[Federal Register: November 2, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 212)]
[Notices]
[Page 62204-62205]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02no07-25]
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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.
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[[Page 62204]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0135]
Citrus Greening and Asian Citrus Psyllid; Availability of an
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 an environmental assessment
has been prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
relative to a new Federal order that restricts the interstate movement
of regulated articles from areas quarantined for citrus greening
disease and the Asian citrus psyllid. The environmental assessment
documents our review and analysis of the potential environmental
impacts associated with the implementation of the new Federal order. 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
December 3, 2007.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov,
select ``Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service'' from the agency
drop-down menu, then click ``Submit.'' In the Docket ID column, select
APHIS-2007-0135 to submit or view public comments and to view
supporting and related materials available electronically. Information
on using Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing
documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket after the close
of the comment period, is available through the site's ``User Tips''
link.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies of your
comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0135,
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-2007-0135.
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: Mr. Stephen R. Poe, Senior Operations
Officer, Emergency and Domestic Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road
Unit 134, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 734-8899.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing, is considered to be
one of the most serious citrus diseases in the world. Citrus greening
is a bacterial disease that attacks the vascular system of plants. The
bacteria are phloem-limited and cause yellow shoots, blotchy mottling
and chlorosis, reduced foliage, and tip dieback of citrus plants. It
greatly reduces production, destroys the economic value of the fruit,
and can kill trees. Once infected, there is no cure for a tree with
citrus greening disease. In areas of the world where citrus greening is
endemic, citrus trees decline and die within a few years and may never
produce usable fruit. Citrus greening is widespread in Asia, Africa,
and the Saudi Arabian Peninsula. It has been reported in Sao Paulo,
Brazil. It was first detected in the United States in Miami-Dade
County, Florida, in 2005, and now has been confirmed in 28 counties in
Florida.
Citrus greening is transmitted by two insect vectors in the family
Psyllidae: Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, the Asian citrus psyllid, and
Trioza erytreae (del Guercio), the African citrus psyllid. It can also
be transmitted by grafting, by dodder, and possibly by seed. Asian
citrus psyllid can cause economic damage to citrus in groves and
nurseries by direct feeding. Both adults and nymphs feed on young
foliage, depleting the sap and causing galling or curling of leaves.
High populations feeding on a citrus shoot can kill the growing tip.
More importantly, this psyllid is able to transmit an endocellular
bacterium, Candidatus Liberobacter asiaticus, which causes citrus
greening disease. Asian citrus psyllid is currently present in Florida,
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and several counties in Texas. The African
citrus psyllid is not known to be present in the United States.
On September 16, 2005, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service imposed restrictions on the interstate movement of all citrus
greening host plant material and Asian citrus psyllid host plant
material from quarantined areas in Florida in order to prevent the
artificial spread of citrus greening and of Asian citrus psyllid. APHIS
subsequently updated those restrictions by issuing a Federal order on
May 3, 2006. This action was necessary due to the continuing spread of
both Citrus greening and Asian citrus psyllid. Since that time,
infestations of citrus greening have been confirmed in a total of 28
counties in Florida. Asian citrus psyllid has now been confirmed in
several counties in Texas, and throughout the States of Florida and
Hawaii, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territory of Guam.
APHIS is therefore issuing a new Federal order that updates and
replaces the previous Federal order regarding quarantines to prevent
the dissemination of citrus greening or Asian citrus psyllid.
APHIS and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services have imposed restrictions on the movement of certain material
from counties in Florida where citrus greening is present. Even with
these actions, citrus greening has continued to expand its range within
the State of Florida and Asian citrus psyllid has been found throughout
Florida and in other areas of the United States, creating a greater
range than had been anticipated. In order to protect the
[[Page 62205]]
domestic citrus industry, including the individual farmers who comprise
the base of that industry, APHIS must act quickly to expand the Federal
order.
APHIS has completed an assessment of the environmental impacts
anticipated from the implementation of a new Federal order for the
domestic quarantine of citrus greening disease and Asian citrus
psyllid. There is now scientific evidence showing that orange jasmine
(Murraya paniculata) and related species are hosts of citrus greening
as well as the Asian citrus psyllid. Previously, orange jasmine was
regulated only as a host of the Asian citrus psyllid. The new Federal
order will add Murraya spp. to the citrus greening host list. The main
difference in the new Federal order is the expansion of the citrus
greening quarantined area in Florida and the distinction made between
citrus greening and Asian citrus psyllid quarantine areas.
APHIS' review and analysis of the potential environmental impacts
associated with the implementation of the new Federal order are
documented in detail in an environmental assessment titled ``Movement
of Regulated Articles from a Citrus Greening Quarantine Zone'' (October
2007). 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.
Due to the serious and destructive nature of citrus greening
disease, it is necessary to expand the number of counties in Florida
from which the movement of plants that are hosts of citrus greening is
present in order to prevent the further spread and infestation. It is
also necessary to expand the areas quarantined due to the presence of
Asian citrus psyllid so that host plants can be treated and inspected
before being moved interstate. Since citrus greening is a highly
injurious citrus disease, and the Asian citrus psyllid is harmful both
as the insect vector of the disease and as a significant citrus pest in
its own right, APHIS has determined that it may be necessary to
immediately address both the disease and the associated insect pest.
This will be accomplished by the restriction of hosts of citrus
greening from areas where the disease is present, and the regulation
and treatment of plants that are hosts of the psyllid from those areas
where the insect is present and may be spread through the movement of
infested nursery stock. Therefore, APHIS may have to begin the expanded
citrus greening regulatory program in Florida immediately and issue a
finding of no significant impact for the environmental assessment
before the comment period on the environmental assessment concludes.
Nevertheless, all comments received on the environmental assessment
will be evaluated and responded to after the comment period has ended.
The environmental assessment may be viewed on the Regulations.gov
Web site or in our reading room (see ADDRESSES above for instructions
for accessing 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 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 1), and (4) APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part
372).
Done in Washington, DC this 30th day of October 2007.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E7-21679 Filed 11-1-07; 8:45 am]
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