[Federal Register: August 1, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 147)]
[Notices]
[Page 42078-42079]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01au07-57]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-515; FRL-8139-4]
Experimental Use Permit; Receipt of Application
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt of an application 67979-EUP-6
from Syngenta Seeds, Inc. requesting an experimental use permit (EUP)
for the plant-incorporated protectants MIR162 Bacillus thuringiensis
Vip3Aa20 protein and the genetic material (plasmid vector pNOV1300)
necessary for its production in corn, Bt11 Bacillus thuringiensis
Cry1Ab protein and the genetic material (plasmid vector pZO1502)
necessary for its production in corn, and MIR604 Bacillus thuringiensis
mCry3A protein and the genetic material (plasmid vector pZM26)
necessary for its production in corn. The Agency has determined that
the application may be of regional and national significance.
Therefore, in accordance with 40 CFR 172.11(a), the Agency is
soliciting comments on this application.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 31, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-515, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public
Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P),
Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South
Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only
accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays). Special
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. The
Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2007-515. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the docket without change and may be made available on-line at
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-
mail. The regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' system,
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through regulations.gov,
your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part
of the comment that is placed in the docket and made available on the
Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you
include your name and other contact information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index
available in regulations.gov. To access the electronic docket, go to
http://www.regulations.gov, select ``Advanced Search,'' then ``Docket
Search.'' Insert the docket ID number where indicated and select the
``Submit'' button. Follow the instructions on the regulations.gov
website to view the docket index or access available documents.
Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly
available, e.g., CBI or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted
material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available
only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are
available either in the electronic docket at http://www.regulations.gov
, or, if only available in hard copy, at the OPP
Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.),
2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The hours of operation of this
Docket Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The Docket Facility telephone number is (703)
305-5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan Reynolds, Biopesticides and
Pollution Prevention Division (7511P), Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number:
[[Page 42079]]
(703) 605-0515; e-mail address: reynolds.alan@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the public in general. This action may,
however, be of interest to those interested in agricultural
biotechnology and those persons who are or may be required to conduct
testing of chemical substances under the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) or the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). 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. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through
regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of the
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or
CD-ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM as
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket.
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
2. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments,
remember to:
i. Identify the document by docket number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
ii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and
substitute language for your requested changes.
iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information
and/or data that you used.
v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be
reproduced.
vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and
suggest alternatives.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of
profanity or personal threats.
viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period
deadline identified.
II. Background
In the Federal Register of June 20, 2007 (72 FR 34009) (FRL-8133-
5), EPA announced the issuance of EUP 67979-EUP-6 to Syngenta Seeds,
Inc., 3054 Cornwallis Road, P.O. Box 12257, Research Triangle Park, NC
27709. Syngenta has requested to further extend this EUP to October 31,
2009 and to amend it by allowing an additional 4,844 acres to be
planted in 2008 and 4,856 acres to be planted in 2009. For 2008, the
proposed acreage includes 659 acres of MIR162, 465 acres of Bt11, 465
acres of MIR604, 575 acres of Bt11 x MIR162, 575 acres of Bt11 x
MIR604, 132 acres of MIR162 x MIR604, 575 acres of Bt11 x MIR162 x
MIR604, and 1,398 acres of non plant-incorporated protectant border
areas (4,844 total acres). For 2009, the proposed acreage includes 660
acres of MIR162, 466 acres of Bt11, 466 acres of MIR604, 576 acres of
Bt11 x MIR162, 576 acres of Bt11 x MIR604, 135 acres of MIR162 x
MIR604, 576 acres of Bt11 x MIR162 x MIR604, and 1,401 acres of non
plant-incorporated protectant border areas (4,856 total acres). MIR162
contains the lepidopteran protecting Bacillus thuringiensis Vip3Aa20
protein and the genetic material (plasmid vector pNOV1300) necessary
for its production. Bt11 contains the lepidopteran protecting Bacillus
thuringiensis Cry1Ab protein and the genetic material (plasmid vector
pZO1502) necessary for its production. MIR604 contains the coleopteran
protecting Bacillus thuringiensis mCry3A protein and the genetic
material (plasmid vector pZM26) necessary for its production.
Proposed shipment/use dates are November 1, 2007 through October
31, 2009. Five trial protocols have been proposed, including the
following:
Breeding and observation.
Efficacy evaluation.
Agronomic observation.
Inbred and hybrid seed production.
Regulatory studies.
States involved include: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware,
Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi,
Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia,
Washington, and Wisconsin.
III. What Action is the Agency Taking?
Following the review of the Syngenta Seeds, Inc. application and
any comments and data received in response to this notice, EPA will
decide whether to issue or deny the EUP request for this EUP program,
and if issued, the conditions under which it is to be conducted. Any
issuance of an EUP will be announced in the Federal Register.
IV. What is the Agency's Authority for Taking this Action?
The Agency's authority for taking this action is under FIFRA
section 5.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Experimental use permits.
Dated: July 18, 2007.
Janet L. Andersen,
Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, Office of
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E7-14683 Filed 7-31-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S