USDA Announces Availability of Petition for Deregulation of GE Cotton

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is inviting public comment on a petition from the Monsanto Company (Monsanto) seeking deregulation of a cotton variety genetically engineered (GE) for resistance to certain insects, primarily those of the Lygus genus. The petition will be available for public review and comment for 60 days.

APHIS is interested in receiving comments regarding potential environmental and interrelated economic impacts to assist in our assessment of the petition as it relates to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The public comments received, along with the best available scientific documents, will assist APHIS in determining the appropriate environmental documents to prepare in accordance with our petition process to make a fully informed decision on the regulatory status of this GE cotton variety.

The petition can be accessed now on the News and Information page of the BRS website. Beginning September 26, 2019, members of the public will be able to submit comments through November 25, 2019 at: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=APHIS-2019-0050.