[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75933-75934]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21612]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2006-0166]
Environmental Impact Statement; Genetically Engineered Fruit Fly
and Pink Bollworm
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
and proposed scope of study.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service intends to prepare an environmental impact statement
relative to the proposed use of genetically engineered fruit flies and
pink bollworm in certain plant pest control programs. This notice
identifies potential issues and alternatives that will be studied in
the environmental impact statement, requests public comment to further
delineate the scope of the issues and alternatives, and provides notice
of public meetings.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
February 20, 2007. We will also consider comments made at public
meetings to be held in Washington, DC, on January 17, 2007; in Ontario,
CA, on January 23, 2007; in Tempe, AZ, on January 25, 2007; in Weslaco,
TX, on January 30, 2007; and in Tampa, FL, on February 1, 2007. Each
meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., local time.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov, select
``Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service'' from the agency drop-
down menu, then click ``Submit.'' In the Docket ID column, select
APHIS-2006-0166 to submit or view public comments and to view
supporting and related materials available electronically. Information
on using Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing
documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket after the close
of the comment period, is available through the site's ``User Tips''
link.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies of your
comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0166,
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700
River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your
comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0166.
Public Meetings: For the locations of the public meetings regarding
this notice, see the Supplementary Information section of this notice.
Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive in our
reading room. The reading room 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) 690-2817 before coming.
Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its
programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. David A. Bergsten, Biological
Scientist, Environmental Services, PPD, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit
149, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238; (301) 734-4883.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is
considering using genetically engineered fruit flies (Diptera:
Tephritidae) and pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) in our
ongoing plant pest control programs for fruit flies and pink bollworm.
Currently, these programs use a sterile insect technique that involves
mass-rearing plant pests in a special facility, sterilizing the insects
by irradiation, and releasing the insects to mate with wild plant
pests. The release of sterile insects reduces the pest population
through
[[Page 75934]]
associated decreases in the potential reproduction rate. Genetically
engineered fruit flies and pink bollworm could augment the sterile
insect technique by producing only male insects, insects with a genetic
identification marker, insects that compete more effectively for mates,
and/or insects that produce no viable offspring.
Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), agencies must examine the
potential environmental effects of proposed Federal actions and
alternatives. We intend to prepare an environmental impact statement
(EIS) relative to the proposed use of genetically engineered fruit
flies and pink bollworm in the plant pest control programs for fruit
flies and pink bollworm. The EIS will examine the range of potential
effects that the proposed applications could pose to the human
environment.
This notice identifies potential issues and alternatives that we
will study in the EIS and requests public comment to further delineate
the issues and the scope of the alternatives.
We have identified three broad alternatives for study in the EIS.
Take no action. This alternative contemplates no change to the
plant pest control programs that use sterile insect technique. It
represents a baseline against which proposed revisions may be compared.
Expansion of existing plant pest control programs. This alternative
contemplates improving the current plant pest control programs by
expanding rearing operations, irradiation treatment capacity, classical
genetic selection methods for separation of insect sexes, and the plant
pest species used in these programs.
Integrate genetically engineered insects into existing plant pest
control programs. This alternative contemplates integrating genetically
engineered fruit flies and pink bollworm into the current plant pest
control programs.
We welcome comments on these alternatives and on other issues or
alternatives that should be examined in the EIS. In addition, we invite
responses to the following questions:
Are there any new or greater risks or apparent benefits associated
with the strategy of using genetic engineering instead of classical
genetic techniques to develop new insect strains to improve ongoing
APHIS plant pest control programs? If so, please explain.
The proposed EIS focuses on the development and use of genetic
engineering to improve specific APHIS plant pest control programs. Are
there any unique risks that APHIS should consider in detail for genetic
engineering of pink bollworm and fruit fly species?
What are the potential risks of non-target effects associated with
this technology?
All comments will be considered fully in developing a final scope
of study. When the draft EIS is completed, a notice announcing its
availability and an invitation to comment on it will be published in
the Federal Register.
Public Meetings
We are advising the public that we are hosting five public meetings
on this notice of intent to prepare an EIS. The public meetings will be
held as follows:
Wednesday, January 17, 2007, in the USDA Jamie L. Whitten Building,
Room 107-A, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007, in the Marriott Hotel, 2200 East Holt
Boulevard, Ontario, CA.
Thursday, January 25, 2007, in the Holiday Inn, 915 East Apache
Boulevard, Tempe, AZ.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007, in the Kika de la Garza Subtropical
Agricultural Research Center, 2413 East Highway 83, Bldg. 213, Bill
Wilson Conference Room, Weslaco, TX.
Thursday, February 1, 2007, in the Embassy Suites Hotel Tampa-Airport/
Westshore, 555 North Westshore Boulevard, Tampa, FL.
All of the public meetings will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, local
time.
A representative of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
will preside at the public meetings. Any interested person may appear
and be heard in person, by attorney, or by other representative.
Written statements may be submitted and will be made part of the
meeting record.
Registration for each meeting will take place 30 minutes prior to
the scheduled start of the meeting. Persons who wish to speak at a
meeting will be asked to sign in with their name and organization to
establish a record for the meeting. We ask that anyone who reads a
statement provide two copies to the presiding officer at the meeting.
The presiding officer may limit the time for each presentation so
that all interested persons appearing at each meeting have an
opportunity to participate. Each meeting may be terminated at any time
if all persons desiring to speak and that are present in the meeting
room have been heard.
Done in Washington, DC, this 13th day of December 2006.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E6-21612 Filed 12-18-06; 8:45 am]
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