Monsanto Co.; Availability of Plant Pest Risk Assessment and Environmental Assessment for Determination of Nonregulated Status of Soybean Genetically Engineered for Increased Yield, 47272-47273 [2013-18876]
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47272
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 150 / Monday, August 5, 2013 / Notices
Dated: July 23, 2013.
Edward B. Knipling,
Administrator, Agricultural Research Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–18845 Filed 8–2–13; 8:45 am]
Monsanto Co.; Availability of Plant
Pest Risk Assessment and
Environmental Assessment for
Determination of Nonregulated Status
of Soybean Genetically Engineered for
Increased Yield
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Research Service
Notice of Intent to Grant Exclusive
License
Agricultural Research Service,
Notice is hereby given that
the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Agricultural Research Service, intends
to grant to Central Washington Grain
Growers, Inc. of Waterville, Washington,
an exclusive license to the pea variety
named ‘‘Lynx’’.
SUMMARY:
Comments must be received on
or before September 4, 2013.
ADDRESS: Send comments to: USDA,
ARS, Office of Technology Transfer,
5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Rm. 4–1174,
Beltsville, Maryland 20705–5131.
DATES:
June
Blalock of the Office of Technology
Transfer at the Beltsville address given
above; telephone: 301–504–5989.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The
Federal Government’s rights in this
plant variety are assigned to the United
States of America, as represented by the
Secretary of Agriculture. It is in the
public interest to so license this plant
variety as Central Washington Grain
Growers, Inc. of Waterville, Washington
has submitted a complete and sufficient
application for a license. The
prospective exclusive license will be
royalty-bearing and will comply with
the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C.
209 and 37 CFR 404.7. The prospective
exclusive license may be granted unless,
within thirty (30) days from the date of
this published Notice, the Agricultural
Research Service receives written
evidence and argument which
establishes that the grant of the license
would not be consistent with the
requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37
CFR 404.7.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Robert Griesbach,
Deputy Assistant Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013–18847 Filed 8–2–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–03–P
19:07 Aug 02, 2013
We are advising the public
that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service is making available
for public comment our plant pest risk
assessment and our draft environmental
assessment regarding a request from the
Monsanto Company seeking a
determination of nonregulated status of
soybean designated as MON 87712,
which has been genetically engineered
for increased yield. We are soliciting
comments on whether this genetically
engineered soybean is likely to pose a
plant pest risk.
DATES: We will consider all comments
that we receive on or before September
4, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by either of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov/
#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0020.
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery:
Send your comment to Docket No.
APHIS–2012–0020, Regulatory Analysis
and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station
3A–03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118,
Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.
Supporting documents and any
comments we receive on this docket
may be viewed at https://www.
regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=
APHIS-2012-0020 or in our reading
room, which is located in room 1141 of
the USDA South Building, 14th Street
and Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC. Normal reading room
hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except holidays. To be
sure someone is there to help you,
please call (202) 799–7039 before
coming.
Supporting documents are also
available on the APHIS Web site at
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/
biotechnology/petitions_table_
pending.shtml under APHIS Petition
Number 11–202–01p.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Rebecca Stankiewicz Gabel, Chief,
Biotechnology Environmental Analysis
SUMMARY:
Notice of intent.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
USDA.
ACTION:
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
[Docket No. APHIS–2012–0020]
BILLING CODE 3410–03–P
AGENCY:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
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Branch, Environmental Risk Analysis
Programs, Biotechnology Regulatory
Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit
147, Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301)
851–3927, email: rebecca.l.stankiewiczgabel@aphis.usda.gov. To obtain copies
of the supporting documents for this
petition, contact Ms. Cindy Eck at (301)
851–3892, email:
cynthia.a.eck@aphis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Under the authority of the plant pest
provisions of the Plant Protection Act (7
U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), 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 (GE)
organisms and products are considered
‘‘regulated articles.’’
The regulations in § 340.6(a) provide
that any person may submit a petition
to the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) seeking a
determination that an article should not
be regulated under 7 CFR part 340.
APHIS has received a petition (APHIS
Petition Number 11–202–01p) from the
Monsanto Company (Monsanto) of St.
Louis, MO, seeking a determination of
nonregulated status of soybean (Glycine
max) designated as event MON 87712,
which has been genetically engineered
for increased yield. The petition stated
that this soybean is unlikely to pose a
plant pest risk and, therefore, should
not be a regulated article under APHIS’
regulations in 7 CFR part 340.
According to our process 1 for
soliciting public comment when
considering petitions for determinations
of nonregulated status of GE organisms,
APHIS accepts written comments
regarding a petition once APHIS deems
it complete. In a notice 2 published in
the Federal Register on July 13, 2012,
1 On March 6, 2012, APHIS published in the
Federal Register (77 FR 13258–13260, Docket No.
APHIS–2011–0129) a notice describing our public
review process for soliciting public comments and
information when considering petitions for
determinations of nonregulated status for GE
organisms. To view the notice, go to https://
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS2011-0129.
2 To view the notice, the petition, and the
comments we received, go to https://www.
regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-20120020.
E:\FR\FM\05AUN1.SGM
05AUN1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 150 / Monday, August 5, 2013 / Notices
(77 FR 41354–41355, Docket No.
APHIS–2012–0020), APHIS announced
the availability of the Monsanto petition
for public comment. APHIS solicited
comments on the petition for 60 days
ending on September 11, 2012, in order
to help identify potential environmental
and interrelated economic issues and
impacts that APHIS may determine
should be considered in our evaluation
of the petition.
APHIS received 66 comments on the
petition: Several of these comments
included electronic attachments
consisting of a consolidated document
of many identical or nearly identical
letters, for a total of 4,665 comments.
Issues raised during the comment
period include effects on plant and
animal diversity, soybean supply and
prices, and organic soy production; gene
flow; and food and feed impacts. APHIS
has evaluated the issues raised during
the comment period and, where
appropriate, has provided a discussion
of these issues in our environmental
assessment (EA).
After public comments are received
on a completed petition, APHIS
evaluates those comments and then
provides a second opportunity for
public involvement in our
decisionmaking process. According to
our public review process (see footnote
1), the second opportunity for public
involvement follows one of two
approaches, as described below.
If APHIS decides, based on its review
of the petition and its evaluation and
analysis of comments received during
the 60-day public comment period on
the petition, that the petition involves a
GE organism that raises no substantive
new issues, APHIS will follow
Approach 1 for public involvement.
Under Approach 1, APHIS announces in
the Federal Register the availability of
APHIS’ preliminary regulatory
determination along with its EA,
preliminary finding of no significant
impact (FONSI), and its plant pest risk
assessment (PPRA) for a 30-day public
review period. APHIS will evaluate any
information received related to the
petition and its supporting documents
during the 30-day public review period.
If APHIS decides, based on its review
of the petition and its evaluation and
analysis of comments received during
the 60-day public comment period on
the petition, that the petition involves a
GE organism that raises substantive new
issues, APHIS will follow Approach 2.
Under Approach 2, APHIS first solicits
written comments from the public on a
draft EA and PPRA for a 30-day
comment period through the
publication of a Federal Register notice.
Then, after reviewing and evaluating the
VerDate Mar<15>2010
19:07 Aug 02, 2013
Jkt 229001
comments on the draft EA and PPRA
and other information, APHIS will
revise the PPRA as necessary and
prepare a final EA and, based on the
final EA, a National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) decision document
(either a FONSI or a notice of intent to
prepare an environmental impact
statement). For this petition, we are
using Approach 2.
APHIS has prepared a PPRA to
determine if soybean event MON 87712
is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk. In
section 403 of the Plant Protection Act,
‘‘plant pest’’ is defined as any living
stage of any of the following that can
directly or indirectly injure, cause
damage to, or cause disease in any plant
or plant product: A protozoan, a
nonhuman animal, a parasitic plant, a
bacterium, a fungus, a virus or viroid, an
infectious agent or other pathogen, or
any article similar to or allied with any
of the foregoing.
APHIS has also prepared a draft EA in
which we present two alternatives based
on our analysis of data submitted by
Monsanto, a review of other scientific
data, field tests conducted under APHIS
oversight, and comments received on
the petition. APHIS is considering the
following alternatives: (1) Take no
action, i.e., APHIS would not change the
regulatory status of soybean event MON
87712 and it would continue to be a
regulated article, or (2) make a
determination of nonregulated status of
soybean event MON 87712.
The EA was prepared in accordance
with (1) NEPA, as amended (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of the
Council on Environmental Quality for
implementing the procedural provisions
of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508), (3)
USDA regulations implementing NEPA
(7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA
Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part
372).
In accordance with our process for
soliciting public input when
considering petitions for determinations
of nonregulated status for GE organisms,
we are publishing this notice to inform
the public that APHIS will accept
written comments on our PPRA and
draft EA regarding the petition for a
determination of nonregulated status
from interested or affected persons for a
period of 30 days from the date of this
notice. The petition is available for
public review, and copies are available
as indicated under ADDRESSES and FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT above.
After the comment period closes,
APHIS will review all written comments
received during the comment period
and any other relevant information.
After reviewing and evaluating the
comments on the draft EA and PPRA
PO 00000
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47273
and other information, APHIS will
revise the PPRA as necessary and
prepare a final EA. Based on the final
EA, APHIS will prepare a NEPA
decision document (either a FONSI or a
notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement). If a
FONSI is reached, APHIS will furnish a
response to the petitioner, either
approving or denying the petition.
APHIS will also publish a notice in the
Federal Register announcing the
regulatory status of the GE organism and
the availability of APHIS’ final EA,
PPRA, FONSI, and our regulatory
determination.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701–7772 and 7781–
7786; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and
371.3.
Done in Washington, DC, this 31st day of
July 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–18876 Filed 8–2–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Farm Service Agency
Information Collection; Inventory
Property Management
Farm Service Agency, USDA.
Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking
comments from all interested
individuals and organizations on an
extension with a revision of a currently
approved information collection that
supports Inventory Property
Management. The information is used to
evaluate applicant requests to purchase
inventory property, determine eligibility
to lease or purchase inventory property,
and ensure the payment of the lease
amount or purchase amount associated
with the acquisition of inventory
property. The revision to the
information addresses the increase in
the total amount of burden hours
expected related to inventory property
requests. The increase is due to an
approximately 13 percent increase in
the number of inventory properties
being held by FSA since the previous
approval request, and thus a higher
number of responses. No additional
forms, response actions or time
increases were added as part of the
revision.
SUMMARY:
We will consider comments that
we receive by October 4, 2013.
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\05AUN1.SGM
05AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 150 (Monday, August 5, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47272-47273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18876]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2012-0020]
Monsanto Co.; Availability of Plant Pest Risk Assessment and
Environmental Assessment for Determination of Nonregulated Status of
Soybean Genetically Engineered for Increased Yield
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service is making available for public comment our plant
pest risk assessment and our draft environmental assessment regarding a
request from the Monsanto Company seeking a determination of
nonregulated status of soybean designated as MON 87712, which has been
genetically engineered for increased yield. We are soliciting comments
on whether this genetically engineered soybean is likely to pose a
plant pest risk.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
September 4, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0020.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2012-0020, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD,
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may
be viewed at https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-
0020 or in our reading room, which is located in room 1141 of the USDA
South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington,
DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you,
please call (202) 799-7039 before coming.
Supporting documents are also available on the APHIS Web site at
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/petitions_table_pending.shtml
under APHIS Petition Number 11-202-01p.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Rebecca Stankiewicz Gabel, Chief,
Biotechnology Environmental Analysis Branch, Environmental Risk
Analysis Programs, Biotechnology Regulatory Services, APHIS, 4700 River
Road Unit 147, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 851-3927, email:
rebecca.l.stankiewicz-gabel@aphis.usda.gov. To obtain copies of the
supporting documents for this petition, contact Ms. Cindy Eck at (301)
851-3892, email: cynthia.a.eck@aphis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Under the authority of the plant pest provisions of the Plant
Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), 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 (GE) organisms and
products are considered ``regulated articles.''
The regulations in Sec. 340.6(a) provide that any person may
submit a petition to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) seeking a determination that an article should not be regulated
under 7 CFR part 340. APHIS has received a petition (APHIS Petition
Number 11-202-01p) from the Monsanto Company (Monsanto) of St. Louis,
MO, seeking a determination of nonregulated status of soybean (Glycine
max) designated as event MON 87712, which has been genetically
engineered for increased yield. The petition stated that this soybean
is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk and, therefore, should not be a
regulated article under APHIS' regulations in 7 CFR part 340.
According to our process \1\ for soliciting public comment when
considering petitions for determinations of nonregulated status of GE
organisms, APHIS accepts written comments regarding a petition once
APHIS deems it complete. In a notice \2\ published in the Federal
Register on July 13, 2012,
[[Page 47273]]
(77 FR 41354-41355, Docket No. APHIS-2012-0020), APHIS announced the
availability of the Monsanto petition for public comment. APHIS
solicited comments on the petition for 60 days ending on September 11,
2012, in order to help identify potential environmental and
interrelated economic issues and impacts that APHIS may determine
should be considered in our evaluation of the petition.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ On March 6, 2012, APHIS published in the Federal Register
(77 FR 13258-13260, Docket No. APHIS-2011-0129) a notice describing
our public review process for soliciting public comments and
information when considering petitions for determinations of
nonregulated status for GE organisms. To view the notice, go to
https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0129.
\2\ To view the notice, the petition, and the comments we
received, go to https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-
2012-0020.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
APHIS received 66 comments on the petition: Several of these
comments included electronic attachments consisting of a consolidated
document of many identical or nearly identical letters, for a total of
4,665 comments. Issues raised during the comment period include effects
on plant and animal diversity, soybean supply and prices, and organic
soy production; gene flow; and food and feed impacts. APHIS has
evaluated the issues raised during the comment period and, where
appropriate, has provided a discussion of these issues in our
environmental assessment (EA).
After public comments are received on a completed petition, APHIS
evaluates those comments and then provides a second opportunity for
public involvement in our decisionmaking process. According to our
public review process (see footnote 1), the second opportunity for
public involvement follows one of two approaches, as described below.
If APHIS decides, based on its review of the petition and its
evaluation and analysis of comments received during the 60-day public
comment period on the petition, that the petition involves a GE
organism that raises no substantive new issues, APHIS will follow
Approach 1 for public involvement. Under Approach 1, APHIS announces in
the Federal Register the availability of APHIS' preliminary regulatory
determination along with its EA, preliminary finding of no significant
impact (FONSI), and its plant pest risk assessment (PPRA) for a 30-day
public review period. APHIS will evaluate any information received
related to the petition and its supporting documents during the 30-day
public review period.
If APHIS decides, based on its review of the petition and its
evaluation and analysis of comments received during the 60-day public
comment period on the petition, that the petition involves a GE
organism that raises substantive new issues, APHIS will follow Approach
2. Under Approach 2, APHIS first solicits written comments from the
public on a draft EA and PPRA for a 30-day comment period through the
publication of a Federal Register notice. Then, after reviewing and
evaluating the comments on the draft EA and PPRA and other information,
APHIS will revise the PPRA as necessary and prepare a final EA and,
based on the final EA, a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
decision document (either a FONSI or a notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement). For this petition, we are using
Approach 2.
APHIS has prepared a PPRA to determine if soybean event MON 87712
is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk. In section 403 of the Plant
Protection Act, ``plant pest'' is defined as any living stage of any of
the following that can directly or indirectly injure, cause damage to,
or cause disease in any plant or plant product: A protozoan, a nonhuman
animal, a parasitic plant, a bacterium, a fungus, a virus or viroid, an
infectious agent or other pathogen, or any article similar to or allied
with any of the foregoing.
APHIS has also prepared a draft EA in which we present two
alternatives based on our analysis of data submitted by Monsanto, a
review of other scientific data, field tests conducted under APHIS
oversight, and comments received on the petition. APHIS is considering
the following alternatives: (1) Take no action, i.e., APHIS would not
change the regulatory status of soybean event MON 87712 and it would
continue to be a regulated article, or (2) make a determination of
nonregulated status of soybean event MON 87712.
The EA was prepared in accordance with (1) NEPA, as amended (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of the Council on Environmental
Quality for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR
parts 1500-1508), (3) USDA regulations implementing NEPA (7 CFR part
1b), and (4) APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).
In accordance with our process for soliciting public input when
considering petitions for determinations of nonregulated status for GE
organisms, we are publishing this notice to inform the public that
APHIS will accept written comments on our PPRA and draft EA regarding
the petition for a determination of nonregulated status from interested
or affected persons for a period of 30 days from the date of this
notice. The petition is available for public review, and copies are
available as indicated under ADDRESSES and FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT above.
After the comment period closes, APHIS will review all written
comments received during the comment period and any other relevant
information. After reviewing and evaluating the comments on the draft
EA and PPRA and other information, APHIS will revise the PPRA as
necessary and prepare a final EA. Based on the final EA, APHIS will
prepare a NEPA decision document (either a FONSI or a notice of intent
to prepare an environmental impact statement). If a FONSI is reached,
APHIS will furnish a response to the petitioner, either approving or
denying the petition. APHIS will also publish a notice in the Federal
Register announcing the regulatory status of the GE organism and the
availability of APHIS' final EA, PPRA, FONSI, and our regulatory
determination.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701-7772 and 7781-7786; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7
CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.
Done in Washington, DC, this 31st day of July 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-18876 Filed 8-2-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
