[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 143 (Friday, July 25, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40045-40046]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19630]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-068-1]


Regulatory Science and Risk Analysis in Agriculture; Public 
Conference

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public conference and request for agenda topics.

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SUMMARY: The new USDA Center for Excellence in Regulatory Science and 
Risk Analysis at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is holding a 
public conference on current models and emerging trends in agricultural 
regulation. The target audience for this conference includes persons 
from industry, academia, public interest groups, and Federal and State 
government who are interested in understanding and improving the 
regulatory process for agricultural issues. The agenda for this 
conference is still being planned and suggestions for topics of general 
interest are requested.

Place, Dates, And Time Of Meeting: The conference will be held at the 
University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, AR, on September 16 and 17, 1997. 
If you plan to attend the conference, please register by August 19, 
1997. Lodging for conference attendees is available at a special 
conference rate at the Holiday Inn-Pine Bluff, 2 Convention Center 
Plaza, Pine Bluff, AR 71601-5066 (telephone 501-535-3111).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register for the conference, or for 
further information about it, contact Cecil Oliver, Regulatory Science 
Center of Excellence, School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human 
Sciences, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, PO. Box 4990, Pine 
Bluff, AR; (501) 543-8564. To post or review suggested topics for the 
conference agenda, access the World Wide Web address http://
www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/conference. You may also mail suggested topics 
to Docket No. 97-068-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, suite 3C03, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238; 
or e-mail them to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USDA Center for Excellence in Regulatory 
Science and Risk Analysis at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 
(the Center) exists to merge the experience of university faculty and 
Federal agencies in conducting research and outreach education that 
advances understanding of, and compliance with, Federal statutes. The 
Center brings together professionals from academic, government, 
industry, and public interest environments to explore regulatory 
issues, identify useful regulatory tools, and develop strategies to 
more effectively meet the goals of regulatory agencies and the public 
interest in a world where agricultural issues and policies are rapidly 
changing.
    The United States Department of Agriculture believes its 
partnership with the Center supports worthwhile advances in the quality 
of regulatory science, and that the Center may also serve as the host 
for activities that develop strategies and tools that contribute to 
discussing and analyzing individual regulatory issues.
    The upcoming Conference on Regulatory Science and Risk Assessment 
in Agriculture has two primary objectives:

[[Page 40046]]

    1. To identify emerging regulatory issues in agriculture; and
    2. To develop regulatory strategies for addressing these regulatory 
issues.
    The conference agenda will include a mixture of speaker 
presentations, discussion groups, and workshops. Some of the themes 
explored at the conference will include:
    1. Adapting regulatory systems to facilitate trade under World 
Trade Organization principles (transparency, equivalency, science-
based);
    2. Deciding when to regulate, and how to develop threshold criteria 
to determine when an agricultural problem requires government 
regulation;
    3. Developing alternatives to government regulation such as 
voluntary compliance and self-regulation by industry, or risk reduction 
through public awareness and education;
    4. Formal partnerships between industries and government agencies; 
and
    5. How risk analysis is changing concepts of regulation 
development, compliance, inspections, and tolerances.
    We are in the process of planning the agenda for the conference, 
which will be held in Pine Bluff, AR, on September 16 and 17, 1997. We 
are seeking specific suggestions for discussion or workshop topics from 
potential attendees before finalizing the agenda. Consistent with 
efforts to reinvent government and to improve how programs are 
delivered, we would like to invite potential attendees to present their 
ideas and suggestions concerning fruitful topics for the agenda.
    Please submit, on or before August 15, 1997, proposed titles and 
descriptions for new agenda topics, or comments on the agenda topics 
identified above. If you wish to make a presentation or lead a 
discussion on a particular topic, please state so and indicate the 
amount of time you believe your topic would require. We cannot 
guarantee that all suggested topics will be included in the final 
agenda, but we will try to include all topics to the extent the time 
scheduled for the conference allows.
    The best way to suggest topics for the conference is to post them 
to the World Wide Web address identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT above. Suggestions posted to that address will be visible on 
the Web, and may provoke support or discussion by other commenters.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 21st day of July 1997.
Charles P. Schwalbe,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 97-19630 Filed 7-24-97; 8:45 am]
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