Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, representing nearly 4,000 individuals, submitted a petition requesting specific protections and transparency measures in the proposed Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program. They advocate for ending spraying on sensitive public lands, implementing non-chemical prevention methods, and establishing comprehensive buffers for all western streams and wetlands.

The American Farm Bureau Federation supports the proposed program to suppress grasshopper and Mormon cricket populations, emphasizing the significant economic losses these pests cause to farmers and ranchers. They advocate for a program that includes surveying, monitoring, and the continued use of EPA-approved insecticides within an integrated pest management (IPM) framework, while specifically opposing Alternatives 2 and 3.

New Mexico Wild, representing nearly 1,000 individual commenters, urges APHIS to adopt Alternative 2, which ends the use of chemical insecticides in the Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program. They argue that current practices pose risks to wildlife, water quality, and human health, and call for addressing root causes like overgrazing and providing better public notification.

The Center for Biological Diversity, representing over 11,000 supporters, opposes the proposed grasshopper and Mormon cricket suppression program. They urge APHIS to overhaul its approach, stop using insecticides on public lands, and prioritize the protection of wildlife and people.

The Prairie Hills Audubon Society, a nonprofit conservation organization, supports the proposed program but requests that the PEIS include more rigorous analysis of food-web effects on birds, landscape-scale impacts on pollinators, and explicit protections for sensitive habitats. They also advocate for the evaluation of non-chemical alternatives, updated Endangered Species Act consultations, and improved public notification.

The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation supports the proposed Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program. They argue that federal suppression is essential for protecting Idaho's agricultural productivity and urge APHIS to maintain a full range of effective management tools, including EPA-approved insecticides, to combat outbreaks.

The Wyoming Weed and Pest Council (WWPC) supports the proposed action but urges APHIS to retain existing chemical control tools and avoid redundant health and safety studies already conducted by the EPA. They advocate for maintaining Alternative 1, which allows local land managers to make site-specific decisions using effective, proven methods to protect rangeland.

Dr. Jeffrey Lockwood, a faculty member at the University of Wyoming and entomologist, submits a declaration expressing concerns about the risks of insecticide application and the current grasshopper density thresholds. He argues that improved rotational grazing methods should be considered as a more effective and ecologically beneficial alternative to the current suppression program.

An individual commenter opposes the use of widespread pesticides on public lands for the suppression program, advocating instead for non-chemical methods like biological controls. They also call for mandatory pesticide reporting, expanded water buffers, and robust public consultation with Tribes and conservationists.