Washington, DC
July 12, 2007
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
today announced the availability of a draft environmental impact
statement (EIS) that evaluates potential revisions to existing
regulations regarding the importation, interstate movement and
environmental release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms.
“Over the past 15 years, APHIS has regularly reviewed and
revised its biotechnology regulations to ensure they remain
grounded in the latest science and are robust enough to keep
pace with the demands of technology,” said W. Ron DeHaven,
administrator of APHIS.
In January 2004, APHIS publicly announced it was beginning a
review of its regulations and published a notice of intent to
prepare an EIS. The notice identified potential issues and
alternatives to be studied in the EIS and requested public
comment to further shape the scope of the issues and
alternatives.
Today’s publication of the draft programmatic EIS is a crucial
step in the overall regulatory revision process. The draft EIS
outlines several key areas APHIS is evaluating and seeking
public comments on, including expanding APHIS’ regulatory scope
through additional provisions in the Plant Protection Act (PPA)
of 2000, utilizing a tiered permitting system based on potential
environmental risk and implementing a process for continued
oversight of crops that do not meet the criteria for
deregulation.
Input received regarding these areas and all aspects of the
draft EIS will enable APHIS to make an informed decision
regarding any possible future changes to the regulations.
Ultimately, APHIS will formulate a proposed rule based on
information in the draft EIS, the latest scientific information
and public comments.
Because the public is a key partner in the EIS process, APHIS is
scheduling four public meetings in August in the Washington,
D.C. area, Missouri and California, to allow interested parties
to express their views in person. Meeting dates and locations
will be published in a separate Federal Register notice in the
near future.
APHIS is committed to an open and transparent regulatory process
that takes all comments into consideration and reflects the
latest science, while continuing to protect America’s
agricultural and natural resources.
APHIS’ broad biotechnology regulatory authority falls under the
scope of the PPA, which has combined and modernized the various
authorities under which APHIS safeguards domestic plant
resources and regulated GE organisms, including the Federal
Plant Pest Act and the Plant Quarantine Act.
The draft EIS is available on the APHIS Web site at
http://www.aphis.usda.gov.
Notice of this action is scheduled for publication next week in
the Federal Register.
APHIS invites comments on this notice and the draft EIS.
Consideration will be given to comments beginning July 13, and
all comments must be received on or before Sept. 11. Send an
original and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery
comments to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0112, Regulatory Analysis and
Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit
118, Riverdale, Md. 20737-1238. If you wish to view the draft
EIS or submit a comment using the Internet, go to the Federal
eRulemaking portal at
http://www.regulations.gov, select “Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service” from the agency drop-down menu; then
click on “Submit.” In the Docket ID column, select
APHIS-2006-0112 to submit or view public comments and to view
the draft EIS and the supporting and related materials available
electronically.
Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov Web site and may also
be viewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and
Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., between 8 a.m. and
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. To
facilitate entry into the comment reading room, please call
(202) 690-2817. |
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