Environmental statements; availability, etc.: Nonregulated status determinations— AgrEvo USA Co.; genetically engineered sugar beets,

[Federal Register: February 6, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 25)]

[Notices]

[Page 6148-6149]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr06fe98-35]

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 97-130-1]

AgrEvo USA Co.; Receipt of Petition for Determination of Nonregulated Status for Sugar Beet Genetically Engineered for Glufosinate Herbicide Tolerance

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has received a petition from AgrEvo USA Company seeking a determination of nonregulated status for sugar beet designated as Transformation Event T120-7, which has been genetically engineered for tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate. The petition has been submitted in accordance with our regulations concerning the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms and products. In accordance with those regulations, we are soliciting public comments on whether this sugar beet presents a plant pest risk.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before April 7, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and three copies of your comments to Docket No. 97-130-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comments refer to Docket No. 97-130-1. A copy of the petition and any comments received may be inspected at USDA, room 1141, South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Persons wishing access to that room to inspect the petition or comments are asked to call in advance of visiting at (202) 690-2817 to facilitate entry into the reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Ved Malik, Biotechnology and Biological Analysis, PPQ, APHIS, Suite 5B05, 4700 River Road Unit 147, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 734-7612. To obtain a copy of the petition, contact Ms. Kay Peterson at (301) 734-4885; e-mail: mkpeterson@aphis.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 7 CFR part 340, ``Introduction of Organisms and Products Altered or Produced Through Genetic Engineering Which Are Plant Pests or Which There Is Reason to Believe Are Plant Pests,'' regulate, among other things, the introduction (importation, interstate movement, or release into the environment) of organisms and products altered or produced through genetic engineering that are plant pests or that there is reason to believe are plant pests. Such genetically engineered organisms and products are considered ``regulated articles.''

The regulations in Sec. 340.6(a) provide that any person may submit a petition to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) seeking a determination that an article should not be regulated under 7 CFR part 340. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of Sec. 340.6 describe the form that a petition for determination of nonregulated status must take and the information that must be included in the petition.

On December 2, 1997, APHIS received a petition (APHIS Petition No. 97-336-01p) from AgrEvo USA Company (AgrEvo) of Wilmington, DE, requesting a determination of nonregulated status under 7 CFR part 340 for sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) designated as Transformation Event T120-7 (event T120-7), which has been genetically engineered for tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate. The AgrEvo petition states that the subject sugar beet should not be regulated by APHIS because it does not present a plant pest risk.

As described in the petition, event T120-7 sugar beet has been genetically engineered to contain a synthetic version of the pat gene derived from Streptomyces viridochromogenes. The pat gene encodes the enzyme phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT), which confers tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate. Expression of the pat gene is controlled by 35S promoter and terminator sequences derived from the plant pathogen cauliflower mosaic virus. Event T120-7 sugar beet also contains the aph(3')II or nptII marker gene used in plant transformation. Expression of the nptII gene is controlled by gene sequences derived from the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and analysis indicates that the NPTII protein is expressed in certain parts of the subject plants. The A. tumefaciens method was used to transfer the added genes into the parental sugar beet line.

Event T120-7 sugar beet has been considered a regulated article under the regulations in 7 CFR part 340 because it contains gene sequences from plant pathogens. The subject sugar beet has been field tested in the U.S. since 1994 under APHIS permits. In the process of reviewing the permit applications for field trials of this sugar beet, APHIS determined that the vectors and other elements were disarmed and that the trials, which were conducted under conditions of reproductive and physical containment or isolation, would not present a risk of plant pest introduction or dissemination.

In the Federal Plant Pest Act, as amended (7 U.S.C. 150aa et seq.), ``plant pest'' is defined as ``any living stage of: Any insects, mites, nematodes, slugs, snails, protozoa, or other invertebrate animals, bacteria, fungi, other parasitic plants or reproductive parts thereof, viruses, or any organisms similar to or allied with any of the foregoing, or any infectious substances, which can directly or indirectly injure or cause disease or damage in any plants or parts thereof, or any processed, manufactured or other products of plants.'' APHIS views this definition very broadly. The definition covers direct or indirect injury, disease, or damage not just to agricultural crops, but also to plants in general, for example, native species, as well as to organisms that may be beneficial to plants, for example, honeybees, rhizobia, etc.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for the regulation of pesticides under the

[[Page 6149]]

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.). FIFRA requires that all pesticides, including herbicides, be registered prior to distribution or sale, unless exempt by EPA regulation. In cases in which genetically modified plants allow for a new use of an herbicide or involve a different use pattern for the herbicide, EPA must approve the new or different use. Accordingly, a submission has been made to EPA for registration of the herbicide glufosinate for use on sugar beet. When the use of the herbicide on the genetically modified plant would result in an increase in the residues of the herbicide in a food or feed crop for which the herbicide is currently registered, or in new residues in a crop for which the herbicide is not currently registered, establishment of a new tolerance or a revision of the existing tolerance would be required. Residue tolerances for pesticides are established by EPA under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces tolerances set by EPA under the FFDCA.

FDA published a statement of policy on foods derived from new plant varieties in the Federal Register on May 29, 1992 (57 FR 22984-23005). The FDA statement of policy includes a discussion of FDA's authority for ensuring food safety under the FFDCA, and provides guidance to industry on the scientific considerations associated with the development of foods derived from new plant varieties, including those plants developed through the techniques of genetic engineering. AgrEvo has begun consultation with FDA on the subject sugar beet.

In accordance with Sec. 340.6(d) of the regulations, we are publishing this notice to inform the public that APHIS will accept written comments regarding the Petition for Determination of Nonregulated Status from any interested person for a period of 60 days from the date of this notice. The petition and any comments received are available for public review, and copies of the petition may be ordered (see the ADDRESSES section of this notice).

After the comment period closes, APHIS will review the data submitted by the petitioner, all written comments received during the comment period, and any other relevant information. Based on the available information, APHIS will furnish a response to the petitioner, either approving the petition in whole or in part, or denying the petition. APHIS will then publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing the regulatory status of AgrEvo's event T120-7 sugar beet and the availability of APHIS' written decision.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 150aa-150jj, 151-167, and 1622n; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(c).

Done in Washington, DC, this 2nd day of February 1998. Craig A. Reed, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 98-3048Filed2-5-98; 8:45 am]

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