49782 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 207 / Friday, October 27, 2017 / Notices 

Regulatory Affairs, Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB), New 

Executive Office Building, Washington, 

DC; New Executive Office Building, 725 

17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503. 

Commenters are encouraged to submit 

their comments to OMB via email to: 

OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov or fax 

(202) 395–5806 and to Departmental 

Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail 

Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250– 

7602. 

Comments regarding these 

information collections are best assured 

of having their full effect if received by 

November 27, 2017. Copies of the 

submission(s) may be obtained by 

calling (202) 720–8681. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor a collection of information 

unless the collection of information 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number and the agency informs 

potential persons who are to respond to 

the collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Title: Fast Track Generic Clearance for 

the Collection of Qualitative Feedback 

on Customer Satisfaction Surveys. 

OMB Control Number: 0535—New. 

Summary of Collection: Executive 

Order 12862 directs Federal agencies to 

provide service to the public that 

matches or exceeds the best service 

available in the private sector. 

Improving National Agricultural 

Statistics Service (NASS) programs 

requires ongoing assessment of service 

delivery, by which we mean systematic 

review of the operation of a program, 

the quality, usability, and ease of 

accessing our surveys and public 

information compared to a set of 

explicit or implicit standards, as a 

means of contributing to the continuous 

improvement of the program. 

Need and Use of the Information: The 

information collection activity will 

garner qualitative customer and 

stakeholder feedback in an efficient, 

timely manner, in accordance with the 

Administration’s commitment to 

improving service delivery. By 

qualitative feedback we mean 

information that provides useful 

insights on perceptions and opinions, 

but are not statistical surveys that yield 

quantitative results that can be 

generalized to the population of study. 

This feedback will provide insights into 

customer or stakeholder perceptions, 

experiences and expectations, provide 

an early warning of issues with service, 

or focus attention on areas where 

communication, training or changes in 

operations might improve delivery of 

products or services. These collections 

will allow for ongoing, collaborative and 

actionable communications between 

NASS and its customers and 

stakeholders. It will allow feedback to 

contribute directly to the improvement 

of program management. 

Feedback collected under this generic 

clearance will provide useful 

information, but it will not yield data 

that can be generalized to the overall 

population. This type of generic 

clearance for qualitative information 

will not be used for quantitative 

information collections that are 

designed to yield reliably actionable 

results, such as monitoring trends over 

time or documenting program 

performance. Such data uses require 

more rigorous designs that address: The 

target population to which 

generalizations will be made, the 

sampling frame, the sample design 

(including stratification and clustering), 

the precision requirements or power 

calculations that justify the proposed 

sample size, the expected response rate, 

methods for assessing potential nonresponse bias, the protocols for data 

collection, and any testing procedures 

that were or will be undertaken prior 

fielding the study. Depending on the 

degree of influence the results are likely 

to have, such collections may still be 

eligible for submission for other generic 

mechanisms that are designed to yield 

quantitative results. 

Description of Respondents: Farms; 

Business or other for-profit; Not-forprofit Institutions and State, Local or 

Tribal Government. 

Number of Respondents: 120,000. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 8,375. 

Charlene Parker, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2017–23364 Filed 10–26–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0073] 

Bayer CropScience LP; Availability of 

Petition for Determination of 

Nonregulated Status of Cotton 

Genetically Engineered for Resistance 

to Glyphosate and Isoxaflutole 

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 Bayer CropScience LP 

seeking a determination of nonregulated 

status of cotton designated as event 

GHB811, which has been genetically 

engineered for dual resistance to the 

herbicides glyphosate and isoxaflutole. 

The petition has been submitted in 

accordance with our regulations 

concerning the introduction of certain 

genetically engineered organisms and 

products. We are making the Bayer 

CropScience LP 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 December 

26, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0073. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2017–0073, 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-2017-0073 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) 7997039 

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 17–138–01p. 

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. 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 207 / Friday, October 27, 2017 / Notices 49783 

1To view the notice, go to http://

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 17–138–01p) from 

Bayer CropScience LP of Research 

Triangle Park, NC (Bayer), seeking a 

determination of nonregulated status of 

cotton (Gossypium spp.) designated as 

event GHB811, which has been 

genetically engineered for dual 

resistance to the herbicides glyphosate 

and isoxaflutole. The Bayer petition 

states that information collected during 

field trials and laboratory analyses 

indicates that GHB811 cotton 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, GHB811 

cotton was developed through 

agrobacterium-mediated transformation 

using the vector pTSIH09 containing 

hppdPfW336–1Pa and 2mepsps 

expression cassettes. The regulatory 

sequences used in this construct are 

derived from common plants or plant 

pathogens that are routinely used in 

plant biotechnology and have a history 

of safe use. GHB811 cotton is currently 

regulated under 7 CFR part 340. 

Interstate movements and field tests of 

GHB811 cotton 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 

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. 

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 

comment (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 23rd day of 

October 2017. 

Michael C. Gregoire, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–23401 Filed 10–26–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Information Collection Activity; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended), the 

Rural Utilities Service (RUS) invites 

comments on the following information 

collection for which RUS intends to 

request approval from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB). 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by December 26, 2017. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas P. Dickson, Acting Director, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, Rural Utilities Service, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., STOP 1522, 

Room 5164, South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250– 

1522.Telephone: (202) 690–4492. Fax: 

(202) 720–8435 or email 

Thomas.Dickson@wdc.usda.gov 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

regulation (5 CFR part 1320) 

implementing provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 


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