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

52873 

Vol. 82, No. 219 

Wednesday, November 15, 2017 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0075] 

Verdeca LLC; Availability of a Petition 

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 (APHIS) has received 

a petition from Verdeca LLC seeking a 

determination of nonregulated status for 

the new plant variety HB4 soybean 

designated as IND–00410–5, which has 

been genetically engineered for 

increased yield. The petition has been 

submitted in accordance with our 

regulations concerning the introduction 

of certain genetically engineered 

organisms and products. We are making 

the Verdeca LLC petition available for 

review and comment to help us identify 

potential environmental and 

interrelated economic issues and 

impacts that APHIS may determine 

should be considered in our evaluation 

of the petition. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before January 16, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docket

Detail;D=APHIS-2017-0075. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2017–0075, 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-2017-0075 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 17–223–01p. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

John Turner, Director, Biotechnology 

Risk Analysis Programs, BRS, 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: 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 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 17–223–01p) from 

Verdeca LLC (Verdeca), seeking a 

determination of nonregulated status for 

the new plant variety called HB4 

soybean (Glycine max) designated as 

event IND–00410–5 that has been 

genetically engineered for increased 

yield, stating 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. 

As described in the petition, soybean 

event IND–00410–5 has been genetically 

engineered to increase yield through the 

insertion of the HaHB4 transcription 

factor gene variant from the sunflower 

(Helianthus annuus). This gene 

improves plant fitness by reducing its 

sensitivity to ethylene, which would 

otherwise negatively impact growth, 

allowing the soybean to grow in a 

greater variety of environments with 

reduced negative impact on growth, 

development, and yield. Soybean event 

IND–00410–5 is currently regulated 

under 7 CFR part 340. Interstate 

movements and field tests of soybean 

event IND–00410–5 have been 

conducted under permits issued or 

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 test. 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. 

In accordance with § 340.6(d) of the 

regulations, 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 

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, 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
52874 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 15, 2017 / Notices 

commenters provide relevant 

information regarding specific localities 

or regions as soybean 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 genetically engineered 

organism’s regulatory status, APHIS 

prepares a plant pest risk assessment 

(PPRA) 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 publish a 

separate notice in the Federal Register 

announcing the availability of the EA 

and PPRA. Should we 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 8th day of 

November 2017. 

Kevin Shea, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–24634 Filed 11–14–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Farm Service Agency 

Information Collection Request, 

Volunteer Program 

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 

requesting comments from all interested 

individuals and organizations on an 

extension of a currently approved 

information collection associated with 

the Volunteer Program. 

DATES: We will consider comments that 

we receive by January 16, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit 

comments on this notice. In your 

comment, include the volume, date, and 

page number of this issue of the Federal 

Register. You may submit comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to: 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail, Hand-Delivery or Courier: Ms. 

Shannon (Logan) Morrison, USDA, FSA, 

Human Resources Division, HCSPIB, 

355 E Street SW., 12th Floor, 

Washington, DC 20024. 

You may also send comments to the 

Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget, 

Washington, DC 20503. Comments will 

be available for inspection online at 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

Copies of the information collection 

may be requested by contacting 

Shannon (Logan) Morrison at the above 

address. Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means of 

communications should contact the 

USDA Target center at (202)720–2600 

(voice). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

specific questions related to collection 

activities, Ms. Shannon (Logan) 

Morrison; (202) 401–0165. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Volunteer Program. 

OMB Control Number: 0560–0232. 

Expiration Date for Approval: January 

31, 2018. 

Type of Request: Extension. 

Abstract: Section 1526 of the 

Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 (7 

U.S.C. 2272) authorizes the Secretary of 

Agriculture to establish a program (‘‘the 

Volunteer Program’’) to use volunteers 

to perform a wide range of activities to 

carry out the programs of the 

Department of Agriculture. In addition, 

5 U.S.C. 3111 grants agencies the 

authority to establish programs designed 

to provide educationally-related work 

assignments for students in non-pay 

status. For FSA’s volunteer program, 

each volunteer must follow the same 

responsibilities and guidelines for 

conduct that Federal government 

employees are expected to follow. The 

volunteers, who are mainly students 

participating in the sponsored volunteer 

program, must complete a service 

agreement, attendance records, and 

other forms, and provide the required 

supporting documents to FSA. The 

information will allow FSA to 

effectively recruit, train, and accept 

volunteers to carry out programs 

supported by the Department of 

Agriculture, therefore benefitting 

volunteers, the Department of 

Agriculture, and the general public. 

Without the information, FSA will be 

unable to document the services 

provided by the volunteers. FSA will 

report the collected information to 

offices within the Department of 

Agriculture and the Office of Personnel 

Management that request information 

on the Volunteer Program. 

FSA continues to use forms AD–2022, 

AD–2023, AD–2024, and AD–2025 in 

the Volunteer Program. There is no 

change to the burden hours since the 

last OMB approval. Also, FSA will 

remove the FSA-related burden for form 

OF301 from the generic information 

collection request approved under OMB 

control number 0596–0080; FSA had 

previously used form OF301, but no 

longer uses that form. 

For the following estimated total 

annual burden on respondents, the 

formula used to calculate the total 

burden hours is the estimated average 

time per response multiplied by the 

estimated total annual responses. 

Estimate of Average Time to Respond: 

Public reporting burden for collecting 

information under this notice is 

estimated to average 15 minutes (0.25) 

per response for each of the 4 forms, 

including the time for reviewing 

instructions, searching existing data 

sources, gathering and maintaining the 

data needed, and completing and 

reviewing the collection of information 

for all respondent. Therefore, it would 

be an average 0.38 hours per response 

in this collection. 

Type of Respondents: Any 

individuals. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

20. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 4. 

Estimated Total Annual Reponses: 80. 

Estimated Average Time per 

Response: 0.38 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 30 hours. 

We are requesting comments on all 

aspects of this information to help us to: 

(1) Evaluate whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; 

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

collection of information, including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES