1.This Act may be cited as the
Expediting Agriculture Through Science
Act
or EATS
Act
.
2.Timeline for approval
of petitions for removal of plant pests from regulationSection 411(c) of the Plant Protection Act
(7 U.S.C. 7711(c)) is amended—
(1)in paragraph (2), by inserting ,
including biotechnology products
before from
;
(2)by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the
following new paragraph:
(3)Response to
Petition by the Secretary
(A)In the case of a
petition submitted under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall determine, based on
sound science, whether to approve such petition not later than 180 days after
the date on which the Secretary receives such petition. The Secretary may
extend the period for such determination for two periods of 30 days each, if
the Secretary notifies the petitioner of each extension of the determination
period.
(B)The
notification described in subparagraph (A) shall be in the form of a letter
from the Secretary or a designee of the Secretary and shall include the name
and title of each person processing the petition, the specific reason for the
delay in the determination, and a specific date on which a determination is
expected.
(C)For
each petition the Secretary denies, the Secretary shall provide the
petitioner—
(i)written, clear,
and comprehensive reasons why the petition was denied and detailed information
concerning any deficiencies in the petition; and
(ii)an opportunity to
remedy any such deficiencies.
(D)If the Secretary has not made a determination to approve
a petition by the end of the 240-day period beginning on the date the Secretary
received such petition, the petition shall be deemed approved.
.