[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 222 (Monday, November 18, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 69006-69007]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-27479]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
21 CFR Parts 16 and 112
[Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0921]
RIN 0910-AG35
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Rule: Standards
for Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human
Consumption; Extension of Comment Period
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Extension of comment period for the Environmental Impact
Statement for the proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is extending the
comment period for the ``Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement for the Proposed Rule: Standards for Growing,
Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption''
that appeared in the Federal Register of August 19, 2013. We are taking
this action to allow interested persons an opportunity to provide
comment on the scope of issues the Agency should include in the
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), including their significance, as
part of the scoping process for the EIS.
DATES: The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping meetings, if
determined to be necessary, will be announced at least 15 days in
advance through FDA Web site's at http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm334114.htm. Comments on the scope of issues
the Agency should include in the EIS may be submitted in writing until
March 15, 2014.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the scope of issues the Agency
should include in the EIS, identified by Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0921
and/or Regulatory Information Number (RIN) 0910-AG35, by any of the
following methods:
Electronic Submissions
Submit electronic comments in the following way:
[[Page 69007]]
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Written Submissions
Submit written submissions in the following ways:
Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for paper or CD-ROM
submissions): Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the Agency name
and Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0921, and RIN 0910-AG35 for this rulemaking.
All comments received may be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. For
additional information on submitting comments, see the ``Request for
Comments'' heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this
document.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov and insert the
docket number, found in brackets in the heading of this document, into
the ``Search'' box and follow the prompts and/or go to the Division of
Dockets Management, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annette McCarthy, Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-205), Food and Drug Administration,
5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 240-402-1200.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In the Federal Register of August 19, 2013 (78 FR 50358), we
published a notice of intent entitled ``Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Rule: Standards for
Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human
Consumption'' with a comment period extending through November 15,
2013, to announce the beginning of the scoping process. We solicited
public comments and requested public input to identify issues to be
analyzed in an EIS.
The purpose of the public scoping process for the EIS is to
determine relevant issues that will influence the scope of the
environmental analysis, including potential alternatives, and the
extent to which those issues and impacts will be analyzed in the EIS.
Federal, State, and local agencies, along with tribes and other
stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by the produce
safety rule are invited to participate in the scoping process. FDA has
previously sought comment on potential environmental effects as part of
the public comment period for the proposed rule, including specific
questions regarding agricultural water, biological soil amendments of
animal origin, and wildlife (78 FR 3504 at 3616, 3619-3620; January 16,
2013). FDA believes that these questions are still relevant to the
environmental analysis and will consider comments received.
FDA is granting an extension of the public scoping period to allow
the public additional time to provide comment and for FDA to hold, as
appropriate, one or more public scoping meetings during this time
period. As part of the scoping process, the Agency will determine the
range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to be considered in the
EIS. This notice does not extend the comment period on the produce
safety proposed rule published on January 16, 2013 (78 FR 3504). As
previously announced (78 FR 48637, August 9, 2013), the comment period
on the produce safety proposed rule closes on November 15, 2013.
II. Request for Comments
Interested persons may submit either electronic comments regarding
the issues to be included in the EIS for the proposed rule to http://www.regulations.gov or written comments to the Division of Dockets
Management (see ADDRESSES). It is only necessary to send one set of
comments. Identify comments with the docket number found in brackets in
the heading of this document. Received comments may be seen in the
Division of Dockets Management between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday, and will be posted to the docket at http://www.regulations.gov.
Dated: November 12, 2013.
Leslie Kux,
Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2013-27479 Filed 11-15-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-P