Notice of Hearing on Request to Reduce Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI) for EBDC Fungicides on Potatoes, 37771-37779 [E7-13471]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 132 / Wednesday, July 11, 2007 / Notices
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
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vi. Provide specific examples to
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vii. Explain your views as clearly as
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viii. Make sure to submit your
comments by the comment period
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II. Background
A. What Action is the Agency Taking?
Under section 4 of the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide
Act (FIFRA), EPA is reevaluating
existing pesticides to ensure that they
meet current scientific and regulatory
standards. EPA has completed a
Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED)
for the pesticide, aliphatic alcohols
under section 4(g)(2)(A) of FIFRA. The
aliphatic alcohols subject to this RED
include 1-hexanol, 1-octanol, 1-decanol
and 1-dodecanol, and are used as a
growth regulator for tobacco sucker
control, and as a Lepidopteran
pheromone in apple and pear orchards.
EPA has determined that the data base
to support reregistration is substantially
complete and that products containing
aliphatic alcohols are eligible for
reregistration, provided the label
amendments described in the RED are
implemented. Upon submission of any
required product specific data under
section 4(g)(2)(B) and any necessary
changes to the registration and labeling
(either to address concerns identified in
the RED or as a result of product
specific data), EPA will make a final
reregistration decision under section
4(g)(2)(C) for products containing
aliphatic alcohols.
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EPA is applying the principles of
public participation to all pesticides
undergoing reregistration and tolerance
reassessment. 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, EPA is
tailoring its public participation process
to be commensurate with the level of
risk, extent of use, complexity of issues,
and degree of public concern associated
with each pesticide. Due to its uses, low
human health and ecological risks, and
other factors, the aliphatic alcohols were
reviewed through a modified, 1-phase,
low risk process.
The reregistration program is being
conducted under Congressionally
mandated time frames, and EPA
recognizes the need both to make timely
decisions and to involve the public. The
Agency is issuing the aliphatic alcohols
RED for public comment. This comment
period is intended to provide an
opportunity for public input and a
mechanism for initiating any necessary
amendments to the RED. All comments
should be submitted using the methods
in ADDRESSES, and must be received by
EPA on or before the closing date. These
comments will become part of the
Agency Docket for aliphatic alcohols.
Comments received after the close of the
comment period will be marked ‘‘late.’’
EPA is not required to consider these
late comments.
The Agency will carefully consider all
comments received by the closing date
and will provide a Response to
Comments Memorandum in the Docket
and regulations.gov. If any comment
significantly affects the document, EPA
also will publish an amendment to the
RED in the Federal Register. In the
absence of substantive comments
requiring changes, the aliphatic alcohols
RED will be implemented as it is now
presented.
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.
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Dated: July 2, 2007.
Peter Caulkins,
Acting Director, Special Review and
Reregistration Division, Office of Pesticide
Programs.
[FR Doc. E7–13332 Filed 7–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–S
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2007–0181; FRL–8118–4]
Notice of Hearing on Request to
Reduce Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI) for
EBDC Fungicides on Potatoes
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Hearing.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The EPA is issuing this
Hearing Notice under the authority set
forth in 40 CFR part 164 subpart D
(subpart D hearing). A subpart D hearing
is required when a registrant wants to
modify an existing cancellation order
that was issued after the opportunity for
a hearing. In 1992, EPA issued a Notice
of Intent to Cancel (NOIC) registrations
containing EBDCs for use on certain
crops. The crop at issue for this hearing
notice is potatoes. The NOIC stated that
use of EBDCs on potatoes would be
canceled unless the registrants modified
their pesticide product labels. At issue
in this notice is the 1992 requirement to
extend the preharvest interval (PHI) to
reduce the dietary risk. EPA issued the
1992 NOIC with an opportunity for a
hearing. EPA and the registrants reached
a settlement, including the agreement to
amend labels to extend the PHI to 14
days. The purpose of this notice is to
announce that EPA has determined that
the petition requesting a modification of
the cancellation order has merit and to
announce an opportunity for a hearing.
DATES: Requests to participate in the
hearing announced by this notice must
be received by the Office of the Hearing
Clerk at the address given below by
August 10, 2007. A pre-hearing
conference will be held and the
evidentiary hearing will commence as
soon thereafter as practicable, according
the schedule outlined herein.
ADDRESSES: Submit your request to
participate in the hearing, identified by
docket identification (ID) number EPA–
HQ–OPP–2007–0181, by the following
method:
• Mail: Office of Hearing Clerk,
USEPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.,
Washington, DC 20460.
• Hand delivery: Office of the Hearing
Clerk, 1099 14th St., NW., Suite 350,
Washington, DC 20005.
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 132 / Wednesday, July 11, 2007 / Notices
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kevin Costello, Special Review and
Reregistration Division (7508P), Office
of Pesticide Programs, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460–
0001; telephone number: (703) 305–
5026; fax number: (703) 308–7070; email address: costello.kevin@epa.gov or
Michele Knorr, Office of General
Counsel, Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460–0001; telephone
number: (202) 564–5631; fax number: email address: knorr.michele@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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I. General Information
The EPA is issuing this Hearing
Notice under the authority set forth in
40 CFR part 164 subpart D (subpart D
hearing). A subpart D hearing is
required when a registrant wants to
modify an existing cancellation order
that was issued after the opportunity for
a hearing. In 1992, EPA issued a NOIC
registrations containing EBDCs1 for use
on certain crops. The crop at issue for
this hearing notice is potatoes. The
NOIC stated that use of EBDCs on
potatoes would be canceled unless the
registrants modified their pesticide
product labels. At issue in this notice is
the 1992 requirement to extend the
preharvest interval (PHI)2 to reduce the
dietary risk. EPA issued the 1992 NOIC
with an opportunity for a hearing. EPA
and the registrants reached a settlement,
including the agreement to amend labels
to extend the PHI to 14 days.
On December 26, 1996, the EBDC/
ETU Task Force3 (Task Force) submitted
its first request to modify the existing
cancellation order for the use of three
products containing EBDC on potatoes:
mancozeb, maneb, and metiram. In
order to reduce otherwise-unacceptable
dietary risks, the cancellation order
restricted the PHI for potatoes to 14 days
in 37 States.
In this request, the Task Force
requested that the PHI be reduced from
14 days to 3 days nationwide to address
the spread of the late blight disease
(Phytophthora infestans) in potatoes.
Late blight is a fungal disease that
caused the infamous ‘‘Irish Potato
Famine’’ in the 1840s. If not adequately
controlled, this disease is capable of
totally destroying the crop in the field
1 EBDC refers to products containing ethylene
bisdithiocarbamate.
2 PHI refers to the number of days between the
last application of a pesticide and when the crop
can be harvested.
3 The EBDC Task Force represents registrants
who hold EBDC registrations. The current members
of the Task Force are Dow AgroSciences, DuPont,
Griffin, Cerexagri, and BASF.
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(foliar blight phase) and/or in storage
(tuber rot phase). For the foliar phase of
the disease, the primary source of
inoculum is infected tubers, which are
present in cull piles, or remain in the
soil after harvest, or are used as seedpieces for new plantings. Spores
produced on foliage and stems during
the foliar phase of the disease serve as
the primary inoculum for tuber
infections, which generally occur prior
to harvest. Infected potatoes placed in
storage lots can then serve as a source
of inoculum for the storage rot phase of
the disease.
On August 25, 2003, the Task Force
resubmitted its request to the Agency as
part of the EBDC reregistration process.
Subsequently, the Agency informed the
Task Force that EPA had to consider the
impact of the Food Quality Protection
Act of 1996 (FQPA) amendments to the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
(FFDCA) before any action could be
taken on the request. The Agency
decided to consider the request after
completion of the Reregistration
Eligibility Decision (RED) process for
the EBDCs4. To date, EPA has not taken
any substantial actions on the Task
Force request. This Notice represents
EPA’s determination that the 2003
request to modify the existing
cancellation order merits a subpart D
hearing.
Under subpart D of 40 CFR part 164,
the Task Force submission constitutes a
petition to modify the final cancellation
order concerning EBDC pesticide
products. Such a petition may not be
granted without an opportunity for a
formal adjudicatory hearing in front of
an Administrative Law Judge. EPA has
concluded that the submissions by the
Task Force provide a basis for
modification of the order canceling
EBDC products. This Notice (1)
announces that EPA has decided to hold
a hearing regarding the petition to
modify the existing cancellation order
as it applies to the use of products
containing EBDCs (mancozeb, maneb,
and metiram) on potatoes and the
allowance of a 3–day, rather than a 14–
day PHI, (2) specifies the issues of fact
and law to be considered at that hearing,
(3) identifies what steps interested
persons need to take if they wish to
participate in the hearing, and (4)
establishes a schedule for the hearing.
4 Mancozeb was first registered in 1948. Maneb
was first registered in 1962. Metiram was first
registered in 1948.
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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. How Can I Get Copies of this
Document and Other Related
Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established a
docket for this action under docket ID
number EPA–HQ–OPP–2007–0181.
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 Office of
Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory
Public Docket in Rm. S–4400, One
Potomac Yard (South Building), 2777 S.
Crystal Drive 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.
2. Electronic access. You may access
this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA Internet
under the ‘‘Federal Register’’ listings at
https://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
II. Background
A. What Action is the Agency Taking?
The purpose of this document is to
announce that the Agency has
determined that the petition requesting
a modification of the cancellation order
has merit and that an opportunity for a
hearing is being announced.
B. What is the Agency’s Authority for
Taking this Action?
When the Agency receives an
application to permit use of a pesticide
in a manner inconsistent with a
cancellation order issued after a
cancellation proceeding has commenced
(i.e., after publication of a notice of
intent to cancel and receipt of a request
for a hearing on that notice), that
application will be treated by the
Agency as a petition to modify the
cancellation order. Because of the
opportunity for a formal adjudicatory
hearing, which precedes entry of such a
final cancellation order, EPA has
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determined that such an order should
not be modified or rescinded without
affording interested parties a similar
notice and opportunity for hearing
concerning such modification or
rescission. The procedures governing all
applications to modify or reverse a
previous final cancellation order are set
forth in 40 CFR part 164, subpart D,
§ 164.130 through 164.133.
The Administrator has determined
that the applicant has met the criteria
for a subpart D hearing. This notice sets
forth the determination, the rationale for
that determination, a description of the
issues of fact and law to be adjudicated
in the hearing, and a schedule for the
hearing.
III. Regulatory History
EBDC fungicides currently registered
under FIFRA for food uses include
mancozeb, maneb, and metiram. The
following is a summary of the regulatory
history of the EBDCs.
In 1977, the Agency initiated a
Rebuttable Presumption Against
Registration5 (RPAR), which later
became the Special Review Program,
based on concerns that EBDCs and
ethylene thiourea (ETU) posed potential
significant risks to humans and the
environment. In 1982, EPA concluded
the RPAR and announced measures
designed to mitigate potential
unreasonable adverse effects pending
the development of additional data. At
that time, EPA deferred a decision on
one risk of concern, carcinogenicity.
The decision was deferred to allow for
the development of residue data in
order to better characterize the risk. (See
61 FR 42244, August 14, 1996).
In 1987, the Agency placed the EBDCs
into Special Review because of concerns
that the common metabolite, ETU, could
cause carcinogenic and adverse
developmental and thyroid effects in
humans. The EBDCs metabolize to ETU
in the body and all degrade to ETU in
the environment. (See 52 FR 27172, July
17, 1987).
In response to the Agency placing the
EBDCs in Special Review, the four
technical registrants of mancozeb,
maneb and metiram requested that
RPAR was a regulatory review process used
prior to Special Review to consider potential risks
that might warrant the cancellation of the
registration. The regulations were changed in the
mid-1980’s to review pesticide products (leading to
an ultimate determination of whether their use or
uses pose unreasonable adverse effects to humans
or the environment) and the procedures for the
Special Review process. The regulatory changes
were based primarily on changes made to FIFRA in
1978 and on the experience acquired by EPA in
regulating pesticides pursuant to the RPAR process.
See 40 CFR part 154 for the procedures associated
with Special Review.
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5
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registrations be maintained for only 13
of the 55 food uses registered at that
time and that all other uses be canceled.
(See 54 FR 50020, December 4, 1989)
Shortly thereafter, the Agency approved
the requested amendments.
After the approval of the
amendments, the Agency issued a
Notice of Preliminary Determination6
(PD 2/3) that proposed canceling the
uses on an additional three crops,
including potatoes. The Agency
received comments in response that
recommended mitigation options to
allow continued use of EBDCs on
potatoes. Among these mitigation
options was to ‘‘(e)xtend the preharvest
interval to 14 days as most growers
already observe a 14–day interval,’’
noting that ‘‘(t)he 0–day preharvest
interval invites contamination of tubers
with fungicide residues,’’ which could
result in unacceptable dietary risks. (See
54 FR 52158, December 20, 1989). As a
result of the PD 2/3, the EPA also issued
a proposal to revoke and reduce
tolerances for the 42 deleted uses plus
the additional three uses proposed for
cancellation. (See 55 FR 20416, May 16,
1990).
On March 2, 1992, the Agency issued
the ‘‘Notice of Intent to Cancel and
Conclusion of Special Review’’ (PD 4)7
concluding that the relatively high
estimated dietary risk outweighed the
relatively low benefits of the use of
EBDCs on potatoes. (See 57 FR 7484,
March 2, 1992). In order to allow the use
on potatoes to remain, the Agency
required certain mitigation language to
be included on the label. This included
the 14–day PHI for all but nine potatoproducing states. Because of the
presence of late blight in certain states
(Connecticut, Florida, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New
York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and
Wisconsin), a 3–day PHI for use of
EBDCs on potatoes was allowed in those
states. The Agency allowed the 3–day
PHI in these states because the data on
late blight, efficacy of possible
alternatives, and residue data allowed
EPA to find that the benefits outweighed
the risks. (See 57 FR 7484, 7526, March
2, 1992).
The adoption of the 14–day PHI was
intended to be consistent with common
practice in the other potato growing
states at the time. (Ref. 1). The tolerance
for the EBDC fungicides was based on
EBDC and ETU residues detected in the
6 The PD 2/3 is the Notice of Preliminary
Determination, which was based on information on
risks and benefits received in public comments and
on additional analyses performed since the Special
Review process began. See 40 CFR 154.31.
7 A PD 4 is issued in accordance with 40 CFR
154.33.
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37773
Market Basket Survey8 (MBS) of 1989–
1990. As part of the Special Review, and
in order to conduct a highly refined
dietary exposure assessment, the EBDC
registrants conducted a large-scale MBS
to determine EBDC and ETU residues in
a variety of foods as close to the point
of consumption as possible (i.e., grocery
stores and small markets). The survey
was completed in 1990 and used in the
Special Review PD 4, which was
completed in 1992. The distribution of
14–day and 3–day PHIs was designed to
best replicate the conditions under
which the residues detected in the MBS
occurred. (See 57 FR 7484, March 2,
1992).
Subsequently in 1996, the Agency
allowed a 3–day PHI for use of EBDCs
on potatoes in four additional states
(Delaware, Michigan, Ohio, and Rhode
Island). At the time the 1992 NOIC9 was
issued, the Agency had no information
suggesting that Delaware, Michigan and
Ohio had a late blight problem and
included those states among the states
subject to a minimum 14–day PHI.
Subsequent to the NOIC being issued, a
group of registrants and growers
submitted to the Agency information on
late blight supporting a minimum 3–day
PHI for Delaware, Michigan, and Ohio.
This group requested a hearing to add
these three states to the list of states for
which a 3–day PHI was permitted.
Additionally, at the time the Agency
issued the NOIC, EPA believed that the
‘‘New England’’ states as well as some
other states had a late blight problem
and allowed a minimum 3–day PHI for
those states. Rhode Island was
erroneously omitted from the list of
states. The Agency determined that in
the states with substantial late blight
occurrence, the benefits outweighed the
risks associated with a 3–day PHI and
amended the cancellation order. (See 61
FR 42244, August 14, 1996).
During the reregistration process, EPA
evaluated the 14– and 3–day PHIs as
part of the mancozeb, maneb, and
metiram REDs, which were completed
by September 2005 as part of the FIFRA
reregistration process. (Refs. 2, 3, and
4)10. The REDs noted receipt of the
8 Samples were purchased at consumer retail
outlets and shoppers were instructed to select
blemish free commodities in amounts similar to
those purchased by typical consumers. The study
was conducted over a 1–year period to ensure that
seasonal differences in residues would be
addressed. The samples were analyzed using
methods that are still in use at this time.
9 See, Settlement Agreement in In re: American
Food Security Coalition (AFSC) et al., FIFRA
Docket Nos. 646, et al.
10 FIFRA section 4 requires EPA to make
reregistration eligibility determinations for all older
chemicals (those registered before November 1,
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petition to allow for a 3–day PHI in all
states, but the Agency did not address
whether the petition warranted a
subpart D hearing or if the registration
amendment requests would be granted.
Through the reregistration process, EPA
determined that the exposure that
would result from a nationwide 3–day
PHI for potatoes would be safe under
the FFDCA reasonable certainty of no
harm standard (Refs. 5, 6, and 7). In that
analysis, the Agency assumed 67% crop
treated for the use of EBDCs on potatoes.
The 67% crop treated is a conservative
overestimate for the actual crop treated.
Even assuming a greater conservative
and unlikely scenario of 100% crop
treated, EPA believes the risk increase
would be insignificant.
IV. Statutory and Regulatory
Background
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A. Standards for Granting or
Maintaining a Registration
A pesticide product may be registered
or remain registered only if it performs
its intended pesticidal function without
causing ‘‘unreasonable adverse effects
on the environment.’’ (FIFRA section
3(c)(5)). ‘‘Unreasonable adverse effects
on the environment’’ is defined as ‘‘(1)
any unreasonable risk to man or the
environment, taking into account the
economic, social, and environmental
costs and benefits of the use of the
pesticide, or (2) a human dietary risk
from residues that result from a use of
a pesticide in or on any food
inconsistent with the standard under
section 408 of the [FFDCA].’’ (FIFRA
section 2(bb)).
Under FIFRA section 6, the Agency
may issue a NOIC the registration of a
pesticide product whenever it is
determined that the product no longer
satisfies the statutory criteria for
registration. The Agency may specify
particular modifications in the terms
and conditions of registration, such as
deletion of particular uses or revisions
of labeling, as an alternative to
cancellation. If an adversely affected
person requests a hearing, the final
order concerning cancellation of the
product is not issued until after a formal
administrative hearing.
B. Subpart D Proceedings
When the Agency receives an
application to permit use of a pesticide
in a manner inconsistent with a
cancellation order issued after a
cancellation proceeding has commenced
(i.e., after publication of a NOIC and
receipt of a request for a hearing on that
notice), that application will be treated
1984). The Agency announced these determinations
through REDs.
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by the Agency as a petition to modify
the cancellation order. Because of the
opportunity for a formal adjudicatory
hearing, which precedes entry of such a
final cancellation order, EPA has
determined that such an order should
not be modified or rescinded without
affording interested parties a similar
notice and opportunity for hearing
concerning such modification or
rescission. The procedures governing all
applications to modify or reverse a
previous final cancellation order are set
forth in 40 CFR part 164, subpart D,
§ 164.130 through 164.133.
As stated previously, 40 CFR
164.131(a) provides that the
Administrator will consider modifying a
prior final cancellation order when he
finds that:
(1) The applicant has presented
substantial new evidence which may
materially affect the prior cancellation
or suspension order and which was not
available to the Administrator at the
time he made his final cancellation or
suspension determination and, (2) such
evidence could not, through the exercise
of due diligence, have been discovered
by the parties to the cancellation or
suspension proceeding prior to the
issuance of the final order.
In deciding whether or not to initiate
a hearing, the Administrator does not
need to determine that the evidence
submitted by the Task Force would in
fact justify modification of the prior
order. Rather, a decision to initiate a
hearing means only that the
Administrator has determined that the
evidence submitted, if substantiated on
the record in the hearing, may
‘‘materially affect’’ the evidentiary
rationale upon which the prior order
was based. On the other hand, if the
evidence submitted, even if
substantiated on the record, would be
unlikely to provide a basis for
modification of the prior order, then a
hearing would serve no purpose.
If the Administrator determines that
an applicant has met the criteria for a
subpart D hearing, the Administrator
then publishes a notice in the Federal
Register setting forth the determination,
the rationale for that determination, a
description of the issues of fact and law
to be adjudicated in the hearing, and a
schedule for the hearing. The purpose of
the hearing is to determine whether: (1)
Substantial new evidence exists and (2)
such substantial new evidence requires
reversal or modification of the existing
cancellation order. For purposes of any
decision in the hearing, those portions
of the substantive rationale for the
existing order concerning which the
applicant did not submit substantial
new evidence are assumed to be correct.
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Thus, the scope of any subpart D
hearing is intrinsically narrower than
the original cancellation proceeding.
If a hearing is requested, a notice of
the hearing will be published in the
Federal Register announcing the formal
public hearing to be held in accordance
with 5 U.S.C. 554. In such a hearing, the
Administrative Law Judge transmits a
recommended decision to the
Administrator, who then issues a final
decision retaining, modifying, or
reversing the existing order. (See 40 CFR
164.131).
V. Submissions - Substantial New
Evidence Provided by Task Force
As stated above, the Task Forces
submission constitutes a petition to
modify the EBDC cancellation order. In
order for the Agency to find that a
subpart D hearing is warranted, it must
determine:
(1) The applicant has presented
substantial new evidence which may
materially affect the prior cancellation
or suspension order and which was not
available to the Administrator at the
time he made his final cancellation or
suspension determination and, (2) such
evidence could not, through the exercise
of due diligence, have been discovered
by the parties to the cancellation or
suspension proceeding prior to the
issuance of the final order. (See 40 CFR
164.131(a)).
The Task Forces 2003 petition to
reduce the PHI for use of EBDCs on
potatoes from 14 days to 3 days
nationwide included a number of points
described as ‘‘substantial new evidence’’
that could not have been known at the
time of the cancellation order. The
asserted ‘‘substantial new evidence’’
includes information on the spread of
late blight to additional potato-growing
states, field trial data for mancozeb and
maneb use on potatoes and the Agency’s
revision of the cancer endpoint for
EBDC breakdown product, ETU.
A. Spread of Late Blight
The Agency has determined that the
information submitted by the Task
Force concerning the spread of late
blight fungal disease nationally is
substantial new evidence which
supports the adoption of a nationwide
3–day PHI for EBDCs on potatoes
beyond the 13 states in which the 3–day
PHI is currently in effect. Late blight is
a severe fungal disease, which attacks
leaves of potato plants in the field,
killing the leaves and decreasing the
size and number of potato tubers. Late
blight also attacks tubers in storage,
causing them to rot. Late blight was
once controlled by metalaxyl, until
metalaxyl resistant strains developed.
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The disease spreads rapidly by spores,
with a new disease cycle occurring
every 4 to 6 days. As mentioned above,
the Agency was aware of the presence
of late blight in nine states when the
NOIC was published, and was made
aware of its presence in four additional
states soon thereafter (Ref. 7), and
consequently the Agency determined
that it was appropriate to reduce the PHI
in those four states as well. The Task
Force has since submitted new
information that late blight has now
spread nationwide. The following is
background information on the spread
of late blight and why this information
is material to allowing a modification to
the cancellation order.
Until 1989, late blight was very rarely
of concern in any potato producing
state, due primarily to the fact that
metalaxyl products provided virtually
100% control of the foliar phase of the
disease. (Ref. 8). The Task Force
indicated that by 2003, the Agency had
granted FIFRA section 18 emergency
exemptions for the use of products to
control late blight in 23 states to which
the disease had spread since the
issuance of the NOIC (Ref. 9). Pesticides
for which exemptions were granted
included dimethomorph, cymoxanil,
and propamocarb hydrochloride. State
crop specialists documented the
distribution of metalaxyl-resistant forms
and grower crop damage incidents
associated with the failure of metalaxyl
to provide adequate disease control
(Refs. 8 and 10). Metalaxyl was thus no
longer regarded as an effective control
for late blight in potatoes.
If late blight is not adequately
controlled, this disease is capable of
totally destroying a crop of potatoes in
the field (foliar blight phase) and\or in
storage (tuber rot phase). Generally
speaking, the number of infected tubers
present at harvest is primarily a
function of the level of foliar disease
control attained during the growing
season, especially during the latter half
of the season. At present, even when
low levels of tuber infection are
detected in a field at harvest, growers
typically need to sell potatoes right
away, rather than store them and risk
losing a large number of stored potatoes
(Refs. 8 and 10).
Once plants are initially infected, the
foliar phase of the disease can rapidly
progress by producing multiple
generations of spores, which can be
transported up to 150 miles in the air as
well as locally in water or air. One spore
cycle can occur in a 4– to 6–day period.
In addition to destroying aboveground
plant parts, the foliar blight phase of the
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disease can cause a significant decrease
in the size and number of marketable
potatoes. Accordingly, even the planting
of a single infected tuber can quickly
result in extensive crop losses and a
high percentage of tuber infections over
a large area (Refs. 8 and 10).
The foliar phase of the disease is
favored by cool and moist conditions,
which commonly occur in most potato
production states. Long periods of high
relative humidity (over 90%) with night
temperatures of 50 to 60° F and day
temperatures of 60 to 80° F are favorable
for disease development. The spread
and control of this disease is
complicated by the fact that most fungal
forms are also capable of infecting and
reproducing on tomatoes as well as
certain other solanaceous plants
(including certain weeds). It is
suspected that the new, sexually
reproducing forms of late blight were
introduced to the United States through
the importation of infected tomatoes
from Mexico (Ref.11). The potential for
spreading the disease via infected
tomato transplants or fruits is of
particular concern, in light of the
widespread homeowner gardening and
composting practices associated with
tomatoes.
Most of the harvested potatoes in the
United States go directly into storage
and are gradually released into the
marketplace over a period of 1 to 10
months. Many of the existing storage
facilities are conducive to the rapid
spread of tuber rot, especially during
wet or humid weather. Potato late blight
specialists agree that, under these
storage conditions, even if only a small
percentage of any lot of stored potatoes
is infected with tuber rot, it is likely that
the majority of them will spoil prior to
their release into the marketplace. When
this occurs, the whole lot is generally
considered unmarketable. The stored
tuber spoilage problem can be due
solely to late blight, or to a series of
tuber rots initiated by late blight
infected tubers and followed by
bacterial soft rots, which develop in
response to the anaerobic conditions
created by the development of late
blight tuber rot (Refs. 8 and 10).
B. Field Trial Data
As mentioned above, the potential
exposure to humans that could result
from the use of EBDCs on potatoes was
considered during reregistration and
was found to meet the standard for
reregistration. EPA was able to make
this determination because of the new
information submitted by the Task
Force as well as revised risk assessment
methodologies. The residues detected in
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the 1989–1990 MBS were considered to
reflect common practices that included
either 14–day or 3–day PHIs for potatoes
treated with EBDC fungicides.
Additional field trial data submitted by
the Task Force in support of its 2003
petition are available for two of the
three EBDCs, which further support the
establishment of a nationwide 3–day
PHI. The following describes the field
trial data available for each EBDC
chemical.
1. Mancozeb. The Mancozeb Task
Force conducted residue trials on
potatoes in 1995–1996. A summary of
relevant residue data for mancozeb and
ETU are presented in Table 1 below.
The maximum mancozeb value found in
residue studies using the maximum
seasonal rate for mancozeb on potatoes
with a 3–day PHI was 0.1 parts per
million (ppm) and for a 14–day PHI was
0.02 ppm. The average mancozeb value
with a 3–day PHI was 0.02 ppm and
with a 14–day PHI was 0.01 ppm.
From this newly submitted data, the
Agency has now determined that
reduction of the PHI to 3 days for the
entire United States would not result in
mancozeb residues exceeding the
reassessed tolerance of 0.2 ppm for
potatoes. A separate dietary risk
assessment was not required to support
the PHI change request because existing
dietary assessments used for the EBDC
REDs showed no appreciable differences
in the residue levels at different preharvest intervals. Additionally, as stated
earlier, even if the percent crop treated
rose from 67% to 100% the resulting
increase in risk would be insignificant.
Therefore, the Agency found that the
use of EBDCs on potatoes with a 3–day
PHI would meet the FFDCA safety
determination (Ref. 12).
EPA used monitoring data from the
MBS in the dietary risk assessment for
the reregistration eligibility decision.
Based on these new field trial data, EPA
has now determined that the MBS is
representative of the residues that may
be expected in potato tubers at PHIs
ranging from 3 to 14 days.
Low residues are expected because
mancozeb is applied to the foliage, and
metabolism studies have not shown
translocation of mancozeb throughout
the plant (Ref. 6). Therefore, it is not
surprising that there are minimal
residues on the day of application, as
the residues would not transport from
the potato leaves to the tubers below the
ground. The minimal residues that are
present on the tubers may be from some
soil that adhered to the tuber when
harvested.
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TABLE 1.— SUMMARY OF MANCOZEB RESIDUE DATA FOR POTATOES (MRIDS 44167901, 40913301, AND 41091601)
Single Application
Rate, lb ai/A
No. of Applications
Seasonal Application Rate, lb ai/A
Pre-harvest
Intrerval,
days
CA
1.6 + 2.4
5
11.2
0
<0.05
<0.01
CA
1.6 + 2.4
5
11.2
0
<0.05
<0.01
WI
1.6
7
11.2
3
<0.02
<0.01
FL
1.6
7
11.2
3
0.03
<0.01
FL
1.6
7
11.2
3
0.03
<0.01
PA
1.6
7
11.2
3
<0.02
<0.01
PA
1.6
7
11.2
3
<0.02
<0.01
MO
1.6
7
11.2
3
0.02
<0.01
MO
1.6
7
11.2
3
<0.02
<0.01
MO
1.6
7
11.2
3
0.1
<0.01
MO
1.6
7
11.2
3
0.03
<0.01
NY
1.6
7
11.2
3
<0.02
<0.01
MN
1.6
7
11.2
4
<0.02
<0.01
MN
1.6
7
11.2
4
<0.02
<0.01
CA
1.6 + 2.4
5
11.2
5
<0.05
0.01
CA
1.6
5
11.2
5
<0.05
0.02
CA
1.6
7
11.2
14
<0.02
0.02
CA
1.6
7
11.2
14
0.02
<0.01
WA
1.6
7
11.2
14
<0.02
<0.01
CA
1.6
7
11.2
14
<0.02
0.02
UT
1.6
7
11.2
14
<0.02
<0.01
UT
1.6
7
11.2
14
<0.02
<0.01
ID
1.6
7
11.2
14
<0.02
<0.01
ID
1.6
7
11.2
14
<0.02
<0.01
CA
1.6 + 2.4
5
11.2
15
<0.05
0.03
CA
1.6 + 2.4
5
11.2
15
<0.05
0.02
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Location
2. Maneb. In response to EPA’s
requests for data in the late 1980s and
early 1990s, one registrant, Elf Atochem
North America, Inc. submitted data in
1994 pertaining to the magnitude of
maneb residues in or on potatoes. The
data were determined to be insufficient
to fulfill the total field trial requirement,
because ‘‘field trials were not conducted
in states where a 3–day PHI is allowed.’’
However, they did indicate that residues
of maneb and ETU from maneb will not
exceed the established tolerance of 0.1
ppm in or on potatoes harvested 1 day
following the last of eight foliar
applications of the dry flowable
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formulation for a total seasonal rate of
12.8 lb active ingredient/Acre (ai/A)
because the combined residues of
maneb and its metabolite ETU were
nondetectable (<0.06 to <0.08 ppm) in
or on potatoes (Refs. 13, 14 and 5).
Available field trial data for maneb
and ETU in or on potatoes were among
the data used in conjunction with MBS
from 1989–1990 to assess acute and
chronic dietary (food) risk in the 2005
maneb RED. In the 2005 RED, EPA
determined that the overall aggregate
risk from residues of maneb and ETU on
food was determined to be below the
Agency’s levels-of-concern. The
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Residues Found, ppm
Mancozeb
ETU
reduction in PHI to 3 days will not
change this determination.
3. Metiram. The Task Force did not
provide new evidence to support a 3–
day PHI for use of metiram on potatoes
because such data had previously been
submitted to the Agency in 1988. This
earlier data involved field trials
performed in 1987 in seven states to
measure the magnitude of metiram and
ETU residues on potatoes. The review of
these studies shows that ‘‘(t)he 80% WP
metiram formulation was foliarly
applied 10 times (with a 5– to 21–day
retreatment interval), to potato plants at
1.6 lb ai/A/application (1x) using
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ground equipment. Individual residues
of metiram and ETU were <0.10 ppm
(nondetectable) and
<0.01(nondetectable) to 0.02 ppm,
respectively, in or on treated potato
tuber samples harvested immediately
(0–day) following the last of the above
treatment schedule. The maximum
residues of metiram in or on potato
tubers following treatments at 1x were
<0.10 ppm which is below the
established tolerance of 0.5 ppm’’ (Ref.
10). The tolerance was later reassessed
and set at 0.2 ppm, which met the
FFDCA safety finding as well allowing
the Agency to harmonize the tolerance
with the Codex maximum residue limit
(MRL) for EBDCs in or on potatoes.
Since residues of metiram measured
in or on potatoes were below the
tolerance level for potatoes harvested
immediately after the final treatment,
potatoes harvested 3 days after
treatment should have residues that are
lower and also below the tolerance
level. As was stated in the maneb
discussion, overall risk from residues of
metiram and ETU on food was
determined to be below the Agency’s
levels of concern, and would be
expected to remain so if a 3–day PHI for
potatoes were established nationwide
(Ref. 10).
C. Revision of the Cancer Endpoint for
ETU
The Task Force notes in its 2003
petition that the Q1*11 for ETU has
changed since the 1992 NOIC. If there
is evidence, such as tumor formation,
and the pesticide is classified as a
carcinogen, a quantitative assessment is
conducted using a Q1* (non-threshold)
or a Margin of Exposure (threshold)
approach. The Agency evaluated the
risk from ETU in the NOIC using a Q1*
of 0.11 milligrams/kilogram/day (mg/kg/
day)-1. The Agency subsequently
recalculated the ETU Q1* in 1995,
resulting in a Q1* of 0.06 mg/kg/day-1.
As a result of this new assessment
endpoint, the Task Force suggests that
the reduction in the PHI for use of
EBDCs on potatoes would be even less
likely to result in exceedances of the
Agency’s levels of concern. In its
reregistration decisions for the EBDCs,
using the lower Q1*, EPA found that the
level of concern for cancer risk was not
exceeded.
The reduction of the Q1* for ETU was
significant new evidence that allowed
the Agency to make a safety finding for
the reregistration of EBDC fungicides. It
11 The Q1*, or cancer slope factor, is an upper
bound estimate of the increased cancer risk from a
lifetime exposure to an agent. Upper bound in this
context is a plausible upper limit to the true
probability.
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is important to note that the field trial
data alone indicate that residues of ETU
on potatoes from application of EBDCs
would not be significantly different for
PHIs of 3 and 14 days. Therefore, the
reduction of the Q1* for ETU is a less
compelling argument for reducing the
PHI to 3 days as exposure levels show
that there are no risks of concern.
VI. Risk-Benefit Assessment
A. Significance of Substantial New
Evidence
When the Agency issued the
cancellation order for EBDC fungicides
in 1992, it allowed a shorter, 3–day PHI
for EBDCs on potatoes in nine states in
which late blight disease occurred. The
Agency was made aware soon thereafter
that late blight disease was also present
in four states not identified in the
cancellation order, and the 3–day PHI
was extended to those states to afford
the same protection against late season
onset of late blight disease through
amendments to the cancellation order.
The evidence presented by the Task
Force that late blight has since spread to
almost all potato-growing states, when
combined with the scientific finding
that the resulting exposures would still
meet the ‘‘reasonable certainty of no
harm’’ standard set forth in section 408
of the FFDCA, is a compelling
justification for extending the 3–day PHI
to all states in which EBDCs could be
applied to potatoes.
It is important to keep in mind that
there are also residue data for mancozeb
and maneb on potatoes submitted since
the cancellation order that support the
nationwide adoption of the 3–day PHI.
As shown above, the mancozeb field
trial data indicate that mancozeb and
ETU residues from the use of mancozeb
on potatoes were insignificant, and that
the concentrations of mancozeb and
ETU residues reflecting a 3–day PHI
were not significantly different than
those reflecting a 14–day PHI. Similarly,
maneb field trial data submitted since
the cancellation order indicate that ETU
residues were undetectable for treated
potatoes after both 1–day and 7–day
PHIs. These data, in conjunction with
previously submitted metiram data
showing no ETU residues on potatoes
harvested the day of treatment, indicate
that adoption of a 3–day PHI nationwide
will not meaningfully increase exposure
to ETU in or on potatoes.
Although the requirements for
additional field trials for use of maneb
on potatoes are still outstanding because
geographic representation was
inadequate, the Agency believes it
unlikely that the residues resulting from
a 3–day PHI in other regions would be
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sufficiently different to be of concern,
based on similar data for mancozeb on
potatoes. In modifying the Cancellation
Order to change the 14–day PHI from
the use of EBDCs on potatoes to 3 days
nationwide, the Agency would
condition the registration with a
requirement that the registrants provide
the confirmatory data to fulfill the field
trial data requirement (OPP guideline
171–4(k); OPPTS guideline 860.1500).
As described above, the reduction of
the Q1* for ETU was also ‘‘substantial
new evidence’’ but a less compelling
argument for modifying the cancellation
order because the exposure levels to
ETU were not of concern.
B. Alternative Control Measures
As stated earlier, EBDCs are needed to
control the nationwide spread of late
blight, because the alternative products
that are registered to address late blight
are not adequate (Ref. 2).
VII. Subpart D Determination
Under 40 CFR 164.131(a), the
Administrator is to provide a hearing to
modify a prior final cancellation
decision only if it is determined that
certain criteria have been met. Having
concluded that the EBDC Task Force has
presented substantial new evidence
concerning the request to provide for a
3–day PHI nationwide which was not
available when the final cancellation
order went into effect, the Administrator
must now determine whether that
evidence ‘‘may materially affect’’ that
order. The Administrator has concluded
that the new information materially
affects whether the cancellation order
should be modified because this
information allows the Agency to find
that a nationwide 3–day PHI meets the
FIFRA standard for registration. Thus,
the first criterion in 40 CFR 164.131(a)
has been met.
Information provided by the Task
Force on the late blight spread
nationwide could not have ‘‘through the
exercise of due diligence’’ been obtained
before the 14–day restriction was in
place as late blight had not yet spread
nationwide. When information existed
concerning the spread of late blight
nationwide and the need for additional
tools to combat it, the Task Force
submitted the newly obtained
information. Therefore, the second
criterion in 40 CFR 164.131(a) has also
been met.
Based on the above analysis and
because the Agency believes it is
appropriate under this circumstance to
modify the cancellation order to allow
a 3–day PHI, the Administrator has
decided to issue this notice under
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subpart D to provide an opportunity for
a hearing.
Since EPA issued its NOIC in 1992,
substantial new evidence has been
presented to the Agency that supports
amendment of the cancellation order to
allow all states to have a 3–day PHI for
potatoes. The new information focuses
on the need for the EBDCs to combat the
late blight problem in the United States.
For example, metalaxyl-resistant strains
of late blight were reported in at least 32
states, which means that resistant
strains are currently present in virtually
all potato producing states.
Additionally, since the pest problem
can spread long distances via airborne
spores and virtually all states that
produce planting stock (seed-potatoes)
have documented the presence of
metalaxyl-resistant strains; all
production states have a high
probability of encountering metalaxylresistant late blight strains in any given
year. Based on the information
reviewed, a 3–day PHI is likely to
reduce the number of tubers that
become infected just prior to harvest
and will therefore increase the number
of tubers that can be stored.
Pursuant to 40 CFR 164.131(c), the
Administrator is specifying those issues
of fact and law to be adjudicated in the
hearing convened pursuant to this
notice. Because the purpose of such a
hearing is only to consider whether to
modify certain aspects of the
Administrator’s prior cancellation
decision and because a prompt
conclusion to the hearing is a requisite
of meaningful relief for the applicant,
the evidentiary presentation in the
hearing shall be strictly confined to the
issues of fact and law which the
Administrator has determined are
presented by the Task Force submission.
1. Issues of fact. The issues of fact to
be adjudicated are:
i. What is the current status
(nationwide) of late blight on potatoes?
ii. Has the occurrence of late blight
changed since the initial cancellation
order issued in 1992?
iii. Are EBDCs necessary to respond to
late blight?
iv. What are the dietary risks
associated with EBDC use on potatoes?
2. Issues of law. The issues of law to
be adjudicated are:
i. Has substantial new evidence been
presented pertaining to the request to
reduce the nationwide PHI on potatoes
to 3 days?
ii. If it is substantial new evidence,
could the applicant, through due
diligence, have discovered this
information prior to issuance of the
cancellation order?
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iii. Does the 3–day PHI meet the
FIFRA 2(bb) standard?
The sole objective of this hearing is to
determine whether or not the order
canceling all sale, distribution, and use
of pesticide products containing EBDCs
that do not comply with the current
label restriction on the PHI for potatoes
should be modified to permit a
nationwide 3–day PHI.
B. Hearing Requests
The applicant and the Agency shall
automatically be parties in the hearing.
Any other person or party who seeks to
participate in the hearing must submit
a written hearing request describing the
interest of that person or party in the
proceeding and the nature and purpose
of the participation sought. All requests
for a hearing must be received by the
Office of the Hearing Clerk within 30
calendar days from the date of
publication of this Notice in the Federal
Register. Such requests must include an
identification of the requestor’s interest
in the proceeding, the hearing issues the
requestor wishes to participate in, and
the requestor’s position with respect to
such issue(s). Requests for a hearing
must be submitted to: Office of Hearing
Clerk, U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20460.
Requests may be hand delivered to the
Office of the Hearing Clerk at: 1099 14th
St., NW., Suite 350, Washington, DC.
C. Scheduling
As required by 40 CFR 164.131(c), the
Administrator is specifying a schedule
for this hearing. In recognition of the
narrow scope of the proceeding, the
Administrator is establishing the
following schedule. However, if no
other interested party requests a
hearing, the Agency intends to file a
motion pursuant to 40 CFR 164.60
requesting that the Administrative Law
Judge issue an accelerated decision
pursuant to 40 CFR 164.91(a)(8) in favor
of modifying the cancellation order as
requested.
The Chief Administrative Law Judge
shall appoint an Administrative Law
Judge to preside at this proceeding
within 20 calendar days from date of
publication of this Notice in the Federal
Register. The hearing shall commence
in Washington, DC as soon thereafter as
practicable but in no event later than 40
calendar days from the date of
publication of this Notice in the Federal
Register. The presiding Administrative
Law Judge shall transmit recommended
findings of fact and conclusions of law
and the hearing record to the
Administrator within 70 calendar days
from the date of publication of this
Notice in the Federal Register. The
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parties shall submit any objections to
the recommended findings of fact and
conclusions of law to the Administrator
within 10 business days after issuance,
and the Administrator will enter a final
order as soon thereafter as practicable.
D. Separation of Functions
EPA’s Rules of Practice forbid anyone
who may take part in deciding this case
at any stage of the proceeding, from
discussing the merits of the proceeding
ex parte with any party or with any
person who has been connected with
the preparation or presentation of the
proceeding as an advocate or in any
investigative or expert capacity, or with
any of his or her representatives (40 CFR
164.7).
Accordingly, the following EPA
offices, and the staffs thereof, are
designated as the judicial staff of EPA in
any administrative hearing on this issue:
the Office of Administrative Law Judges,
the Environmental Appeals Board, the
Deputy Administrator, and the members
of the staff in the immediate office of the
Deputy Administrator, and the
Administrator and the members of staff
in the immediate office of the
Administrator. The following offices are
designated as the trial staff in any
proceeding which may arise under this
Notice: The Office of General Counsel,
the Assistant Administrator for the
Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and
Toxic Substances and immediate staff,
the Office of Pesticide Programs, and the
Office of Compliance Monitoring. None
of the persons designated as the judicial
staff may have any ex parte
communications with the trial staff or
any other interested person not
employed by EPA on the merits of any
of the issues involved in this
proceeding, without fully complying
with the applicable regulations.
IX. References
1. USEPA, 1992. Ethylene
Bisdithiocarbamate (EBDCs); Notice of
Intent to Cancel and Conclusion of
Special Review [57 FR 7484].
2. USEPA, 2005e. Reregistration
Eligibility Decision (RED) for Mancozeb.
3. USEPA, 2005d. Reregistration
Eligibility Decision (RED) for Maneb.
4. USEPA, 2005c. Reregistration
Eligibility Decision (RED) for Metiram.
5. USEPA, 1998. Maneb (014505) and
Mancozeb (014504) on Onions and
Potatoes: Reregistration. Memo from
Susan Hummel to R. B. Perfetti, January
6, 1998.
6. USEPA, 2003. Reregistration of
Mancozeb: Request to Reduce PreHarvest Interval for Potatoes and Waive
Processing Study. Memo from C.
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Olinger to Tawanda Spears, September
7, 2003.
7. USEPA, 2005a. Assessment of the
EBDC/ETU Task Forces Request to
Reduce the EBDC Fungicides PHI on
Potatoes from 14 to 3 Days. Memo from
R. Michell and T. Kiely to Tawanda
Spears, April 7, 2005.
8. USEPA, 1995. New York State
Department of Environmental
Conservation Emergency Exemption
Requests For The Use of Dimethomorph
and Cymoxanil Package Mixtures With
Mancozeb (Acrobat M2, Curzate M-8)
For Control of Potato Late Blight (95–
NY–06, 95–N&Y–07). Memo from J.
Hogue and R. Michell to L. Pemberton.
9. EBDC/ETU Task Force, 2003. Re:
Amendments to the Registrations of
Products Containing Ethylene
Bidisthiocarbamates (‘‘EBDCs’’) as an
Active Ingredient to Change the
Preharvest Interval (‘‘PHI’’) for Potatoes.
Memo from Edward Ruckert to James
Jones, August 25, 2003.
10. USEPA, 2005b. Metiram
(Chemical ID No. 014601, Case No.
0644) Revised Residue Chemistry
Chapter for the Reregistration Eligibility
Decision (RED) Document. Memo from
C. Olinger to Tawanda Spears, June 23,
2005.
11. Bookbinder, M. (1988) Metiram
and Ethylene Thiourea: Magnitude of
the Residue in Potatoes Treated by
Ground Equipment in Colarado, Idaho,
Maine, Michigan, North Dakota, Oregon,
and Wisconsin, 1987. Unpublished
study prepared by Enviro-Bio-Tech, Ltd.
223 p.
12. USEPA, 2001. Reregistration of
Mancozeb: Potato Crop Field Trial and
Corn Processing Studies. Memo from C.
Olinger to Anne Overstreet, March 15,
2001.
13. USEPA, 1988. Reregistration
Standard for Maneb. November 10,
1988.
14. USEPA, 1996. Maneb (014505)
and Mancozeb (014504) on Onions and
Potatoes: Reregistration. Memo from S.
Hummel to K. Boyle, September 6, 1996.
List of Subjects
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Environmental protection, Pesticides
and pests.
Dated: July 2, 2007.
Peter Caulkins,
Acting Director, Special Review and
Reregistration Division, Office of Pesticide
Programs
[FR Doc. E7–13471 Filed 7–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–S
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:56 Jul 10, 2007
Jkt 211001
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2007–0395; FRL–8136–1]
Notice of Filing of Pesticide Petition for
Residues of Silver as Component of
Food Contact Surface Sanitizing
Solution
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice announces the
initial filing of a pesticide petition
proposing the amendment of regulations
at 40 CFR 180.190(a) for residues of
antimicrobial pesticide formulation
containing silver compounds applied to
food contact surfaces in public eating
places, dairy processing equipment, and
food processing equipment and utensils.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before August 10, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by docket identification (ID)
number EPA–HQ–OPP–2007–0395 and
pesticide petition number (PP 7F7178),
by one of the following methods:
• 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 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) 3055805.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
docket ID number EPA–HQ–OPP–2007–
0395. 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
PO 00000
Frm 00081
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
37779
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. 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
Building), 2777 S. Crystal Drive,
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:
Marshall Swindell, PM 33,
Antimicrobials Division (7510P), Office
of Pesticide Programs, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,
DC 20460–0001; telephone number:
(703) 308–6341, e-mail address:
swindell.marshall@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
You may be potentially affected by
this action if you are an agricultural
producer, food manufacturer, or
pesticide manufacturer. Potentially
affected entities may include, but are
not limited to:
• Crop production (NAICS code 111).
• Animal production (NAICS code
112).
• Food manufacturing (NAICS code
311).
E:\FR\FM\11JYN1.SGM
11JYN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37771-37779]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-13471]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-0181; FRL-8118-4]
Notice of Hearing on Request to Reduce Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI)
for EBDC Fungicides on Potatoes
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Hearing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The EPA is issuing this Hearing Notice under the authority set
forth in 40 CFR part 164 subpart D (subpart D hearing). A subpart D
hearing is required when a registrant wants to modify an existing
cancellation order that was issued after the opportunity for a hearing.
In 1992, EPA issued a Notice of Intent to Cancel (NOIC) registrations
containing EBDCs for use on certain crops. The crop at issue for this
hearing notice is potatoes. The NOIC stated that use of EBDCs on
potatoes would be canceled unless the registrants modified their
pesticide product labels. At issue in this notice is the 1992
requirement to extend the preharvest interval (PHI) to reduce the
dietary risk. EPA issued the 1992 NOIC with an opportunity for a
hearing. EPA and the registrants reached a settlement, including the
agreement to amend labels to extend the PHI to 14 days. The purpose of
this notice is to announce that EPA has determined that the petition
requesting a modification of the cancellation order has merit and to
announce an opportunity for a hearing.
DATES: Requests to participate in the hearing announced by this notice
must be received by the Office of the Hearing Clerk at the address
given below by August 10, 2007. A pre-hearing conference will be held
and the evidentiary hearing will commence as soon thereafter as
practicable, according the schedule outlined herein.
ADDRESSES: Submit your request to participate in the hearing,
identified by docket identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-0181,
by the following method:
Mail: Office of Hearing Clerk, USEPA, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20460.
Hand delivery: Office of the Hearing Clerk, 1099 14th St.,
NW., Suite 350, Washington, DC 20005.
[[Page 37772]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Costello, Special Review and
Reregistration Division (7508P), Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 305-5026; fax
number: (703) 308-7070; e-mail address: costello.kevin@epa.gov or
Michele Knorr, Office of General Counsel, Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001;
telephone number: (202) 564-5631; fax number: e-mail address:
knorr.michele@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
The EPA is issuing this Hearing Notice under the authority set
forth in 40 CFR part 164 subpart D (subpart D hearing). A subpart D
hearing is required when a registrant wants to modify an existing
cancellation order that was issued after the opportunity for a hearing.
In 1992, EPA issued a NOIC registrations containing EBDCs\1\ for use on
certain crops. The crop at issue for this hearing notice is potatoes.
The NOIC stated that use of EBDCs on potatoes would be canceled unless
the registrants modified their pesticide product labels. At issue in
this notice is the 1992 requirement to extend the preharvest interval
(PHI)\2\ to reduce the dietary risk. EPA issued the 1992 NOIC with an
opportunity for a hearing. EPA and the registrants reached a
settlement, including the agreement to amend labels to extend the PHI
to 14 days.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ EBDC refers to products containing ethylene
bisdithiocarbamate.
\2\ PHI refers to the number of days between the last
application of a pesticide and when the crop can be harvested.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On December 26, 1996, the EBDC/ETU Task Force\3\ (Task Force)
submitted its first request to modify the existing cancellation order
for the use of three products containing EBDC on potatoes: mancozeb,
maneb, and metiram. In order to reduce otherwise-unacceptable dietary
risks, the cancellation order restricted the PHI for potatoes to 14
days in 37 States.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The EBDC Task Force represents registrants who hold EBDC
registrations. The current members of the Task Force are Dow
AgroSciences, DuPont, Griffin, Cerexagri, and BASF.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this request, the Task Force requested that the PHI be reduced
from 14 days to 3 days nationwide to address the spread of the late
blight disease (Phytophthora infestans) in potatoes. Late blight is a
fungal disease that caused the infamous ``Irish Potato Famine'' in the
1840s. If not adequately controlled, this disease is capable of totally
destroying the crop in the field (foliar blight phase) and/or in
storage (tuber rot phase). For the foliar phase of the disease, the
primary source of inoculum is infected tubers, which are present in
cull piles, or remain in the soil after harvest, or are used as seed-
pieces for new plantings. Spores produced on foliage and stems during
the foliar phase of the disease serve as the primary inoculum for tuber
infections, which generally occur prior to harvest. Infected potatoes
placed in storage lots can then serve as a source of inoculum for the
storage rot phase of the disease.
On August 25, 2003, the Task Force resubmitted its request to the
Agency as part of the EBDC reregistration process. Subsequently, the
Agency informed the Task Force that EPA had to consider the impact of
the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) amendments to the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) before any action could be
taken on the request. The Agency decided to consider the request after
completion of the Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) process for
the EBDCs\4\. To date, EPA has not taken any substantial actions on the
Task Force request. This Notice represents EPA's determination that the
2003 request to modify the existing cancellation order merits a subpart
D hearing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Mancozeb was first registered in 1948. Maneb was first
registered in 1962. Metiram was first registered in 1948.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under subpart D of 40 CFR part 164, the Task Force submission
constitutes a petition to modify the final cancellation order
concerning EBDC pesticide products. Such a petition may not be granted
without an opportunity for a formal adjudicatory hearing in front of an
Administrative Law Judge. EPA has concluded that the submissions by the
Task Force provide a basis for modification of the order canceling EBDC
products. This Notice (1) announces that EPA has decided to hold a
hearing regarding the petition to modify the existing cancellation
order as it applies to the use of products containing EBDCs (mancozeb,
maneb, and metiram) on potatoes and the allowance of a 3-day, rather
than a 14-day PHI, (2) specifies the issues of fact and law to be
considered at that hearing, (3) identifies what steps interested
persons need to take if they wish to participate in the hearing, and
(4) establishes a schedule for the hearing.
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. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established a docket for this action under
docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-0181. 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 Office
of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One
Potomac Yard (South Building), 2777 S. Crystal Drive 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.
2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register''
listings at https://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
II. Background
A. What Action is the Agency Taking?
The purpose of this document is to announce that the Agency has
determined that the petition requesting a modification of the
cancellation order has merit and that an opportunity for a hearing is
being announced.
B. What is the Agency's Authority for Taking this Action?
When the Agency receives an application to permit use of a
pesticide in a manner inconsistent with a cancellation order issued
after a cancellation proceeding has commenced (i.e., after publication
of a notice of intent to cancel and receipt of a request for a hearing
on that notice), that application will be treated by the Agency as a
petition to modify the cancellation order. Because of the opportunity
for a formal adjudicatory hearing, which precedes entry of such a final
cancellation order, EPA has
[[Page 37773]]
determined that such an order should not be modified or rescinded
without affording interested parties a similar notice and opportunity
for hearing concerning such modification or rescission. The procedures
governing all applications to modify or reverse a previous final
cancellation order are set forth in 40 CFR part 164, subpart D, Sec.
164.130 through 164.133.
The Administrator has determined that the applicant has met the
criteria for a subpart D hearing. This notice sets forth the
determination, the rationale for that determination, a description of
the issues of fact and law to be adjudicated in the hearing, and a
schedule for the hearing.
III. Regulatory History
EBDC fungicides currently registered under FIFRA for food uses
include mancozeb, maneb, and metiram. The following is a summary of the
regulatory history of the EBDCs.
In 1977, the Agency initiated a Rebuttable Presumption Against
Registration\5\ (RPAR), which later became the Special Review Program,
based on concerns that EBDCs and ethylene thiourea (ETU) posed
potential significant risks to humans and the environment. In 1982, EPA
concluded the RPAR and announced measures designed to mitigate
potential unreasonable adverse effects pending the development of
additional data. At that time, EPA deferred a decision on one risk of
concern, carcinogenicity. The decision was deferred to allow for the
development of residue data in order to better characterize the risk.
(See 61 FR 42244, August 14, 1996).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ RPAR was a regulatory review process used prior to Special
Review to consider potential risks that might warrant the
cancellation of the registration. The regulations were changed in
the mid-1980's to review pesticide products (leading to an ultimate
determination of whether their use or uses pose unreasonable adverse
effects to humans or the environment) and the procedures for the
Special Review process. The regulatory changes were based primarily
on changes made to FIFRA in 1978 and on the experience acquired by
EPA in regulating pesticides pursuant to the RPAR process. See 40
CFR part 154 for the procedures associated with Special Review.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 1987, the Agency placed the EBDCs into Special Review because of
concerns that the common metabolite, ETU, could cause carcinogenic and
adverse developmental and thyroid effects in humans. The EBDCs
metabolize to ETU in the body and all degrade to ETU in the
environment. (See 52 FR 27172, July 17, 1987).
In response to the Agency placing the EBDCs in Special Review, the
four technical registrants of mancozeb, maneb and metiram requested
that registrations be maintained for only 13 of the 55 food uses
registered at that time and that all other uses be canceled. (See 54 FR
50020, December 4, 1989) Shortly thereafter, the Agency approved the
requested amendments.
After the approval of the amendments, the Agency issued a Notice of
Preliminary Determination\6\ (PD 2/3) that proposed canceling the uses
on an additional three crops, including potatoes. The Agency received
comments in response that recommended mitigation options to allow
continued use of EBDCs on potatoes. Among these mitigation options was
to ``(e)xtend the preharvest interval to 14 days as most growers
already observe a 14-day interval,'' noting that ``(t)he 0-day
preharvest interval invites contamination of tubers with fungicide
residues,'' which could result in unacceptable dietary risks. (See 54
FR 52158, December 20, 1989). As a result of the PD 2/3, the EPA also
issued a proposal to revoke and reduce tolerances for the 42 deleted
uses plus the additional three uses proposed for cancellation. (See 55
FR 20416, May 16, 1990).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ The PD 2/3 is the Notice of Preliminary Determination, which
was based on information on risks and benefits received in public
comments and on additional analyses performed since the Special
Review process began. See 40 CFR 154.31.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On March 2, 1992, the Agency issued the ``Notice of Intent to
Cancel and Conclusion of Special Review'' (PD 4)\7\ concluding that the
relatively high estimated dietary risk outweighed the relatively low
benefits of the use of EBDCs on potatoes. (See 57 FR 7484, March 2,
1992). In order to allow the use on potatoes to remain, the Agency
required certain mitigation language to be included on the label. This
included the 14-day PHI for all but nine potato-producing states.
Because of the presence of late blight in certain states (Connecticut,
Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania,
Vermont, and Wisconsin), a 3-day PHI for use of EBDCs on potatoes was
allowed in those states. The Agency allowed the 3-day PHI in these
states because the data on late blight, efficacy of possible
alternatives, and residue data allowed EPA to find that the benefits
outweighed the risks. (See 57 FR 7484, 7526, March 2, 1992).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ A PD 4 is issued in accordance with 40 CFR 154.33.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The adoption of the 14-day PHI was intended to be consistent with
common practice in the other potato growing states at the time. (Ref.
1). The tolerance for the EBDC fungicides was based on EBDC and ETU
residues detected in the Market Basket Survey\8\ (MBS) of 1989-1990. As
part of the Special Review, and in order to conduct a highly refined
dietary exposure assessment, the EBDC registrants conducted a large-
scale MBS to determine EBDC and ETU residues in a variety of foods as
close to the point of consumption as possible (i.e., grocery stores and
small markets). The survey was completed in 1990 and used in the
Special Review PD 4, which was completed in 1992. The distribution of
14-day and 3-day PHIs was designed to best replicate the conditions
under which the residues detected in the MBS occurred. (See 57 FR 7484,
March 2, 1992).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ Samples were purchased at consumer retail outlets and
shoppers were instructed to select blemish free commodities in
amounts similar to those purchased by typical consumers. The study
was conducted over a 1-year period to ensure that seasonal
differences in residues would be addressed. The samples were
analyzed using methods that are still in use at this time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subsequently in 1996, the Agency allowed a 3-day PHI for use of
EBDCs on potatoes in four additional states (Delaware, Michigan, Ohio,
and Rhode Island). At the time the 1992 NOIC\9\ was issued, the Agency
had no information suggesting that Delaware, Michigan and Ohio had a
late blight problem and included those states among the states subject
to a minimum 14-day PHI. Subsequent to the NOIC being issued, a group
of registrants and growers submitted to the Agency information on late
blight supporting a minimum 3-day PHI for Delaware, Michigan, and Ohio.
This group requested a hearing to add these three states to the list of
states for which a 3-day PHI was permitted. Additionally, at the time
the Agency issued the NOIC, EPA believed that the ``New England''
states as well as some other states had a late blight problem and
allowed a minimum 3-day PHI for those states. Rhode Island was
erroneously omitted from the list of states. The Agency determined that
in the states with substantial late blight occurrence, the benefits
outweighed the risks associated with a 3-day PHI and amended the
cancellation order. (See 61 FR 42244, August 14, 1996).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ See, Settlement Agreement in In re: American Food Security
Coalition (AFSC) et al., FIFRA Docket Nos. 646, et al.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the reregistration process, EPA evaluated the 14- and 3-day
PHIs as part of the mancozeb, maneb, and metiram REDs, which were
completed by September 2005 as part of the FIFRA reregistration
process. (Refs. 2, 3, and 4)\10\. The REDs noted receipt of the
[[Page 37774]]
petition to allow for a 3-day PHI in all states, but the Agency did not
address whether the petition warranted a subpart D hearing or if the
registration amendment requests would be granted. Through the
reregistration process, EPA determined that the exposure that would
result from a nationwide 3-day PHI for potatoes would be safe under the
FFDCA reasonable certainty of no harm standard (Refs. 5, 6, and 7). In
that analysis, the Agency assumed 67% crop treated for the use of EBDCs
on potatoes. The 67% crop treated is a conservative overestimate for
the actual crop treated. Even assuming a greater conservative and
unlikely scenario of 100% crop treated, EPA believes the risk increase
would be insignificant.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ FIFRA section 4 requires EPA to make reregistration
eligibility determinations for all older chemicals (those registered
before November 1, 1984). The Agency announced these determinations
through REDs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Statutory and Regulatory Background
A. Standards for Granting or Maintaining a Registration
A pesticide product may be registered or remain registered only if
it performs its intended pesticidal function without causing
``unreasonable adverse effects on the environment.'' (FIFRA section
3(c)(5)). ``Unreasonable adverse effects on the environment'' is
defined as ``(1) any unreasonable risk to man or the environment,
taking into account the economic, social, and environmental costs and
benefits of the use of the pesticide, or (2) a human dietary risk from
residues that result from a use of a pesticide in or on any food
inconsistent with the standard under section 408 of the [FFDCA].''
(FIFRA section 2(bb)).
Under FIFRA section 6, the Agency may issue a NOIC the registration
of a pesticide product whenever it is determined that the product no
longer satisfies the statutory criteria for registration. The Agency
may specify particular modifications in the terms and conditions of
registration, such as deletion of particular uses or revisions of
labeling, as an alternative to cancellation. If an adversely affected
person requests a hearing, the final order concerning cancellation of
the product is not issued until after a formal administrative hearing.
B. Subpart D Proceedings
When the Agency receives an application to permit use of a
pesticide in a manner inconsistent with a cancellation order issued
after a cancellation proceeding has commenced (i.e., after publication
of a NOIC and receipt of a request for a hearing on that notice), that
application will be treated by the Agency as a petition to modify the
cancellation order. Because of the opportunity for a formal
adjudicatory hearing, which precedes entry of such a final cancellation
order, EPA has determined that such an order should not be modified or
rescinded without affording interested parties a similar notice and
opportunity for hearing concerning such modification or rescission. The
procedures governing all applications to modify or reverse a previous
final cancellation order are set forth in 40 CFR part 164, subpart D,
Sec. 164.130 through 164.133.
As stated previously, 40 CFR 164.131(a) provides that the
Administrator will consider modifying a prior final cancellation order
when he finds that:
(1) The applicant has presented substantial new evidence which may
materially affect the prior cancellation or suspension order and which
was not available to the Administrator at the time he made his final
cancellation or suspension determination and, (2) such evidence could
not, through the exercise of due diligence, have been discovered by the
parties to the cancellation or suspension proceeding prior to the
issuance of the final order.
In deciding whether or not to initiate a hearing, the Administrator
does not need to determine that the evidence submitted by the Task
Force would in fact justify modification of the prior order. Rather, a
decision to initiate a hearing means only that the Administrator has
determined that the evidence submitted, if substantiated on the record
in the hearing, may ``materially affect'' the evidentiary rationale
upon which the prior order was based. On the other hand, if the
evidence submitted, even if substantiated on the record, would be
unlikely to provide a basis for modification of the prior order, then a
hearing would serve no purpose.
If the Administrator determines that an applicant has met the
criteria for a subpart D hearing, the Administrator then publishes a
notice in the Federal Register setting forth the determination, the
rationale for that determination, a description of the issues of fact
and law to be adjudicated in the hearing, and a schedule for the
hearing. The purpose of the hearing is to determine whether: (1)
Substantial new evidence exists and (2) such substantial new evidence
requires reversal or modification of the existing cancellation order.
For purposes of any decision in the hearing, those portions of the
substantive rationale for the existing order concerning which the
applicant did not submit substantial new evidence are assumed to be
correct. Thus, the scope of any subpart D hearing is intrinsically
narrower than the original cancellation proceeding.
If a hearing is requested, a notice of the hearing will be
published in the Federal Register announcing the formal public hearing
to be held in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 554. In such a hearing, the
Administrative Law Judge transmits a recommended decision to the
Administrator, who then issues a final decision retaining, modifying,
or reversing the existing order. (See 40 CFR 164.131).
V. Submissions - Substantial New Evidence Provided by Task Force
As stated above, the Task Forces submission constitutes a petition
to modify the EBDC cancellation order. In order for the Agency to find
that a subpart D hearing is warranted, it must determine:
(1) The applicant has presented substantial new evidence which may
materially affect the prior cancellation or suspension order and which
was not available to the Administrator at the time he made his final
cancellation or suspension determination and, (2) such evidence could
not, through the exercise of due diligence, have been discovered by the
parties to the cancellation or suspension proceeding prior to the
issuance of the final order. (See 40 CFR 164.131(a)).
The Task Forces 2003 petition to reduce the PHI for use of EBDCs on
potatoes from 14 days to 3 days nationwide included a number of points
described as ``substantial new evidence'' that could not have been
known at the time of the cancellation order. The asserted ``substantial
new evidence'' includes information on the spread of late blight to
additional potato-growing states, field trial data for mancozeb and
maneb use on potatoes and the Agency's revision of the cancer endpoint
for EBDC breakdown product, ETU.
A. Spread of Late Blight
The Agency has determined that the information submitted by the
Task Force concerning the spread of late blight fungal disease
nationally is substantial new evidence which supports the adoption of a
nationwide 3-day PHI for EBDCs on potatoes beyond the 13 states in
which the 3-day PHI is currently in effect. Late blight is a severe
fungal disease, which attacks leaves of potato plants in the field,
killing the leaves and decreasing the size and number of potato tubers.
Late blight also attacks tubers in storage, causing them to rot. Late
blight was once controlled by metalaxyl, until metalaxyl resistant
strains developed.
[[Page 37775]]
The disease spreads rapidly by spores, with a new disease cycle
occurring every 4 to 6 days. As mentioned above, the Agency was aware
of the presence of late blight in nine states when the NOIC was
published, and was made aware of its presence in four additional states
soon thereafter (Ref. 7), and consequently the Agency determined that
it was appropriate to reduce the PHI in those four states as well. The
Task Force has since submitted new information that late blight has now
spread nationwide. The following is background information on the
spread of late blight and why this information is material to allowing
a modification to the cancellation order.
Until 1989, late blight was very rarely of concern in any potato
producing state, due primarily to the fact that metalaxyl products
provided virtually 100% control of the foliar phase of the disease.
(Ref. 8). The Task Force indicated that by 2003, the Agency had granted
FIFRA section 18 emergency exemptions for the use of products to
control late blight in 23 states to which the disease had spread since
the issuance of the NOIC (Ref. 9). Pesticides for which exemptions were
granted included dimethomorph, cymoxanil, and propamocarb
hydrochloride. State crop specialists documented the distribution of
metalaxyl-resistant forms and grower crop damage incidents associated
with the failure of metalaxyl to provide adequate disease control
(Refs. 8 and 10). Metalaxyl was thus no longer regarded as an effective
control for late blight in potatoes.
If late blight is not adequately controlled, this disease is
capable of totally destroying a crop of potatoes in the field (foliar
blight phase) and\or in storage (tuber rot phase). Generally speaking,
the number of infected tubers present at harvest is primarily a
function of the level of foliar disease control attained during the
growing season, especially during the latter half of the season. At
present, even when low levels of tuber infection are detected in a
field at harvest, growers typically need to sell potatoes right away,
rather than store them and risk losing a large number of stored
potatoes (Refs. 8 and 10).
Once plants are initially infected, the foliar phase of the disease
can rapidly progress by producing multiple generations of spores, which
can be transported up to 150 miles in the air as well as locally in
water or air. One spore cycle can occur in a 4- to 6-day period. In
addition to destroying aboveground plant parts, the foliar blight phase
of the disease can cause a significant decrease in the size and number
of marketable potatoes. Accordingly, even the planting of a single
infected tuber can quickly result in extensive crop losses and a high
percentage of tuber infections over a large area (Refs. 8 and 10).
The foliar phase of the disease is favored by cool and moist
conditions, which commonly occur in most potato production states. Long
periods of high relative humidity (over 90%) with night temperatures of
50 to 60[deg] F and day temperatures of 60 to 80[deg] F are favorable
for disease development. The spread and control of this disease is
complicated by the fact that most fungal forms are also capable of
infecting and reproducing on tomatoes as well as certain other
solanaceous plants (including certain weeds). It is suspected that the
new, sexually reproducing forms of late blight were introduced to the
United States through the importation of infected tomatoes from Mexico
(Ref.11). The potential for spreading the disease via infected tomato
transplants or fruits is of particular concern, in light of the
widespread homeowner gardening and composting practices associated with
tomatoes.
Most of the harvested potatoes in the United States go directly
into storage and are gradually released into the marketplace over a
period of 1 to 10 months. Many of the existing storage facilities are
conducive to the rapid spread of tuber rot, especially during wet or
humid weather. Potato late blight specialists agree that, under these
storage conditions, even if only a small percentage of any lot of
stored potatoes is infected with tuber rot, it is likely that the
majority of them will spoil prior to their release into the
marketplace. When this occurs, the whole lot is generally considered
unmarketable. The stored tuber spoilage problem can be due solely to
late blight, or to a series of tuber rots initiated by late blight
infected tubers and followed by bacterial soft rots, which develop in
response to the anaerobic conditions created by the development of late
blight tuber rot (Refs. 8 and 10).
B. Field Trial Data
As mentioned above, the potential exposure to humans that could
result from the use of EBDCs on potatoes was considered during
reregistration and was found to meet the standard for reregistration.
EPA was able to make this determination because of the new information
submitted by the Task Force as well as revised risk assessment
methodologies. The residues detected in the 1989-1990 MBS were
considered to reflect common practices that included either 14-day or
3-day PHIs for potatoes treated with EBDC fungicides. Additional field
trial data submitted by the Task Force in support of its 2003 petition
are available for two of the three EBDCs, which further support the
establishment of a nationwide 3-day PHI. The following describes the
field trial data available for each EBDC chemical.
1. Mancozeb. The Mancozeb Task Force conducted residue trials on
potatoes in 1995-1996. A summary of relevant residue data for mancozeb
and ETU are presented in Table 1 below. The maximum mancozeb value
found in residue studies using the maximum seasonal rate for mancozeb
on potatoes with a 3-day PHI was 0.1 parts per million (ppm) and for a
14-day PHI was 0.02 ppm. The average mancozeb value with a 3-day PHI
was 0.02 ppm and with a 14-day PHI was 0.01 ppm.
From this newly submitted data, the Agency has now determined that
reduction of the PHI to 3 days for the entire United States would not
result in mancozeb residues exceeding the reassessed tolerance of 0.2
ppm for potatoes. A separate dietary risk assessment was not required
to support the PHI change request because existing dietary assessments
used for the EBDC REDs showed no appreciable differences in the residue
levels at different pre-harvest intervals. Additionally, as stated
earlier, even if the percent crop treated rose from 67% to 100% the
resulting increase in risk would be insignificant. Therefore, the
Agency found that the use of EBDCs on potatoes with a 3-day PHI would
meet the FFDCA safety determination (Ref. 12).
EPA used monitoring data from the MBS in the dietary risk
assessment for the reregistration eligibility decision. Based on these
new field trial data, EPA has now determined that the MBS is
representative of the residues that may be expected in potato tubers at
PHIs ranging from 3 to 14 days.
Low residues are expected because mancozeb is applied to the
foliage, and metabolism studies have not shown translocation of
mancozeb throughout the plant (Ref. 6). Therefore, it is not surprising
that there are minimal residues on the day of application, as the
residues would not transport from the potato leaves to the tubers below
the ground. The minimal residues that are present on the tubers may be
from some soil that adhered to the tuber when harvested.
[[Page 37776]]
Table 1.-- Summary of Mancozeb Residue Data for Potatoes (MRIDs 44167901, 40913301, and 41091601)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Single Seasonal Pre-harvest Residues Found, ppm
Location Application Rate, No. of Application Rate, Intrerval, -------------------------------------
lb ai/A Applications lb ai/A days Mancozeb ETU
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA 1.6 + 2.4 5 11.2 0 <0.05 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA 1.6 + 2.4 5 11.2 0 <0.05 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WI 1.6 7 11.2 3 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FL 1.6 7 11.2 3 0.03 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FL 1.6 7 11.2 3 0.03 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PA 1.6 7 11.2 3 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PA 1.6 7 11.2 3 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MO 1.6 7 11.2 3 0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MO 1.6 7 11.2 3 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MO 1.6 7 11.2 3 0.1 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MO 1.6 7 11.2 3 0.03 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NY 1.6 7 11.2 3 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MN 1.6 7 11.2 4 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MN 1.6 7 11.2 4 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA 1.6 + 2.4 5 11.2 5 <0.05 0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA 1.6 5 11.2 5 <0.05 0.02
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA 1.6 7 11.2 14 <0.02 0.02
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA 1.6 7 11.2 14 0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WA 1.6 7 11.2 14 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA 1.6 7 11.2 14 <0.02 0.02
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UT 1.6 7 11.2 14 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UT 1.6 7 11.2 14 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ID 1.6 7 11.2 14 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ID 1.6 7 11.2 14 <0.02 <0.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA 1.6 + 2.4 5 11.2 15 <0.05 0.03
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA 1.6 + 2.4 5 11.2 15 <0.05 0.02
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Maneb. In response to EPA's requests for data in the late 1980s
and early 1990s, one registrant, Elf Atochem North America, Inc.
submitted data in 1994 pertaining to the magnitude of maneb residues in
or on potatoes. The data were determined to be insufficient to fulfill
the total field trial requirement, because ``field trials were not
conducted in states where a 3-day PHI is allowed.'' However, they did
indicate that residues of maneb and ETU from maneb will not exceed the
established tolerance of 0.1 ppm in or on potatoes harvested 1 day
following the last of eight foliar applications of the dry flowable
formulation for a total seasonal rate of 12.8 lb active ingredient/Acre
(ai/A) because the combined residues of maneb and its metabolite ETU
were nondetectable (<0.06 to <0.08 ppm) in or on potatoes (Refs. 13, 14
and 5).
Available field trial data for maneb and ETU in or on potatoes were
among the data used in conjunction with MBS from 1989-1990 to assess
acute and chronic dietary (food) risk in the 2005 maneb RED. In the
2005 RED, EPA determined that the overall aggregate risk from residues
of maneb and ETU on food was determined to be below the Agency's
levels-of-concern. The reduction in PHI to 3 days will not change this
determination.
3. Metiram. The Task Force did not provide new evidence to support
a 3-day PHI for use of metiram on potatoes because such data had
previously been submitted to the Agency in 1988. This earlier data
involved field trials performed in 1987 in seven states to measure the
magnitude of metiram and ETU residues on potatoes. The review of these
studies shows that ``(t)he 80% WP metiram formulation was foliarly
applied 10 times (with a 5- to 21-day retreatment interval), to potato
plants at 1.6 lb ai/A/application (1x) using
[[Page 37777]]
ground equipment. Individual residues of metiram and ETU were <0.10 ppm
(nondetectable) and <0.01(nondetectable) to 0.02 ppm, respectively, in
or on treated potato tuber samples harvested immediately (0-day)
following the last of the above treatment schedule. The maximum
residues of metiram in or on potato tubers following treatments at 1x
were <0.10 ppm which is below the established tolerance of 0.5 ppm''
(Ref. 10). The tolerance was later reassessed and set at 0.2 ppm, which
met the FFDCA safety finding as well allowing the Agency to harmonize
the tolerance with the Codex maximum residue limit (MRL) for EBDCs in
or on potatoes.
Since residues of metiram measured in or on potatoes were below the
tolerance level for potatoes harvested immediately after the final
treatment, potatoes harvested 3 days after treatment should have
residues that are lower and also below the tolerance level. As was
stated in the maneb discussion, overall risk from residues of metiram
and ETU on food was determined to be below the Agency's levels of
concern, and would be expected to remain so if a 3-day PHI for potatoes
were established nationwide (Ref. 10).
C. Revision of the Cancer Endpoint for ETU
The Task Force notes in its 2003 petition that the Q1*\11\ for ETU
has changed since the 1992 NOIC. If there is evidence, such as tumor
formation, and the pesticide is classified as a carcinogen, a
quantitative assessment is conducted using a Q1* (non-threshold) or a
Margin of Exposure (threshold) approach. The Agency evaluated the risk
from ETU in the NOIC using a Q1* of 0.11 milligrams/kilogram/day (mg/
kg/day)-1. The Agency subsequently recalculated the ETU Q1*
in 1995, resulting in a Q1* of 0.06 mg/kg/day-1. As a result
of this new assessment endpoint, the Task Force suggests that the
reduction in the PHI for use of EBDCs on potatoes would be even less
likely to result in exceedances of the Agency's levels of concern. In
its reregistration decisions for the EBDCs, using the lower Q1*, EPA
found that the level of concern for cancer risk was not exceeded.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ The Q1*, or cancer slope factor, is an upper bound estimate
of the increased cancer risk from a lifetime exposure to an agent.
Upper bound in this context is a plausible upper limit to the true
probability.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The reduction of the Q1* for ETU was significant new evidence that
allowed the Agency to make a safety finding for the reregistration of
EBDC fungicides. It is important to note that the field trial data
alone indicate that residues of ETU on potatoes from application of
EBDCs would not be significantly different for PHIs of 3 and 14 days.
Therefore, the reduction of the Q1* for ETU is a less compelling
argument for reducing the PHI to 3 days as exposure levels show that
there are no risks of concern.
VI. Risk-Benefit Assessment
A. Significance of Substantial New Evidence
When the Agency issued the cancellation order for EBDC fungicides
in 1992, it allowed a shorter, 3-day PHI for EBDCs on potatoes in nine
states in which late blight disease occurred. The Agency was made aware
soon thereafter that late blight disease was also present in four
states not identified in the cancellation order, and the 3-day PHI was
extended to those states to afford the same protection against late
season onset of late blight disease through amendments to the
cancellation order. The evidence presented by the Task Force that late
blight has since spread to almost all potato-growing states, when
combined with the scientific finding that the resulting exposures would
still meet the ``reasonable certainty of no harm'' standard set forth
in section 408 of the FFDCA, is a compelling justification for
extending the 3-day PHI to all states in which EBDCs could be applied
to potatoes.
It is important to keep in mind that there are also residue data
for mancozeb and maneb on potatoes submitted since the cancellation
order that support the nationwide adoption of the 3-day PHI. As shown
above, the mancozeb field trial data indicate that mancozeb and ETU
residues from the use of mancozeb on potatoes were insignificant, and
that the concentrations of mancozeb and ETU residues reflecting a 3-day
PHI were not significantly different than those reflecting a 14-day
PHI. Similarly, maneb field trial data submitted since the cancellation
order indicate that ETU residues were undetectable for treated potatoes
after both 1-day and 7-day PHIs. These data, in conjunction with
previously submitted metiram data showing no ETU residues on potatoes
harvested the day of treatment, indicate that adoption of a 3-day PHI
nationwide will not meaningfully increase exposure to ETU in or on
potatoes.
Although the requirements for additional field trials for use of
maneb on potatoes are still outstanding because geographic
representation was inadequate, the Agency believes it unlikely that the
residues resulting from a 3-day PHI in other regions would be
sufficiently different to be of concern, based on similar data for
mancozeb on potatoes. In modifying the Cancellation Order to change the
14-day PHI from the use of EBDCs on potatoes to 3 days nationwide, the
Agency would condition the registration with a requirement that the
registrants provide the confirmatory data to fulfill the field trial
data requirement (OPP guideline 171-4(k); OPPTS guideline 860.1500).
As described above, the reduction of the Q1* for ETU was also
``substantial new evidence'' but a less compelling argument for
modifying the cancellation order because the exposure levels to ETU
were not of concern.
B. Alternative Control Measures
As stated earlier, EBDCs are needed to control the nationwide
spread of late blight, because the alternative products that are
registered to address late blight are not adequate (Ref. 2).
VII. Subpart D Determination
Under 40 CFR 164.131(a), the Administrator is to provide a hearing
to modify a prior final cancellation decision only if it is determined
that certain criteria have been met. Having concluded that the EBDC
Task Force has presented substantial new evidence concerning the
request to provide for a 3-day PHI nationwide which was not available
when the final cancellation order went into effect, the Administrator
must now determine whether that evidence ``may materially affect'' that
order. The Administrator has concluded that the new information
materially affects whether the cancellation order should be modified
because this information allows the Agency to find that a nationwide 3-
day PHI meets the FIFRA standard for registration. Thus, the first
criterion in 40 CFR 164.131(a) has been met.
Information provided by the Task Force on the late blight spread
nationwide could not have ``through the exercise of due diligence''
been obtained before the 14-day restriction was in place as late blight
had not yet spread nationwide. When information existed concerning the
spread of late blight nationwide and the need for additional tools to
combat it, the Task Force submitted the newly obtained information.
Therefore, the second criterion in 40 CFR 164.131(a) has also been met.
Based on the above analysis and because the Agency believes it is
appropriate under this circumstance to modify the cancellation order to
allow a 3-day PHI, the Administrator has decided to issue this notice
under
[[Page 37778]]
subpart D to provide an opportunity for a hearing.
Since EPA issued its NOIC in 1992, substantial new evidence has
been presented to the Agency that supports amendment of the
cancellation order to allow all states to have a 3-day PHI for
potatoes. The new information focuses on the need for the EBDCs to
combat the late blight problem in the United States. For example,
metalaxyl-resistant strains of late blight were reported in at least 32
states, which means that resistant strains are currently present in
virtually all potato producing states. Additionally, since the pest
problem can spread long distances via airborne spores and virtually all
states that produce planting stock (seed-potatoes) have documented the
presence of metalaxyl-resistant strains; all production states have a
high probability of encountering metalaxyl-resistant late blight
strains in any given year. Based on the information reviewed, a 3-day
PHI is likely to reduce the number of tubers that become infected just
prior to harvest and will therefore increase the number of tubers that
can be stored.
Pursuant to 40 CFR 164.131(c), the Administrator is specifying
those issues of fact and law to be adjudicated in the hearing convened
pursuant to this notice. Because the purpose of such a hearing is only
to consider whether to modify certain aspects of the Administrator's
prior cancellation decision and because a prompt conclusion to the
hearing is a requisite of meaningful relief for the applicant, the
evidentiary presentation in the hearing shall be strictly confined to
the issues of fact and law which the Administrator has determined are
presented by the Task Force submission.
1. Issues of fact. The issues of fact to be adjudicated are:
i. What is the current status (nationwide) of late blight on
potatoes?
ii. Has the occurrence of late blight changed since the initial
cancellation order issued in 1992?
iii. Are EBDCs necessary to respond to late blight?
iv. What are the dietary risks associated with EBDC use on
potatoes?
2. Issues of law. The issues of law to be adjudicated are:
i. Has substantial new evidence been presented pertaining to the
request to reduce the nationwide PHI on potatoes to 3 days?
ii. If it is substantial new evidence, could the applicant, through
due diligence, have discovered this information prior to issuance of
the cancellation order?
iii. Does the 3-day PHI meet the FIFRA 2(bb) standard?
The sole objective of this hearing is to determine whether or not
the order canceling all sale, distribution, and use of pesticide
products containing EBDCs that do not comply with the current label
restriction on the PHI for potatoes should be modified to permit a
nationwide 3-day PHI.
B. Hearing Requests
The applicant and the Agency shall automatically be parties in the
hearing. Any other person or party who seeks to participate in the
hearing must submit a written hearing request describing the interest
of that person or party in the proceeding and the nature and purpose of
the participation sought. All requests for a hearing must be received
by the Office of the Hearing Clerk within 30 calendar days from the
date of publication of this Notice in the Federal Register. Such
requests must include an identification of the requestor's interest in
the proceeding, the hearing issues the requestor wishes to participate
in, and the requestor's position with respect to such issue(s).
Requests for a hearing must be submitted to: Office of Hearing Clerk,
U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. Requests
may be hand delivered to the Office of the Hearing Clerk at: 1099 14th
St., NW., Suite 350, Washington, DC.
C. Scheduling
As required by 40 CFR 164.131(c), the Administrator is specifying a
schedule for this hearing. In recognition of the narrow scope of the
proceeding, the Administrator is establishing the following schedule.
However, if no other interested party requests a hearing, the Agency
intends to file a motion pursuant to 40 CFR 164.60 requesting that the
Administrative Law Judge issue an accelerated decision pursuant to 40
CFR 164.91(a)(8) in favor of modifying the cancellation order as
requested.
The Chief Administrative Law Judge shall appoint an Administrative
Law Judge to preside at this proceeding within 20 calendar days from
date of publication of this Notice in the Federal Register. The hearing
shall commence in Washington, DC as soon thereafter as practicable but
in no event later than 40 calendar days from the date of publication of
this Notice in the Federal Register. The presiding Administrative Law
Judge shall transmit recommended findings of fact and conclusions of
law and the hearing record to the Administrator within 70 calendar days
from the date of publication of this Notice in the Federal Register.
The parties shall submit any objections to the recommended findings of
fact and conclusions of law to the Administrator within 10 business
days after issuance, and the Administrator will enter a final order as
soon thereafter as practicable.
D. Separation of Functions
EPA's Rules of Practice forbid anyone who may take part in deciding
this case at any stage of the proceeding, from discussing the merits of
the proceeding ex parte with any party or with any person who has been
connected with the preparation or presentation of the proceeding as an
advocate or in any investigative or expert capacity, or with any of his
or her representatives (40 CFR 164.7).
Accordingly, the following EPA offices, and the staffs thereof, are
designated as the judicial staff of EPA in any administrative hearing
on this issue: the Office of Administrative Law Judges, the
Environmental Appeals Board, the Deputy Administrator, and the members
of the staff in the immediate office of the Deputy Administrator, and
the Administrator and the members of staff in the immediate office of
the Administrator. The following offices are designated as the trial
staff in any proceeding which may arise under this Notice: The Office
of General Counsel, the Assistant Administrator for the Office of
Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances and immediate staff, the
Office of Pesticide Programs, and the Office of Compliance Monitoring.
None of the persons designated as the judicial staff may have any ex
parte communications with the trial staff or any other interested
person not employed by EPA on the merits of any of the issues involved
in this proceeding, without fully complying with the applicable
regulations.
IX. References
1. USEPA, 1992. Ethylene Bisdithiocarbamate (EBDCs); Notice of
Intent to Cancel and Conclusion of Special Review [57 FR 7484].
2. USEPA, 2005e. Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for
Mancozeb.
3. USEPA, 2005d. Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for
Maneb.
4. USEPA, 2005c. Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for
Metiram.
5. USEPA, 1998. Maneb (014505) and Mancozeb (014504) on Onions and
Potatoes: Reregistration. Memo from Susan Hummel to R. B. Perfetti,
January 6, 1998.
6. USEPA, 2003. Reregistration of Mancozeb: Request to Reduce Pre-
Harvest Interval for Potatoes and Waive Processing Study. Memo from C.
[[Page 37779]]
Olinger to Tawanda Spears, September 7, 2003.
7. USEPA, 2005a. Assessment of the EBDC/ETU Task Forces Request to
Reduce the EBDC Fungicides PHI on Potatoes from 14 to 3 Days. Memo from
R. Michell and T. Kiely to Tawanda Spears, April 7, 2005.
8. USEPA, 1995. New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation Emergency Exemption Requests For The Use of Dimethomorph
and Cymoxanil Package Mixtures With Mancozeb (Acrobat M2, Curzate M-8)
For Control of Potato Late Blight (95-NY-06, 95-N&Y-07). Memo from J.
Hogue and R. Michell to L. Pemberton.
9. EBDC/ETU Task Force, 2003. Re: Amendments to the Registrations
of Products Containing Ethylene Bidisthiocarbamates (``EBDCs'') as an
Active Ingredient to Change the Preharvest Interval (``PHI'') for
Potatoes. Memo from Edward Ruckert to James Jones, August 25, 2003.
10. USEPA, 2005b. Metiram (Chemical ID No. 014601, Case No. 0644)
Revised Residue Chemistry Chapter for the Reregistration Eligibility
Decision (RED) Document. Memo from C. Olinger to Tawanda Spears, June
23, 2005.
11. Bookbinder, M. (1988) Metiram and Ethylene Thiourea: Magnitude
of the Residue in Potatoes Treated by Ground Equipment in Colarado,
Idaho, Maine, Michigan, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wisconsin, 1987.
Unpublished study prepared by Enviro-Bio-Tech, Ltd. 223 p.
12. USEPA, 2001. Reregistration of Mancozeb: Potato Crop Field
Trial and Corn Processing Studies. Memo from C. Olinger to Anne
Overstreet, March 15, 2001.
13. USEPA, 1988. Reregistration Standard for Maneb. November 10,
1988.
14. USEPA, 1996. Maneb (014505) and Mancozeb (014504) on Onions and
Potatoes: Reregistration. Memo from S. Hummel to K. Boyle, September 6,
1996.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.
Dated: July 2, 2007.
Peter Caulkins,
Acting Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of
Pesticide Programs
[FR Doc. E7-13471 Filed 7-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S