[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 226 (Wednesday, November 24, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68301-68302]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-3316]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 04-076-2]


Monsanto Co.; Availability of Petition and Environmental 
Assessment for Determination of Nonregulated Status for Cotton 
Genetically Engineered for Tolerance to the Herbicide Glyphosate

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public of the availability of an addendum 
to a petition from Monsanto Company seeking a determination of 
nonregulated status for cotton designated as MON 88913, which has been 
genetically engineered for tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate. The 
petition has been submitted in accordance with our regulations 
concerning the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms 
and products. In accordance with those regulations, we are soliciting 
public comments on whether this cotton presents a plant pest risk. We 
are also making available for public comment an environmental 
assessment for the proposed determination of nonregulated status. The 
content of the addendum does not impact the environmental assessment. 
However, the information contained within the addendum may add clarity 
to the review of the petition by the public.

DATES: We will consider all comments we receive on or before December 
3, 2004.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies 
of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. 04-076-1, 
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700 
River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your 
comment refers to Docket No. 04-076-1.
     E-mail: Address your comment to 
[email protected]. Your comment must be contained in the body 
of your message; do not send attached files.
     Agency Web Site: Go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/cominst.html for a form you can use to submit an e-mail comment through 
the APHIS Web site.
    Reading Room: You may read the amended petition, the environmental 
assessment, and any comments that we receive on this docket in our 
reading

[[Page 68302]]

room. The reading room is located in room 1141 of the USDA South 
Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC. 
Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, 
please call (202) 690-2817 before coming.
    Other Information: You may view APHIS documents published in the 
Federal Register and related information, including the names of groups 
and individuals who have commented on APHIS dockets, on the Internet at 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael Blanchette, Biotechnology 
Regulatory Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 147, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1236; (301) 734-5141. To obtain copies of the amended petition or 
the environmental assessment, contact Ms. Terry Hampton at (301) 734-
5715; e-mail: [email protected]. The amended petition and 
environmental assessment are also available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs/04_08601p.pdf and http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs/04_08601p_ea.pdf.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 4, 2004, we published a notice in 
the Federal Register (69 FR 59181-59182, Docket No. 04-076-1) in which 
we advised the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service (APHIS) has received a petition from Monsanto Company of St. 
Louis, MO (Monsanto) seeking a determination of nonregulated status for 
cotton designated as MON 88913, which has been genetically engineered 
for tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate. The petition has been 
submitted in accordance with our regulations concerning the 
introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms and products. 
In accordance with those regulations, our notice solicits public 
comments on whether this cotton presents a plant pest risk. In the 
notice, we also made available for public comment an environmental 
assessment (EA) for the proposed determination of nonregulated status. 
As stated in that notice, we will consider all comments we receive on 
or before December 3, 2004.
    On November 8, 2004, APHIS received a letter from Monsanto amending 
the petition made available for public comment in our October 4, 2004, 
notice. The information in the addendum clarifies information in the 
petition with respect to the molecular genetic characterization of the 
inserted DNA and corrects portions of that section. APHIS promptly 
reviewed these changes and determined that they had no impact on the EA 
we prepared to examine any environmental impacts of the proposed 
determination for the subject cotton. The addendum has been added to 
the petition file and is available to facilitate the review of the 
petition.
    We continue to solicit written comments from interested persons on 
the petition and the EA. In addition to the amended petition, the EA 
and any comments received are available for public review. Copies of 
the amended petition and the EA are available as indicated in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
    After the comment period closes, APHIS will review the data 
submitted by the petitioner, all written comments received during the 
comment period, and any other relevant information. After reviewing and 
evaluating the comments on the petition and the EA and other data and 
information, APHIS will furnish a response to the petitioner, either 
approving the petition in whole or in part, or denying the petition. 
APHIS will then publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing the 
regulatory status of Monsanto's glyphosate-tolerant MON 88913 cotton 
and the availability of APHIS' written decision.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1622n and 7701-7772; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 
2.80, and 371.3.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of November 2004.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E4-3316 Filed 11-23-04; 8:45 am]
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