Melissa O’Dell (301) 734-5222
Andrea McNally (301) 734-0602
USDA ANNOUNCES PUBLIC MEETING ON FEDERAL SELECT AGENT PROGRAM
WASHINGTON, May 29, 2009--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced that it--in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)--will be holding a public meeting to provide regulatory guidance and information on the Federal Select Agent Program.
The meeting will be held on Aug. 12 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at CDC’s Roybal Campus in Auditorium A, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, Ga.
This meeting will give the regulated community and other interested individuals the opportunity to obtain specific regulatory guidance on standards concerning biosafety and biosecurity issues that are related to the Federal Select Agent Program. Representatives from APHIS, CDC and the FBI will be present to address any questions and concerns. Entity registration, security risk assessments, biosafety requirements and security measures are among the topics that will be discussed.
All interested individuals must register by July 1 to attend the meeting. For those who are interested but unable to attend, the meeting will be available via Webcast for a limited number of registrants.
There are two ways to register depending upon the U.S. citizenship status of the attendee:
- Citizens of the United States must complete a U.S. citizen registration form online at http://www.selectagents.gov and submit it to the CDC; or
- Noncitizens (including lawful permanent residents) must complete a noncitizen registration form online at http://www.selectagents.gov and submit it to the CDC prior to July 1. Registrants must also send copies of all required documentation (e.g., passport, visa, permanent resident card, etc.) to the CDC by the July 1 deadline. A full list of required documentation is located at the Web site listed above. In addition, noncitizens will need to bring all personal documentation to the meeting.
In addition to the documents listed above, picture identification and vehicle registration/rental car agreement are required to gain access to the parking facilities and the building. Travel directions to the CDC Roybal Campus are available on the Internet at http://www.cdc.gov/about/resources/visitGuide.htm.
This notice was published in the May 22 Federal Register.
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