Washington, DC
June 8, 2009
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is seeking
additional public comment on a petition to deregulate corn
genetically engineered (GE) to produce a microbial enzyme that
facilitates ethanol production. APHIS has regulated the corn
through its notification and permitting process since 2002.
The petition for deregulation, submitted by Syngenta Seeds,
Inc., is in accordance with APHIS’ regulations concerning the
introduction of GE organisms and products and is available for
the public’s review and comment. As part of the decisionmaking
process, APHIS also has prepared a draft environmental
assessment (EA) and plant pest risk assessment for review and
comment.
Reopening the comment period will allow interested persons
additional time to prepare and submit comments on the petition.
APHIS will make a determination of nonregulated status if it can
conclude that the organism does not pose a plant pest risk. If
APHIS grants the Syngenta Seeds, Inc., petition for
deregulation, the GE corn and its progeny would no longer be
regulated articles. The product could then be freely moved and
planted without the requirement of permits or other regulatory
oversight by APHIS.
APHIS is responsible for protecting U.S. agriculture and the
environment from animal and plant pests. APHIS regulates GE
products in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Food
and Drug Administration (FDA). In compliance with agency policy,
Syngenta Seeds, Inc. submitted a food and feed safety and
nutritional assessment summary to FDA for this GE corn. EPA is
not involved in evaluating this GE corn because it has not been
engineered to produce a pesticide or to be tolerant to an
herbicide.
APHIS has safely regulated GE organisms since 1986 and has
overseen the deregulation of more than 70 products.
This notice was published in the June 4 Federal Register. APHIS
is seeking comment on the petition, the EA and the revised plant
pest risk assessment.
Consideration will be given to comments received on or before
July 6. Send two copies of postal mail or commercial delivery
comments to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0016, 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-2007-0016. If you wish to submit a
comment using the Internet go to the Federal eRulemaking portal
at
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2007-0016.
Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov Web site and also can
be reviewed 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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