[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4398-4399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-1635]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 14 / Monday, January 23, 1995 /
Notices
[[Page 4398]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 94-129-1]
Availability of Environmental Assessments and Findings of No
Significant Impact
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that five environmental assessments
and findings of no significant impact have been prepared by the Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service relative to the issuance of permits
to allow the field testing of genetically engineered organisms. The
environmental assessments provide a basis for our conclusion that the
field testing of these genetically engineered organisms will not
present a risk of introducing or disseminating a plant pest and will
not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment.
Based on its findings of no significant impact, the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service has determined that environmental impact
statements need not be prepared.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the environmental assessments and findings of no
significant impact are available for public inspection at USDA, room
1141, South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except holidays. Persons wishing to inspect those documents are
requested to call ahead on (202) 690-2817 to facilitate entry into the
reading room.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dr. Arnold Foudin, Deputy Director, Biotechnology Permits, BBEP, APHIS,
USDA, room 850, Federal Building, 6505 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, MD
20782, (301) 436-7612. For copies of the environmental assessments and
findings of no significant impact, write to Mr. Clayton Givens at the
same address. Please refer to the permit numbers listed below when
ordering documents.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 7 CFR part 340 (referred
to below as the regulations) regulate the introduction (importation,
interstate movement, and release into the environment) of genetically
engineered organisms and products that are plant pests or that there is
reason to believe are plant pests (regulated articles). A permit must
be obtained before a regulated article may be introduced into the
United States. The regulations set forth the procedures for obtaining a
limited permit for the importation or interstate movement of a
regulated article and for obtaining a permit for the release into the
environment of a regulated article. The Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) has stated that it would prepare an
environmental assessment and, when necessary, an environmental impact
statement before issuing a permit for the release into the environment
of a regulated article (see 52 FR 22906).
In the course of reviewing each permit application, APHIS assessed
the impact on the environment that releasing the organisms under the
conditions described in the permit application would have. APHIS has
issued permits for the field testing of the organisms listed below
after concluding that the organisms will not present a risk of plant
pest introduction or dissemination and will not have a significant
impact on the quality of the human environment. The environmental
assessments and findings or no significant impact, which are based on
data submitted by the applicants and on a review of other relevant
literature, provide the public with documentation of APHIS' review and
analysis of the environmental impacts associated with conducting the
field tests.
Environmental assessments and findings of no significant impact
have been prepared by APHIS relative to the issuance of permits to
allow the field testing of the following genetically engineered
organisms:
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Field test
Permit No. Permittee Date issued Organisms location
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94-221-01............ Monsanto 10-27-94 Wheat plants genetically engineered to Arizona.
Agricultural express tolerance to the herbicide
Company. glyphosate and marker genes.
94-213-01............ University of 10-31-94 Cranberry plants genetically engineered Wisconsin.
Wisconsin. to express a gene from Bacillus
thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Btk) for
resistance to lepidopteran insects.
94-217-02............ Monsanto 10-31-94 Potato plants genetically engineered to California,
Agricultural express a gene from Bacillus Florida.
Company. thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis (Btt)
for resistance to coleopteran insects
and to express a gene for resistance to
potato leaf roll virus.
94-280-01............ AgrEvo USA...... 11-10-94 Canola plants genetically engineered to California.
express tolerance to the herbicide
glufosinate.
94-207-02............ University of 11-21-94 Antibiotic producing Rhizobium strain, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin. to inhibit growth of closely related
bacteria in the soil.
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The environmental assessments and findings of no significant impact
have been prepared in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (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) [[Page 4399]] USDA
Regulations Implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS Guidelines
Implementing NEPA (44 FR 50381-50384, August 28, 1979, and 44 FR 51272-
51274, August 31, 1979).
Done in Washington, DC, this 17th day of January 1995.
Lonnie J. King,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 95-1635 Filed 1-20-95; 8:45 am]
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