USDA Issues a Record of Decision for the Asian Longhorned Beetle Program

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WASHINGTON, March 24, 2016—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issues a record of decision for the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Eradication Program.  

The record of decision selects the alternative that encompasses all ALB eradication strategies, including the removal of infested trees and the removal or treatment of high-risk host trees. The record of decision completes the environmental impact statement process which is a process that looked at alternative program actions and the different environmental effects. APHIS initiated the environmental impact statement process to identify any environmental issues on a national level that might arise while fighting ALB should the beetle be discovered elsewhere in the continental United States. The documents referenced in this notice and any comments received are available on the www.regulations.gov website.

Asian longhorned beetle is a non-native wood-boring pest of maple and other hardwoods that is believed to have been introduced into the United States from wood pallets and other wood packing material accompanying cargo shipments from Asia. Federal and state-imposed quarantines currently exist in New York, Massachusetts, and Ohio. For more information about the beetle, please visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov or www.asianlonghornedbeetle.com.

For questions related to the Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program, contact Dr. Robyn Rose, National Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program Manager, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 26, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-2283. For questions related to the environmental impact statement, contact Dr. Jim E. Warren, Environmental Protection Specialist/Environmental Toxicologist, Environmental and Risk Analysis Services, PPD, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 149, Riverdale, MD 20737; (202) 316-3216.