It also
performs particularly well on hybrid
knotweed (F. x bohemica), the most
abundant knotweed type in the United
States.
Before permits are issued for the
release of A. itadori from Murakami,
Japan, APHIS needs to analyze the
potential impacts of the release of A.
itadori from Murakami, Japan.
Accordingly, APHIS has prepared a
supplemental EA titled ‘‘Field Release
of the Knotweed Psyllid Aphalara
itadori (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) from
Murakami, Japan for Classical Biological
Control of Japanese, Giant, and
Bohemian Knotweeds, Fallopia
japonica, F. sachalinensis, and F. x
bohemica (Polygonaceae), in the
Contiguous United States, Supplemental
Environmental Assessment’’ (November
2022).
We are making the supplemental 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 supplemental EA may be viewed
on the Regulations.gov website or in our
reading room (see ADDRESSES above for
instructions accessing Regulations.gov
and information on the location and
hours of the reading room). In addition,
paper copies may be obtained by calling
or writing to the individual listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
The supplemental EA has been
prepared in accordance with: (1) The
National Environmental Policy Act of
E:\FR\FM\10FEN1.SGM
10FEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 28 / Friday, February 10, 2023 / Notices
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) Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service’s NEPA
Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part
372).
Done in Washington, DC, this 6th day of
February 2023.
Anthony Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–02812 Filed 2–9–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
U.S. Codex Office
Codex Alimentarius Commission:
Meeting of the Codex Committee on
Food Import and Export Inspection and
Certification Systems
U.S. Codex Office, USDA.
Notice of public meeting and
request for comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The U.S. Codex Office is
sponsoring a public meeting on March
23, 2023 from 1:00–3:00 p.m. EST. The
objective of the public meeting is to
provide information and receive public
comments on agenda items and draft
United States (U.S.) positions to be
discussed at the 26th Session of the
Codex Committee on Food Import and
Export Inspection and Certification
Systems (CCFICS) of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission, which will
meet in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
from May 1–5, 2023. The U.S. Manager
for Codex Alimentarius and the Under
Secretary for Trade and Foreign
Agricultural Affairs recognize the
importance of providing interested
parties the opportunity to obtain
background information on the 26th
Session of the CCFICS and to address
items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled
for March 23, 2023, from 1–3 p.m. EST.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will
take place via Video Teleconference
only. Documents related to the 26th
Session of the CCFICS will be accessible
via the internet at the following address:
https://www.fao.org/fao-whocodexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/
?meeting=CCFICS&session=26.
Dr. Michelle Catlin, U.S. Delegate to
the 26th Session of the CCFICS, invites
interested U.S. parties to submit their
comments electronically to the
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:41 Feb 09, 2023
Jkt 259001
following email address:
michelle.catlin@usda.gov.
Registration: Attendees may register
to attend the public meeting here:
https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/
register/vJItc-ypqT4rG02Uwvpv
FjgyoCNe5q1vSXA. After registering,
you will receive a confirmation email
containing information about joining the
meeting.
For further information about the 26th
Session of the CCFICS, contact Michelle
Catlin, Ph.D., International Coordination
Executive, Office of International
Coordination, Food Safety and
Inspection Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture; Phone: +1 (202) 708–8769,
Email: michelle.catlin@usda.gov. For
further information about the public
meeting, contact the U.S. Codex Office,
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room
4861, South Agriculture Building,
Washington, DC 20250; Phone: +1 (202)
720–9483; Email: uscodex@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius Commission
was established in 1963 by two United
Nations organizations, the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the
World Health Organization (WHO).
Through adoption of food standards,
codes of practice, and other guidelines
developed by its committees, and by
promoting their adoption and
implementation by governments, Codex
seeks to protect the health of consumers
and ensure fair practices in the food
trade.
The Terms of Reference for the Codex
Committee on Food Import and Export
Inspection and Certification Systems
(CCFICS) are:
(a) to develop principles and
guidelines for food import and export
inspection and certification systems
with a view to harmonising methods
and procedures which protect the health
of consumers, ensure fair trading
practices and facilitate international
trade in foodstuffs;
(b) to develop principles and
guidelines for the application of
measures by the competent authorities
of exporting and importing countries to
provide assurance where necessary that
foodstuffs comply with requirements,
especially statutory health
requirements;
(c) to develop guidelines for the
utilisation, as and when appropriate, of
quality assurance systems 1 to ensure
that foodstuffs conform with
1 Quality assurance means all those planned and
systematic actions necessary to provide adequate
confidence that a product or service will satisfy
given requirements for quality (ISO–8402 Quality—
Vocabulary)
PO 00000
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8795
requirements and to promote the
recognition of these systems in
facilitating trade in food products under
bilateral/multilateral arrangements by
countries;
(d) to develop guidelines and criteria
with respect to format, declarations and
language of such official certificates as
countries may require with a view
towards international harmonization;
(e) to make recommendations for
information exchange in relation to food
import/export control;
(f) to consult as necessary with other
international groups working on matters
related to food inspection and
certification systems; and,
(g) to consider other matters assigned
to it by the Commission in relation to
food inspection and certification
systems.
The CCFICS is hosted by Australia,
and the meeting is attended by the
United States as a member country of
the Codex Alimentarius.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public
Meeting
The following items on the agenda for
the 26th Session of the CCFICS will be
discussed during the public meeting:
• Matters referred by CAC and other
subsidiary bodies
• Matters of interest arising from FAO/
WHO
• Proposed draft guidelines on
recognition and maintenance of
equivalence of National Food Control
Systems (NFCS)
• Proposed draft Guidance on the
prevention and control of food fraud
• Proposed draft Principles and
Guidelines on the Use of Remote
Audit and Verification in Regulatory
Frameworks
• Proposed draft consolidated Codex
Guidelines related to equivalence
• Discussion paper on review and
update of the ‘‘Principles for
Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool
Within a Food Inspection and
Certification System (CXG 60–2006)
• Other business and future work
Public Meeting
At the public meeting on March 23,
2023, draft U.S. positions on the agenda
items will be described and discussed,
and attendees will have the opportunity
to pose questions and offer comments.
Written comments may be offered at the
meeting or sent to Dr. Michelle Catlin,
U.S. Delegate to the 26th Session of the
CCFICS (see ADDRESSES). Written
comments should state that they relate
to activities of the 26th Session of the
CCFICS.
E:\FR\FM\10FEN1.SGM
10FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 28 (Friday, February 10, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8794-8795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-02812]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2019-0002]
Notice of Availability of a Supplemental Environmental Assessment
for Release of Aphalara itadori From Murakami, Japan for the Biological
Control of Japanese, Giant, and Bohemian Knotweeds in the Contiguous
United States
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 has prepared a supplemental environmental assessment
(EA) relative to a 2020 EA for the release of Aphalara itadori for the
biological control of Japanese, Giant, and Bohemian knotweeds (Fallopia
japonica, F. sachalinensis, and F. x bohemica), significant invasive
weeds, within the contiguous United States. This supplement analyzes
the potential impacts of the release of A. itadori from Murakami,
Japan, that may be more effective than the present Hokkaido and Kyushu
lines of A. itadori in reducing infestations of knotweeds, particularly
hybrid knotweed, which is the most abundant type of knotweed in the
United States. We are making the supplemental EA available to the
public for review and comment.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before March
13, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
FederaleRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov.
Enter APHIS-2019-0002 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab,
then select the Comment button in the list of documents.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2019-0002, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD,
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
The supplemental environmental assessment and any comments we
receive on this docket may be viewed at www.regulations.gov 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: Dr. Robert S. Pfannenstiel, Acting
Assistant Director, Pests, Pathogens and Biocontrol Permitting, Plant
Health Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD
20737-1231; (301) 851-2198; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Invasive knotweeds in North America are a
complex of three closely related species in the family Polygonaceae
that were introduced from Japan during the late 19th century. They
include Fallopia japonica (Japanese knotweed), F. sachalinensis (Giant
knotweed), and the hybrid between the two, F. x bohemica (Bohemian
knotweed). These large herbaceous perennials have spread throughout
much of North America, with the greatest infestations in the Pacific
Northwest, the northeast of the United States, and eastern Canada.
While capable of growing in diverse habitats, the knotweeds have become
especially problematic along the banks and floodplains of rivers and
streams, where they crowd out native plants and potentially affect
stream nutrients and food webs. While several States have active
control programs against knotweeds, the inaccessibility of some of the
infestations and the difficulty with which the plants are killed
suggest that complete eradication of knotweeds within the United States
is unlikely.
Previously, the Hokkaido and Kyushu biotypes of the insect,
Aphalara itadori, were chosen as potential biological control
organisms. The biotypes were expected to reduce the severity of
infestations of Japanese, Giant, and Bohemian knotweed, and they are
known to be highly host specific due to their intimate relationship
with their host plants.
On May 28, 2019, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) published in the Federal Register (84 FR 24463-24464, Docket
No. APHIS-2019-0002) \1\ a notice in which we announced the
availability, for public review and comment, of an environmental
assessment (EA) that examined the potential environmental impacts
associated with the release of A. itadori from Kyushu and Hokkaido,
Japan, for the biological control of Japanese, Giant, and Bohemian
knotweed within the contiguous United States. After soliciting and
reviewing comments on the EA, we prepared a finding of no significant
impact (FONSI). On November 30, 2020, we published in the Federal
Register (85 FR 76515-76516, Docket No. APHIS-2019-0002) a notice in
which we announced the availability of the final EA and FONSI.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ To view the notice, supporting documents, and the comments
we received, go to https://www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS-2019-
0002 in the Search field.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In June 2021, APHIS received a request to issue permits for the
environmental release of A. itadori sourced from Murakami, Japan, into
the contiguous United States. Environmental release of the Murakami
line of A. itadori may be more effective than the Hokkaido and Kyushu
lines. It is native to a climate and photoperiod better matched to the
primary target knotweed regions of the United States. It is recently
collected and thus field-adapted (not lab-adapted as are currently
permitted lines). It also performs particularly well on hybrid knotweed
(F. x bohemica), the most abundant knotweed type in the United States.
Before permits are issued for the release of A. itadori from
Murakami, Japan, APHIS needs to analyze the potential impacts of the
release of A. itadori from Murakami, Japan. Accordingly, APHIS has
prepared a supplemental EA titled ``Field Release of the Knotweed
Psyllid Aphalara itadori (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) from Murakami, Japan
for Classical Biological Control of Japanese, Giant, and Bohemian
Knotweeds, Fallopia japonica, F. sachalinensis, and F. x bohemica
(Polygonaceae), in the Contiguous United States, Supplemental
Environmental Assessment'' (November 2022).
We are making the supplemental 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 supplemental EA may be viewed on the Regulations.gov website or
in our reading room (see ADDRESSES above for instructions accessing
Regulations.gov and information on the location and hours of the
reading room). In addition, paper copies may be obtained by calling or
writing to the individual listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
The supplemental EA has been prepared in accordance with: (1) The
National Environmental Policy Act of
[[Page 8795]]
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) Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service's NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).
Done in Washington, DC, this 6th day of February 2023.
Anthony Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-02812 Filed 2-9-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
