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

45387

Vol. 62, No. 166

Wednesday, August 27, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Research Service

Notice of Intent to Grant Exclusive

License

AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and intent

to grant exclusive license.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a

Federally owned cultivar, Plant Variety

Protection Certificate Application Serial

Number 96–00–341, entitled ‘‘Bannock

Thickspike Wheatgrass,’’ is available for

licensing and that the U.S. Department

of Agriculture, Natural Resources

Conservation Service, intends to grant

an exclusive license for this variety to

the Idaho Agricultural Experiment

Station.

DATES: Comments must be received

within 90 calendar days from the date

of publication of this Notice in the

Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to: USDA,

ARS, MWA, Office of the Director,

National Center for Agricultural

Utilization Research, 1815 N. University

Street, Peoria, Illinois 61604.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew Watkins, Technology

Development Manager at the Peoria

address given above; telephone: 309–

681–6545.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Federal Government’s plant variety

protection rights to this variety are

assigned to the United States of

America, as represented by the

Secretary of Agriculture. It is in the

public interest to so license this

invention, for the Idaho Agricultural

Experiment Station has submitted a

complete and sufficient application for

a license. The prospective exclusive

license will be royalty-bearing and will

comply with the terms and conditions

of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7. The

prospective exclusive license may be

granted unless, within ninety days from

the date of this published Notice, ARS

receives written evidence and argument

which establish that the grant of the

license would not be consistent with the

requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37

CFR 404.7.

R.M. Parry,

Assistant Administrator.

[FR Doc. 97–22758 Filed 8–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 97–067–1]

Bejo Zaden BV; Receipt of Petition for

Determination of Nonregulated Status

for Genetically Engineered Radicchio

Rosso

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 received a

petition from Bejo Zaden BV seeking a

determination of nonregulated status for

Radicchio rosso lines designated as

RM3–3, RM3–4, and RM3–6, which

have been genetically engineered for

male sterility and tolerance to the

herbicide glufosinate as a marker. The

petition has been submitted in

accordance with our regulations

concerning the introduction of certain

genetically engineered organisms and

products. In accordance with those

regulations, we are soliciting public

comments on whether these Radicchio

rosso lines present a plant pest risk.

DATES: Written comments must be

received on or before October 27, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and

three copies of your comments to

Docket No. 97–067–1, Regulatory

Analysis and Development, PPD,

APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road

Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.

Please state that your comments refer to

Docket No. 97–067–1. A copy of the

petition and any comments received

may be inspected 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. Persons wishing access

to that room to inspect the petition or

comments are asked to call in advance

of visiting at (202) 690–2817 to facilitate

entry into the reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Subhash Gupta, Biotechnology

Evaluation, BSS, PPQ, APHIS, Suite

5B05, 4700 River Road Unit 147,

Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 734–

8761. To obtain a copy of the petition,

contact Ms. Kay Peterson at (301) 734–

4885; e-mail:

mkpeterson@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

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.

Paragraphs (b) and (c) of § 340.6

describe the form that a petition for

determination of nonregulated status

must take and the information that must

be included in the petition.

On May 28, 1997, APHIS received a

petition (APHIS Petition No. 97–148–

01p) from Bejo Zaden BV (Bejo) of

Warmenhuizen, The Netherlands,

requesting a determination of

nonregulated status under 7 CFR part

340 for male sterile, glufosinate-tolerant

Radicchio rosso (red-hearted chicory)

lines designated as RM3–3, RM3–4, and

RM3–6. The Bejo petition states that the

subject Radicchio rosso lines should not

be regulated by APHIS because they do

not present a plant pest risk.

As described in the petition,

Radicchio rosso (Cichorium intybus L.)

lines RM3–3, RM3–4, and RM3–6, have

been genetically engineered with a

barnase gene from Bacillus

amyloliquefaciens encoding a

ribonuclease which inhibits pollen