[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 65823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-26387]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2008-0110]


Multi-Agency Informational Meeting Concerning Compliance With the 
Federal Select Agent Program; Public Meeting

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This is to notify all interested parties, including 
individuals and entities possessing, using, or transferring biological 
agents and toxins listed in 7 CFR 331.3, 9 CFR 121.3, or 42 CFR 73.3, 
that a meeting will be held to provide specific regulatory guidance 
related to the Federal Select Agent Program established under the 
Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act 
of 2002. The meeting is being organized by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the 
Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention, and the Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of 
Investigation. Issues to be discussed include entity registration, 
security risk assessments, biosafety requirements, and security 
measures.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 9, 2008, from 8 
a.m. to 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the USDA Center at 
Riverside, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, MD 20737.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information, please contact 
the Agricultural Select Agent Program by telephone at (301) 734-5960 or 
by e-mail to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    On June 12, 2002, the President signed into law the Public Health 
Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002. Title 
II of the Act, ``Enhancing Controls on Dangerous Biological Agents and 
Toxins'' (sections 201 through 231), provides for the regulation of 
certain biological agents and toxins by the Department of Health and 
Human Services (subtitle A, sections 201-204) and the Department of 
Agriculture (subtitle B, sections 211-213), and provides for 
interagency coordination between the two departments regarding overlap 
agents and toxins (subtitle C, section 221). For the Department of 
Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) has been designated as the agency with primary 
responsibility for implementing the provisions of the Act; the Animal 
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is the agency fulfilling 
that role for the Department of Agriculture. CDC and APHIS list select 
agents and toxins in 42 CFR 73.3 and in 7 CFR 331.3 and 9 CFR 121.3, 
respectively. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Criminal 
Justice Information Service conducts security risk assessments of all 
individuals and nongovernmental entities that request to possess, use, 
or transfer select agents and toxins.
    The meeting announced here is an opportunity for the regulated 
community (i.e., registered entity responsible officials, alternate 
responsible officials, and entity owners) and other interested 
individuals to obtain specific regulatory guidance and information on 
standards concerning biosafety and biosecurity issues related to the 
Federal Select Agent Program. Representatives from CDC, APHIS, and the 
FBI will be present at the meeting to address questions and concerns. 
Entity registration, security risk assessments, biosafety requirements, 
and security measures are among the issues that will be discussed.
    All attendees must register in advance of the meeting. For those 
unable to attend in person, the meeting will be available at no cost as 
a Webcast over the Internet for a limited number of registrants. 
Registration forms may be downloaded from the National Select Agent 
Registry's Web site at http://www.selectagents.gov; by request via 
telephone to (301) 734-5960; or by request via e-mail to 
[email protected].
    Travel directions to the USDA Center at Riverside are available on 
the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/general_info/directions_riverdale.shtml. Picture identification is required to gain 
access to the building. Parking is available next to the building for a 
$2.25 fee (please have quarters or crisp bills available for machine). 
The nearest Metro station is the College Park station on the Green 
Line, which is within walking distance.
    If you require special accommodations, such as a sign language 
interpreter, please see the contact information listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 30th day of October 2008.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E8-26387 Filed 11-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P