[Federal Register: January 15, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 10)]
[Notices]
[Page 2351-2352]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15ja04-68]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPP-2004-0002; FRL-7341-6]
Public Workshop on Plant-Incorporated Protectant Experimental Use
Permits; Notice of Public Meeting
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: EPA is holding a public workshop entitled Plant-Incorporated
Protectant (PIP) Experimental Use Permits (EUP): Process and
Compliance. EPA recognizes that some PIP EUP regulatory issues require
review and clarification, and is seeking public participation and input
to help identify the best approaches to regulatory improvements
pertaining to PIP EUPs.
DATES: The meeting will be held on February 10 and 11, 2004 from 8:30
a.m. to 5 p.m.
Requests to participate in the meeting, identified by docket ID
number OPP-2004-0002, must be received on or before February 2, 2004.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Crystal City Hilton, 2399
Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202. Telephone number: (703) 418-
6800.
Requests to participate in the meeting may be submitted to the
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Heisler, Region 9 (CMD-1) 75
Hawthorne St., San Francisco, CA 94105; telephone number: 415-947-4240;
fax number: 415-947-3583; e-mail address: Heisler.Karen@epa.gov. To
preregister for the workshop by February 2, 2004 contact Teresa Bullock
at American Farmland Trust by e-mail: tbullock@niu.edu, by telephone:
(815) 753-9347 or by fax: (815) 753-9348).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the general public, and may be of
particular interest to persons who apply for, manage, or conduct
research under a PIP Experimental Use Permit, or whose work involves
issues related to biotechnology-derived PIP EUPs. Potentially affected
entities may include, but are not limited to: applicants for PIP
experimental use permits; Federal, State, and local regulators of
biotechnology; government, industry, and academic researchers working
in the field of agricultural biotechnology; non-governmental
organizations; agricultural/agronomic associations, and the
biotechnology trade association. Since other entities may also be
interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe all the specific
entities that may be affected by this action. If you have any questions
regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity,
consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this
action under docket identification (ID) number OPP-2004-0002. The
official public docket consists of the documents specifically
referenced in this action, any public comments received, and other
information related to this action. Although a part of the official
docket, the public docket does not include Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted
by statute. The official public docket is the collection of materials
that is available for public viewing at the Public Information and
Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 2,
1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA. This docket facility is open
from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The docket telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA Internet under the Federal Register
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
An electronic version of the public docket is available through
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to view public comments,
access the index listing of the contents of the official public docket,
and to access those documents in the public docket that are available
electronically. Although not all docket materials may be available
electronically, you may still access any of the publicly available
docket materials through the docket facility identified in Unit I.B.1.
Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the appropriate
docket ID number.
II. Background
A. What Topics Will the Workshop Address?
The basic goal of this workshop is to address and clarify certain
aspects of PIP EUPs such as the definition of terms and permit
conditions so that the PIP EUP program, including associated field
obligations, is clear to EUP applicants and researchers. The workshop
is expected to improve the PIP EUP process and result in increased
compliance, thereby enhancing protection of the environment and human
health. The workshop will address the PIP EUP application and
permitting process, and associated compliance issues. EPA will provide
background on its PIP EUP regulatory goals, and a preselected panel
comprised of stakeholders from industry, academia, and public interest
groups will discuss their goals and needs. EPA will solicit input from
workshop participants on specific topics, including the PIP EUP
application and permitting process; permit terminology and definitions;
the enforceability of EUP language and activities; containment and
confinement issues; and content and data requirements. Participants
will be asked to identify concerns and recommend potential solutions.
EPA anticipates holding panel discussions on three additional topics:
The comparability of U.S. Department of Agriculture and EPA
experimental biotechnology programs; the balancing of proprietary
information with public transparency; and compliance issues and needs.
These topics are directly related to ensuring environmental protection,
maintaining a healthy climate for experimental research, and promoting
public confidence; information from the workshop may be used as
guidance in further Agency deliberations of these topics. To ensure
that a diversity of views are represented in these
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discussions, panelists will be preselected from stakeholder groups,
including industry, government, academia, and public interest groups.
B. How Should I Prepare for the Workshop?
The workshop will be a working meeting, with participants expected
to provide thoughtful discussion and concrete suggestions on the topics
identified above. EPA requests attendees to participate in all sessions
to ensure productive collaboration and adequate representation of
stakeholder perspectives. EPA also requests that participants review
relevant background documents prior to the meeting. A tentative agenda
and related documents will be made available at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides.
EPA supports the goals of green conferencing
and strongly encourages participants at this meeting to recycle, reduce
the use of paper products and bulk mailings, and use mass transit. The
meeting location is within walking distance of the Crystal City Metro
Stop on the Blue and Yellow Lines. More about green conferencing can be
found at: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/greenmeetings/.
III. How Can I Request to Participate in this Meeting?
Preregister for this workshop by contacting Teresa Bullock at
American Farmland Trust by email tbullock@niu.edu, by telephone (815-
753-9347) or by fax (815- 753-9348). You must preregister on or before
February 2, 2004 or you can register on site the day of the workshop.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, FIFRA, Plant-Incorporated Pesticides,
Experimental Use Permits, Biotechnology, Biopesticides.
Dated: January 8, 2004.
Janet L. Andersen,
Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division.
[FR Doc. 04-893 Filed 1-14-04; 8:45 am]
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