Mecoprop-p Risk Assessments; Notice of Availability and Request for Risk Reduction Options, 20539-20541 [E7-7676]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 79 / Wednesday, April 25, 2007 / Notices
Staff Office Conference Room, Third
Floor, 1025 F Street, NW., Suite 3700,
Washington, DC 20004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Members of the public who wish to
obtain further information about this
meeting may contact Ms. Vivian Turner,
Designated Federal Officer (DFO), by
mail at EPA SAB Staff Office (1400F),
U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20460; by
telephone at (202) 343–9697; by fax at
(202) 233–0643; or by e-mail at
turner.vivian@epa.gov. The SAB mailing
address is: U.S. EPA, Science Advisory
Board (1400F), 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.
General information about the SAB, as
well as any updates concerning the
meeting announced in this notice, may
be found on the SAB Web site at:
https://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Background
EPA’s National Homeland Security
Research Center (NHSRC) is developing
an interactive online risk assessment
and management software tool to
provide health advisors and other
emergency response officials with rapid
access to critical information during an
environmental emergency or training
exercise. The Emergency Consequence
Assessment Tool (ECAT) is designed to
assess and provide site-specific numeric
estimates of health risks for selected
chemical, biological and radiological
threat agents; and identify what
response actions might be appropriate to
mitigate health risks. Additionally,
NHSRC is conducting research to assist
program offices and decision-makers in:
(1) Assessing the hazard and risk of
exposure to highly toxic chemical and
biological agents after deliberate
contamination, and (2) deriving
decontamination goals for cleanup and
re-entry to contaminated buildings. One
of the most important issues in regards
to biological threat agents is the
development of a risk assessment
methodology to accomplish these goals.
Currently, there is no consensus-based
methodology for evaluating biological
contaminants and establishing cleanup
levels. To address this gap, the research
being conducted is evaluating the
strengths and weaknesses of existing
biological risk assessment methods and
tools to develop a preliminary incidentbased Microbial Risk Assessment (MRA)
Framework. The preliminary MRA
framework represents an initial template
and decision tool that addresses
information gathering and decision
support activity to conduct risk
assessment over projected time intervals
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following the incident. The MRA
framework is organized to support
initial site assessment followed by more
in-depth hazard and exposure
assessment methodologies as additional
site and hazard information is
accumulated from the ongoing
investigations and sampling analyses.
Two primary goals of the framework are
to address the uncertainties of the many
unknown variables associated with
biothreat agents and deriving
preliminary acceptable decontamination
goals other than ‘‘zero’’. In the context
of deriving safe cleanup levels for
biothreat agents, the applicability and
quality of existing data on biological
organisms and the research conducted
to fill critical gaps in this data are key
to continued progress in this area. The
NHSRC has requested the SAB to
provide technical advice regarding the
development of ECAT and MRA. The
SAB was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365
to provide independent scientific and
technical advice, consultation, and
recommendations to the EPA
Administrator. The SAB HSAC will be
augmented with other SAB members to
conduct these consultations through the
Chartered SAB. The HSAC will provide
advice to the Agency on the preliminary
versions of the ECAT and the MRA and
early recommendations for the future
development and application of both.
available to the SAB for their
consideration prior to this meeting.
Written statements should be supplied
to the DFO in the following formats: one
hard copy with original signature at the
mailing address provided above, and
one electronic copy via e-mail to
turner.vivian@epa.gov (acceptable file
format: Adobe Acrobat PDF,
WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint,
or Rich Text files in IBM–PC/Windows
98/2000/XP format).
Availability of Meeting Materials
A roster of committee members, their
biographical sketches, and the meeting
agenda will be placed on the SAB Web
site at https://www.epa.gov/sab in
advance of this meeting. Dr. Kevin
Garrahan (garrahan.kevin@epa.gov) is
the technical contact for ECAT and Dr.
Tonya Nichols (nichols.tonya@epa.gov)
is the technical contact for MRA. Access
to ECAT and MRA materials will be
available on the NHSRC Web site:
https://www.epa.gov/nhsrc.
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2006–0943; FRL–8122–1]
Procedures for Providing Public Input
Interested members of the public may
submit relevant written or oral
information for the SAB to consider
during the advisory process.
Oral Statements: In general,
individuals or groups requesting an oral
presentation at a public meeting will be
limited to five minutes per speaker,
with no more than one hour for all
speakers. Interested parties should
contact Ms. Turner, DFO, at the contact
information provided above, by May 23,
2007, to be placed on the public speaker
list for the May 30–31, 2007 meeting.
Written Statements: Written
statements should be received in the
SAB Staff Office by May 23, 2007, so
that the information may be made
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Meeting Accommodations
For information on access or services
for individuals with disabilities, please
contact Ms. Vivian Turner at (202) 343–
9697, or via e-mail at
turner.vivian@epa.gov. To request
accommodation of a disability, please
contact Ms.Turner, preferably at least 10
days prior to the meeting, to give EPA
as much time as possible to process
your request.
Dated: April 19, 2007.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board
Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E7–7893 Filed 4–24–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
Mecoprop-p Risk Assessments; Notice
of Availability and Request for Risk
Reduction Options
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice announces the
availability of EPA’s risk assessments,
and related documents for the pesticide
mecoprop-p, and opens a public
comment period on these documents.
The public is encouraged to suggest risk
management ideas or proposals to
address the risks identified. EPA is
developing a Reregistration Eligibility
Decision (RED) for mecoprop-p through
a modified, 4-Phase public participation
process that the Agency uses to involve
the public in developing pesticide
reregistration decisions. Through this
program, EPA is ensuring that all
pesticides meet current health and
safety standards.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before June 25, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by docket identification (ID)
number EPA–HQ–OPP–2006–0943, by
one of the following methods:
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 79 / Wednesday, April 25, 2007 / Notices
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs
(OPP) Regulatory Public Docket (7502P),
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,
DC 20460-0001.
• Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public
Docket (7502P), Environmental
Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One
Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S.
Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries
are only accepted during the Docket’s
normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to
4 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays). Special
arrangements should be made for
deliveries of boxed information. The
Docket telephone number is (703) 3055805.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
docket ID number EPA–HQ–OPP–2006–
0943. EPA’s policy is that all comments
received will be included in the docket
without change and may be made
available on-line at https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided, unless
the comment includes information
claimed to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI or otherwise
protected through regulations.gov or email. The Federal regulations.gov
website is an ‘‘anonymous access’’
system, which means EPA will not
know your identity or contact
information unless you provide it in the
body of your comment. If you send an
e-mail comment directly to EPA without
going through regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically
captured and included as part of the
comment that is placed in the docket
and made available on the Internet. If
you submit an electronic comment, EPA
recommends that you include your
name and other contact information in
the body of your comment and with any
disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA
cannot read your comment due to
technical difficulties and cannot contact
you for clarification, EPA may not be
able to consider your comment.
Electronic files should avoid the use of
special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or
viruses.
Docket: All documents in the docket
are listed in the docket index available
in regulations.gov. To access the
electronic docket, go to https://
www.regulations.gov, select ‘‘Advanced
Search,’’ then ‘‘Docket Search.’’ Insert
the docket ID number where indicated
and select the ‘‘Submit’’ button. Follow
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15:21 Apr 24, 2007
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the instructions on the regulations.gov
web site to view the docket index or
access available documents. Although
listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Certain other
material, such as copyrighted material,
is not placed on the Internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy
form. Publicly available docket
materials are available either in the
electronic docket at https://
www.regulations.gov, or, if only
available in hard copy, at the OPP
Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400,
One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777
S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The hours
of operation of this Docket Facility are
from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The Docket telephone number
is (703) 305-5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rosanna Louie, Special Review and
Reregistration Division (7508P), Office
of Pesticide Programs, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001;
telephone number: (703) 308-0037; fax
number: (703) 308-8005; e-mail address:
louie.rosanna@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the public
in general, and may be of interest to a
wide range of stakeholders including
environmental, human health, and
agricultural advocates; the chemical
industry; pesticide users; and members
of the public interested in the sale,
distribution, or use of pesticides. Since
others also may be interested, the
Agency has not attempted to describe all
the specific entities that may be affected
by this action. If you have any questions
regarding the applicability of this action
to a particular entity, consult the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
B. What Should I Consider as I Prepare
My Comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this
information to EPA through
regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark
the part or all of the information that
you claim to be CBI. For CBI
information in a disk or CD ROM that
you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the
disk or CD ROM as CBI and then
identify electronically within the disk or
CD ROM the specific information that is
claimed as CBI. In addition to one
complete version of the comment that
includes information claimed as CBI, a
PO 00000
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copy of the comment that does not
contain the information claimed as CBI
must be submitted for inclusion in the
public docket. Information so marked
will not be disclosed except in
accordance with procedures set forth in
40 CFR part 2.
2. Tips for preparing your comments.
When submitting comments, remember
to:
i. Identify the document by docket ID
number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal
Register date and page number).
ii. Follow directions. The Agency may
ask you to respond to specific questions
or organize comments by referencing a
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part
or section number.
iii. Explain why you agree or disagree;
suggest alternatives and substitute
language for your requested changes.
iv. Describe any assumptions and
provide any technical information and/
or data that you used.
v. If you estimate potential costs or
burdens, explain how you arrived at
your estimate in sufficient detail to
allow for it to be reproduced.
vi. Provide specific examples to
illustrate your concerns and suggest
alternatives.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as
possible, avoiding the use of profanity
or personal threats.
viii. Make sure to submit your
comments by the comment period
deadline identified.
II. Background
A. What Action is the Agency Taking?
EPA is releasing for public comment
its human health and environmental
fate and effects risk assessments and
related documents for mecoprop-p, a
phenoxy pesticide, and soliciting public
comment on risk management ideas or
proposals. Mecoprop-p is a herbicide
frequently co-formulated with other
phenoxy herbicides for annual and
perennial broadleaf weeds and brush
control in industrial and residential
areas. These sites include: drainage
ditch banks, golf courses, greenhouse
ornamentals, ornamental turf/lawns
(institution, industrial, and residential),
rights-of-way, roadsides, and sod farms.
EPA developed the risk assessments and
risk characterization for mecoprop-p
through a modified version of its public
process for making pesticide
reregistration eligibility decisions.
Through these programs, EPA is
ensuring that pesticides meet current
standards under the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
and the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended by
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 79 / Wednesday, April 25, 2007 / Notices
the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996
(FQPA).
EPA is providing an opportunity,
through this notice, for interested
parties to provide comments and input
on the Agency’s risk assessments for
mecoprop-p. Such comments and input
could address, for example, the
availability of additional data to further
refine the risk assessments, such as
typical use rate data, or could address
the Agency’s risk assessment
methodologies and assumptions as
applied to this specific pesticide.
Through this notice, EPA also is
providing an opportunity for interested
parties to provide risk management
proposals or otherwise comment on risk
management for mecoprop-p. Risks of
concern associated with the use of
mecoprop-p are potential effects to some
terrestrial and aquatic organisms. In
targeting these risks of concern, the
Agency solicits information on effective
and practical risk reduction measures.
EPA seeks to achieve environmental
justice, the fair treatment and
meaningful involvement of all people,
regardless of race, color, national origin,
or income, in the development,
implementation, and enforcement of
environmental laws, regulations, and
policies. To help address potential
environmental justice issues, the
Agency seeks information on any groups
or segments of the population who, as
a result of their location, cultural
practices, or other factors, may have
atypical, unusually high exposure to
mecoprop-p, compared to the general
population.
EPA is applying the principles of
public participation to all pesticides
undergoing reregistration. The Agency’s
Pesticide Tolerance Reassessment and
Reregistration; Public Participation
Process, published in the Federal
Register on May 14, 2004 (69 FR
26819)(FRL–7357–9), explains that in
conducting these programs, the Agency
is tailoring its public participation
process to be commensurate with the
level of risk, extent of use, complexity
of the issues, and degree of public
concern associated with each pesticide.
For mecoprop-p, a modified, 4-Phase
process with one comment period and
ample opportunity for public
consultation seems appropriate in view
of its few complex issues. However, if
as a result of comments received during
this comment period EPA finds that
additional issues warranting further
discussion are raised, the Agency may
lengthen the process and include a
second comment period, as needed.
All comments should be submitted
using the methods in ADDRESSES, and
must be received by EPA on or before
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15:21 Apr 24, 2007
Jkt 211001
the closing date. Comments will become
part of the Agency Docket for mecopropp. Comments received after the close of
the comment period will be marked
‘‘late.’’ EPA is not required to consider
these late comments.
B. What is the Agency’s Authority for
Taking this Action?
Section 4(g)(2) of FIFRA as amended
directs that, after submission of all data
concerning a pesticide active ingredient,
‘‘the Administrator shall determine
whether pesticides containing such
active ingredient are eligible for
reregistration,’’ before calling in
product-specific data on individual enduse products and either reregistering
products or taking other ‘‘appropriate
regulatory action.’’
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Pesticides
and pests.
Dated: April 12, 2007.
Debra Edwards,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration
Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E7–7676 Filed 4–24–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–S
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2007–0244; FRL–8125–6]
Notice of Receipt of Requests for
Amendments to Delete Uses in Certain
Pesticide Registrations
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with section
6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA), as amended, EPA is issuing a
notice of receipt of request for
amendments by registrants to delete
uses in certain pesticide registrations.
Section 6(f)(1) of FIFRA provides that a
registrant of a pesticide product may at
any time request that any of its pesticide
registrations be amended to delete one
or more uses. FIFRA further provides
that, before acting on the request, EPA
must publish a notice of receipt of any
request in the Federal Register.
DATES: The deletions are effective by
October 22, 2007 or May 25, 2007 for
registrations for which the registrant
requested a waiver of the 180–day
comment period. The Agency will
consider withdrawal requests
postmarked no later than October 22,
2007 or May 25, 2007, whichever is
applicable. Comments must be received
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20541
on or before October 22, 2007 or May
25, 2007, for those registrations where
the 180–day comment period has been
waived.
Users of these products who desire
continued use on crops or sites being
deleted should contact the applicable
registrant on or before October 22, 2007
or May 25, 2007 for registrations for
which the registrant requested a waiver
of the 180–day comment period.
ADDRESSES: Submit your withdrawal
request, identified by docket
identification (ID) number EPA–HQ–
OPP–2007–0244, by one of the
following methods:
• Mail: Attention: John Jamula,
Information Technology and Resources
Management Division (7502P), Office of
Pesticide Programs, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460–
0001.
• Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public
Docket (7502P), Environmental
Protection Agency, Rm. S–4400, One
Potomac Yard (South Building), 2777 S.
Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA. Deliveries
are only accepted during the Docket’s
normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to
4 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays). Special
arrangements should be made for
deliveries of boxed information. The
Docket telephone number is (703) 305–
5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John
Jamula, Information Technology and
Resources Management Division
(7502P), Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,
DC 20460–0001; telephone number:
(703) 305–6426; e-mail address:
jamula.john@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the public
in general. Although this action may be
of particular interest to persons who
produce or use pesticides, the Agency
has not attempted to describe all the
specific entities that may be affected by
this action. If you have any questions
regarding the information in this notice,
consult the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. How Can I Get Copies of this
Document and Other Related
Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established a
docket for this action under docket
identification (ID) number EPA–HQ–
OPP–2007–0244 Publicly available
docket materials are available either in
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 79 (Wednesday, April 25, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20539-20541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7676]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0943; FRL-8122-1]
Mecoprop-p Risk Assessments; Notice of Availability and Request
for Risk Reduction Options
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's risk
assessments, and related documents for the pesticide mecoprop-p, and
opens a public comment period on these documents. The public is
encouraged to suggest risk management ideas or proposals to address the
risks identified. EPA is developing a Reregistration Eligibility
Decision (RED) for mecoprop-p through a modified, 4-Phase public
participation process that the Agency uses to involve the public in
developing pesticide reregistration decisions. Through this program,
EPA is ensuring that all pesticides meet current health and safety
standards.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 25, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0943, by one of the following methods:
[[Page 20540]]
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public
Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P),
Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South
Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only
accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays). Special
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. The
Docket telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2006-0943. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the docket without change and may be made available on-line at
https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-
mail. The Federal regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access''
system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you
send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through
regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be automatically captured and
included as part of the comment that is placed in the docket and made
available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA
recommends that you include your name and other contact information in
the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA
cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot
contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your
comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters,
any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index
available in regulations.gov. To access the electronic docket, go to
https://www.regulations.gov, select ``Advanced Search,'' then ``Docket
Search.'' Insert the docket ID number where indicated and select the
``Submit'' button. Follow the instructions on the regulations.gov web
site to view the docket index or access available documents. Although
listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g.,
CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on
the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form.
Publicly available docket materials are available either in the
electronic docket at https://www.regulations.gov, or, if only available
in hard copy, at the OPP Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One
Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The
hours of operation of this Docket Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The Docket
telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosanna Louie, Special Review and
Reregistration Division (7508P), Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-0037; fax
number: (703) 308-8005; e-mail address: louie.rosanna@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the public in general, and may be of
interest to a wide range of stakeholders including environmental, human
health, and agricultural advocates; the chemical industry; pesticide
users; and members of the public interested in the sale, distribution,
or use of pesticides. Since others also may be interested, the Agency
has not attempted to describe all the specific entities that may be
affected by this action. If you have any questions regarding the
applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through
regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of the
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or
CD ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM as
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket.
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
2. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments,
remember to:
i. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
ii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and
substitute language for your requested changes.
iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information
and/or data that you used.
v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be
reproduced.
vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and
suggest alternatives.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of
profanity or personal threats.
viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period
deadline identified.
II. Background
A. What Action is the Agency Taking?
EPA is releasing for public comment its human health and
environmental fate and effects risk assessments and related documents
for mecoprop-p, a phenoxy pesticide, and soliciting public comment on
risk management ideas or proposals. Mecoprop-p is a herbicide
frequently co-formulated with other phenoxy herbicides for annual and
perennial broadleaf weeds and brush control in industrial and
residential areas. These sites include: drainage ditch banks, golf
courses, greenhouse ornamentals, ornamental turf/lawns (institution,
industrial, and residential), rights-of-way, roadsides, and sod farms.
EPA developed the risk assessments and risk characterization for
mecoprop-p through a modified version of its public process for making
pesticide reregistration eligibility decisions. Through these programs,
EPA is ensuring that pesticides meet current standards under the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended by
[[Page 20541]]
the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA).
EPA is providing an opportunity, through this notice, for
interested parties to provide comments and input on the Agency's risk
assessments for mecoprop-p. Such comments and input could address, for
example, the availability of additional data to further refine the risk
assessments, such as typical use rate data, or could address the
Agency's risk assessment methodologies and assumptions as applied to
this specific pesticide.
Through this notice, EPA also is providing an opportunity for
interested parties to provide risk management proposals or otherwise
comment on risk management for mecoprop-p. Risks of concern associated
with the use of mecoprop-p are potential effects to some terrestrial
and aquatic organisms. In targeting these risks of concern, the Agency
solicits information on effective and practical risk reduction
measures.
EPA seeks to achieve environmental justice, the fair treatment and
meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color,
national origin, or income, in the development, implementation, and
enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. To help
address potential environmental justice issues, the Agency seeks
information on any groups or segments of the population who, as a
result of their location, cultural practices, or other factors, may
have atypical, unusually high exposure to mecoprop-p, compared to the
general population.
EPA is applying the principles of public participation to all
pesticides undergoing reregistration. The Agency's Pesticide Tolerance
Reassessment and Reregistration; Public Participation Process,
published in the Federal Register on May 14, 2004 (69 FR 26819)(FRL-
7357-9), explains that in conducting these programs, the Agency is
tailoring its public participation process to be commensurate with the
level of risk, extent of use, complexity of the issues, and degree of
public concern associated with each pesticide. For mecoprop-p, a
modified, 4-Phase process with one comment period and ample opportunity
for public consultation seems appropriate in view of its few complex
issues. However, if as a result of comments received during this
comment period EPA finds that additional issues warranting further
discussion are raised, the Agency may lengthen the process and include
a second comment period, as needed.
All comments should be submitted using the methods in ADDRESSES,
and must be received by EPA on or before the closing date. Comments
will become part of the Agency Docket for mecoprop-p. Comments received
after the close of the comment period will be marked ``late.'' EPA is
not required to consider these late comments.
B. What is the Agency's Authority for Taking this Action?
Section 4(g)(2) of FIFRA as amended directs that, after submission
of all data concerning a pesticide active ingredient, ``the
Administrator shall determine whether pesticides containing such active
ingredient are eligible for reregistration,'' before calling in
product-specific data on individual end-use products and either
reregistering products or taking other ``appropriate regulatory
action.''
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.
Dated: April 12, 2007.
Debra Edwards,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E7-7676 Filed 4-24-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S
