Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 20, 2015 / Notices 2675 

1 Docket No. APHIS–2012–0047 published on 

July 13, 2012, 77 FR 41356–41357; Docket No. 

APHIS–2012–0097 published on February 27, 2013, 

78 FR 13308–13309. 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-2012-0047 and http://

www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS2012-0097. 

environmental and interrelated 

economic issues and impacts that 

APHIS may determine should be 

considered in our evaluation of the 

petition. We are particularly interested 

in receiving comments regarding 

biological, cultural, or ecological issues, 

and we encourage the submission of 

scientific data, studies, or research to 

support your comments. We also 

request that, when possible, 

commenters provide relevant 

information regarding specific localities 

or regions as maize growth, crop 

management, and crop utilization may 

vary considerably by geographic region. 

After the comment period closes, 

APHIS will review all written comments 

received during the comment period 

and any other relevant information. Any 

substantive issues identified by APHIS 

based on our review of the petition and 

our evaluation and analysis of 

comments will be considered in the 

development of our decisionmaking 

documents. 

As part of our decisionmaking process 

regarding a GE organism’s regulatory 

status, APHIS prepares a plant pest risk 

assessment to assess its plant pest risk 

and the appropriate environmental 

documentation—either an 

environmental assessment (EA) or an 

environmental impact statement (EIS)— 

in accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to 

provide the Agency with a review and 

analysis of any potential environmental 

impacts associated with the petition 

request. For petitions for which APHIS 

prepares an EA, APHIS will follow our 

published process for soliciting public 

involvement (see footnote 1) and 

publish a separate notice in the Federal 

Register announcing the availability of 

APHIS’ EA and plant pest risk 

assessment. Should APHIS determine 

that an EIS is necessary, APHIS will 

complete the NEPA EIS process in 

accordance with Council on 

Environmental Quality regulations (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508) and APHIS’ 

NEPA implementing regulations (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 14th day of 

January 2015. 

Kevin Shea, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–00722 Filed 1–16–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2013–0043] 

Monsanto Co.; Determination of 

Nonregulated Status of Herbicide 

Resistant Soybean and Cotton 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public of 

our determination that soybean and 

cotton genetically engineered for 

herbicide resistance by the Monsanto 

Company 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 

Monsanto Company in its two 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: January 20, 2015. 

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 10–188–01p 

(soybean) and 12–185–01p (cotton) and 

are posted with the comments we 

received on the Regulations.gov Web 

site at http://www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0043. 

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 

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 two petitions 

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

from the Monsanto Company seeking 

determinations of nonregulated status 

for soybean and cotton cultivars 

genetically engineered to be resistant to 

herbicides. The first petition, APHIS 

Petition Number 10–188–01p, seeks a 

determination of nonregulated status of 

soybean (Glycine max) designated as 

event MON 87708, which has been 

genetically engineered for tolerance to 

the herbicide dicamba. The second 

petition, APHIS Petition Number 12– 

185–01p, seeks a determination of 

nonregulated status of cotton 

(Gossypium spp.) designated as event 

MON 88701, which has been genetically 

engineered for tolerance to the 

herbicides dicamba 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 also announced that APHIS 

would prepare either an environmental 

assessment or an environmental impact 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
2676 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 20, 2015 / Notices 

2To view the notice the comments we received, 

go to http://www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0043. 

3To view the draft EIS, final EIS, supporting 

documents, and the comments we received, go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0043. 

statement (EIS) in accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

seq., NEPA) to provide the Agency with 

a review and analysis of any potential 

environmental impacts associated with 

the petition request. 

Following review of public 

comments, we published another 

notice 2 in the Federal Register on May 

16, 2013 (78 FR 28796–28797, Docket 

No. APHIS–2013–0043), advising the 

public of our intent to prepare an 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 determinations of 

nonregulated status for these two 

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 MON 87708 

soybean and MON 88701cotton, an EIS 

has been prepared in accordance with: 

(1) 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 August 11, 2014 (79 FR 

46799, Docket No. ER–FRL–9016–4). 

Along with the draft EIS,3 APHIS also 

made available the plant pest risk 

assessments (PPRAs) for the petitions. 

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 December 12, 2014 (79 FR 

73890, Docket No. ER–FRL–9018–4). 

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 the 

Monsanto Company, 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 MON 87708 

soybean and MON 88701 cotton are 

unlikely to pose a plant pest risk. 

Accordingly, the petitions requesting a 

determination of nonregulated status are 

approved and MON 87708 soybean and 

MON 88701 cotton 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 two signed 

determination document and the signed 

record of decision, as well as copies of 

the final EIS and two PPRAs are 

available as indicated in the ADDRESSES

and FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

sections of this notice. 

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 13th day of 

January 2015. 

Michael Gregoire, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–00723 Filed 1–16–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Lassen National Forest; California; 

Lassen National Forest Over-Snow 

Vehicle Use Designation 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The Forest Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture will prepare 

an Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS) on a proposal to designate oversnow vehicle (OSV) use as allowed, 

restricted, or prohibited on National 

Forest System roads, National Forest 

System trails, and Areas on National 

Forest System lands within the Lassen 

National Forest; and to identify snow 

trails for grooming within the Lassen 

National Forest. In addition, the Forest 

Service proposes to: 

1. Formally adopt California State 

Parks’ OSV snow grooming standards 

requiring a minimum of 18 inches of 

snow depth before grooming can occur; 

2. Implement a Forest-wide snow 

depth requirement for OSV use that 

would provide for public safety and 

natural and cultural resource protection 

by allowing OSV use in designated 

Areas when there is a minimum of 12 

inches of snow covering the landscape; 

and allow OSV use on designated 

National Forest System roads and 

designated National Forest System 

Trails when there is a minimum of 6 

inches of snow covering the road or 

trail; and 

3. Prohibit OSV use in selected Areas 

and on non-motorized trails. 

This proposal would be implemented 

on all of the Lassen National Forest. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 

February 19, 2015. The draft 

environmental impact statement is 

expected in October 2015 and the final 

environmental impact statement is 

expected in September 2016. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Chris O’Brien, on behalf of Dave Hays, 

Forest Supervisor, Lassen National 

Forest, 2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville, 

CA 96130; 530–257–2151. Comments 

may also be sent via facsimile to 530– 

252–6463. Comments may be submitted 

on the Lassen National Forest OSV 

Designation Web page: http://

data.ecosystem-management.org/

nepaweb/fs-usdapop.php?project=45832. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christopher O’Brien, Ph.D., Public 

Services and Ecosystems Staff Officer, 

USDA Forest Service, Lassen National 

Forest, 2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville, 

CA 96130; 530–257–2151; cjobrien@

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 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern 

Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Snow 

Trail Grooming Program: For over 30 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES