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Kent gypsy moth environmental documents available for public review
Comments due April 5

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is accepting public comment on a proposed treatment plan for a 25-acre site in Kent where state entomologists have found the invasive gypsy moth. State and federal laws require WSDA to issue two environmental documents for public review and comment before making a final decision whether to proceed with a gypsy moth treatment. The deadline for submitting comments to WSDA is April 5.

State entomologists have concluded reproducing populations of the gypsy moth are present in Kent. The gypsy moth attacks more than 500 species of trees and shrubs, causing millions of dollars in environmental and economic damage where permanent populations of the pest exist.

Boundaries of the Kent treatment site are W. Willis St. on the south, Highway 167 (West Valley Freeway) on the east, an east-west line about 200 feet south of Meeker St. on the north, and the west side of the K-Mart parking lot on the west. No residences are located in the proposed treatment zone. The applications would be made with ground equipment.

The two documents available for review are a completed checklist required by the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), and an environmental assessment required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The two documents can be seen on the WSDA Web site at http://agr.wa.gov/PlantsInsects/InsectPests/GypsyMoth/default.htm#EradicationEfforts, click on “2007 Eradication Efforts.” Copies are available at the Kent Regional Library at 212 – 2nd Ave. N. in Kent. Call WSDA’s toll-free agency hotline at (800) 443-6684 for more information.

The documents assess the impact on the environment of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk), a biological insecticide proposed for use in Kent. Btk is registered for use in the U.S. by the Environmental Protection Agency and is found naturally in the environment.

For more information on the health effects of Btk and other control methods, see the Web site of Public Health-Seattle & King County at www.metrokc.gov/health/env_hlth/gypsy.htm, or the Web site of the Washington State Department of Health at www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/Pest/egm/health-info-egm-control.htm.
 

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