Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices 13735

with native bacteria and soil insects; 4)

any effects on non-target species

including pollinators and native insects

exposed to Bt crops need to be

addressed; 5) biotech crops have not

been adequately tested for food uses and

there is no evidence biotech food is safe;

6) effects of biotech crops on children

are unknown; 7) biotech products

should be labeled (at the supermarket);

8) organic farmers adversely affected by

biotech should be compensated; 9)

butterfly populations harmed by biotech

should be restored; 10) ecological

concerns including outcrossing and

genetic drift need to be addressed; 11)

adequate containment provisions are

needed for the program.

After the Federal Register notice

announcing this application was issued,

Monsanto revised the program to

eliminate the proposed acreage in

Hawaii. Therefore, all comments and

issues raised for the Hawaiian acreage

are no longer germane for this EUP.

Based on submitted information, no

significant or irreversible hazards to

endangered species or non-target

organisms in Puerto Rico are anticipated

for this limited acreage, contained, crop

destruct program.

Because the EUP has crop destruct

provisions and is for non-food use only,

no human dietary exposure is expected.

As such, food safety issues (including

food labeling, effects on children, and

allergenicity concerns) are not germane

for this EUP. There is no evidence that

organic growers have been adversely

affected by any EPA-registered Bt crop.

Outcrossing and genetic drift are

unlikely due to the genetic containment

provisions of the EUP, the lack of wild

soybean relatives in test areas, and the

low rate of soybean cross-pollination

(soybeans are self-pollinated). All

Cry1Ac soybeans grown under this EUP

are required to be isolated from nontransgenic soybeans (not part of the

program) by at least 6 meters. In

addition, the following containment

procedures are part of the experimental

program: 1) Seeds will be stored in

color-coded, marked bags in a secure

location; 2) leftover seed will be

destroyed or returned to Monsanto; 3)

seeds will be double packaged for

transport; 4) no plant material will be

removed from the experimental sites

without authorization; 5) field

equipment and machinery will be

throughly cleaned of any plant material

and leftover seeds on-site before leaving

the field; 6) soybeans are self-pollinating

and have low potential for outcrossing

(no special pollen-containment is

needed); 7) seeds may be harvested for

further research and harvesting

equipment will be thoroughly cleaned;

8) all remaining plant material after

harvest will be destroyed; 9) trial sites

will be planted with a different crop the

following year or left fallow; 10) trial

sites will be monitored for 1 year to

ensure no soybean regrowth or

volunteers (those found will be

eliminated).

Persons wishing to review this EUP

are referred to the designated contact

person. Inquiries concerning this permit

should be directed to the person cited

above. It is suggested that interested

persons call before visiting the EPA

office, so that the appropriate file may

be made available for inspection

purposes from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday

through Friday, excluding legal

holidays.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136.

List of Subjects

Environmental protection,

Experimental use permits.

Dated: February 6, 2001.

Janet L.Andersen,

Director, Biopesticides and Pollution

Prevention Division, Office of Pesticide

Programs.

[FR Doc. 01–5574 Filed 3–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–S

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[OPP–50880; FRL–6770–4]

Experimental Use Permits; Receipt of

Applications Bt Corn

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt

of applications 68467–EUP–G, 68467–

EUP–L, 29964–EUP–R, and 29964–

EUP–G from Mycogen Seeds c/o Dow

AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred

International requesting experimental

use permits (EUPs) for the plantpesticides Bacillus thuringiensis

PS149B1 protein and the genetic

material necessary for its production

(from the insert of plasmid PHP12560)

in corn and Bacillus thuringiensis

PS149B1 protein and the genetic

material necessary for its production

(from the insert of plasmid PHP14352)

in corn. The Agency has determined

that the application may be of regional

and national significance. Therefore, in

accordance with 40 CFR 172.11(a), the

Agency is soliciting comments on this

application.

DATES: Comments, identified by docket

control number OPP–50880, must be

received on or before April 23, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments and data may be

submitted by mail, electronically, or in

person. Please follow the detailed

instructions for each method as

provided in Unit I. of the

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. To ensure

proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative

that you identify docket control number

OPP–50880 in the subject line on the

first page of your response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By

mail: Mike Mendelsohn, Biopesticides

and Pollution Prevention Division

(7511C), Office of Pesticide Programs,

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200

Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,

DC 20460; telephone number: (703)

308–8715; e-mail address:

mendelsohn.mike@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

This action is directed to the public

in general. This action may, however, be

of interest to those persons interested in

plant-pesticides or those persons who

are or may be required to conduct

testing of chemical substances under the

Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act

(FFDCA), or the Federal Insecticide,

Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act

(FIFRA). Since other entities may also

be interested, the Agency has not

attempted to describe all the specific

entities that may be affected by this

action. If you have any questions

regarding the applicability of this action

to a particular entity, consult the person

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Additional

Information, Including Copies of this

Document and Other Related

Documents?

1. Electronically. You may obtain

electronic copies of this document, and

certain other related documents that

might be available electronically, from

the EPA Internet Home Page at http://

www.epa.gov/. To access this

document, on the Home Page select

‘‘Laws and Regulations,’’ ‘‘Regulations

and Proposed Rules,’’ and then look up

the entry for this document under the

‘‘Federal Register—Environmental

Documents.’’ You can also go directly to

the Federal Register listings at http://

www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.

2. In person. The Agency has

established an official record for this

action under docket control number

OPP–50880. The official record consists

of the documents specifically referenced

13736 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices

in this action, and other information

related to this action, including any

information claimed as Confidential

Business Information (CBI). This official

record includes the documents that are

physically located in the docket, as well

as the documents that are referenced in

those documents. The public version of

the official record does not include any

information claimed as CBI. The public

version of the official record, which

includes printed, paper versions of any

electronic comments submitted during

an applicable comment period is

available for inspection in the Public

Information and Records Integrity

Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119, Crystal Mall

#2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy.,

Arlington, VA, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, excluding legal

holidays. The PIRIB telephone number

is (703) 305–5805.

C. How and to Whom Do I Submit

Comments?

You may submit comments through

the mail, in person, or electronically. To

ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is

imperative that you identify docket

control number OPP–50880 in the

subject line on the first page of your

response.

1. By mail. Submit your comments to:

Public Information and Records

Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Information

Resources and Services Division

(7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs

(OPP), Environmental Protection

Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,

Washington, DC 20460.

2. In person or by courier. Deliver

your comments to: Public Information

and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB),

Information Resources and Services

Division (7502C), Office of Pesticide

Programs (OPP), Environmental

Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal

Mall #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy.,

Arlington, VA. The PIRIB is open from

8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through

Friday, excluding legal holidays. The

PIRIB telephone number is (703) 305–

5805.

3. Electronically. You may submit

your comments electronically by e-mail

to: opp-docket@epa.gov, or you can

submit a computer disk as described

above. Do not submit any information

electronically that you consider to be

CBI. Avoid the use of special characters

and any form of encryption. Electronic

submissions will be accepted in

WordPerfect 6.1/8.0 or ASCII file

format. All comments in electronic form

must be identified by docket control

number OPP–50880. Electronic

comments may also be filed online at

many Federal Depository Libraries.

D. How Should I Handle CBI That I

Want to Submit to the Agency?

Do not submit any information

electronically that you consider to be

CBI. You may claim information that

you submit to EPA in response to this

document as CBI by marking any part or

all of that information as CBI.

Information so marked will not be

disclosed except in accordance with

procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.

In addition to one complete version of

the comment that includes any

information claimed as CBI, a copy of

the comment that does not contain the

information claimed as CBI must be

submitted for inclusion in the public

version of the official record.

Information not marked confidential

will be included in the public version

of the official record without prior

notice. If you have any questions about

CBI or the procedures for claiming CBI,

please consult the person listed under

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

E. What Should I Consider as I Prepare

My Comments for EPA?

You may find the following

suggestions helpful for preparing your

comments:

1. Explain your views as clearly as

possible.

2. Describe any assumptions that you

used.

3. Provide copies of any technical

information and/or data you used that

support your views.

4. If you estimate potential burden or

costs, explain how you arrived at the

estimate that you provide.

5. Provide specific examples to

illustrate your concerns.

6. Offer alternative ways to improve

the notice.

7. Make sure to submit your

comments by the deadline in this

document.

8. To ensure proper receipt by EPA,

be sure to identify the docket control

number assigned to this action in the

subject line on the first page of your

response. You may also provide the

name, date, and Federal Register

citation.

II. Background

Mycogen Seeds c/o Dow

AgroSciences (9330 Zionsville Road,

Indianapolis, IN 46268) and Pioneer HiBred International (7250 NW 62nd

Avenue, Johnston, IA 50131) have

requested EUPs for the plant-pesticides

Bacillus thuringiensis PS149B1 protein

and the genetic material necessary for

its production (from the insert of

plasmid PHP12560) in corn and Bacillus

thuringiensis PS149B1 protein and the

genetic material necessary for its

production (from the insert of plasmid

PHP14352) in corn. Both active

ingredients are for control of corn

rootworm.

Pioneer Hi-Bred has requested to test

191.6 acres in Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana,

Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,

Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,

Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South

Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Mycogen Seeds has requested to test

612.5 acres in Colorado, Hawaii,

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,

Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,

Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Puerto

Rico, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

All EUPs are to be genetically

contained. Corn grown during the EUPs

is not to be used for food or feed.

III. What Action is the Agency Taking?

Following the review of the Mycogen

Seeds and Pioneer Hi-Bred applications

and any comments and data received in

response to this notice, EPA will decide

whether to issue or deny the EUP

requests for these EUP programs, and if

issued, the conditions under which they

are to be conducted. Any issuance of an

EUP will be announced in the Federal

Register.

IV. What is the Agency’s Authority for

Taking this Action?

The Agency’s authority for taking this

action is under FIFRA section 5.

List of Subjects

Environmental protection,

Experimental use permits.

Dated: February 16, 2001.

Janet L. Andersen,

Director, Biopesticides and Pollution

Prevention Division, Office of Pesticide

Programs.

[FR Doc. 01–5579 Filed 3–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–S

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[OPP–50881; FRL–6770–5]

Experimental Use Permits; Receipt of

Applications Bt Corn

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt

of applications 68467–EUP–U and

29964–EUP–E from Mycogen Seeds c/o

Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred

International requesting experimental

use permits (EUPs) for the plantpesticide Bacillus thuringiensis