10874 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 20, 2001 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Docket No. TB–01–01]

National Advisory Committee for

Tobacco Inspection Services; Meeting

In accordance with the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.)

announcement is made of the following

committee meeting:

Name: National Advisory Committee for

Tobacco Inspection Services.

Date: March 6, 2001.

Time: 9 a.m.

Place: U.S. Department of Agriculture

(USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service

(AMS), 300 12th Street SW., Room 524

Cotton Annex Building, Washington, DC

20250.

Purpose: To elect officers, review various

regulations issued pursuant to the Tobacco

Inspection Act (7 U.S.C. 511 et seq.), and

discuss the level of service (number of sets

of graders) AMS will provide for the 2001–

2002 tobacco marketing season. The

Committee will recommend the desired level

of service to be provided to producers by

AMS and an appropriate fee structure to fund

the recommended services for the 2001–2002

selling season.

The meeting is open to the public. Persons,

other than members, who wish to address the

Committee at the meeting should contact

John P. Duncan III, Deputy Administrator,

Tobacco Programs, AMS, USDA, Room 502

Annex Building, P.O. Box 96456,

Washington, DC 20090-6456; (202) 205–0567,

prior to the meeting. Written statements may

be submitted to the Committee before, at, or

after the meeting. If you need any

accommodations to participate in the

meeting, please contact the Tobacco

Programs at (202) 205–0567 by February 28,

2001, and inform us of your needs.

Dated: February 14, 2001.

Kenneth C. Clayton,

Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing

Service.

[FR Doc. 01–4224 Filed 2–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 01–012–1]

Living Genetically Modified Organisms

and Invasive Species; Public Meeting

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: This is to notify interested

persons that the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service will hold a

public meeting to provide a forum for

discussion on the recommendation for

the development of two standards to

address the issues of living genetically

modified organisms and invasive

species under the International Plant

Protection Convention, recognized by

the World Trade Organization

Agreement on the Application of

Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures as

the international standard-setting body

for phytosanitary standards.

DATES: The public meeting will be held

on Thursday, March 8, 2001, from 10

a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be

held at the USDA Center, Second Floor,

Training Rooms 1 and 2, 4700 River

Road, Riverdale, MD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

information about the meeting, contact

Dr. Cathleen Enright, Director,

Biotechnology, APHIS/PPQ/PIM, 4700

Riverdale Road Unit 140, Riverdale, MD

20737; (301)734–5342; or Mr. Narcy

Klag, Director, International Standards

Management/NAPPO, APHIS/PPQ/PIM,

4700 Riverdale Road Unit 140,

Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734–8469.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As a result

of the 1997 text revision of the

International Plant Protection

Convention (IPPC), the Interim

Commission on Phytosanitary Measures

(ICPM) was established in 1998 to serve

as the engine for developing

international phytosanitary standards as

well as promoting other basic objectives

of the IPPC until the revised IPPC

officially comes into force. The ICPM

was prompted to address living

genetically modified organisms (LMO’s)

and invasive species specifically as a

result of IPPC member country requests

for further guidance on evaluating the

organisms as potential plant pests. At

present, the guidance provided under

the IPPC for these issues is limited. An

IPPC working group on genetically

modified organisms and invasive

species met in June, 2000, and drafted

recommendations for new standards to

be developed to address these issues.

The working group will forward these

recommendations to the April 2001

meeting of the ICPM for adoption.

The United States Government is a

member of the IPPC, and the Animal

and Plant Health Inspection Service

(APHIS) of the United States

Department of Agriculture has the lead

in IPPC matters within the United

States. Therefore, APHIS is giving notice

of a public meeting to allow anyone,

especially those who are interested in

biotechnology and invasive species

issues, an opportunity to present their

views on the recommendations and to

exchange information among

themselves and with APHIS regarding

the IPPC recommendations. The two

standards proposed for development in

the recommendations are:

(1) To address the plant pest risks

associated with LMO’s; and

(2) To address the environmental

effects of quarantine pests, including

quarantine pests that are invasive.

This public meeting is scheduled for

Thursday, March 8, 2001. The public

meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and is

scheduled to end at 11:30 a.m. Those

wishing to speak at the meeting should

register on or before March 5, 2001. To

register to speak, please e-mail

cathleen.a.enright@aphis.usda.gov or

send a fax to Dr. Cathleen Enright at

301–734–7639. Registrants should

include their name, address, and

telephone number. Speakers are

welcome, but not required, to submit

written copies of comments by e-mail at

the address listed above. Depending on

the number of registered speakers, time

limits may be imposed on speakers, and

speakers who have registered in

advance will be given priority if time is

limited. The meeting will be recorded,

and information about obtaining a

transcript will be provided at the

meeting.

If you require special

accommodations, such as a sign

language interpreter, please contact the

persons listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT.

Parking and Security Procedures

Please note that a fee of $2 is required

to enter the parking lot at the USDA

Center. The machine accepts $1 bills or

quarters.

Upon entering the building, visitors

should inform security personnel that

they are attending the Living

Genetically Modified Organisms public

meeting. Identification is required.

Security personnel will direct visitors to

the registration tables located outside of

Training Rooms 1 and 2 on the second

floor. Registration upon arrival is

necessary for all participants, including

those who have registered to speak in

advance. Visitor badges must be worn

throughout the day.

Further information regarding the

meeting and registration instructions

may be obtained from the persons listed

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT.

Done in Washington, DC, this 14th day of

February 2001.

Bobby R. Acord,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 01–4143 Filed 2–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–U