Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 94 / Wednesday, May 16, 2007 / Notices 27539 

deems necessary to protect surface 

resources. If FS did not collect this 

information, a self-policing situation 

would exist. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit. 

Number of Respondents: 8,400. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 21,000. 

Charlene Parker, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. E7–9387 Filed 5–15–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

May 11, 2007. 

The Department of Agriculture has 

submitted the following information 

collection requirement(s) to OMB for 

review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Comments 

regarding (a) whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate 

of burden including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology should be addressed to: Desk 

Officer for Agriculture, Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB), 

OIRA_Submission@OMB.EOP.GOV or 

fax (202) 395–5806 and to Departmental 

Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail 

Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250–

7602. Comments regarding these 

information collections are best assured 

of having their full effect if received 

within 30 days of this notification. 

Copies of the submission(s) may be 

obtained by calling (202) 720–8681. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor a collection of information 

unless the collection of information 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number and the agency informs 

potential persons who are to respond to 

the collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

Title: Onions Grown in Certain 

Designated Counties in Idaho, and 

Malheur County, Oregon. 

OMB Control Number: 0581–0241. 

Summary of Collection: Marketing 

Order No. 958 regulates the handling of 

onions grown in certain designated 

counties in Idaho, and Malheur County, 

Oregon. The Agricultural Marketing 

Agreement Act of 1937, Secs. 1–19, 48 

Stat. 31, as amended, (7U.S.C. 601–674) 

authorizes the promulgation of 

marketing orders for certain agricultural 

commodities and the issuance of 

regulations thereof for the purpose of 

providing orderly marketing conditions 

in interstate and intrastate commerce 

and for improving returns to producers. 

Need and Use of the Information: The 

Idaho-Eastern Onion Committee will 

use forms to collect information about 

the issuance of grade, size, quality, 

maturity, pack, container markings, 

shipping holidays, inspection and 

reporting requirements from individuals 

and firms who are involved in the 

production, handling and processing of 

onions grown in the production area. 

This information is necessary to 

effectively carry out the requirements of 

the Order, and fulfill the intent of the 

Act as expressed in the Order. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit. 

Number of Respondents: 55. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 359. 

Charlene Parker, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. E7–9457 Filed 5–15–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2007–0006] 

Availability of an Environmental 

Assessment and Finding of No 

Significant Impact for a Proposed Field 

Release of Rice Genetically 

Engineered To Express Lactoferrin, 

Lysozyme, or Serum Albumin 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service has prepared an 

environmental assessment for confined 

field release of rice plants genetically 

engineered to express the human 

proteins lactoferrin, lysozyme, or serum 

albumin. After assessment of the 

application, review of pertinent 

scientific information, and 

consideration of comments provided by 

the public, we have concluded that 

these field releases will not present a 

risk of introducing or disseminating a 

plant pest. We have completed the 

environmental assessment and 

concluded that this field release will not 

have a significant impact on the quality 

of the human environment. Based on its 

finding of no significant impact, the 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service has determined that an 

environmental impact statement need 

not be prepared for these field releases. 

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 16, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may read the 

environmental assessment (EA), the 

finding of no significant impact 

(FONSI), and any comments we 

received on this docket 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) 690–2817 

before coming. The EA, FONSI and 

decision notice, and responses to 

comments are available on the Internet 

at the following links: 

• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/ 

aphisdocs/06_27801r_ea.pdf 

• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/ 

aphisdocs/06_27802r_ea.pdf 

• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/ 

aphisdocs/06_28502r_ea.pdf 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

John Cordts, Biotechnology Regulatory 

Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 

147, Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 

734–5531. To obtain copies of the EA, 

FONSI and decision notice, and 

response to comments, contact Ms. 

Cynthia Eck at (301) 734–0667; e-mail: 

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 

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 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
27540 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 94 / Wednesday, May 16, 2007 / Notices 

1To view the notice, EA, and the comments we 

received, go to http://www.regulations.gov, click on 

the ‘‘Advanced Search’’ tab, and select ‘‘Docket 

Search.’’ In the Docket ID field, enter APHIS–2007–

0006, then click on ‘‘Submit.’’ Clicking on the 

Docket ID link in the search results page will 

produce a list of all documents in the docket. 

reason to believe are plant pests. Such 

genetically engineered organisms and 

products are considered ‘‘regulated 

articles.’’ A permit must be obtained or 

a notification acknowledged before a 

regulated article may be introduced. The 

regulations set forth the permit 

application requirements and the 

notification procedures for the 

importation, interstate movement, or 

release in the environment of a 

regulated article. 

On October 5, 2006, the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

received two permit applications (06–

278–01r and 06–278–02r) followed by a 

third permit application (06–285–02r) 

received on October 12, 2006, from 

Ventria Bioscience, Sacramento, CA, for 

confined field release of rice (Oryza 

sativa) plants genetically engineered to 

express genes coding for the proteins 

lactoferrin, lysozyme, or serum albumin, 

respectively. The proposed field 

releases are to be conducted in Geary 

County, KS. The subject plants have 

been genetically engineered, using 

techniques of micro-projectile 

bombardment or disarmed 

Agrobacterium-mediated 

transformation, to express proteins for 

recombinant human lactoferrin, 

lysozyme, or serum albumin. Expression 

of the genes is controlled by the rice 

glutelin 1 promoter (GT1), the rice 

glutelin 1 signal peptide (gt1), and the 

nopaline synthase (NOS) terminator 

sequence from Agrobacterium 

tumefaciens. The genes are expressed 

only in the seed. In addition, the plants 

may contain either or both of the coding 

sequences for the genes hygromycin 

phosphotransferase (hpt) or 

phosphinothricin acetyltransferase 

(pat), which are marker genes that allow 

for the selection of transgenic tissues in 

the laboratory using the antibiotic 

hygromycin and/or the herbicide 

bialaphos. Neither selectable marker 

gene is expressed in mature rice tissues, 

nor do they have any inherent plant pest 

characteristics or enhance gene transfer 

from plants to other organisms. The 

genetically engineered rice plants are 

considered regulated articles under the 

regulations in 7 CFR part 340 because 

they contain gene sequences from plant 

pathogens. 

The purpose of these field releases is 

for pure seed production and for the 

extraction of lactoferrin, lysozyme, and 

serum albumin for a variety of research 

and commercial products. There is 

currently no commercial rice 

production in Geary County or in any 

other location in the State of Kansas. 

The planting will be conducted using 

physical confinement measures. In 

addition, the protocols and field plot 

design, as well as the procedures for 

termination of the field plantings, are 

designed to ensure that none of the 

subject rice plants persist in the 

environment after the crop is harvested. 

On February 28, 2007, APHIS 

published a notice 1 in the Federal 

Register (72 FR 8959–8960, Docket No. 

APHIS–2007–0006) announcing the 

availability of an environmental 

assessment (EA) for the proposed field 

release of rice genetically engineered to 

express lactoferrin, lysozyme, or serum 

albumin. During the designated 30-day 

comment period, which ended March 

30, 2007, APHIS received 20,034 

comments. Of the 20,034 comments 

received, 20,005 were opposed to 

APHIS’ approval of these permits. 

Respondents opposing APHIS’ approval 

of these permits were four public 

interest groups, academic professionals, 

organic food producers, rice growers, 

millers (or from related industries), and 

individuals. One public interest group 

submitted 13,289 nearly identical 

comments, and 5,621 nearly identical 

comments were submitted by another 

public interest group. There were 29 

comments supporting APHIS’ approval 

of these permits. Respondents 

supporting the approval of these permits 

were from academia, a farm bureau, a 

corn and grain sorghum growers 

association, a corporation, a State 

government agency, and individuals. 

APHIS has addressed the issues raised 

during the comment period and has 

provided responses to these comments 

as an attachment to the finding of no 

significant impact (FONSI). 

Pursuant to the regulations in 7 CFR 

part 340 promulgated under the Plant 

Protection Act, APHIS has determined 

that these field releases will not pose a 

risk of introducing or disseminating a 

plant pest. Additionally, based upon 

analysis described in the EA, APHIS has 

determined that the action proposed in 

Alternative 3 of the EA, issue the permit 

with supplemental permit conditions, 

will not have a significant impact on the 

quality of the human environment. You 

may read the FONSI and decision notice 

on the Internet or in the APHIS reading 

room (see ADDRESSES above). Copies 

may also be obtained from the person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

The EA and FONSI were 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). 

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 9th day of 

May, 2007. 

W. Ron DeHaven, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–9432 Filed 5–15–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Beaver Creek Allotment Management 

Plan on the Medicine Wheel/Paintrock 

Ranger Districts, Bighorn National 

Forest, Big Horn County, WY 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, 

will prepare an environmental impact 

statement (EIS) to update range 

management planning on fourteen (14) 

cattle/horse and sheep/goat grazing 

allotments in the Beaver Creek area, 

which will result in development of 

new allotment management plans 

(AMPs). The agency gives notice of the 

full environmental analysis and 

decision-making process that will occur 

on the proposal so that interested and 

affected people may become aware of 

how they may participate in the process 

and contribute to the final decision. 

DATES: Comments and input regarding 

the proposal were requested from the 

public, other groups and agencies, via a 

legal notice published in the Casper 

Star-Tribune on March 4, 2007. 

Additional comments may be made at 

the addresses below, and would be most 

helpful if submitted within thirty days 

of the publication of this notice. Based 

on the comments received and 

preliminary analysis, the Responsible 

Official has determined that an 

environmental impact statement will be 

prepared for this project. The draft 

environmental impact statement is 

expected in December, 2007 and the 

final environmental impact statement is 

expected April, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and 

suggestions concerning this proposal to 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES