[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52873-52874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24634]


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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 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
 appearing in this section.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 15, 2017 / 
Notices  

[[Page 52873]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2017-0075]


Verdeca LLC; Availability of a Petition for Determination of 
Nonregulated Status of Soybean Genetically Engineered for Increased 
Yield

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) has received a petition from Verdeca LLC 
seeking a determination of nonregulated status for the new plant 
variety HB4 soybean designated as IND-00410-5, which has been 
genetically engineered for increased yield. The petition has been 
submitted in accordance with our regulations concerning the 
introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms and products. 
We are making the Verdeca LLC petition available for review and comment 
to help us identify potential environmental and interrelated economic 
issues and impacts that APHIS may determine should be considered in our 
evaluation of the petition.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
January 16, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0075.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2017-0075, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may 
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-
0075 or in our reading room, which 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) 799-7039 before coming.
    The petition is also available on the APHIS Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/petitions_table_pending.shtml under 
APHIS petition 17-223-01p.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John Turner, Director, 
Biotechnology Risk Analysis Programs, BRS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 
147, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 851-3954, email: 
[email protected]. To obtain copies of the petition contact 
Ms. Cindy Eck at (301) 851-3892, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of the plant pest 
provisions of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), the 
regulations in 7 CFR part 340, ``Introduction of Organisms and Products 
Altered or Produced Through Genetic Engineering Which Are Plant Pests 
or Which There Is Reason to Believe Are Plant Pests,'' regulate, among 
other things, the introduction (importation, interstate movement, or 
release into the environment) of organisms and products altered or 
produced through genetic engineering that are plant pests or that there 
is reason to believe are plant pests. Such genetically engineered 
organisms and products are considered ``regulated articles.''
    The regulations in Sec.  [thinsp]340.6(a) provide that any person 
may submit a petition to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
(APHIS) seeking a determination that an article should not be regulated 
under 7 CFR part 340. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of Sec.  [thinsp]340.6 
describe the form that a petition for a determination of nonregulated 
status must take and the information that must be included in the 
petition.
    APHIS has received a petition (APHIS Petition Number 17-223-01p) 
from Verdeca LLC (Verdeca), seeking a determination of nonregulated 
status for the new plant variety called HB4 soybean (Glycine max) 
designated as event IND-00410-5 that has been genetically engineered 
for increased yield, stating that this soybean is unlikely to pose a 
plant pest risk and, therefore, should not be a regulated article under 
APHIS' regulations in 7 CFR part 340.
    As described in the petition, soybean event IND-00410-5 has been 
genetically engineered to increase yield through the insertion of the 
HaHB4 transcription factor gene variant from the sunflower (Helianthus 
annuus). This gene improves plant fitness by reducing its sensitivity 
to ethylene, which would otherwise negatively impact growth, allowing 
the soybean to grow in a greater variety of environments with reduced 
negative impact on growth, development, and yield. Soybean event IND-
00410-5 is currently regulated under 7 CFR part 340. Interstate 
movements and field tests of soybean event IND-00410-5 have been 
conducted under permits issued or notifications acknowledged by APHIS. 
Field tests conducted under APHIS oversight allowed for evaluation in a 
natural agricultural setting while imposing measures to minimize the 
risk of persistence in the environment after completion of the test. 
Data are gathered on multiple parameters and used by the applicant to 
evaluate agronomic characteristics and product performance. These and 
other data are used by APHIS to determine if the new variety poses a 
plant pest risk.
    In accordance with Sec.  [thinsp]340.6(d) of the regulations, we 
are publishing this notice to inform the public that APHIS will accept 
written comments regarding the petition for a determination of 
nonregulated status from interested or affected persons for a period of 
60 days from the date of this notice. The petition is available for 
public review, and copies are available as indicated under ADDRESSES 
and FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT above. We are interested in 
receiving comments regarding potential environmental and interrelated 
economic issues and impacts that APHIS may determine should be 
considered in our evaluation of the petition. We are particularly 
interested in receiving comments regarding biological, cultural, or 
ecological issues, and we encourage the submission of scientific data, 
studies, or research to support your comments. We also request that, 
when possible,

[[Page 52874]]

commenters provide relevant information regarding specific localities 
or regions as soybean growth, crop management, and crop utilization may 
vary considerably by geographic region.
    After the comment period closes, APHIS will review all written 
comments received during the comment period and any other relevant 
information; any substantive issues identified by APHIS based on our 
review of the petition and our evaluation and analysis of comments will 
be considered in the development of our decisionmaking documents.
    As part of our decisionmaking process regarding a genetically 
engineered organism's regulatory status, APHIS prepares a plant pest 
risk assessment (PPRA) to assess its plant pest risk and the 
appropriate environmental documentation--either an environmental 
assessment (EA) or an environmental impact statement (EIS)--in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to 
provide the Agency with a review and analysis of any potential 
environmental impacts associated with the petition request. For 
petitions for which APHIS prepares an EA, APHIS will publish a separate 
notice in the Federal Register announcing the availability of the EA 
and PPRA. Should we determine that an EIS is necessary, APHIS will 
complete the NEPA EIS process in accordance with Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR part 1500-1508) and APHIS' 
NEPA implementing regulations (7 CFR part 372).

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701-7772 and 7781-7786; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 
CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 8th day of November 2017.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-24634 Filed 11-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P