Monsanto Company and KWS SAAT AG; Supplemental Request for Partial Deregulation of Roundup Ready Sugar Beet, 62365-62366 [2010-25387]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 195 / Friday, October 8, 2010 / Notices between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The meeting is open to the public. The following business will be conducted: (1) Consideration of Proposal Forms, (2) Development of Proposal Review Process, (3) Development of Guidelines, (4) Public comment. Persons who wish to bring related matters to the attention of the Committee may file written statements with the Committee staff before or after the meeting. Public input sessions will be provided and individuals who made written requests by September 15, 2010 will have the opportunity to address the Committee at those sessions. Dated: October 4, 2010. Pamela E. Brown, Forest Supervisor. [FR Doc. 2010–25394 Filed 10–7–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–11–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Notice of Lincoln County Resource Advisory Committee Meeting Forest Service, USDA. Notice of meeting. AGENCY: ACTION: Pursuant to the authorities in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463) and under the Secure Rural Schools and Community SelfDetermination Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106– 393) the Kootenai National Forest’s Lincoln County Resource Advisory Committee will meet on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 6 p.m. at the Forest Supervisor’s Office in Libby, Montana for a business meeting. The meeting is open to the public. DATES: October 13, 2010. ADDRESSES: Forest Supervisor’s Office, 31374 U.S. Hwy 2, Libby, Montana. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janette Turk, Committee Coordinator, Kootenai National Forest at (406) 283– 7764, or e-mail jturk@fs.fed.us. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Agenda will include review of 2010 project proposals and 2008–09 project status. If the meeting date or location is changed, notice will be posted in the local newspapers, including the Daily Interlake based in Kalispell, Montana. erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: Dated: October 1, 2010. Paul Bradford, Forest Supervisor. [FR Doc. 2010–25396 Filed 10–7–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–11–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:29 Oct 07, 2010 Jkt 223001 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service [Docket No. APHIS–2010–0047] Monsanto Company and KWS SAAT AG; Supplemental Request for Partial Deregulation of Roundup Ready Sugar Beet Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has received a supplemental request for ‘‘partial deregulation’’ or similar administrative action from the Monsanto Company and KWS SAAT AG for the planting, harvesting, and interstate movement of Roundup Ready® sugar beets under measures designed to ensure any risks posed by cultivation are mitigated. This notice is to inform the public of the availability of the documents submitted to the Agency from Monsanto Company and KWS SAAT AG requesting a ‘‘partial deregulation.’’ ADDRESSES: You may view the request for ‘‘partial deregulation’’ on the Regulations.gov Web site (see https:// www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/ component/main?main=DocketDetail &d=APHIS-2010-0047) or on the APHIS Web site (see https://www.aphis. usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs2/03_32301p _a1.pdf). Copies may also be obtained from the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its programs is available on the Internet at https://www.aphis.usda.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Rick Coker, Biotechnology Regulatory Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 146, Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 734–5720. To obtain copies of the supplemental request for ‘‘partial deregulation,’’ contact Ms. Cindy Eck at (301) 734–0667, e-mail: cynthia.a.eck@aphis.usda.gov. SUMMARY: The regulations in 7 CFR part 340, ‘‘Introduction of Organisms and Products Altered or Produced Through Genetic Engineering Which Are Plant Pests or Which There Is Reason to Believe Are Plant Pests,’’ regulate, among other things, the introduction (importation, interstate movement, or release into the environment) of organisms and products altered or produced through genetic engineering that are plant pests or that there is reason to believe are plant pests. Such SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 62365 genetically engineered organisms and products are considered ‘‘regulated articles.’’ On October 19, 2004, APHIS published a notice in the Federal Register (69 FR 61466–61467, Docket No. 04–075–1) announcing receipt of a petition from the Monsanto Company (Monsanto) and KWS SAAT AG (KWS) requesting a determination of nonregulated status under 7 CFR part 340 for sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) designated as event H7–1, which has been genetically engineered for tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate. The petition stated that this article should not be regulated by APHIS because it is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk. APHIS also announced in that notice the availability of a draft environmental assessment (EA) examining the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action in accordance with National Environmental Policy Act requirements for the proposed determination of nonregulated status. Following review of public comments and completion of the EA, we published another notice in the Federal Register on March 17, 2005 (70 FR 13007–13008, Docket No. 04– 075–2), advising the public of our determination, effective March 4, 2005, that the Monsanto/KWS sugar beet event H7–1 was no longer considered a regulated article under APHIS regulations in 7 CFR part 340. On September 21, 2009, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a ruling in a lawsuit filed by two organic seed groups and two nonprofit organizations challenging our decision to deregulate sugar beet event H7–1 (referred to in the lawsuit as Roundup Ready® sugar beet, or ‘‘RRSB’’), pursuant to the Plant Protection Act (PPA) and in compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). Under the provisions of NEPA, agencies must examine the potential environmental impacts of proposed major Federal actions, and the Court ruled that APHIS’ EA failed to consider certain environmental and interrelated economic impacts. As a result, the Court ruled that APHIS is required to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS). Accordingly, APHIS is preparing an EIS, for which we published a notice 1 in the Federal Register (75 FR 29969–29972, Docket No. APHIS–2010– 0047) on May 28, 2010, to solicit 1 The notice can be viewed at https:// www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/ main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2010-0047. E:\FR\FM\08OCN1.SGM 08OCN1 62366 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 195 / Friday, October 8, 2010 / Notices erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES comments on the proposed scope of the EIS. The EIS process is ongoing. On August 13, 2010, the Court vacated the deregulation determination, remanding the issue back to APHIS. RRSB is therefore once again a regulated article under 7 CFR part 340, and Monsanto and KWS have submitted a supplemental request for ‘‘partial deregulation’’ or similar administrative action for RRSB, along with an accompanying ‘‘Environmental Report,’’ to allow the future planting, harvesting, and interstate movement of RRSB crops (both seed and root) under conditions designed to ensure any risks posed by the introduction of these sugar beets into the environment are thoroughly mitigated. APHIS is evaluating this supplemental request and developing appropriate environmental analyses to inform its decisionmaking in reference to any APHIS decision or decisions to authorize future seed and root crop plantings under a combination of permits, administrative orders, or other regulatory options and measures. APHIS is considering regulatory options and measures that would include mitigating measures consistent with those it had proposed to the Court as interim measures while APHIS completes the EIS for the petition for determination of non-regulated status for RRSB. APHIS anticipates making a decision on the supplemental petition for ‘‘partial deregulation’’ and on other appropriate interim regulatory actions related to RRSB by the end of the year. There will be an opportunity for public comment on any environmental analyses developed for such decision or decisions. APHIS is notifying the public that its receipt of this supplemental request for ‘‘partial deregulation’’ and this notice to the public regarding it in no way indicates that the Agency agrees with the petitioners’ description, application, or implementation of a ‘‘partial deregulation.’’ Such matters and related issues are solely determined by APHIS pursuant to its PPA statutory authority and its biotechnology regulations in 7 CFR part 340. Done in Washington, DC, this 4th day of October 2010. Kevin Shea, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. 2010–25387 Filed 10–7–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–34–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:29 Oct 07, 2010 Jkt 223001 AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Notice of Public Information Collections Being Reviewed by the U.S. Agency for International Development; Comments Requested U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is making efforts to reduce the paperwork burden. USAID invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act for 1995. Comments are requested concerning: (a) Whether the proposed or continuing collections of information are necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. DATES: Submit comments on or before December 7, 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Beverly Johnson, Bureau for Management, Office of Administrative Services, Information and Records Division, U.S. Agency for International Development, Room 2.07–106, RRB, Washington, DC 20523, (202) 712–1365 or via e-mail bjohnson@usaid.gov. ADDRESSES: Send comments via e-mail at lwalker@usaid.gov or mail comments to: Linda Walker, Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, Office of Education, Participant Training Team, United States Agency for International Development, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20523 (202) 712–1786. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB No: OMB 0412–New. Form No.: N/A. Title: USAID Visa Compliance System (VCS). Type of Review: New Information Collection. Purpose: The U.S. Agency for International Development, under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, engages in a broad range of sustainable economic assistance activities that provide technical and academic training in the United States and abroad for foreign nationals. These foreign nationals have been selected for SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 training by USAID in order to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting: Economic growth, agriculture and trade; global health; and democracy, conflict prevention, and humanitarian assistance. Training can consist of long-term academic degree programs, short-term technical courses, seminars, workshops, or other learning activities intended to impart certain knowledge and information. USAID must track training data for all foreign nationals who receive training funded by USAID. In cases where foreign nationals must travel to the U.S. to participate in training or invitational travel, the approvals for the eligibility to obtain the J visa are captured in the Visa Compliance System (VCS). The Visa Compliance system has two purposes: first, to secure a J–1 visa for these foreign nationals traveling to the U.S.; second, to enable USAID to be in compliance with external requirements of the Department of Homeland Security. With certain exceptions, the foreign nationals that USAID sponsors for travel to the U.S. are considered exchange visitors. The VCS provides an audit trail regarding each exchange visitor, his or her training program or circumstances, as well as other relevant documentation. Annual Reporting Burden: Respondents: 600. Total annual responses: 8,000. Total annual hours requested: 2,000 hours. Dated: September 27, 2010. Marilyn Collins, Acting Director, Office of Administrative Services, Bureau for Management. [FR Doc. 2010–25022 Filed 10–7–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6116–01–M DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A–583–008] Circular Welded Carbon Steel Pipes and Tubes From Taiwan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. SUMMARY: On June 10, 2010, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on circular welded carbon steel pipes and tubes from Taiwan. See Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review: Circular Welded Carbon Steel AGENCY: E:\FR\FM\08OCN1.SGM 08OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 195 (Friday, October 8, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62365-62366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-25387]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2010-0047]


Monsanto Company and KWS SAAT AG; Supplemental Request for 
Partial Deregulation of Roundup Ready Sugar Beet

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has received a 
supplemental request for ``partial deregulation'' or similar 
administrative action from the Monsanto Company and KWS SAAT AG for the 
planting, harvesting, and interstate movement of Roundup Ready[supreg] 
sugar beets under measures designed to ensure any risks posed by 
cultivation are mitigated. This notice is to inform the public of the 
availability of the documents submitted to the Agency from Monsanto 
Company and KWS SAAT AG requesting a ``partial deregulation.''

ADDRESSES: You may view the request for ``partial deregulation'' on the 
Regulations.gov Web site (see https://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2010-0047) or on the APHIS Web 
site (see https://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs2/03_32301p_a1.pdf). 
Copies may also be obtained from the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its 
programs is available on the Internet at https://www.aphis.usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Rick Coker, Biotechnology 
Regulatory Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 146, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1236; (301) 734-5720. To obtain copies of the supplemental 
request for ``partial deregulation,'' contact Ms. Cindy Eck at (301) 
734-0667, e-mail: cynthia.a.eck@aphis.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 7 CFR part 340, 
``Introduction of Organisms and Products Altered or Produced Through 
Genetic Engineering Which Are Plant Pests or Which There Is Reason to 
Believe Are Plant Pests,'' regulate, among other things, the 
introduction (importation, interstate movement, or release into the 
environment) of organisms and products altered or produced through 
genetic engineering that are plant pests or that there is reason to 
believe are plant pests. Such genetically engineered organisms and 
products are considered ``regulated articles.''
    On October 19, 2004, APHIS published a notice in the Federal 
Register (69 FR 61466-61467, Docket No. 04-075-1) announcing receipt of 
a petition from the Monsanto Company (Monsanto) and KWS SAAT AG (KWS) 
requesting a determination of nonregulated status under 7 CFR part 340 
for sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) designated as event H7-1, 
which has been genetically engineered for tolerance to the herbicide 
glyphosate. The petition stated that this article should not be 
regulated by APHIS because it is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk. 
APHIS also announced in that notice the availability of a draft 
environmental assessment (EA) examining the potential environmental 
impacts of the proposed action in accordance with National 
Environmental Policy Act requirements for the proposed determination of 
nonregulated status. Following review of public comments and completion 
of the EA, we published another notice in the Federal Register on March 
17, 2005 (70 FR 13007-13008, Docket No. 04-075-2), advising the public 
of our determination, effective March 4, 2005, that the Monsanto/KWS 
sugar beet event H7-1 was no longer considered a regulated article 
under APHIS regulations in 7 CFR part 340.
    On September 21, 2009, the U.S. District Court for the Northern 
District of California issued a ruling in a lawsuit filed by two 
organic seed groups and two nonprofit organizations challenging our 
decision to deregulate sugar beet event H7-1 (referred to in the 
lawsuit as Roundup Ready[reg] sugar beet, or ``RRSB''), pursuant to the 
Plant Protection Act (PPA) and in compliance with the Administrative 
Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, 
as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). Under the provisions of NEPA, 
agencies must examine the potential environmental impacts of proposed 
major Federal actions, and the Court ruled that APHIS' EA failed to 
consider certain environmental and interrelated economic impacts. As a 
result, the Court ruled that APHIS is required to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS). Accordingly, APHIS is preparing 
an EIS, for which we published a notice \1\ in the Federal Register (75 
FR 29969-29972, Docket No. APHIS-2010-0047) on May 28, 2010, to solicit

[[Page 62366]]

comments on the proposed scope of the EIS. The EIS process is ongoing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The notice can be viewed at https://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2010-0047.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    On August 13, 2010, the Court vacated the deregulation 
determination, remanding the issue back to APHIS. RRSB is therefore 
once again a regulated article under 7 CFR part 340, and Monsanto and 
KWS have submitted a supplemental request for ``partial deregulation'' 
or similar administrative action for RRSB, along with an accompanying 
``Environmental Report,'' to allow the future planting, harvesting, and 
interstate movement of RRSB crops (both seed and root) under conditions 
designed to ensure any risks posed by the introduction of these sugar 
beets into the environment are thoroughly mitigated.
    APHIS is evaluating this supplemental request and developing 
appropriate environmental analyses to inform its decisionmaking in 
reference to any APHIS decision or decisions to authorize future seed 
and root crop plantings under a combination of permits, administrative 
orders, or other regulatory options and measures. APHIS is considering 
regulatory options and measures that would include mitigating measures 
consistent with those it had proposed to the Court as interim measures 
while APHIS completes the EIS for the petition for determination of 
non-regulated status for RRSB. APHIS anticipates making a decision on 
the supplemental petition for ``partial deregulation'' and on other 
appropriate interim regulatory actions related to RRSB by the end of 
the year. There will be an opportunity for public comment on any 
environmental analyses developed for such decision or decisions. APHIS 
is notifying the public that its receipt of this supplemental request 
for ``partial deregulation'' and this notice to the public regarding it 
in no way indicates that the Agency agrees with the petitioners' 
description, application, or implementation of a ``partial 
deregulation.'' Such matters and related issues are solely determined 
by APHIS pursuant to its PPA statutory authority and its biotechnology 
regulations in 7 CFR part 340.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 4th day of October 2010.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-25387 Filed 10-7-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
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