Monsanto Co.; Determination of Nonregulated Status of Herbicide Resistant Soybean and Cotton, 2675-2676 [2015-00723]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 20, 2015 / Notices
environmental and interrelated
economic issues and impacts that
APHIS may determine should be
considered in our evaluation of the
petition. We are particularly interested
in receiving comments regarding
biological, cultural, or ecological issues,
and we encourage the submission of
scientific data, studies, or research to
support your comments. We also
request that, when possible,
commenters provide relevant
information regarding specific localities
or regions as maize growth, crop
management, and crop utilization may
vary considerably by geographic region.
After the comment period closes,
APHIS will review all written comments
received during the comment period
and any other relevant information. Any
substantive issues identified by APHIS
based on our review of the petition and
our evaluation and analysis of
comments will be considered in the
development of our decisionmaking
documents.
As part of our decisionmaking process
regarding a GE organism’s regulatory
status, APHIS prepares a plant pest risk
assessment to assess its plant pest risk
and the appropriate environmental
documentation—either an
environmental assessment (EA) or an
environmental impact statement (EIS)—
in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to
provide the Agency with a review and
analysis of any potential environmental
impacts associated with the petition
request. For petitions for which APHIS
prepares an EA, APHIS will follow our
published process for soliciting public
involvement (see footnote 1) and
publish a separate notice in the Federal
Register announcing the availability of
APHIS’ EA and plant pest risk
assessment. Should APHIS determine
that an EIS is necessary, APHIS will
complete the NEPA EIS process in
accordance with Council on
Environmental Quality regulations (40
CFR parts 1500–1508) and APHIS’
NEPA implementing regulations (7 CFR
part 372).
rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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 14th day of
January 2015.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–00722 Filed 1–16–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
14:47 Jan 16, 2015
Jkt 235001
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
[Docket No. APHIS–2013–0043]
Monsanto Co.; Determination of
Nonregulated Status of Herbicide
Resistant Soybean and Cotton
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
We are advising the public of
our determination that soybean and
cotton genetically engineered for
herbicide resistance by the Monsanto
Company are no longer considered
regulated articles under our regulations
governing the introduction of certain
genetically engineered organisms. Our
determination is based on our
evaluation of data submitted by the
Monsanto Company in its two petitions
for a determination of nonregulated
status, our analysis of publically
available scientific data, and comments
received from the public on the petition
for nonregulated status and its
associated environmental impact
statement and plant pest risk
assessments. This notice also announces
the availability of our written
determination and record of decision.
DATES: Effective Date: January 20, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may read the
documents referenced in this notice and
any comments we received in our
reading room. The reading room 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. Those documents are also
available on the Internet at https://
www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/
petitions_table_pending.shtml under
APHIS Petition Numbers 10–188–01p
(soybean) and 12–185–01p (cotton) and
are posted with the comments we
received on the Regulations.gov Web
site at https://www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0043.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
John Turner, Director, Environmental
Risk Analysis Programs, Biotechnology
Regulatory Services, APHIS, 4700 River
Road, Unit 147, Riverdale, MD 20737–
1236; (301) 851–3954, email:
john.t.turner@aphis.usda.gov. To obtain
copies of the documents referenced in
this notice, contact Ms. Cindy Eck at
(301) 851–3892, email: cynthia.a.eck@
aphis.usda.gov.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
2675
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 APHIS seeking a determination that
an article should not be regulated under
7 CFR part 340. Paragraphs (b) and (c)
of § 340.6 describe the form that a
petition for a determination of
nonregulated status must take and the
information that must be included in
the petition.
APHIS received two petitions
(referred to below as ‘‘the petitions’’)
from the Monsanto Company seeking
determinations of nonregulated status
for soybean and cotton cultivars
genetically engineered to be resistant to
herbicides. The first petition, APHIS
Petition Number 10–188–01p, seeks a
determination of nonregulated status of
soybean (Glycine max) designated as
event MON 87708, which has been
genetically engineered for tolerance to
the herbicide dicamba. The second
petition, APHIS Petition Number 12–
185–01p, seeks a determination of
nonregulated status of cotton
(Gossypium spp.) designated as event
MON 88701, which has been genetically
engineered for tolerance to the
herbicides dicamba and glufosinate. The
petitions state that these articles are
unlikely to pose a plant pest risk and,
therefore, should not be regulated
articles under APHIS’ regulations in 7
CFR part 340.
Notices were published 1 in the
Federal Register for each petition
advising the public that APHIS had
received the petition and was seeking
public comments on the petition. The
notices also announced that APHIS
would prepare either an environmental
assessment or an environmental impact
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1 Docket No. APHIS–2012–0047 published on
July 13, 2012, 77 FR 41356–41357; Docket No.
APHIS–2012–0097 published on February 27, 2013,
78 FR 13308–13309. The Federal Register notices
for the petitions and supporting and related
materials, including public comments, are available
at https://www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0047 and https://
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS2012-0097.
E:\FR\FM\20JAN1.SGM
20JAN1
2676
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 20, 2015 / Notices
rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
statement (EIS) in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq., NEPA) to provide the Agency with
a review and analysis of any potential
environmental impacts associated with
the petition request.
Following review of public
comments, we published another
notice 2 in the Federal Register on May
16, 2013 (78 FR 28796–28797, Docket
No. APHIS–2013–0043), advising the
public of our intent to prepare an EIS for
the potential determination of
nonregulated status requested by the
petitions. APHIS decided to prepare an
EIS in order to perform a comprehensive
environmental analysis of the potential
environmental impacts that may occur
as a result of granting determinations of
nonregulated status for these two
events.
National Environmental Policy Act and
Record of Decision
To provide the public with
documentation of APHIS’ review and
analysis of the potential environmental
impacts associated with a determination
of nonregulated status of MON 87708
soybean and MON 88701cotton, an EIS
has been 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).
A notice of availability regarding the
draft EIS prepared by APHIS was
published by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) in the Federal
Register on August 11, 2014 (79 FR
46799, Docket No. ER–FRL–9016–4).
Along with the draft EIS,3 APHIS also
made available the plant pest risk
assessments (PPRAs) for the petitions.
APHIS reviewed and evaluated all of the
public comments received on the draft
EIS and prepared formal responses to
them as part of the final EIS.
A notice of availability regarding the
final EIS prepared by APHIS was
published by EPA in the Federal
Register on December 12, 2014 (79 FR
73890, Docket No. ER–FRL–9018–4).
The NEPA implementing regulations in
40 CFR 1506.10 require a minimum 30day review period between the time the
2 To view the notice the comments we received,
go to https://www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0043.
3 To view the draft EIS, final EIS, supporting
documents, and the comments we received, go to
https://www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0043.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
14:47 Jan 16, 2015
Jkt 235001
notice of availability of a final EIS is
published and the time an agency makes
a decision on an action covered by the
EIS. APHIS has reviewed and evaluated
the comments received during the 30day review period and has concluded
that it has fully and appropriately
analyzed the relevant environmental
issues covered by the final EIS and
those comments. Based on our final EIS,
the response to public comments, and
other pertinent scientific data, APHIS
has prepared a record of decision for the
final EIS.
Determination of Nonregulated Status
Based on APHIS’ analysis of field and
laboratory data submitted by the
Monsanto Company, references
provided in the petitions, peer-reviewed
publications, information analyzed in
the EIS, the PPRAs, comments provided
by the public, and APHIS’ evaluation of
and response to those comments, APHIS
has determined that MON 87708
soybean and MON 88701 cotton are
unlikely to pose a plant pest risk.
Accordingly, the petitions requesting a
determination of nonregulated status are
approved and MON 87708 soybean and
MON 88701 cotton are no longer subject
to our regulations governing the
introduction of certain genetically
engineered organisms and to the plant
pest provisions of the Plant Protection
Act.
Copies of the two signed
determination document and the signed
record of decision, as well as copies of
the final EIS and two PPRAs are
available as indicated in the ADDRESSES
and FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
sections of this notice.
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 13th day of
January 2015.
Michael Gregoire,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–00723 Filed 1–16–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Lassen National Forest; California;
Lassen National Forest Over-Snow
Vehicle Use Designation
Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY:
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
ACTION:
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The Forest Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture will prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) on a proposal to designate oversnow vehicle (OSV) use as allowed,
restricted, or prohibited on National
Forest System roads, National Forest
System trails, and Areas on National
Forest System lands within the Lassen
National Forest; and to identify snow
trails for grooming within the Lassen
National Forest. In addition, the Forest
Service proposes to:
1. Formally adopt California State
Parks’ OSV snow grooming standards
requiring a minimum of 18 inches of
snow depth before grooming can occur;
2. Implement a Forest-wide snow
depth requirement for OSV use that
would provide for public safety and
natural and cultural resource protection
by allowing OSV use in designated
Areas when there is a minimum of 12
inches of snow covering the landscape;
and allow OSV use on designated
National Forest System roads and
designated National Forest System
Trails when there is a minimum of 6
inches of snow covering the road or
trail; and
3. Prohibit OSV use in selected Areas
and on non-motorized trails.
This proposal would be implemented
on all of the Lassen National Forest.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by
February 19, 2015. The draft
environmental impact statement is
expected in October 2015 and the final
environmental impact statement is
expected in September 2016.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Chris O’Brien, on behalf of Dave Hays,
Forest Supervisor, Lassen National
Forest, 2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville,
CA 96130; 530–257–2151. Comments
may also be sent via facsimile to 530–
252–6463. Comments may be submitted
on the Lassen National Forest OSV
Designation Web page: https://
data.ecosystem-management.org/
nepaweb/fs-usdapop.php?project=45832.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Christopher O’Brien, Ph.D., Public
Services and Ecosystems Staff Officer,
USDA Forest Service, Lassen National
Forest, 2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville,
CA 96130; 530–257–2151; cjobrien@
fs.fed.us.
Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Snow
Trail Grooming Program: For over 30
SUMMARY:
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20JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2675-2676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00723]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2013-0043]
Monsanto Co.; Determination of Nonregulated Status of Herbicide
Resistant Soybean and Cotton
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We are advising the public of our determination that soybean
and cotton genetically engineered for herbicide resistance by the
Monsanto Company are no longer considered regulated articles under our
regulations governing the introduction of certain genetically
engineered organisms. Our determination is based on our evaluation of
data submitted by the Monsanto Company in its two petitions for a
determination of nonregulated status, our analysis of publically
available scientific data, and comments received from the public on the
petition for nonregulated status and its associated environmental
impact statement and plant pest risk assessments. This notice also
announces the availability of our written determination and record of
decision.
DATES: Effective Date: January 20, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may read the documents referenced in this notice and any
comments we received in our reading room. The reading room 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. Those
documents are also available on the Internet at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/petitions_table_pending.shtml under
APHIS Petition Numbers 10-188-01p (soybean) and 12-185-01p (cotton) and
are posted with the comments we received on the Regulations.gov Web
site at https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0043.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John Turner, Director,
Environmental Risk Analysis Programs, Biotechnology Regulatory
Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 147, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236;
(301) 851-3954, email: john.t.turner@aphis.usda.gov. To obtain copies
of the documents referenced in this notice, contact Ms. Cindy Eck at
(301) 851-3892, email: 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 (GE) organisms and
products are considered ``regulated articles.''
The regulations in Sec. 340.6(a) provide that any person may
submit a petition to APHIS seeking a determination that an article
should not be regulated under 7 CFR part 340. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of
Sec. 340.6 describe the form that a petition for a determination of
nonregulated status must take and the information that must be included
in the petition.
APHIS received two petitions (referred to below as ``the
petitions'') from the Monsanto Company seeking determinations of
nonregulated status for soybean and cotton cultivars genetically
engineered to be resistant to herbicides. The first petition, APHIS
Petition Number 10-188-01p, seeks a determination of nonregulated
status of soybean (Glycine max) designated as event MON 87708, which
has been genetically engineered for tolerance to the herbicide dicamba.
The second petition, APHIS Petition Number 12-185-01p, seeks a
determination of nonregulated status of cotton (Gossypium spp.)
designated as event MON 88701, which has been genetically engineered
for tolerance to the herbicides dicamba and glufosinate. The petitions
state that these articles are unlikely to pose a plant pest risk and,
therefore, should not be regulated articles under APHIS' regulations in
7 CFR part 340.
Notices were published \1\ in the Federal Register for each
petition advising the public that APHIS had received the petition and
was seeking public comments on the petition. The notices also announced
that APHIS would prepare either an environmental assessment or an
environmental impact
[[Page 2676]]
statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., NEPA) to provide the
Agency with a review and analysis of any potential environmental
impacts associated with the petition request.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Docket No. APHIS-2012-0047 published on July 13, 2012, 77 FR
41356-41357; Docket No. APHIS-2012-0097 published on February 27,
2013, 78 FR 13308-13309. The Federal Register notices for the
petitions and supporting and related materials, including public
comments, are available at https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0047 and https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0097.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Following review of public comments, we published another notice
\2\ in the Federal Register on May 16, 2013 (78 FR 28796-28797, Docket
No. APHIS-2013-0043), advising the public of our intent to prepare an
EIS for the potential determination of nonregulated status requested by
the petitions. APHIS decided to prepare an EIS in order to perform a
comprehensive environmental analysis of the potential environmental
impacts that may occur as a result of granting determinations of
nonregulated status for these two events.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ To view the notice the comments we received, go to https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0043.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Environmental Policy Act and Record of Decision
To provide the public with documentation of APHIS' review and
analysis of the potential environmental impacts associated with a
determination of nonregulated status of MON 87708 soybean and MON
88701cotton, an EIS has been 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).
A notice of availability regarding the draft EIS prepared by APHIS
was published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the
Federal Register on August 11, 2014 (79 FR 46799, Docket No. ER-FRL-
9016-4). Along with the draft EIS,\3\ APHIS also made available the
plant pest risk assessments (PPRAs) for the petitions. APHIS reviewed
and evaluated all of the public comments received on the draft EIS and
prepared formal responses to them as part of the final EIS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ To view the draft EIS, final EIS, supporting documents, and
the comments we received, go to https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0043.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A notice of availability regarding the final EIS prepared by APHIS
was published by EPA in the Federal Register on December 12, 2014 (79
FR 73890, Docket No. ER-FRL-9018-4). The NEPA implementing regulations
in 40 CFR 1506.10 require a minimum 30-day review period between the
time the notice of availability of a final EIS is published and the
time an agency makes a decision on an action covered by the EIS. APHIS
has reviewed and evaluated the comments received during the 30-day
review period and has concluded that it has fully and appropriately
analyzed the relevant environmental issues covered by the final EIS and
those comments. Based on our final EIS, the response to public
comments, and other pertinent scientific data, APHIS has prepared a
record of decision for the final EIS.
Determination of Nonregulated Status
Based on APHIS' analysis of field and laboratory data submitted by
the Monsanto Company, references provided in the petitions, peer-
reviewed publications, information analyzed in the EIS, the PPRAs,
comments provided by the public, and APHIS' evaluation of and response
to those comments, APHIS has determined that MON 87708 soybean and MON
88701 cotton are unlikely to pose a plant pest risk. Accordingly, the
petitions requesting a determination of nonregulated status are
approved and MON 87708 soybean and MON 88701 cotton are no longer
subject to our regulations governing the introduction of certain
genetically engineered organisms and to the plant pest provisions of
the Plant Protection Act.
Copies of the two signed determination document and the signed
record of decision, as well as copies of the final EIS and two PPRAs
are available as indicated in the ADDRESSES and FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT sections of this notice.
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 13th day of January 2015.
Michael Gregoire,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-00723 Filed 1-16-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P