[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 39 (Tuesday, February 28, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10829-10830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-4882]



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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 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 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 28, 1995 / 
Notices  
[[Page 10829]]

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 95-009-1]


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 and 
renewal 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 the 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, Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service, Biotechnology, Biologics, and Environmental Protection, 
Biotechnology Permits, 4700 River Road Unit 147, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1237. The telephone number for the agency will change when agency 
offices in Hyattsville, MD, move to Riverdale, MD, during February. 
Telephone: (301) 436-7612 (Hyattsville); (301) 734-7612 (Riverdale). 
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 of 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 and renewal of 
permits to allow the field testing of the following genetically 
engineered organisms:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Date                                      Field test   
        Permit No.                 Permittee            issued             Organisms                location    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
94-284-01................  University of Chicago....    1-06-95  Arabidopsis thaliana plants    Illinois.       
                                                                  genetically engineered to                     
                                                                  express tolerance to the                      
                                                                  herbicide chlorsulfuron.                      
94-326-01................  University of Chicago....    1-06-95  Rapeseed plants genetically    Illinois.       
                                                                  engineered to express either                  
                                                                  a gene from Bacillus thurin-                  
                                                                  giensis subsp. kurstaki for                   
                                                                  resistance to lepidopteran                    
                                                                  insects or a gene from                        
                                                                  potato plants for resistance                  
                                                                  to chewing insects.                           
94-306-01................  Union Camp Corporation...    1-26-95  American sweetgum trees        Georgia.        
                                                                  genetically engineered to                     
                                                                  express a gene for tolerance                  
                                                                  to the herbicide 2, 4-D.                      
94-326-03, renewal of      Upjohn Company...........    1-26-95  Tomato plants genetically      Georgia.        
 permit 94-055-01, issued                                         engineered for resistance to                  
 on 4-13-94.                                                      tomato spotted wilt virus.                    
94-326-04, renewal of      Upjohn Company...........    1-26-95  Cucumber plants genetically    Michigan.       
 permit 94-055-02, issued                                         engineered for resistance to                  
 on 6-16-94.                                                      cucumber mosaic virus,                        
                                                                  watermelon mosaic virus 2,                    
                                                                  and zucchini yellow mosaic                    
                                                                  virus.                                        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    [[Page 10830]] 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) 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 22nd day of February 1995.
Terry L. Medley,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 95-4882 Filed 2-27-95; 8:45 am]
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