Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Process
ABOUT THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE 2, 4-D PETITIONS FOR NONREGULATED STATUS
After conducting a thorough scientific analysis of information submitted by the developers for these products, as well as considering public comments, APHIS, believing that its regulatory decisions may result in significant environmental impacts, chose to prepare this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to further assist the agency in evaluating any potential environmental impacts before we make a final determination regarding the regulatory status.
While the EIS looks more broadly at potential impacts to the environment as a whole, APHIS' regulatory authority is based on the Plant Protection Act and the Agency's oversight is specific to evaluating the potential for the GE plants to pose a plant pest risk to crops or other plants.
The EIS Process
There are two opportunities for comment during the EIS process—during the scoping period and after the development of the Draft EIS (DEIS).
As a first step in the EIS process, APHIS issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS to assess the potential environmental impacts associated with these petitions. As part of the EIS process, APHIS sought comments and held two virtual public meetings during a 60-day public comment period, which were used to inform the development of the DEIS.
APHIS then developed a DEIS after conducting a thorough scientific analysis and considering public comments collected during the scoping process. APHIS is now making the DEIS available for a 45-day comment period, and is held a virtual public meeting on January 29, 2014. Trancripts and other materials can be found below.
VIEW ALL ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS | CLICK HERE |