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 

### 13035

Vol. 79, No. 45

Friday, March 7, 2014

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service** 

**[Docket No. APHIS–2014–0007]**

**Monsanto Co.; Availability of Petition for Determination of Nonregulated**  **Status of Maize Genetically Engineered For Protection Against Corn Rootworm**  **and Resistance to Glyphosate**

**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 the Monsanto Company seeking a determination of nonregulated status of maize designated as event MON 87411, which has been genetically engineered for protection against corn rootworm and resistance to the herbicide glyphosate. The petition has been submitted in accordance with our regulations concerning the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms and products. We are making the Monsanto Company petition available for review and comment to help us identify potential environmental and interrelated economic issues and impacts that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service may determine should be considered in our evaluation of the petition.

**DATES :**  We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 6,
2014.

**ADDRESSES :**  You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/ # !documentDetail;D=APHIS-2014-0007-
0001

.

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS–2014–0007, 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-2014-0007 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.

The petition is also available on the APHIS Web site at: http:// www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/ petitions

_ table

_ pending.shtml under APHIS petition number 13–290–01p.

**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 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. 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 has received a petition (APHIS Petition Number 13–290–01p) from the Monsanto Company (Monsanto) of St. Louis, MO, seeking a determination of nonregulated status of maize ( Zea mays ) designated as event MON 87411, which has been genetically engineered for protection against corn rootworm and resistance to the herbicide glyphosate. The Monsanto petition states that information collected during field trials and laboratory analyses indicates that MON 87411 maize is not likely to be a plant pest and therefore should not be a regulated article under APHIS’ regulations in 7 CFR Part 340.

As described in the petition, Monsanto developed MON 87411 maize by adding a suppression cassette that expresses an inverted repeat sequence designed to match the sequence of corn rootworm. The expression of the suppression cassette results in the formation of a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) transcript containing the Snf7gene. Upon consumption, the plantproduced dsRNA in MON 87411 results in corn rootworm mortality. MON 87411 maize also contains a cry3Bb1 gene that produces a modified Bacillus thuringiensis (subsp. kumamotoensis ) Cry3Bb1 protein to protect against corn rootworm larval feeding. In addition, MON 87411 maize contains the cp4
epsps gene from Agrobacterium sp. strain CP4 that confers resistance to the herbicide glyphosate. MON 87411 maize is currently regulated under 7 CFR Part 340. Interstate movements and field tests of MON 87411 maize have been conducted under notifications acknowledged by APHIS.

Field tests conducted under APHIS oversight allowed for evaluation in a natural agricultural setting while imposing measures to minimize the risk of persistence in the environment after completion of the tests. Data are gathered on multiple parameters and used by the applicant to evaluate agronomic characteristics and product performance. These and other data are used by APHIS to determine if the new variety poses a plant pest risk.

Paragraph (d) of § 340.6 provides that APHIS will publish a notice in the Federal Register providing 60 days for public comment for petitions for a determination of nonregulated status. On March 6, 2012, we published in the


### 13036 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 45 / Friday, March 7, 2014 / Notices

1 To view the notice, go to http://www.regulations.gov/# !docketDetail;D=APHIS2011-0129

. Federal Register (77 FR 13258–13260, Docket No. APHIS–2011–0129) a notice 1 describing our process for soliciting public comment when considering petitions for determinations of nonregulated status for GE organisms. In that notice we indicated that APHIS would accept written comments regarding a petition once APHIS deemed it complete.

In accordance with § 340.6(d) of the regulations and 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 regarding the petition for a determination of nonregulated status from interested or affected persons for a period of 60 days from the date of this notice. The petition is available for public review and comment, and copies are available as indicated under **ADDRESSES** and **FOR**
**FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT** above. We are interested in receiving comments regarding potential 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 corn 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 Part 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 28th day of February 2014. Kevin Shea, Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–04968 Filed 3–6–14; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3410–34–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**Forest Service**

**Humboldt County Resource Advisory Committee Meeting** 

**AGENCY :**  Forest Service, USDA.

**ACTION :**  Notice of meetings.

**SUMMARY :**  The Humboldt County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Eureka, California. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110– 343) (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with the title II of the Act. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meetings are to provide updates regarding status of Secure Rural Schools Title II program and funding, discuss funding strategies and review and recommend potential projects eligible for funding.

**DATES :**  The meetings will start at 5:30 p.m. and be held on the following dates:

• April 9, 2014.

• April 15, 2014. All RAC meetings are subject to cancellation. For status of meeting prior to attendance, please contact the person listed under **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION**
**CONTACT**

. **ADDRESSES :**  The meeting will be held at Six Rivers National Forest Office, 1330 Bayshore Way, Eureka, California.

Written comments may be submitted as described under **SUPPLEMENTARY**
**INFORMATION** . All comments, including names and addresses when provided, are placed in the record and are available for public inspection and copying. The public may inspect comments received at Six Rivers National Forest Office. Please call ahead to facilitate entry into the building.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Lynn Wright, RAC Coordinator, by phone at 707–441–3562 or via email at hwright02@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 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. Please make requests in advance for sign language interpreting, assistive listening devices or other reasonable accomodation for access to the facility or procedings by contacting the person listed above.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Additional RAC information, including the meeting agenda and the meeting summary/minutes can be found at the following Web site: http:// www.fs.usda.gov/srnf. The agenda will include time for people to make oral statements of three minutes or less. Individuals wishing to make an oral statement should request in writing to be scheduled on the agenda 5 days prior to the meeting. Anyone who would like to bring related matters to the attention of the committee may file written statements with the committee staff before or after the meeting. Written comments and requests for time for oral comments must be sent to Lynn Wright, RAC Coordinator, 1330 Bayshore Way, Eureka, California 95501; or by email at hwright02@fs.fed.us; or via facsimile at
707–445–8677.

Meeting Accommodations: If you are a person requiring reasonable accommodation, please make requests in advance for sign language interpreting, assistive listening devices or other reasonable accommodation for access to the facility or proceedings by contacting the person listed in the section titled **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION**
**CONTACT** . All reasonable accommodation requests are managed on a case by case basis.

Dated: February 28, 2014. Tyrone Kelley, Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2014–04969 Filed 3–6–14; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3411–15–P**