Comment from Adrianne Massey

To whom it may concern: BIO appreciates the opportunity to comment on the proposed rule amending the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) regulations regarding genetically engineered organisms by adding provisions for sharing certain confidential business information (CBI) with State And Tribal governments. BIO is the world's largest biotechnology organization, providing advocacy, business development and communications services for more than 1150 members worldwide. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology. Corporate members range from entrepreneurial companies developing their first product to Fortune 100 multinationals. We also represent state and regional biotechnology associations, service providers to the industry, and academic institutions. Since 1985, BIO members have field-tested and commercialized biotechnology-derived plants under the regulatory oversight of APHIS. Biotechnology-derived plants have an excellent safety record; not a single instance of harm to human health or the environment has been documented in hundreds of thousands of field tests of many different plants and billions of acres of GE crops that have been commercially cultivated. BIO and its members are proud of this record of health and environmental safety and of the many benefits these crops provide to growers, consumers and the environment. APHIS is proposing to amend the regulations in 7 CFR 340 to allow sharing of confidential business information (CBI) with State and Tribal government agencies. BIO commends APHIS for seeking to improve the efficiency and timeliness of the permitting and notification processes for regulated articles under 7 CFR 340. APHIS lists several benefits from sharing CBI with State and Tribal governments: improving the efficiency of the permit and notification processes; facilitating the inspection of release sites; and supporting