Washington, D.C. — June 18, 2026 — The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, is advising the public that it plans to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) to analyze the effects of a program to suppress populations of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets from rangeland in seventeen states of the western United States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming).
This notice of intent (NOI) identifies potential issues and reasonable action alternatives that will be evaluated in the PEIS. This NOI invites public comments that further define the scope of the alternatives, potential impacts on the human environment consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act, and issues for APHIS to consider, along with relevant information, studies, or analyses with respect to APHIS' proposed action.
The proposed PEIS would replace the previous PEIS published in 2019. APHIS expects to publish the final PEIS by August 2027.
Dates and how to comment
APHIS seeks public comment on issues raised in this notice. Written comments will be accepted for 30 days, through midnight on July 20, 2026, under Docket No. APHIS-2026-0628. Comments may be submitted at regulations.gov, and the full notice is available in the Federal Register.