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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 49 / Wednesday, March 13, 2019 / Notices

Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250–
7602. Copies of the submission(s) may
be obtained by calling (202) 720–8958.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB control
number and the agency informs
potential persons who are to respond to
the collection of information that such
persons are not required to respond to
the collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.

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Rural Utilities Service
Title: Lien Accommodations and
Subordinations 7 CFR part 1717,
subparts R and S.
OMB Control Number: 0572–0100.
Summary of Collection: The Rural
Electrification Act (RE Act) of 1936, 7
U.S.C. 901 et.seq., as amended,
authorizes and empowers the
Administrator of the Rural Utilities
Service (RUS) to make loans in the
several States and Territories of the
United States for rural electrification
and the furnishing electric energy to
persons in rural areas who are not
receiving central station service. The RE
Act also authorizes and empowers the
Administrator of RUS to provide
financial assistance to borrowers for
purposes provided in the RE Act by
accommodating or subordinating loans
made by the National Rural Utilities
Cooperative Finance Corporation, the
Federal Financing Bank, and other
lending agencies.
Need and Use of the Information:
RUS will use the information to
determine an applicant’s eligibility for a
lien accommodation or lien
subordination under the RE Act;
facilitates an applicant’s solicitation and
acquisition of non-RUS loans as to
converse available Government funds;
monitor the compliance of borrowers
with debt covenants and regulatory
requirements in order to protect loan
security; and subsequently to granting
the lien accommodation or lien
subordination, administer each so as to
minimize its cost to the Government. If
the information were not collected, RUS
would not be able to accomplish its
statutory goals.
Description of Respondents: Not-forprofit institutions; Business or other forprofit.
Number of Respondents: 1.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
On occasion.

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Total Burden Hours: 19.

Rural Utilities Service

Kimble Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019–04531 Filed 3–12–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
March 7, 2019.

The Department of Agriculture has
submitted the following information
collection requirement(s) to Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13. Comments are
requested regarding (1) whether the
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of burden including
the validity of the methodology and
assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance
the quality, utility and clarity of the
information to be collected; (4) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments regarding this information
collection received by April 12, 2019
will be considered. Written comments
should be addressed to: Desk Officer for
Agriculture, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), New
Executive Office Building, 725—17th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20502.
Commenters are encouraged to submit
their comments to OMB via email to:
OIRA_Submission@OMB.EOP.GOV or
fax (202) 395–5806 and to Departmental
Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail
Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250–
7602. Copies of the submission(s) may
be obtained by calling (202) 720–8958.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB control
number and the agency informs
potential persons who are to respond to
the collection of information that such
persons are not required to respond to
the collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.

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Title: 7 CFR 1744–C, Advance and
Disbursement of Funds—
Telecommunications.
OMB Control Number: 0572–0023.
Summary of Collection: Section 201 of
the Rural Electrification Act (RE Act) of
1936 authorizes the Administrator of the
Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to make
loans for the purpose of providing
telephone service to the widest
practicable number of rural subscribers.
A borrower requesting loan advances
must submit RUS Form 481, ‘‘Financial
Requirement Statement’’. Along with
the Form 481 the borrower must also
submit a description of the advances
and upon request copies of backup
documentation relating to the
transactions. Within a reasonable
amount of time, funds are advanced to
the borrower for the purposes specified
in the statement of purposes. The
borrower must immediately deposit all
advanced money into a Special
Construction account until disbursed.
Need and Use of the Information: The
information collected is used by RUS to
record and control transactions and
verify that the funds advanced in the
construction fund are related directly to
loan purposes. If the information were
not collected, RUS would not have any
control over how loan funds are spent
or a record of the balance to be
advanced.
Description of Respondents: Business
or other for-profit; not-for-profit.
Number of Respondents: 84.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 481.
Rural Utilities Service
Title: 7 CFR 1728, Electric Standards
and Specifications for Materials and
Construction.
OMB Control Number: 0572–0131.
Summary of Collection: The Rural
Electrification Act of 1936, 7 U.S.C. 901
et seq., as amended, (RE Act) in Sec. 4
(7 U.S.C. 904) authorizes and empowers
the Administrator of the Rural Utilities
Service (RUS) to make loans in the
several States and Territories of the
United States for rural electrification
and the furnishing and improving of
electric energy to persons in rural areas.
RUS’ Administrator is authorized to
provide financial assistance to
borrowers for purposes provided in the
RE Act by guaranteeing loans made by
the National Rural Utilities Cooperative
Finance Corporation, the Federal
Financing Bank, and other lending
agencies. These loans are for a term of
up to 35 years and are secured by a first
mortgage on the borrower’s electric

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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 49 / Wednesday, March 13, 2019 / Notices
system. Manufacturers, wishing to sell
their products to RUS electric
borrowers, request RUS consideration
for acceptance of their products and
submit letters of request with
certifications as to the origin of
manufacture of the products and
include certified data demonstrating
their products’ compliance with RUS
specifications.
Need and Use of the Information:
Manufacturers submit certified data
demonstrating product compliance with
RUS specifications, usually in the form
of laboratory test results, catalog pages,
or drawings. RUS will evaluate the data
to determine that the quality of the
products are acceptable and that their
use will not jeopardize loan security.
The information is closely reviewed to
be certain that test data; product
dimensions and product material
compositions fully comply with RUS
technical standards and specifications
that have been established for the
particular product. Without this
information, RUS has no means of
determining the acceptability of
products for use in the rural
environment.
Description of Respondents: Business
or other for-profit.
Number of Respondents: 38.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
on occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 1,800.
Kimble Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019–04524 Filed 3–12–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0075]

Verdeca LLC; Availability of a Draft
Plant Pest Risk Assessment and a
Draft Environmental Assessment for
Determination of Nonregulated Status
of Soybean Genetically Engineered for
Yield Increase and Resistance to
Glufosinate
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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AGENCY:

We are advising the public
that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service is making available
for public comment a draft plant pest
risk assessment (PPRA) and a draft
environmental assessment (EA) for the
new plant variety HB4 soybean

SUMMARY:

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designated as event IND–00410–5,
which has been genetically engineered
for increased yield and resistance to the
herbicide glufosinate. We are making
the draft PPRA and draft EA available
for public review and comment.
DATES: We will consider all comments
that we receive on or before April 12,
2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by either of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docket
Detail;D=APHIS-2017-0075.
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery:
Send your comment to Docket No.
APHIS–2017–0075, Regulatory Analysis
and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station
3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118,
Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.
Supporting documents and any
comments we receive on this docket
may be viewed at http://
www.regulations.gov/#!docket
Detail;D=APHIS-2017-0075 or in our
reading room, which is located in Room
1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th
Street and Independence Avenue SW,
Washington, DC. Normal reading room
hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except holidays. To be
sure someone is there to help you,
please call (202) 799-7039 before
coming.
The petition is also available on the
APHIS website at: http://
www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/
petitions_table_pending.shtml under
APHIS petition 17–223–01p.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Subray Hegde, Chief, Plants Branch,
Environmental Risk Analysis Programs,
Biotechnology Regulatory Services,
APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 147,
Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 851–
3901; email: subray.hegde@usda.gov. To
obtain copies of the petition, contact
Ms. Cindy Eck at (301) 851–3892, email:
cynthia.a.eck@aphis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the
authority of the plant pest provisions of
the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701
et seq.), 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 (GE) organisms
and products are considered ‘‘regulated
articles.’’

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9077

The regulations in § 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.
APHIS received a petition (APHIS
Petition Number 17–223–01p) from
Verdeca LLC (Verdeca), seeking a
determination of nonregulated status for
the new plant variety called HB4
soybean (Glycine max) designated as
event IND–00410–5 (also OECD unique
identifier IND–00410–5), which has
been genetically engineered for
increased yield. The Verdeca petition
states that information collected during
field trials and laboratory analyses
indicates that HB4 soybean is not likely
to be a plant pest and therefore should
not be a regulated article under APHIS’
regulations in 7 CFR part 340.
According to our process 1 for
soliciting public comment when
considering petitions for determinations
of nonregulated status of GE organisms,
APHIS accepts written comments
regarding a petition once APHIS deems
it complete. In a notice 2 published in
the Federal Register on November 15,
2017 (82 FR 52873–52874, Docket No.
APHIS–2017–0075), APHIS announced
the availability of the Verdeca petition
for public comment. APHIS solicited
comments on the petition for 60 days
ending on January 16, 2018, in order to
help identify potential environmental
and interrelated economic issues and
impacts that APHIS may determine
should be considered in our evaluation
of the petition. APHIS received five
comments on the petition (a sixth
comment addressing an entirely
different topic was erroneously
submitted). Of the five comments, four
were opposed to the deregulation and
one comment was in support. In May
2018, Verdeca provided supplemental
information to APHIS informing us that
its HB4 soybean variety also had fieldlevel resistance to the herbicide
glufosinate. APHIS reviewed the
supplemental information and has
included it in its analyses in the draft
plant pest risk assessment (PPRA) and
draft environmental assessment (EA).
We are making the supplemental
1 On March 6, 2012, APHIS published in the
Federal Register (77 FR 13258–13260, Docket No.
APHIS–2011–0129) a notice describing our public
review process for soliciting public comments and
information when considering petitions for
determinations of nonregulated status for GE
organisms. To view the notice, go to http://
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS2011-0129.
2 To view the notice, the petition, and the
comments we received, go to http://
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS2017-0075.

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