[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 170 (Friday, August 30, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 45933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-22212]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 96-057-1]


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 four 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 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, 
Biotechnology Permits, BBEP, APHIS, Suite 5B05, 4700 River Road Unit 
147, Riverdale, MD 20737-1237; (301) 734-7612. For copies of the 
environmental assessments and findings of no significant impact, 
contact Mr. Clayton Givens at (301) 734-7612; e-mail: 
[email protected]. 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 or a notification acknowledged before a regulated article 
may be introduced into the United States. The regulations set forth the 
permit application requirements and the notification procedures for the 
importation, interstate movement, and release into the environment of a 
regulated article.
    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 of permits to 
allow the field testing of the following genetically engineered 
organisms:

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 Permit No.           Permittee          Date issued             Organisms               Field test  location   
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96-094-01..  Pioneer Hi-Bred                 5-31-96  Corn plants genetically         Iowa and Pennsylvania.    
              Internatonal, Inc.                       engineered to express                                    
                                                       resistence to certain                                    
                                                       diseases.                                                
96-051-04..  Biosource Technologies,          6-4-96  Tobacco mosaic virus            Kentucky.                 
              Inc.                                     genetically engineered to                                
                                                       contain genes of                                         
                                                       pharmaceutical interest.                                 
96-127-02..  Washington State                6-26-96  Wheat stripe fungus             Washington.               
              University.                              genetically engineered to                                
                                                       contain a marker gene.                                   
96-156-01..  Tuskegee University.......      6-26-96  Sweet potato plants             Alabama.                  
                                                       genetically engineered for                               
                                                       tolerance to the herbicide                               
                                                       glufosinate.                                             
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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, as amended (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' NEPA 
Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 26th day of August 1996.
Terry L. Medley,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 96-22212 Filed 8-29-96; 8:45 am]
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