WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2014—USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced today that the public comment period on its draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) cotton and soybean plants resistant to the herbicide dicamba will remain open through October 10, 2014.
The DEIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts of GE cotton resistant to the herbicides dicamba and glufosinate, and soybean resistant to dicamba. APHIS extended the comment period in response to stakeholder requests to provide additional time for comments.
Monsanto’s dicamba-resistant varieties are intended to give growers additional weed management tools, particularly due to the rising growth of glyphosate-resistant weeds.
APHIS received a petition from Monsanto requesting deregulation of its GE herbicide-resistant soybean plant in March 2012, and received the company’s petition for its GE double herbicide-resistant cotton plant in September 2012. Nonregulated status would allow Monsanto to move and plant the crops freely without APHIS regulation.
APHIS issued its Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement for Monsanto’s dicamba petitions in May 2013.
The agency will consider all public comments on the DEIS received on or before October 10, 2014.
To submit comments use http://www.regulations.gov and docket number APHIS-2013-0043.
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