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.

Notices Federal Register

56555 

Vol. 79, No. 183 

Monday, September 22, 2014 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Document No. AMS–FV–14–0025, FV–14– 

327] 

United States Standard of Identity for 

Honey; Extension of Comment Period 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice; extension of comment 

period. 

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing 

Service (AMS) of the Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) is extending the 

comment period for the solicitation of 

comments on how a Federal standard of 

identity for honey would be in the 

interest of consumers, the honey 

industry, and U.S. agriculture. 

DATES: AMS is extending the comment 

period on the notice published August 

20, 2014 (79 FR 49279). Comments must 

be received by October 19, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments via 

the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov or to Brian E. 

Griffin, Standardization Branch, 

Specialty Crops Inspection Division, 

Fruit and Vegetable Program, 

Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., Room 

0709–South Building; STOP 0247, 

Washington, DC 20250; telephone (202) 

720–5021; fax (202) 690–1527, email 

brian.griffin@ams.usda.gov. Comments 

should make reference to the date and 

page number of this issue of the Federal 

Register and will be made available for 

public inspection at the above office 

during regular business hours. 

Please be advised that all comments 

submitted in response to this notice will 

be included in the record and will be 

made available to the public on the 

Internet via http://www.regulations.gov. 

Also, the identity of the individuals or 

entities submitting the comments will 

be made public. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brian E. Griffin, Standardization 

Branch, Specialty Crops Inspection 

Division, Agricultural Marketing 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

telephone (202) 720–5021or fax (202) 

690–1527. 

Background 

In the Federal Register of August 20, 

2014 (79 FR 49279), AMS published a 

notice requesting comment on how a 

Federal standard of identity for honey 

would be in the interest of consumers, 

the honey industry, and U.S. agriculture 

with a 30-day comment period. 

Comments received from this notice 

will be utilized in the preparation of a 

report from the Secretary of Agriculture 

to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs 

describing how a Federal standard of 

identity for honey would be in the 

interest of consumers, the honey 

industry, and U.S. agriculture. 

AMS has received correspondence 

from an interested person requesting a 

30-day extension of the comment period 

for the notice. Concern was expressed 

that the initial 30-day comment period 

does not allow sufficient time for 

meaningful public participation. AMS 

believes that a 30-day extension will 

allow adequate time for interested 

persons to submit comments without 

causing a significant delay. 

Authority: Section 10012 of the 

Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113–79). 

Dated: September 16, 2014. 

Rex A. Barnes, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–22406 Filed 9–19–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2013–0042] 

Dow AgroSciences LLC; Determination 

of Nonregulated Status of Herbicide 

Resistant Corn and Soybeans 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public of 

our determination that three varieties of 

herbicide resistant corn and soybeans 

produced by Dow AgroSciences LLC are 

no longer considered regulated articles 

under our regulations governing the 

introduction of certain genetically 

engineered organisms. Our 

determination is based on our 

evaluation of data submitted by the Dow 

AgroSciences LLC in its three petitions 

for a determination of nonregulated 

status, our analysis of publically 

available scientific data, and comments 

received from the public on the petition 

for nonregulated status and its 

associated environmental impact 

statement and plant pest risk 

assessments. This notice also announces 

the availability of our written 

determination and record of decision. 

DATES: Effective Date: September 22, 

2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may read the 

documents referenced in this notice and 

any comments we received in our 

reading room. The reading room 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. Those documents are also 

available on the Internet at http:// 

www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/ 

petitions_table_pending.shtml under 

APHIS Petition Numbers 09–233–01p, 

09–349–01p, and 11–234–01p and are 

posted with the comments we received 

on the Regulations.gov Web site at 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0042. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

John Turner, Director, Environmental 

Risk Analysis Programs, Biotechnology 

Regulatory Services, APHIS, 4700 River 

Road Unit 147, Riverdale, MD 20737– 

1236; (301) 851–3954, email: 

john.t.turner@aphis.usda.gov. To obtain 

copies of the documents referenced in 

this notice, contact Ms. Cindy Eck at 

(301) 851–3892, email: cynthia.a.eck@

aphis.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

regulations in 7 CFR part 340, 

‘‘Introduction of Organisms and 

Products Altered or Produced Through 

Genetic Engineering Which Are Plant 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
56556 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 183 / Monday, September 22, 2014 / Notices 

1 Docket No. APHIS–2010–0103 published on 

December 27, 2011, 76 FR 80872–80873; Docket No. 

APHIS–2012–0019 published on July 13, 2012, 77 

FR 41367–41368; and Docket No. APHIS–2012– 

0032 published on July 13, 2012, 77 FR 41361– 

41362. The Federal Register notices for the 

petitions and supporting and related materials, 

including public comments, are available at 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;

D=APHIS-2010-0103; http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0019; and http:// 

www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS2012-0032. 

2To view the notice the comments we received, 

go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;

D=APHIS-2013-0042. 

3To view the draft EIS, final EIS, supporting 

documents, and the comments we received, go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;

D=APHIS-2013-0042. 

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 (GE) organisms 

and products are considered ‘‘regulated 

articles.’’ 

The regulations in § 340.6(a) provide 

that any person may submit a petition 

to APHIS seeking a determination that 

an article should not be regulated under 

7 CFR part 340. Paragraphs (b) and (c) 

of § 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 received three petitions 

(referred to below as ‘‘the petitions’’) 

from Dow AgroSciences LLC seeking 

determinations of nonregulated status 

for corn and soybean cultivars 

genetically engineered to be resistant to 

herbicides. The first petition, APHIS 

Petition Number 09–233–01p, seeks a 

determination of nonregulated status for 

corn (Zea mays) designated as event 

DAS–40278–9, which has been 

genetically engineered for increased 

resistance to certain broadleaf 

herbicides in the phenoxy auxin group 

(particularly the herbicide 2,4–D) and 

resistance to grass herbicides in the 

aryloxyphenoxypropionate (AOPP) 

acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase 

(ACCase) inhibitor group (i.e., ‘‘fop’’ 

herbicides, such as quizalofop-p-ethyl). 

The second petition, APHIS Petition 

Number 09–349–01p, seeks a 

determination of nonregulated status for 

soybean (Glycine max) designated as 

event DAS–68416–4, which has been 

genetically engineered for resistance to 

certain broadleaf herbicides in the 

phenoxy auxin growth regulator group 

(particularly the herbicide 2,4–D) and 

the nonselective herbicide glufosinate. 

The third petition, APHIS Petition 

Number 11–234–01p, seeks a 

determination of nonregulated status for 

soybean designated as event DAS– 

44406–6, which has been genetically 

engineered for resistance to certain 

broadleaf herbicides in the auxin growth 

regulator group (particularly the 

herbicide 2,4–D) and the nonselective 

herbicides glyphosate and glufosinate. 

The petitions state that these articles are 

unlikely to pose a plant pest risk and, 

therefore, should not be regulated 

articles under APHIS’ regulations in 7 

CFR part 340. 

Notices were published 1 in the 

Federal Register for each petition 

advising the public that APHIS had 

received the petition and was seeking 

public comments on the petition. The 

notices for the first two petitions (DAS– 

40278–9 corn and DAS–68416–4 

soybean) additionally sought comment 

on our plant pest risk assessment 

(PPRA) and our draft environmental 

assessment (EA) for each petition. 

Following review of public 

comments, we published another 

notice 2 in the Federal Register on May 

16, 2013 (78 FR 28798–28800, Docket 

No. APHIS–2013–0042), advising the 

public of our intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

for the potential determination of 

nonregulated status requested by the 

petitions. APHIS decided to prepare an 

EIS in order to perform a comprehensive 

environmental analysis of the potential 

environmental impacts that may occur 

as a result of granting a determination 

of nonregulated status for these three 

events. 

National Environmental Policy Act and 

Record of Decision 

To provide the public with 

documentation of APHIS’ review and 

analysis of the potential environmental 

impacts associated with a determination 

of nonregulated status of DAS–40278–9 

corn, DAS–68416–4 soybean, and DAS– 

44406–6 soybean, an EIS has been 

prepared in accordance with: (1) The 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 

4321 et seq.); (2) regulations of the 

Council on Environmental Quality for 

implementing the procedural provisions 

of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508); (3) 

USDA regulations implementing NEPA 

(7 CFR part 1b); and (4) APHIS’ NEPA 

Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 

372). 

A notice of availability regarding the 

draft EIS prepared by APHIS was 

published by the Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) in the Federal 

Register on January 10, 2014 (79 FR 

1861–1862, Docket No. ER–FRL–9012– 

9). Along with the draft EIS,3 APHIS 

also made available the PPRA for the 

third petition, DAS–44406–6 soybean, 

along with the PPRAs for the first two 

petitions (DAS–40278–9 corn and DAS– 

68416–4 soybean). APHIS reviewed and 

evaluated all of the public comments 

received on the draft EIS and prepared 

formal responses to them as part of the 

final EIS. 

A notice of availability regarding the 

final EIS prepared by APHIS was 

published by EPA in the Federal 

Register on August 8, 2014 (79 FR 

46439, Docket No. ER–FRL–9016–3). 

The NEPA implementing regulations in 

40 CFR 1506.10 require a minimum 30- 

day review period between the time the 

notice of availability of a final EIS is 

published and the time an agency makes 

a decision on an action covered by the 

EIS. APHIS has reviewed and evaluated 

the comments received during the 30- 

day review period and has concluded 

that it has fully and appropriately 

analyzed the relevant environmental 

issues covered by the final EIS and 

those comments. Based on our final EIS, 

the response to public comments, and 

other pertinent scientific data, APHIS 

has prepared a record of decision for the 

final EIS. 

Determination of Nonregulated Status 

Based on APHIS’ analysis of field and 

laboratory data submitted by Dow 

AgroSciences LLC, references provided 

in the petitions, peer-reviewed 

publications, information analyzed in 

the EIS, the PPRAs, comments provided 

by the public, and APHIS’ evaluation of 

and response to those comments, APHIS 

has determined that DAS–40278–9 corn, 

DAS–68416–4 soybean, and DAS– 

44406–6 soybean are unlikely to pose a 

plant pest risk. Accordingly, the 

petitions requesting a determination of 

nonregulated status are approved and 

DAS–40278–9 corn, DAS–68416–4 

soybean, and DAS–44406–6 soybean are 

no longer subject to our regulations 

governing the introduction of certain 

genetically engineered organisms and to 

the plant pest provisions of the Plant 

Protection Act. 

Copies of the three signed 

determination documents for 

nonregulated status and the signed 

record of decision for the EIS, as well as 

copies the final EIS and the three PPRAs 

are available as indicated in the 

ADDRESSES and FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT sections of this 

notice. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 183 / Monday, September 22, 2014 / Notices 56557 

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 15th day of 

September 2014. 

Kevin Shea, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–22409 Filed 9–19–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

National Advisory Committee for 

Implementation of the National Forest 

System Land Management Planning 

Rule 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meetings. 

SUMMARY: The National Advisory 

Committee for Implementation of the 

National Forest System Land 

Management Planning Rule Committee 

(Committee) will meet in Arlington, VA. 

Attendees may also participate via 

webinar and conference call. The 

Committee operates in compliance with 

the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA) (Pub. L. 92–463). Additional 

information relating to the Committee 

can be found by visiting the 

Committee’s Web site at: http://

www.fs.usda.gov/main/planningrule/

committee. 

DATES: The meetings will be held, inperson and via webinar/conference call 

on the following dates and times: 

• Tuesday, September 30, 2014 from 

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST 

• Wednesday, October 1, 2014 from 

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST 

• Thursday, October 2, 2014 from 9:00 

a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST 

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be 

located at the Sheraton Pentagon City, 

900 S Orme St., Arlington, VA. For 

anyone who would like to attend via 

webinar and/or conference call, please 

visit the Web site listed above or contact 

the person listed in the section titled 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Written comments must be sent to 

USDA Forest Service, Ecosystem 

Management Coordination, 201 14th 

Street SW., Mail Stop 1104, 

Washington, DC 20250–1104. 

Comments may also be sent via email to 

Jennifer Helwig at jahelwig@fs.fed.us. 

All comments are placed in the record 

and are available for public inspection 

and copying, including names and 

addresses when provided. The public 

may inspect comments received at the 

USDA Forest Service Washington 

Office—Yates Building. Please call 

ahead to facilitate entry into the 

building. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jennifer Helwig, Committee Coordinator 

by phone at 202–205–0892 or email at 

jahelwig@fs.fed.us. Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., 

Eastern Standard Time, Monday 

through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of this meeting is to provide 

ongoing advice and recommendations 

on implementation of the planning rule. 

This meeting is open to the public. 

The following business will be 

conducted: 

1. Discussion of Committee scope of 

work for the next two years 

2. Discussion of Committee work groups 

3. Administrative tasks 

The agenda and a summary of the 

meeting will be posted on the 

Committee’s Web site within 21 days of 

the meeting. 

Meeting Accommodations: If you are 

a person requiring reasonable 

accommodation, please make requests 

in advance for sign language 

interpreting, assistive listening devices 

or other reasonable accommodation for 

access to the facility or proceedings by 

contacting the person listed in the 

section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. All reasonable 

accommodation requests are managed 

on a case by case basis. 

Dated: September 11, 2014. 

Brian Ferebee, 

Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National 

Forest System. 

[FR Doc. 2014–22503 Filed 9–19–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.: 

Antelope Valley Station—Neset 345-kV 

Transmission Line Project: Notice of 

Availability of the Record of Decision 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the 

Record of Decision. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS), an agency within the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), has 

issued a Record of Decision (ROD) to 

meet its responsibilities under the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), RUS’s Environmental Policies 

and Procedures, 7 CFR part 1794, and 

other applicable environmental 

requirements related to providing 

financial assistance for Basin Electric 

Power Cooperative’s (Basin Electric) 

proposed Antelope Valley Station (AVS) 

to Neset 345-kV Transmission Project 

(Project) in North Dakota. The 

Administrator of RUS has signed the 

ROD, which was effective upon signing. 

This ROD concludes RUS’s 

environmental review process in 

accordance with NEPA and RUS’s 

Environmental Policies and Procedures 

(7 CFR part 1794). The ultimate decision 

as to loan approval depends on the 

conclusion of the environmental review 

process plus financial and engineering 

analyses. Issuance of the ROD will allow 

these reviews to proceed. This ROD is 

not a decision on Basin’s loan 

application and is not an approval of the 

expenditure of federal funds. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are 

available upon request from Mr. Dennis 

Rankin, Engineering and Environmental 

Staff, Rural Utilities Service, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., Stop 1571, 

Washington, DC 20250–1571, Tel: (202) 

720–1953 or email: 

mailto:dennis.rankin@wdc.usda.gov. 

The ROD is also available at RUS’s Web 

site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/

UWP-AVS-Neset.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Dennis Rankin, Engineering and 

Environmental Staff, Rural Utilities 

Service, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW., Stop 1571, Washington, DC 20250– 

1571, Tel: (202) 720–1953, or email: 

dennis.rankin@wdc.usda.gov. The ROD 

is also available at RUS’s Web site at 

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP-AVSNeset.html. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Basin 

Electric is a regional wholesale electric 

generation and transmission cooperative 

owned and controlled by its member 

cooperatives. Basin Electric serves 

approximately 2.5 million customers 

covering 430,000 square miles in 

portions of nine states, including 

Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, 

Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, 

South Dakota, and Wyoming. 

Basin Electric has identified the need 

for additional electric transmission 

capacity in northwestern North Dakota 

to meet reliability and system stability 

requirements for the region resulting 

from increases in demand and load 

forecasts. Investigations and analyses 

conducted for the overall power 

delivery systems found that without 

improvements, the flow of power along 

existing lines may result in local line 

overloads, especially in the vicinity of 

Williston, North Dakota. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES