47272 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 150 / Monday, August 5, 2013 / Notices 

1On March 6, 2012, APHIS published in the 

Federal Register (77 FR 13258–13260, Docket No. 

APHIS–2011–0129) a notice describing our public 

review process for soliciting public comments and 

information when considering petitions for 

determinations of nonregulated status for GE 

organisms. To view the notice, go to http:// 

www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS2011-0129. 

2To view the notice, the petition, and the 

comments we received, go to http://www.

regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012- 

0020. 

Dated: July 23, 2013. 

Edward B. Knipling, 

Administrator, Agricultural Research Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–18845 Filed 8–2–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Research Service 

Notice of Intent to Grant Exclusive 

License 

AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Agricultural Research Service, intends 

to grant to Central Washington Grain 

Growers, Inc. of Waterville, Washington, 

an exclusive license to the pea variety 

named ‘‘Lynx’’. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before September 4, 2013. 

ADDRESS: Send comments to: USDA, 

ARS, Office of Technology Transfer, 

5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Rm. 4–1174, 

Beltsville, Maryland 20705–5131. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: June 

Blalock of the Office of Technology 

Transfer at the Beltsville address given 

above; telephone: 301–504–5989. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Federal Government’s rights in this 

plant 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 plant 

variety as Central Washington Grain 

Growers, Inc. of Waterville, Washington 

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 thirty (30) days from the date of 

this published Notice, the Agricultural 

Research Service receives written 

evidence and argument which 

establishes that the grant of the license 

would not be consistent with the 

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

CFR 404.7. 

Robert Griesbach, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2013–18847 Filed 8–2–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2012–0020] 

Monsanto Co.; Availability of Plant 

Pest Risk Assessment and 

Environmental Assessment for 

Determination of Nonregulated Status 

of Soybean Genetically Engineered for 

Increased Yield 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service is making available 

for public comment our plant pest risk 

assessment and our draft environmental 

assessment regarding a request from the 

Monsanto Company seeking a 

determination of nonregulated status of 

soybean designated as MON 87712, 

which has been genetically engineered 

for increased yield. We are soliciting 

comments on whether this genetically 

engineered soybean is likely to pose a 

plant pest risk. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before September 

4, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0020. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2012–0020, Regulatory Analysis 

and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 

3A–03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. 

Supporting documents and any 

comments we receive on this docket 

may be viewed at http://www.

regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=

APHIS-2012-0020 or in our reading 

room, which 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. 

Supporting documents are also 

available on the APHIS Web site at 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/

biotechnology/petitions_table_

pending.shtml under APHIS Petition 

Number 11–202–01p. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Rebecca Stankiewicz Gabel, Chief, 

Biotechnology Environmental Analysis 

Branch, Environmental Risk Analysis 

Programs, Biotechnology Regulatory 

Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 

147, Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 

851–3927, email: rebecca.l.stankiewiczgabel@aphis.usda.gov. To obtain copies 

of the supporting documents for this 

petition, contact Ms. Cindy Eck at (301) 

851–3892, email: 

cynthia.a.eck@aphis.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Under the authority of the plant pest 

provisions of the Plant Protection Act (7 

U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), 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 the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) seeking a 

determination that an article should not 

be regulated under 7 CFR part 340. 

APHIS has received a petition (APHIS 

Petition Number 11–202–01p) from the 

Monsanto Company (Monsanto) of St. 

Louis, MO, seeking a determination of 

nonregulated status of soybean (Glycine 

max) designated as event MON 87712, 

which has been genetically engineered 

for increased yield. The petition stated 

that this soybean is unlikely to pose a 

plant pest risk and, therefore, should 

not be a regulated article under APHIS’ 

regulations in 7 CFR part 340. 

According to our process 1 for 

soliciting public comment when 

considering petitions for determinations 

of nonregulated status of GE organisms, 

APHIS accepts written comments 

regarding a petition once APHIS deems 

it complete. In a notice 2 published in 

the Federal Register on July 13, 2012, 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 150 / Monday, August 5, 2013 / Notices 47273 

(77 FR 41354–41355, Docket No. 

APHIS–2012–0020), APHIS announced 

the availability of the Monsanto petition 

for public comment. APHIS solicited 

comments on the petition for 60 days 

ending on September 11, 2012, in order 

to help identify potential environmental 

and interrelated economic issues and 

impacts that APHIS may determine 

should be considered in our evaluation 

of the petition. 

APHIS received 66 comments on the 

petition: Several of these comments 

included electronic attachments 

consisting of a consolidated document 

of many identical or nearly identical 

letters, for a total of 4,665 comments. 

Issues raised during the comment 

period include effects on plant and 

animal diversity, soybean supply and 

prices, and organic soy production; gene 

flow; and food and feed impacts. APHIS 

has evaluated the issues raised during 

the comment period and, where 

appropriate, has provided a discussion 

of these issues in our environmental 

assessment (EA). 

After public comments are received 

on a completed petition, APHIS 

evaluates those comments and then 

provides a second opportunity for 

public involvement in our 

decisionmaking process. According to 

our public review process (see footnote 

1), the second opportunity for public 

involvement follows one of two 

approaches, as described below. 

If APHIS decides, based on its review 

of the petition and its evaluation and 

analysis of comments received during 

the 60-day public comment period on 

the petition, that the petition involves a 

GE organism that raises no substantive 

new issues, APHIS will follow 

Approach 1 for public involvement. 

Under Approach 1, APHIS announces in 

the Federal Register the availability of 

APHIS’ preliminary regulatory 

determination along with its EA, 

preliminary finding of no significant 

impact (FONSI), and its plant pest risk 

assessment (PPRA) for a 30-day public 

review period. APHIS will evaluate any 

information received related to the 

petition and its supporting documents 

during the 30-day public review period. 

If APHIS decides, based on its review 

of the petition and its evaluation and 

analysis of comments received during 

the 60-day public comment period on 

the petition, that the petition involves a 

GE organism that raises substantive new 

issues, APHIS will follow Approach 2. 

Under Approach 2, APHIS first solicits 

written comments from the public on a 

draft EA and PPRA for a 30-day 

comment period through the 

publication of a Federal Register notice. 

Then, after reviewing and evaluating the 

comments on the draft EA and PPRA 

and other information, APHIS will 

revise the PPRA as necessary and 

prepare a final EA and, based on the 

final EA, a National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) decision document 

(either a FONSI or a notice of intent to 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement). For this petition, we are 

using Approach 2. 

APHIS has prepared a PPRA to 

determine if soybean event MON 87712 

is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk. In 

section 403 of the Plant Protection Act, 

‘‘plant pest’’ is defined as any living 

stage of any of the following that can 

directly or indirectly injure, cause 

damage to, or cause disease in any plant 

or plant product: A protozoan, a 

nonhuman animal, a parasitic plant, a 

bacterium, a fungus, a virus or viroid, an 

infectious agent or other pathogen, or 

any article similar to or allied with any 

of the foregoing. 

APHIS has also prepared a draft EA in 

which we present two alternatives based 

on our analysis of data submitted by 

Monsanto, a review of other scientific 

data, field tests conducted under APHIS 

oversight, and comments received on 

the petition. APHIS is considering the 

following alternatives: (1) Take no 

action, i.e., APHIS would not change the 

regulatory status of soybean event MON 

87712 and it would continue to be a 

regulated article, or (2) make a 

determination of nonregulated status of 

soybean event MON 87712. 

The EA was 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). 

In accordance with our process for 

soliciting public input when 

considering petitions for determinations 

of nonregulated status for GE organisms, 

we are publishing this notice to inform 

the public that APHIS will accept 

written comments on our PPRA and 

draft EA regarding the petition for a 

determination of nonregulated status 

from interested or affected persons for a 

period of 30 days from the date of this 

notice. The petition is available for 

public review, and copies are available 

as indicated under ADDRESSES and FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT above. 

After the comment period closes, 

APHIS will review all written comments 

received during the comment period 

and any other relevant information. 

After reviewing and evaluating the 

comments on the draft EA and PPRA 

and other information, APHIS will 

revise the PPRA as necessary and 

prepare a final EA. Based on the final 

EA, APHIS will prepare a NEPA 

decision document (either a FONSI or a 

notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement). If a 

FONSI is reached, APHIS will furnish a 

response to the petitioner, either 

approving or denying the petition. 

APHIS will also publish a notice in the 

Federal Register announcing the 

regulatory status of the GE organism and 

the availability of APHIS’ final EA, 

PPRA, FONSI, and our regulatory 

determination. 

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 31st day of 

July 2013. 

Kevin Shea, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–18876 Filed 8–2–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Farm Service Agency 

Information Collection; Inventory 

Property Management 

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking 

comments from all interested 

individuals and organizations on an 

extension with a revision of a currently 

approved information collection that 

supports Inventory Property 

Management. The information is used to 

evaluate applicant requests to purchase 

inventory property, determine eligibility 

to lease or purchase inventory property, 

and ensure the payment of the lease 

amount or purchase amount associated 

with the acquisition of inventory 

property. The revision to the 

information addresses the increase in 

the total amount of burden hours 

expected related to inventory property 

requests. The increase is due to an 

approximately 13 percent increase in 

the number of inventory properties 

being held by FSA since the previous 

approval request, and thus a higher 

number of responses. No additional 

forms, response actions or time 

increases were added as part of the 

revision. 

DATES: We will consider comments that 

we receive by October 4, 2013. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES