Summary of Statement Before the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare 
Review Committee on the NIH Proposed Revised Guidelines for Recombinant DNA Research 
By 
Dr. Robert M. Faust 
Plant Protection Institute 
Science and Education Administration 
United States Department of Agriculture 
Beltsville, Maryland 20705 
The USDA is generally satisfied with the considerations that the NIH has 
incdrporated into the revised recombinant DNA guidelines dealing with the 
concerns of agricultural scientists regarding the easing of restrictions for 
recombinant DNA research with plants, non-private vertebrates and invertebrates. 
We also note with satisfaction the NIH attempt to meet the concerns of agricul- 
tural scientists regarding release of recombinant DNA-containing organisms into 
the environment. The USDA wishes to reemphasize its desire to be deeply involved 
in this process and is concerned with the details of the mechanism of waiver 
proposed. 
We are confident that institutional biosafety committees can be relied upon 
for authoritative and proper implementation of the Guidelines provided those 
committees are required to be organized and established according to the recom- 
mendations of the NIH. 
A few questions have arisen concerning certain interpretations of the revised 
guidelines that relate to the specific scientific and research containment pro- 
cedures. The possibility of using recombinant DNA procedures for the development 
or improvement of safe entomopathogenic strains of bacteria for insect management 
has been suggested. The interpretation, however, of the levels of biological and 
physical containment required by the revised Guidelines is a rather bothersome 
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