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Docket No. 00-023N 55912 Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 66, No. 214 Monday, November 5, 2001 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 00023N]
Availability of and Request for
Comment on FSIS Draft Risk
Assessment for Escherichia coli
O157:H7 in Ground Beef
AGENCY
:
Food Safety and Inspection
Service, USDA.
ACTION
:
Notice.
SUMMARY
:
The Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing
the availability of, and requesting public
comment on, its draft risk assessment
for Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 in
ground beef. Meanwhile, the Agency is
seeking scientific peer review of the
draft risk assessment from the National
Academies of Science. The document
will be revised with comments from that
review. FSIS conducted this assessment
to assist in reviewing and refining its
integrated risk reduction strategy for E.
coli O157:H7 in beef.
DATES
:
Comments are due January 4,
2002.
ADDRESSES
:
Submit one original and
two copies of written comments to: FSIS
Docket Room, Docket #00023N, Room
102 Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 202503700. All
comments received in response to this
notice will be considered part of the
public record and will be available for
viewing in the FSIS Docket Room
between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. As discussed
below, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) submitted
comments on the risk assessment in
response to an earlier review of the
document. These and other comments
will also be available in the FSIS Docket
Room.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
:
For
a copy of the draft risk assessment
contact: Annette Reid at 2026906409.
The report is also available on the FSIS
homepage at www.fsis.usda.gov. For
technical questions and for a copy of the
model contact Dr. Eric Ebel at 970490
7954.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
:
Background
On August 18, 1998, FSIS announced
plans to conduct a farm-to-table risk
assessment for E. coli O157:H7 in beef
with a focus on ground beef (63 FR
44232). A team comprised of Federal
scientists, visiting scientists, and
consultants contributed to the
assessment. The overall goals of the
assessment were to:

Quantitatively model, with
attendant uncertainty, human illnesses
caused by E. coli O157:H7 in ground
beef in the United States

Identify the occurrence and levels
of the pathogen at points along the farm-
to-table continuum

Identify future research needs

Document risk assessment methods
and evidence for future assessments

Effectively communicate the results
to all interested partiesgovernment,
consumer groups, industry, the
scientific community, and the general
public.
FSIS held a public meeting on
October 28, 1998, to solicit comment
and input at an early stage of the project
regarding the scope of the risk
assessment, the analytical framework to
be used in conducting the risk
assessment, the scientific evidence
acquired by the risk assessment team,
and the existing data gaps identified. At
that meeting, the Agency released a
draft report Preliminary Pathways and
Data for Risk Assessment of E. coli
O157:H7 in Beef.
The risk assessment team then
evaluated comments and additional data
received at the public meeting and in
response to the comment period
announced in the August 18, 1998
Federal Register notice. The risk
assessment team also received peer
input during the development phase of
the risk assessment through
presentations at the 1998 Annual
Meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis
(SRA) and at the 1999 Annual Meeting
of the International Association of Milk
Food and Environmental Sanitarians
(now renamed the International
Association for Food Protection). While
developing the assessment, the team
convened a week-long interagency
workshop on microbial pathogens in
food and water in April 1999 that
involved microbial risk assessment
practitioners from FSIS, the Food and
Drug Administration, the Environmental
Protection Agency, the United Kingdom,
and New Zealand. In December 1999,
additional peer input was received from
presentations made to the SRA and the
National Advisory Committee on
Microbiological Criteria for Food.
FSIS presented a summary of some of
the teams draft findings at a public
meeting on February 29, 2000. The
purpose of the public meeting was to
discuss FSIS policy regarding E. coli
O157:H7 and new information
concerning the pathogen and its relation
to human health.
FSIS also circulated the draft risk
assessment for comment within the
Federal Government, including a CDC
and a select group of individuals.
The team has completed a draft of the
risk assessment. FSIS is making this
draft available to the public and is
requesting comments. The Agency also
is making the assessment available for
scientific peer review from the National
Academies of Science and the document
will be revised with comments from that
review. All comments received in
response to this notice will be reviewed
and considered when finalizing the risk
assessment.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of
rulemaking and policy development is
important. Consequently, in an effort to
better ensure that minorities, women,
and persons with disabilities are aware
of this notice, FSIS will announce it and
provide copies of this Federal Register
publication in the FSIS Constituent
Update. FSIS provides a weekly FSIS
Constituent Update, which is
communicated via fax to over 300
organizations and individuals. In
addition, the update is available on-line
through the FSIS web page located at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov. The update is
used to provide information regarding
FSIS policies, procedures, regulations,
Federal Register notices, FSIS public
meetings, recalls, and any other types of
information that could affect or would
be of interest to our constituents/
stakeholders. The constituent fax list
consists of industry, trade, and farm
groups, consumer interest groups, allied
health professionals, scientific Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 214 / Monday, November 5, 2001 / Notices
55913
professionals, and other individuals that
have requested to be included. Through
these various channels, FSIS is able to
provide information to a much broader,
more diverse audience. For more
information and to be added to the
constituent fax list, fax your request to
the Congressional and Public Affairs
Office, at (202) 7205704.
Done at Washington, DC on: October 30,
2001.
Margaret OK. Glavin,
Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 0127541 Filed 11201; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410DMP
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Telephone Bank
Amendment to Bylaws
AGENCY
:
Rural Telephone Bank, USDA.
ACTION
:
Notice; correction.
Correction
In notice document 0123502,
beginning on page 48416 in the issue of
Thursday, September 20, 2001, make
the following correction: On page
48417, in the second column, the date
the notice was approved should read
Dated: September 13, 2001.
Dated: October 30, 2001.
Blaine D. Stockton,
Acting Governor, Rural Telephone Bank.
[FR Doc. 0127715 Filed 11201; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 341015P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Georgia Transmission Corporation;
Notice of Finding of No Significant
Impact
AGENCY
:
Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION
:
Notice of finding of no
significant impact.
SUMMARY
:
Notice is hereby given that
the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has
made a finding of no significant impact
(FONSI) with respect to a request from
Georgia Transmission Corporation for
assistance from the RUS to finance the
construction of a 230/115 kV electric
substation in Gwinnett County, Georgia.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
:
Bob
Quigel, Environmental Protection
Specialist, Engineering and
Environmental Staff, RUS, Stop 1571,
1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 202501571, telephone
(202) 7200468, e-mail at
bquigel@rus.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
:
The
substation is to be named the Bay Creek
Substation. It is to be located just
northeast of the intersection of
Athatown Road and the Gwinnett
County/Walton County line in G