

[Federal Register: January 17, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 10)]
[Notices]               
[Page 1993-1995]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17ja07-42]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0349; FRL-8105-7]

 
Experimental Use Permit; Receipt of Application

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt of an application 264-EUP-140 
from Bayer CropScience LP (BCS) requesting an experimental use permit 
(EUP) for the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab protein and the genetic 
material necessary for its production in Events T303-3 and T304-40 
cotton plants. 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 must be received on or before February 16, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0349, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 

Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public 
Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
     Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), 
Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South 
Building), 2777 S. Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only 
accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays). Special 
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. The

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Docket telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2006-0349. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the docket without change and may be made available on-line at 
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 

provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-
mail. The Federal regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' 
system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact 
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you 
send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through 
regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be automatically captured and 
included as part of the comment that is placed in the docket and made 
available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA 
recommends that you include your name and other contact information in 
the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA 
cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot 
contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your 
comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, 
any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index. 
Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly 
available, e.g., CBI or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted 
material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available 
only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are 
available either in the electronic docket at http://www.regulations.gov
, or, if only available in hard copy, at the OPP 

Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South 
Building), 2777 S. Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA. The hours of operation 
of this Docket Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The Docket telephone number is (703) 
305-5805.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sharlene R. Matten, Biopesticides and 
Pollution Prevention Division (7511P), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 605-0514; e-mail 
address: matten.sharlene@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 who are interested in 
agricultural biotechnology or may be required to conduct testing of 
pesticidal 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. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through 
regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of the 
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or 
CD ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM as 
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the 
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one 
complete version of the comment that includes 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 docket. 
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
    2. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments, 
remember to:
    i. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying 
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
    ii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
    iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and 
substitute language for your requested changes.
    iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information 
and/or data that you used.
    v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you 
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
    vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and 
suggest alternatives.
    vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of 
profanity or personal threats.
    viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

II. Background

    BCS has requested an extension of EUP 264-EUP-140 granted by EPA on 
February 7, 2006 (71 FR 41020, July 19, 2006) (FRL-8060-6). This EUP 
will expire January 31, 2007. BCS is proposing to test 84 acres of the 
plant-incorporated protectant Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab protein (a 
total of 0.91g to 7.31g or 0.002 to 0.016 pounds of Cry1Ab protein) and 
the genetic material necessary for its production in Events T303-3 and 
T304-40 cotton plants in an experimental program of 285 total acres 
from February 1, 2007 to January 31, 2008. The Cry1Ab protein is 
effective in controlling lepidopteran larvae such as bollworm 
(Helicoverpa zea) and tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens) larvae, 
which are common pests of cotton. In total, the proposed program will 
be carried out in Arizona, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, 
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. The planned experimental 
program includes the following: Insect efficacy trials, agronomic 
performance evaluation, breeding, herbicide efficacy evaluations, and 
dissemination studies, as well as the production of sample material for 
regulatory feeding and analytical studies. In addition to these 
experimental plans, seed may be produced for future plantings of 
experimental field trials.

III. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    Following the review of the BCS application and any comments and 
data received in response to this notice, EPA will decide whether to 
issue or deny the EUP request for this EUP program, and if issued, the 
conditions under which it is 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 specific legal authority for EPA to take this action is under 
FIFRA section 5.

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List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Experimental use permits.


    Dated: January 4, 2007.
Janet L. Andersen,
Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.

[FR Doc. E7-550 Filed 1-16-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-S
