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→ Proposed public access rule for Environmental Protection Agency regulatory science
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting public comment on a proposed regulation which 'provides that, for the science pivotal to its significant regulatory actions, [the Environmental Protection Agency] will ensure that the data and models underlying the science is publicly available in a manner sufficient for validation and analysis' by any third party. The intention of this regulation is 'to strengthen the transparency of EPA regulatory science.' The EPA is particularly looking for comments on a variety of details related to how such a regulation can 'best be promulgated and implemented in light of existing law and prior Federal policies that already require increasing public access to data and influential scientific information used to inform federal regulation.'
→ Fourth National Climate Assessment
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The U.S. Global Change Research Program is calling for public comment on a third-order draft of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (Vol. II). The second volume of the National Climate Assessment “summarizes the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future” (GlobalChange.gov). The Assessment reviews information specific to different regions of the United States, 'while also evaluating climate change impacts, risks, and adaptation on 17 national-level topics.
*Check back for upcoming summaries on Chapters 5,6 & 10*
→ Request for Comments on Identifying Regulatory Reform Initiatives
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'Pursuant to Executive Order 13777—Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is requesting ideas from the public on how [they] can provide better customer service and remove unintended barriers to participation in [their] programs' to allow them to best accomplish their mission. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is specifically requesting comment on 'regulations, guidance documents, or any other policy documents that are in need of reform, for example ideas to modify, streamline, expand, or repeal those items.'
→ Amendments to United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef
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The Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing amendments to the United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef. 'Official USDA quality grading is used as an indication of meat palatability and is a major determining factor in live cattle and beef value.' The current beef standards 'include only skeletal and muscular evidence.' The proposed amendments would allow 'dentition and documentation of actual age as additional methods of classifying maturity of carcasses presented to [U.S. Department of Agriculture] for official quality grading.'
→ Request for Comments on Use of Genome Editing for Production of New Plant Varieties Intended as Food
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The Food and Drug Administration is announcing the establishment of a docket (found here) to receive comments on the use of genome editing techniques to produce new plant varieties that are used for human or animal food. We invite comment on specific questions contained in this document related to foods derived from such genome edited plant varieties. FDA is taking this action to help inform our thinking about foods derived from new plant varieties produced using genome editing techniques. The comment period has been extended from April 19 to June 19, 2017.
