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

37987 

Vol. 86, No. 135 

Monday, July 19, 2021 

1To view the notice, supporting documents, and 

the comment we received, go to http://

www.regulations.gov and enter APHIS–2020–0036 

in the Search field. 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Office of the Secretary 

[Docket ID: USDA–2021–0006] 

Identifying Barriers in USDA Programs 

and Services; Advancing Racial 

Justice and Equity and Support for 

Underserved Communities at USDA 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture. 

ACTION: Request for information; 

extension of comment period. 

SUMMARY: We are extending the 

comment period for our notice seeking 

input from the public on how the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA) can 

advance racial justice and equity for 

underserved communities as part of its 

implementation of Executive Order 

13985, Advancing Racial Equity and 

Support for Underserved Communities 

Through the Federal Government. This 

action will allow interested persons 

additional time to prepare and submit 

comments. 

DATES: The comment period of the 

request for information published June 

16, 2021, at 86 FR 32013, is extended 

until August 14, 2021. To be assured of 

consideration, comments must be 

received on or before August 14, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in 

response to this notice may be 

submitted online via the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://

www.regulations.gov and search for the 

Docket number USDA–2021–0006. 

Follow the online instructions for 

submitting comments. All comments 

received will be posted without change 

and publicly available on 

www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Elizabeth Archuleta, Director, USDA 

Office of Intergovernmental & External 

Affairs, telephone: 202–720–7095, 

email: EquityRFI@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 

16, 2021, we published in the Federal 

Register (86 FR 32013, Docket No. 

USDA–2021–0006) a notice seeking 

input from the public on how USDA can 

advance racial justice and equity for 

underserved communicates as part of its 

implementation of Executive Order 

13985, Advancing Racial Equity and 

Support for Underserved Communities 

Through the Federal Government. 

Comments on the notice were 

required to be received on or before July 

15, 2021. We are extending the 

comment period on Docket No. USDA– 

2021–0006 until August 14, 2021. This 

action will allow interested persons 

additional time to prepare and submit 

comments. 

Lisa Ramirez, 

Director, Office of Partnerships & Public 

Engagement, U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

[FR Doc. 2021–15259 Filed 7–14–21; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3410–90–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2020–0036] 

Notice of Availability of an 

Environmental Assessment and 

Finding of No Significant Impact for 

the Release of Ramularia crupinae for 

Biological Control of Common Crupina 

(Crupina vulgaris) in the Contiguous 

United States 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we have prepared a final 

environmental assessment and finding 

of no significant impact relative to 

permitting the release of Ramularia 

crupinae for the biological control of 

common crupina (Crupina vulgaris) in 

the contiguous United States. Based on 

our finding of no significant impact, we 

have determined that an environmental 

impact statement need not be prepared. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Colin D. Stewart, Assistant Director, 

Pests, Pathogens, and Biocontrol 

Permits, Permitting and Compliance 

Coordination, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River 

Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737– 

1231; (301) 851–2327; email: 

Colin.Stewart@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS) is issuing permits for 

the release of Ramularia crupinae, into 

the contiguous United States for the 

biological control of common crupina 

(Crupina vulgaris). 

Common crupina, a winter annual, is 

spreading in pastures and rangelands 

resulting in a reduction in quality of 

forage as it displaces other species in 

the northwestern United States; it is a 

native of Eurasia, most likely originating 

in the Middle East. Common crupina 

may grow from 0.3 to 1.0 meter in 

height, having inconspicuous flowers 

ranging from lavender to purple, as well 

as rosettes that develop through the fall 

and winter. 

Ramularia crupinae, a leaf-spotting 

fungus, was chosen as a potential 

biological control agent of Crupina 

vulgaris in the contiguous United States 

over other management options because 

it is host-specific. On October 30, 2020, 

we published in the Federal Register 

(85 FR 68838, Docket No. APHIS–2020– 

0036) a notice 1 in which we announced 

the availability, for public review and 

comment, of an environmental 

assessment (EA) that examined the 

potential environmental impacts 

associated with the release of Ramularia 

crupinae for the biological control of 

common crupina (Crupina vulgaris) in 

the contiguous United States. Comments 

on the notice were required to be 

received on or before November 30, 

2020. We received one comment by that 

date. The comment, which did not raise 

any substantive issues regarding the 

notice, is addressed in the final EA. 

In this document, we are advising the 

public of our finding of no significant 

impact (FONSI) regarding the release of 

Ramularia crupinae for the biological 

control of common crupina (Crupina 

vulgaris) in the contiguous United 

States. The finding, which is based on 

the EA, reflects our determination that 

release of Ramularia crupinae for the 

biological control of common crupina 

(Crupina vulgaris) in the contiguous 

United States will not have a significant 

impact on the quality of the human 

environment. Based on this finding, we 


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37988 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 135 / Monday, July 19, 2021 / Notices 

1To view the final rule and supporting 

documents, go to https://www.regulations.gov, and 

enter APHIS–2018–0034 in the Search field. 

have issued a permit for the release of 

Ramularia crupinae for the biological 

control of common crupina (Crupina 

vulgaris) in the contiguous United 

States. 

The EA and FONSI may be viewed on 

the Regulations.gov website (see 

footnote 1). Copies of the EA and FONSI 

are also available for public inspection 

at 1620 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. Persons wishing to inspect 

copies are requested to call ahead on 

(202) 799–7039 to facilitate entry into 

the reading room. In addition, copies 

may be obtained by calling or writing to 

the individual listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

The EA and FONSI have been 

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). 

Done in Washington, DC, this 28th day of 

June 2021. 

Mark Davidson, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–15176 Filed 7–16–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2020–0072] 

Movement of Organisms Modified or 

Produced Through Genetic 

Engineering; Notice of Exemptions 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, Agriculture (USDA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we are proposing to exempt plants 

with additional modifications that could 

otherwise be achieved through 

conventional breeding from the 

regulations that govern the introduction 

(importation, interstate movement, or 

release into the environment) of certain 

organisms modified or produced 

through genetic engineering. The 

exempt plants would have distinct 

modifications on the paternal and 

maternal alleles of a single gene 

resulting from repair of a targeted DNA 

break; deletions generated using an 

externally provided repair template; or 

deletions resulting from repair of two 

targeted double strand breaks on a 

chromosome. This action would reduce 

the regulatory burden for developers of 

certain plants modified or produced 

through genetic engineering that are 

unlikely to pose plant pest risks while 

enabling the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service to focus its 

regulatory resources on risk analyses of 

unfamiliar products and those more 

likely to pose a plant pest risk. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before August 18, 

2021. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS– 

2020–0072 in the Search field. Select 

the Documents tab, then select the 

Comment button in the list of 

documents. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2020–0072, 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 www.regulations.gov 

or in our reading room, which is located 

in Room 1620 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Neil Hoffman, Science Advisor, 

Biotechnology Regulatory Services, 

APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 98, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238; (301) 851– 

3947. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

regulations in 7 CFR part 340 govern the 

introduction (importation, interstate 

movement, or release into the 

environment) of certain organisms 

modified or produced through genetic 

engineering. The Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) first 

issued these regulations in 1987 under 

the authority of the Federal Plant Pest 

Act of 1957 and the Plant Quarantine 

Act of 1912, two acts that were 

subsumed into the Plant Protection Act 

(PPA, 7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) in 2000, 

along with other provisions. Since 1987, 

APHIS has amended the regulations 

seven times, in 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 

1997, 2005, and 2020. 

On May 18, 2020, we published in the 

Federal Register (85 FR 29790–29838, 

Docket No. APHIS–2018–0034) a final 

rule 1 that marked the first 

comprehensive revision of the 

regulations since they were established 

in 1987. The final rule provided a clear, 

predictable, and efficient regulatory 

pathway for innovators, facilitating the 

development of organisms developed 

using genetic engineering that are 

unlikely to pose plant pest risks. 

The May 2020 final rule included 

regulatory exemptions for certain 

categories of plants that have been 

modified. Specifically, § 340.1(b) 

exempted plants that contain a single 

modification of one of the following 

types, specified in § 340.1(b)(1) through 

(3): 

• The genetic modification is a 

change resulting from cellular repair of 

a targeted DNA break in the absence of 

an externally provided repair template; 

or 

• The genetic modification is a 

targeted single base pair substitution; or 

• The genetic modification introduces 

a gene known to occur in the plant’s 

gene pool or makes changes in a 

targeted sequence to correspond to a 

known allele of such a gene or to a 

known structural variation present in 

the gene pool. 

In addition to the modifications listed 

above, § 340.1(b)(4) provides that the 

Administrator may propose to exempt 

plants with additional modifications, 

based on what could be achieved 

through conventional breeding. Such 

proposals may either be APHIS-initiated 

or may be initiated via a request that is 

accompanied by adequate supporting 

information and submitted by another 

party. In either case, APHIS will publish 

a notice in the Federal Register of the 

proposal, along with the supporting 

documentation, and will request public 

comments. After reviewing the 

comments, APHIS will publish a 

subsequent notice in the Federal 

Register announcing its final 

determination. A list specifying 

modifications a plant can contain and 

be exempt pursuant to paragraph (b)(4) 

is available on the APHIS website at 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ 

ourfocus/biotechnology. 

In this document, we are proposing to 

add three modifications that plants can 

contain and be exempt from regulation 

pursuant to § 340.1. These modifications 

are similar and functionally equivalent 

to modifications that commonly occur 

within conventional breeding and to the 


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