Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 12 / Thursday, January 18, 2001 / Notices 4825

comments should be received in the

SAB Staff Office at least one week prior

to the meeting date so that the

comments may be made available to the

committee for their consideration.

Comments should be supplied to the

appropriate DFO at the address/contact

information noted above in the

following formats: one hard copy with

original signature, and one electronic

copy via e-mail (acceptable file format:

WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text files

(in IBM–PC/Windows 95/98 format).

Those providing written comments and

who attend the meeting are also asked

to bring 25 copies of their comments for

public distribution.

General Information: Additional

information concerning the Science

Advisory Board, its structure, function,

and composition, may be found on the

SAB website (http://www.epa.gov/sab)

and in The FY2000 Annual Report of

the Staff Director which is available

from the SAB Publications Staff at (202)

564–4533 or via fax at (202) 501–0256.

Committee rosters, draft Agendas and

meeting calendars are also located on

our website.

Meeting Access: Individuals requiring

special accommodation at this meeting,

including wheelchair access to the

conference room, should contact Dr.

Barnes at least five business days prior

to the meeting so that appropriate

arrangements can be made.

Dated: January 11, 2001.

Donald G. Barnes,

Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.

[FR Doc. 01–1520 Filed 1–17–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[0PP–60059; FRL–6762–9]

Notice of Receipt of Request for

Cancellation of Registration of Bacillus

thuringiensis (B.t.) subspecies

tolworthi Cry9C and the Genetic

Material Necessary for its Production

in Corn

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA)

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In accordance with section

6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide,

Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act

(FIFRA), as amended, EPA is issuing a

notice of receipt of a request by Aventis

CropScience USA LP the sole U.S.

registrant, to cancel their registration of

Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) subspecies

tolworthi Cry9C and the genetic

material necessary for its production in

corn.

DATES: Unless the request is withdrawn,

the Agency will approve these use

deletions and the deletions will become

effective on February 20, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By

mail: Phil Hutton, Biopesticides and

Pollution Prevention Division, Office of

Pesticide Programs (7511C),

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200

Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,

DC 20460; telephone number: (703)

308–8260; e-mail address:

hutton.phil@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

Section 6(f)(1) of FIFRA, provides that

a registrant of a pesticide product may

at any time request that any of its

pesticide registrations be canceled. The

Act further provides that, before acting

on the request, EPA must publish a

notice of receipt of any such request in

the Federal Register. Thereafter, the

Administrator may approve such a

request.

II. Background

On May 12, 1998, EPA issued a

registration to Plant Genetic Systems

(America) Inc. for StarLinkTM corn

(original EPA Registration No. 70218–1).

StarLinkTM contains the active

ingredient Bacillus thuringiensis subsp.

tolworthi Cry9C protein and the genetic

material necessary for its production in

corn. EPA issued the registration, but

restricted the use of the pesticide to

field corn used for feed, industrial nonfood uses, and seed increase because the

Agency could not find that there was a

reasonable certainty of no harm from its

use in human food, based on a concern

that the protein Cry9C could be

allergenic. The Agency’s assessment of

Cry9C revealed that it has particular

characteristics in common with known

allergens: it is relatively heat stable and

does not readily breakdown in

simulated digestive fluids. This raises

the possibility that it could be a human

allergen. However, EPA determined

that, notwithstanding its concern with

respect to human ingestion of Cry9C,

Cry9C was ‘‘safe’’ and when used as

animal feed, would not present

unreasonable risks to human health.

Because the protein does not transfer to

meat and poultry products, use in

animal feed would not result in human

dietary exposure to the protein/potential

allergen.

On October 29, 1998, the StarLinkTM

corn registration was conveyed from

Plant Genetic Systems (America) to

AgrEvo USA. AgrEvo USA and Rhone

Poulenc Ag Company subsequently

formed Aventis CropScience USA LP

(Aventis). As of February 22, 2000, the

StarLinkTM corn registration is now held

by Aventis under registration number

264–669.

Test data from several sources

demonstrate that StarLinkTM corn was

diverted into human food. Data from

Aventis, Kraft Corporation, and the

Food and Drug Administration

confirmed the presence of Aventis’

Cry9c DNA (the genetic material

necessary for the production of Cry9C)

in Taco Bell taco shells when tested

using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

primers. The PCR primers used are

unique to the Aventis cry9c gene.

III. Intent to Cancel Registration

This notice announces receipt by the

Agency of an application from Aventis,

to cancel the registration for StarLinkTM

corn (EPA Registration No. 264–669).

The active ingredient in this product is

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tolworthi

Cry9C protein and the genetic material

necessary for its production in corn.

The 30–day comment period will

permit other interested members of the

public to comment prior to the Agency’s

approval of the deletions. Users of this

product who desire continued use

should contact both the EPA contact

person listed above, and the registrant at

the following address: Dr. Sally Van

Wert, Aventis CropScience, P.O. Box

12014, 2 T.W. Alexander Drive,

Research Triangle Park, NC 27709;

telephone: (919) 549–2379, to discuss

withdrawal of the application for

cancellation before February 20, 2001. It

should be noted however, that this

cancellation is being proposed because

Aventis has failed to ensure that

StarLinkTM corn will not be diverted to

human food, it is incumbent on any

proponent of further use to demonstrate

either: (1) That further use will not be

diverted to human food, or (2) that

StarLinkTM corn is safe for human

consumption because it will not present

an unreasonable allergenic risk.

IV. Existing Stocks Provision

For the purpose of this notice,

existing stocks are defined as those

stocks of Cry9C corn grain and corn

seed (EPA Registration No. 264–669)

that exist before the date on which the

registration of this product is canceled.

Under section 6(a)(1), the Administrator

may permit the continued sale or use of

existing stocks of a pesticide whose

registration has been canceled, if she

determines that such sale or use would

be consistent with the purposes of

FIFRA (7 U.S.C. 136d(a)(1)). Sales of

corn grain produced by farmers growing

4826 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 12 / Thursday, January 18, 2001 / Notices

StarLinkTM corn or that corn in the

required 660 foot buffer may only be

sold or used for domestic animal feed or

industrial non-food uses and cannot be

sold for planting. No StarLinkTM seed

corn may be sold or distributed. Because

of significant concerns regarding the

potential for StarLinkTM corn to enter

the human food stream of commerce,

the U.S. Department of Agriculture has

undertaken an incentive program to

ensure that all StarLinkTM corn

currently on the farm is either fed to

livestock on the farm, or is directed only

to domestic animal feed or industrial

non-food uses.

This existing stocks disposition does

not prohibit growers from using existing

stocks of StarLinkTM grain as animal

feed. Nor will feeding animals

StarLinkTM corn render meat or milk

derived from such animals adulterated.

The existing tolerance exemption for the

Cry9C protein and the genetic material

necessary for its production, found at 40

CFR 180.1192, is not revoked by this

Notice.

List of Subjects

Environmental protection, Pesticides

and pests, Product registrations.

Dated: January 8, 2001.

Susan B. Hazen,

Deputy Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.

[FR Doc. 01–1522 Filed 1–17–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–S

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6933–9]

Implementation Guidance for

Radionuclides

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice, request for comments on

the draft radionuclides implementation

guidance.

SUMMARY: The United States

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

published the final National Primary

Drinking Water Regulation for

Radionuclides on December 7, 2000, in

the Federal Register (65 FR 76708). The

EPA has also prepared the Draft

Implementation Guidance for the

Radionuclides Rule. This Notice is

announcing the availability of this draft

document and asking for comments

from stakeholders and the public. These

comments will be considered in

developing the Final Implementation

Guidance document. The EPA

encourages the full participation of all

stakeholders and the public throughout

this process.

The Draft Implementation Guidance

for the Radionuclides Rule is a

comprehensive reference to assist States

in implementing the Rule. The draft

guidance was developed based on the

Final Rule, with input and review from

EPA Headquarters and Regional staff,

and comments from States and the

public on a previous version of the

document. Along with summaries of the

Rule and implementation timelines, the

document contains: A detailed

explanation of the rule requirements;

guidance for violation determinations,

and significant non-compliance

definitions; Safe Drinking Water

Information (SDWIS) reporting

requirements; guidance for State

primacy revision applications, and

special primacy requirements; and a

series of ‘‘stand-alone’’ fact sheet

guidance materials for States and Public

Water Systems. The guidance document

describes the new standards for

uranium, as well as the revisions to the

radionuclides monitoring framework.

The Appendices to the document

provide further information and tools to

assist States and EPA Regional Offices

with primacy revisions and Rule

implementation, including: Violation

tables to assist with compliance

determination; a sample Extension

Agreement between EPA and the States

to document how implementation

responsibilities will be shared if States

do not submit a primacy applications by

the deadline; a primacy revision

crosswalk; a ‘‘stand-alone’’ State

reporting guidance; rule training

materials; and beta and photon emitter

conversion tables.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before March 30, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments

concerning this Notice to Ed Thomas,

Office of Ground Water and Drinking

Water (MC–4606), U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.

See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section

for information to request a copy of the

draft guidance and electronic addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general information related to the

Radionuclides Rule, contact: Ed

Thomas, at (202) 260–0910 or e-mail to

thomas.edwin@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of

the draft guidance may be obtained by

contacting the Safe Drinking Water

Hotline at 800–426–4791, or at EPA’s

Office of Ground Water and Drinking

Water’s (OGWDW) Web Site: http://

www.epa.gov/safewater/rads/

implement.html, or by contacting Ed

Thomas of OGWDW at (202) 260–0910

or by e-mail at

thomas.edwin@epamail.epa.gov.

Cynthia C. Dougherty,

Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking

Water, Environmental Protection Agency.

[FR Doc. 01–1521 Filed 1–17–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE

CORPORATION

Sunshine Act Meeting

Pursuant to the provisions of the

‘‘Government in the Sunshine Act’’ (5

U.S.C. 552b), notice is hereby given that

the Federal Deposit Insurance

Corporation’s Board of Directors will

meet in open session at 9:00 a.m. on

Friday, January 19, 2001, to consider the

following matters:

Summary Agenda: No substantive

discussion of the following items is

anticipated. These matters will be

resolved with a single vote unless a

member of the Board of Directors

requests that an item be moved to the

discussion agenda.

Summary reports, status reports, and

reports of actions taken pursuant to

authority delegated by the Board of

Directors.

Memorandum and resolution re: Final

Amendments to Part 308—Rules of

Practice and Procedure, to implement

the requirements of the Program Fraud

Civil Remedies Act.

Memorandum re: Information Sharing

and Confidentiality Agreement Pursuant

to Section 307 of Gramm-Leach-Bliley

Act.

Discussion Agenda: Memorandum

and Resolution Re: Proposed

Amendments to Part 325—Capital

Standards for Nonfinancial Equity

Investments.

The meeting will be held in the Board

Room on the sixth floor of the FDIC

Building located at 550—17th Street,

N.W., Washington, D.C.

The FDIC will provide attendees with

auxiliary aids (e.g., sign language

interpretation) required for this meeting.

Those attendees needing such assistance

should call (202) 416–2089 (Voice);

(202) 416–2007 (TTY), to make

necessary arrangements.

Requests for further information

concerning the meeting may be directed

to Mr. Robert E. Feldman, Executive

Secretary of the Corporation, at (202)

898–6757.

Dated: January 12, 2001.