[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 72 (Monday, April 15, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15174-15175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07439]


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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 
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 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 72 / Monday, April 15, 2019 / 
Notices  

[[Page 15174]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2017-0018]


Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Preliminary Pest Risk 
Assessment for Permit for Release of Genetically Engineered Citrus 
Tristeza Virus

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability; reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: We are reopening the comment period for our notice that made 
available a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) and preliminary 
pest risk assessment (PRA) regarding the potential environmental 
impacts and plant pest risk associated with the proposed environmental 
release of genetically engineered Citrus tristeza virus. We have 
updated the EIS and PRA in light of recently published scientific 
research regarding the vectoring of Citrus tristeza virus, and are 
making the updated EIS and PRA available for public review and comment. 
This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare 
and submit comments on these revised documents.

DATES: The comment period for the notice published on May 17, 2018 (83 
FR 22944-22945) is reopened. We will consider all comments that we 
receive on or before April 30, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0018.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2017-0018, 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-
0018 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Margaret Jones, Senior 
Biotechnologist, Plant Pests, and Protectants Branch, Biotechnology 
Regulatory Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 147, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1238; (301) 851-3916, email: [email protected]. To 
obtain copies of the documents, contact Ms. Cindy Eck at (301) 851-
3892, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Under the authority of the plant pest provisions of the Plant 
Protection Act (PPA), as amended (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.  340.2 contain a list of organisms considered to be 
regulated articles, including all members of groups containing plant 
viruses, and all insect viruses.
    The regulations in Sec.  340.4(a) provide that any person may 
submit an application for a permit for the introduction of a regulated 
article to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). 
Southern Gardens Citrus Nursery, LLC, has submitted an application 
seeking a permit for the environmental release of genetically 
engineered Citrus tristeza virus throughout the State of Florida. The 
virus has been genetically engineered to express defensin proteins from 
spinach as a biological control approach to manage citrus greening 
disease in the State of Florida. Citrus greening disease, also called 
huanglongbing, was first detected in the United States in 2005 in 
Florida, and has since become a devastating disease of citrus within 
the United States.
    In response to this request, on May 17, 2018, we published in the 
Federal Register (83 FR 22944-22945, Docket No. APHIS-2017-0018) a 
notice \1\ that made available a draft environmental impact statement 
(EIS) and preliminary pest risk assessment (PRA) regarding the 
potential environmental impacts and plant pest risk associated with the 
proposed environmental release of the virus. Comments on the notice 
were required to be received on or before June 25, 2018.
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    \1\ To view the notice and the comments that we received, go to 
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0018.
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    Following the close of the comment period, an article \2\ was 
published in the Archives of Virology regarding the interaction of 
different strains of Citrus tristeza virus within citrus. Harper et al. 
found that, under laboratory-optimized conditions, if citrus plants 
contain more than one strain of the virus, aphid transmission of the 
virus could be affected.
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    \2\ Harper, S.J., S.J. Cowell, and W.O. Dawson, ``Bottlenecks 
and Complementation in the Aphid Transmission of Citrus Tristeza 
Virus Populations'', Archives of Virology, 163: 12 (December 2018), 
3373-3376. Referred to below as ``Harper et al.''
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    While these findings do not affect the overall conclusions of the 
PRA or EIS, they are not reflected in statements that we made in the 
two documents regarding the transmissibility of the virus. Accordingly, 
we have updated the PRA and EIS to incorporate the findings of Harper 
et al.
    We are reopening the comment period on Docket No. APHIS-2017-0018 
for an additional 15 days, and are making the updated PRA and EIS 
available for public review and comment. This action will allow 
interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.


[[Page 15175]]


    Done in Washington, DC, this 10th day of April 2019.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-07439 Filed 4-12-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P