38494 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 120 / Wednesday, June 21, 2000 / Notices

www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/

webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

information regarding the Cooperative

Agricultural Pest Survey, contact Ms.

Coanne O’Hern, Operations Officer,

Program Support Staff, PPQ, APHIS,

4700 River Road Unit 134, Riverdale,

MD 20737–1236; (301) 734–8717. For

copies of more detailed information on

the information collection, contact Ms.

Cheryl Groves, APHIS’ Information

Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734–

5086.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Cooperative Agricultural Pest

Survey.

OMB Number: 0579–0010.

Expiration Date of Approval: August

31, 2000.

Type of Request: Extension of

approval of an information collection.

Abstract: The United States

Department of Agriculture (USDA) is

responsible for preventing foreign plant

pests from entering the United States,

preventing the spread of pests not

widely distributed within the United

States, and eradicating those pests when

eradication is feasible. The Plant

Quarantine Act and the Federal Plant

Pest Act authorize the Department to

carry out this mission.

The Plant Protection and Quarantine

(PPQ) division of USDA’s Animal and

Plant Health Inspection Service is

responsible for implementing the

regulations that carry out the intent of

these Acts.

To this end, PPQ has joined forces

with the States to create a program

called the Cooperative Agricultural Pest

Survey.

This program allows the States and

PPQ to conduct surveys to detect and

measure the presence of foreign plant

pests of concern and to enter survey

data into a national computer-based

system called the National Agricultural

Plant Information System. This, in turn,

allows us to obtain a more

comprehensive picture of plant pest

conditions in the United States.

The information generated by this

program is used by the States to predict

potential plant pest situations. It is used

by Federal interests to promptly detect

and respond to the occurrence of new

pests and to record the location of those

pest incursions that could directly

hinder the export of U.S. farm

commodities.

Plant pests such as insects or certain

bacteria have the potential to cause

billions of dollars in damage to U.S.

agriculture if they become established

within the United States.

Our Cooperative Agricultural Pest

Survey entails the use of several

information collection activities,

including a Cooperative Agreement,

Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey

procedures, and a Specimens for

Determination Form (PPQ Form 391).

We are asking the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) to

approve, for an additional 3 years, our

use of this information collection

activity in connection with our survey

work.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit

comments from the public (as well as

affected agencies) concerning this

information collection activity. These

comments will help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the information

collection is necessary for the proper

performance of our Agency’s functions,

including whether the information will

have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our

estimate of the burden of the

information collection, including the

validity of the methodology and

assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, through use, as

appropriate, of automated, electronic,

mechanical, and other collection

technologies, e.g., permitting electronic

submission of responses.

Estimate of burden: The public

reporting burden for this collection of

information is estimated to average

.04122 hours per response.

Respondents: State cooperators

participating in our Cooperative

Agricultural Pest Survey.

Estimated annual number of

respondents: 50.

Estimated annual number of

responses per respondent: 701.

Estimated annual number of

responses: 35,050.

Estimated total annual burden on

respondents: 1,445 hours. (Due to

rounding, the total annual burden hours

may not equal the product of the annual

number of responses multiplied by the

average reporting burden per response.)

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Done in Washington, DC, this 15th day of

June 2000.

Craig A. Reed,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 00–15623 Filed 6–20–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 00–026–1]

Monsanto Co.; Availability of

Environmental Assessment for

Extension of Determination of

Nonregulated Status for Corn

Genetically Engineered for Glyphosate

Herbicide Tolerance

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public

that an environmental assessment has

been prepared for a proposed decision

to extend to one additional corn line our

determination that a corn line

developed by Monsanto Company,

which has been genetically engineered

for tolerance to the herbicide

glyphosate, is no longer considered a

regulated article under our regulations

governing the introduction of certain

genetically engineered organisms. We

are making this environmental

assessment available to the public for

review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments

that we receive by July 21, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Please send your comment

and three copies to: Docket No. 00–026–

1, Regulatory Analysis and

Development,

PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River

Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–

1238. Please state that your comment

refers to Docket No. 00–026–1.

You may read the extension request

and the environmental assessment at

USDA, room 1141, South Building, 14th

Street and Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,

except holidays. To be sure someone is

there to help you, please call (202) 690–

2817 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

John Turner, Biotechnology

Assessments Section, Permits and Risk

Assessments, PPQ, APHIS, Suite 5B05,

4700 River Road Unit 147, Riverdale,

MD 20737–1236; (301) 734–8365. To

obtain a copy of the extension request

or the environmental assessment,

contact Ms. Kay Peterson at (301) 734–

4885; e-mail: kay.peterson@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

Pests or Which There is Reason to

Believe Are Plant Pests,’’ regulate,

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 120 / Wednesday, June 21, 2000 / Notices 38495

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 § 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.

Further, the regulations in § 340.6(e)(2)

provide that a person may request that

APHIS extend a determination of

nonregulated status to other organisms.

Such a request must include

information to establish the similarity of

the antecedent organism and the

regulated article in question.

Background

On January 11, 2000, APHIS received

a request for an extension of a

determination of nonregulated status

(APHIS No. 00–11–01p) from Monsanto

Company (Monsanto) of St. Louis, MO,

for a corn line designated as Roundup

Ready corn line NK603 (NK603),

which has been genetically engineered

for tolerance to the herbicide

glyphosate. The Monsanto request seeks

an extension of a determination of

nonregulated status issued for Roundup

Ready corn line GA21 (GA21) in

response to APHIS petition number 97–

099–01p (62 FR 64350–64351,

December 5, 1997, Docket No. 97–052–

2). Based on the similarity of NK603 to

GA21, the antecedent organism,

Monsanto requests a determination that

glyphosate-tolerant corn line NK603

does not present a plant pest risk and,

therefore, is not a regulated article

under APHIS’ regulations in 7 CFR part

340.

Analysis

Like the antecedent organism, corn

line NK603 has been genetically

engineered to contain an enzyme, 5-

enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate

synthase (EPSPS), that imparts tolerance

to the herbicide glyphosate. However,

corn was the source of the EPSPS

enzyme in the antecedent organism,

while the EPSPS enzyme in NK603 was

derived from Agrobacterium sp. strain

CP4. The subject corn line and the

antecedent organism were developed

through use of the particle acceleration

method, and expression of the added

genes in NK603 and the antecedent

organism is controlled in part by gene

sequences derived from the plant

pathogen A. tumefaciens.

Corn line NK603 and the antecedent

organism were genetically engineered

using the same transformation method

and contain a functionally equivalent

enzyme that makes the plants tolerant to

the herbicide glyphosate. Accordingly,

we have determined that corn line

NK603 is similar to the antecedent

organism in APHIS petition number 97–

099–01p, and we are proposing that this

line should no longer be regulated

under the regulations in 7 CFR part 340.

The subject corn line has been

considered a regulated article under

APHIS’ regulations in 7 CFR part 340

because it contains gene sequences

derived from plant pathogens. However,

evaluation of field data reports from

field tests of NK603 conducted under

APHIS notifications since 1997

indicates that there were no deleterious

effects on plants, nontarget organisms,

or the environment as a result of its

environmental release.

Should APHIS approve Monsanto’s

request for an extension of a

determination of nonregulated status,

corn line NK603 would no longer be

considered a regulated article under

APHIS’ regulations in 7 CFR part 340.

Therefore, the requirements pertaining

to regulated articles under those

regulations would no longer apply to

the field testing, importation, or

interstate movement of the subject corn

line or its progeny.

National Environmental Policy Act

An environmental assessment (EA)

has been prepared to examine any

potential environmental impacts

associated with this proposed extension

of a determination of nonregulated

status. The EA was 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). Copies of Monsanto’s extension

request and the EA are available upon

request from the individual listed under

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Done in Washington, DC, this 15th day of

June 2000.

Craig A. Reed,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 00–15622 Filed 6–20–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service

Notice of Request for Extension of a

Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with

Paperwork Reduction Act, this notice

announces the Foreign Agricultural

Service’s intention to request an

extension for a currently approved

information collection in support of the

regulations governing the entry of rawcane sugar under the tariff rate quota

(TRQ) into the United States.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by August 21, 2000 to be

assured of consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Mail or deliver comments to James D.

Grueff, Assistant Deputy Administrator,

International Trade Policy and Acting

Division Director, Import Policies and

Programs Division, Foreign Agricultural

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Stop 1021, Washington, DC 20250–

1021. For further information, contact

Mr. Grueff at telephone number (202)

720–4055.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Certificate of Quota Eligibility

OMB NUMBER: 0551–0014.

Expiration date of approval:

November 30, 2000.

Type of Request: Extension and

revision of a currently approved

information collection.

Abstract: The Harmonized Tariff

Schedule of the United States (HTS)

authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture

to establish the quantity of raw-cane

sugar which may be entered at the inquota duty rates of the TRQ. The terms

under which Certificates of Quota

Eligibility will be issued to foreign

countries that have been allocated a

share of the TRQ are set forth in 15 CFR

part 2011, Subpart A, Allocation of

Tariff-rate Quota on Imported Sugars,

Syrups, and Molasses. The authority for

Certificates of Quota Eligibility is

additional U.S. note 5(b)(iv) to chapter

17 of the HTS.

The regulation, promulgated by the

U.S. Trade Representative, provides for

the issuance of Certificates of Quota

Eligibility by the Secretary of

Agriculture, and in general prohibits

sugar subject to the TRQ from being

imported into the United States or

withdrawn from a warehouse for

consumption at the in-quota rates unless