Petition to Protect Children from Pesticide Drift; Notice of Availability, 57168-57170 [E9-26595]
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<![CDATA[
57168
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 212 / Wednesday, November 4, 2009 / Notices
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
product-specific drift use restrictions,
along with a format for presenting these
statements on product labeling. The
draft PR Notice also informs registrants
about the procedures they should use to
amend their registrations to adopt these
statements. The Agency believes the use
of these statements and formats on
labels will provide users consistent,
understandable, and enforceable
directions about how to protect human
health and the environment from harm
that might result from pesticide drift.
Along with draft PR Notice 2009–X,
EPA is issuing for comment a draft
‘‘Pesticide Drift Labeling Interpretation’’
guidance document, which provides
guidance to state and tribal officials
about how EPA intends the new drift
labeling statements to be interpreted, as
well as typical examples of how the
labeling could be interpreted in realworld spray drift cases.
A supporting document entitled
‘‘Draft PR Notice 2009–X: Additional
Information and Questions for
Commenters’’ is also being made
available in the public docket. This
document contains background
information on pesticide drift, and a
description of current and planned EPA
actions to address drift, including the
PR Notice, guidance to state
enforcement officials on interpreting the
new labeling, information on best
management practices to reduce drift,
and EPA’s drift reduction technology
(DRT) project. The document also
provides a reader’s guide to the draft PR
Notice, including a description of key
terms and concepts, explanatory
rationales, and specific questions on
which EPA is seeking input from
stakeholders.
III. Do PR Notices Contain Binding
Requirements?
The draft PR Notice discussed in this
notice is intended to provide guidance
to EPA personnel and decision-makers
and to pesticide registrants. While the
requirements in the statutes and Agency
regulations are binding on EPA and the
applicants, the PR Notice is not binding
on EPA personnel, pesticide registrants
and applicants, or the public. EPA may
depart from the guidance where
circumstances warrant and without
prior notice. Likewise, pesticide
registrants may assert that the guidance
is not appropriate generally or not
applicable to a specific pesticide or
situation.
The draft Notice is not intended to
limit EPA’s authority under FIFRA to
require additional mitigation measures,
on a case-by case basis, when
appropriate. Nor is it intended to limit
the authority of a state or tribe to impose
VerDate Nov<24>2008
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Jkt 220001
additional restrictions on the use of a
pesticide.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection,
Administrative practice and procedure,
Agricultural commodities, Pesticides
and pests, Pesticide drift, Spray drift,
Labeling.
Dated: October 26, 2009.
Debra Edwards,
Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E9–26594 Filed 11–3–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–S
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2009-0684; FRL–8798–3]
Receipt of Petition Requesting EPA to
Suspend the Registration of Rozol
Prairie Dog Bait and Cancel Certain
Application Sites; Extension of
Comment Period
certain application sites for the product.
The primary basis for the petition is the
potential effect of this product on nontarget species, including certain
predators and scavengers of the blacktailed prairie dog. EPA is hereby
extending the comment period, which
was set to end on November 6, 2009 to
December 7, 2009.
To submit comments, or access the
docket, please follow the detailed
instructions as provided under
ADDRESSES in the October 7, 2009
Federal Register document. If you have
questions, consult the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, pesticides,
and pests.
Dated: October 29, 2009
Debra Edwards,
Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E9–26522 Filed 11–3–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–S
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice; extension of comment
period.
AGENCY:
EPA issued a notice in the
Federal Register of October 7, 2009,
concerning the receipt of a petition that
requested the suspension of Rozol
Prairie Dog Bait and also requested the
cancellation of certain application sites
for the product. This document extends
the comment period for 31 days, from
November 6, 2009 to December 7, 2009.
DATES: Comments, identified by docket
identification (ID) number EPA–HQ–
OPP–2009–0684, must be received on or
before December 7, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Follow the detailed
instructions as provided under
ADDRESSES in the Federal Register
document of October 7, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan
Peacock, Registration Division (7505P),
Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,
DC 20460–0001; telephone number:
(703) 605–5407; e-mail address:
peacock.dan@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
document extends the public comment
period established in the Federal
Register of October 7, 2009 (74 FR
51601) (FRL–8436–1). In that document,
EPA provided an opportunity for public
comment on a petition received from
the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that
asked the Agency to suspend the
registration of Rozol Prairie Dog Bait
(EPA Reg. No. 7173-286) and cancel
SUMMARY:
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0825; FRL–8797–4]
Petition to Protect Children from
Pesticide Drift; Notice of Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: On October 13, 2009, EPA
received a petition from Earthjustice
and Farmworker Justice, on behalf of
several other organizations, requesting
that the Agency systematically evaluate
children’s exposures to pesticide drift
and require interim prohibitions on the
use of certain pesticides near homes,
schools, and other places where
children congregate. With this notice,
the Agency is soliciting comments on
the petition. In a separate notice
published elsewhere in this issue of the
Federal Register, the Agency is
soliciting comments on a draft Pesticide
Registration (PR) notice providing
guidance on pesticide drift labeling (see
www.regulations.gov, docket
identification number EPA–HQ–OPP–
2009–0628).
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before January 4, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments
identified by the docket identification
(ID) number EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0825,
by one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
E:\FR\FM\04NON1.SGM
04NON1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 212 / Wednesday, November 4, 2009 / Notices
• Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs
(OPP) Regulatory Public Docket (7502P),
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,
DC 20460–0001.
• Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public
Docket (7502P), Environmental
Protection Agency, Rm. S–4400, One
Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S.
Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries
are only accepted during the Docket
Facility’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 Facility telephone number is
(703) 305–5805.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
the docket ID number EPA–HQ–OPP–
2009–0825. 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 regulations.gov website is an
‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which
means EPA will not know your identity
or contact information unless you
provide it in the body of your comment.
If you send an e-mail comment directly
to EPA without going through
regulations.gov, your e-mail address
will be automatically captured and
included as part of the comment that is
placed in the docket and made available
on the Internet. If you submit an
electronic comment, EPA recommends
that you include your name and other
contact information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD-ROM
you submit. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties
and cannot contact you for clarification,
EPA may not be able to consider your
comment. Electronic files should avoid
the use of special characters, any form
of encryption, and be free of any defects
or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the docket
are listed in the docket index available
at https://www.regulations.gov. 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
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:29 Nov 03, 2009
Jkt 220001
electronic docket at https://
www.regulations.gov, or, if only
available in hard copy, at the OPP
Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S–
4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.),
2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The
hours of operation of this Docket
Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The Docket Facility telephone
number is (703) 305–5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill
Bloom, Chemical Review Manager,
Pesticide Re-evaluation Division
(7508P), Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,
DC 20460–0001; telephone number:
(703) 308–8019; fax number: (703) 308–
7070; e-mail address:
bloom.jill@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the public
in general, and may be of interest to a
wide range of stakeholders including
environmental, human health, farm
worker, 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
chemical review manager listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. What Should I Consider as I Prepare
My Comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this
information to EPA through
regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark
the part or all of the information that
you claim to be CBI. For CBI
information in a disk or CD-ROM that
you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the
disk or CD-ROM as CBI and then
identify electronically within the disk or
CD-ROM the specific information that is
claimed as CBI. In addition to one
complete version of the comment that
includes information claimed as CBI, a
copy of the comment that does not
contain the information claimed as CBI
must be submitted for inclusion in the
public docket. Information so marked
will not be disclosed except in
accordance with procedures set forth in
40 CFR part 2.
2. Tips for preparing your comments.
When submitting comments, remember
to:
PO 00000
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57169
i. Identify the document by docket ID
number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal
Register date and page number).
ii. Follow directions. The Agency may
ask you to respond to specific questions
or organize comments by referencing a
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part
or section number.
iii. Explain why you agree or disagree;
suggest alternatives and substitute
language for your requested changes.
iv. Describe any assumptions and
provide any technical information and/
or data that you used.
v. If you estimate potential costs or
burdens, explain how you arrived at
your estimate in sufficient detail to
allow for it to be reproduced.
vi. Provide specific examples to
illustrate your concerns and suggest
alternatives.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as
possible, avoiding the use of profanity
or personal threats.
viii. Make sure to submit your
comments by the comment period
deadline.
3. Environmental justice. EPA seeks to
achieve environmental justice, the fair
treatment and meaningful involvement
of any group, including minority and/or
low income populations, in the
development, implementation, and
enforcement of environmental laws,
regulations, and policies. To help
address potential environmental justice
issues, the Agency seeks information on
any groups or segments of the
population who, as a result of their
location, cultural practices, or other
factors, may have atypical or
disproportionately high and adverse
human health impacts or environmental
effects due to pesticide drift, compared
to the general population.
II. Background
The October 13, 2009 petition can be
found in the docket for this notice. In
summary, the petition asserts that the
Agency does not adequately consider
the exposures of children to pesticide
drift, especially children who live in
agricultural areas. The petitioners are
asking that the Agency assess pesticidespecific exposures from drift to children
in homes, schools, and other areas in
which children congregate; determine if
such exposures pose excessive risks;
and implement measures to reduce any
such risks. The petitioners further
request that the Agency immediately
adopt specific interim restrictions on
certain pesticides used near areas where
children congregate. Apart from the
petition, the Agency is engaged in a
number of activities to address pesticide
drift, including the development of a PR
E:\FR\FM\04NON1.SGM
04NON1
57170
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 212 / Wednesday, November 4, 2009 / Notices
Notice with guidance on labeling to
reduce exposures, including exposures
to children. The Agency’s activities to
address drift are described in more
detail in the document ‘‘Draft PR Notice
2009–X: Additional Information and
Questions for Commenters’’ (available at
www.regulations.gov, docket
identification number EPA–HQ–OPP–
2009–0628).
III. Process
A. What Action is the Agency Taking?
The Agency is soliciting public
comment on the petition and opening a
docket for the collection of these
comments. The Agency will consider
comments received during the public
comment period when formulating its
response to the petition.
B. Information Submission
Requirements
Anyone may submit comments in
response to the petition, and the docket
for comments on the petition will
remain publicly accessible through the
decision-making process. To be
considered by the Agency, the
submitted comments must meet the
following requirements:
• Interested persons must submit their
comments during the comment period.
The Agency may, at its discretion,
consider comments submitted at a later
date.
• The comments must be presented in
a legible and useable form. For example,
an English translation must accompany
any material that is not in English and
a written transcript must accompany
any information submitted as an
audiographic or videographic record.
Written material may be submitted in
paper or electronic form.
• Submitters must clearly identify the
source of any submitted data or
information included in their
comments.
• Submitters may request the Agency
to reconsider data or information that
the Agency rejected previously.
However, submitters must explain why
they believe the Agency should
reconsider such data or information.
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
List of Subjects
Environmental protection,
Environmental Justice, Pesticides and
pests, Spray drift, Earthjustice,
Farmworker Justice.
Dated: October 27, 2009.
Richard P. Keigwin, Jr.,
Director, Pesticide Re-evaluation Division,
Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E9–26595 Filed 11–3–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–S
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:29 Nov 03, 2009
Jkt 220001
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2007–0460; FRL–8797–7]
Notice of Receipt of a Pesticide
Petition Filed for Residues of Pesticide
Chemicals in or on Various
Commodities
AGENCY: Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: This notice announces the
Agency’s receipt of an initial filing of a
pesticide petition proposing the
establishment or modification of
regulations for residues of pesticide
chemicals in or on various commodities.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before December 4, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by docket identification (ID)
number EPA–HQ–OPP–2007–0460 and
the pesticide petition number (PP)
6E7103, 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 Bldg.), 2777 S.
Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries
are only accepted during the Docket
Facility’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 Facility telephone number is
(703) 305–5805.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
docket ID number EPA–HQ–OPP–2007–
0460 and the pesticide petition number
(PP) 6E7103. 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 regulations.gov website is an
‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which
means EPA will not know your identity
or contact information unless you
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
provide it in the body of your comment.
If you send an e-mail comment directly
to EPA without going through
regulations.gov, your e-mail address
will be automatically captured and
included as part of the comment that is
placed in the docket and made available
on the Internet. If you submit an
electronic comment, EPA recommends
that you include your name and other
contact information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD-ROM
you submit. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties
and cannot contact you for clarification,
EPA may not be able to consider your
comment. Electronic files should avoid
the use of special characters, any form
of encryption, and be free of any defects
or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the docket
are listed in the docket index available
at https://www.regulations.gov. Although
listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Certain other
material, such as copyrighted material,
is not placed on the Internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy
form. Publicly available docket
materials are available either in the
electronic docket at https://
www.regulations.gov, or, if only
available in hard copy, at the OPP
Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S–
4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.),
2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The
hours of operation of this Docket
Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The Docket Facility telephone
number is (703) 305–5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rose
Mary Kearns, Registration Division
(7505P), Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,
DC 20460-0001; telephone number:
(703) 305–5611; e-mail address:
kearns.rosemary@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).
• Pesticide manufacturing (NAICS
code 32532).
E:\FR\FM\04NON1.SGM
04NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 212 (Wednesday, November 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57168-57170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-26595]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0825; FRL-8797-4]
Petition to Protect Children from Pesticide Drift; Notice of
Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On October 13, 2009, EPA received a petition from Earthjustice
and Farmworker Justice, on behalf of several other organizations,
requesting that the Agency systematically evaluate children's exposures
to pesticide drift and require interim prohibitions on the use of
certain pesticides near homes, schools, and other places where children
congregate. With this notice, the Agency is soliciting comments on the
petition. In a separate notice published elsewhere in this issue of the
Federal Register, the Agency is soliciting comments on a draft
Pesticide Registration (PR) notice providing guidance on pesticide
drift labeling (see www.regulations.gov, docket identification number
EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0628).
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 4, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments identified by the docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0825, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
[[Page 57169]]
Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public
Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P),
Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South
Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only
accepted during the Docket Facility'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 Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
Instructions: Direct your comments to the docket ID number EPA-HQ-
OPP-2009-0825. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be
included in the docket without change and may be made available on-line
at https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-
mail. The regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' system,
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through regulations.gov,
your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part
of the comment that is placed in the docket and made available on the
Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you
include your name and other contact information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index
available at https://www.regulations.gov. Although listed in the index,
some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other
material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet
and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly
available docket materials are available either in the electronic
docket at https://www.regulations.gov, or, if only available in hard
copy, at the OPP Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One Potomac
Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The hours of
operation of this Docket Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The Docket Facility telephone
number is (703) 305-5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill Bloom, Chemical Review Manager,
Pesticide Re-evaluation Division (7508P), Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8019; fax
number: (703) 308-7070; e-mail address: bloom.jill@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the public in general, and may be of
interest to a wide range of stakeholders including environmental, human
health, farm worker, 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 chemical review manager listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through
regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of the
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or
CD-ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM as
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket.
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
2. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments,
remember to:
i. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
ii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and
substitute language for your requested changes.
iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information
and/or data that you used.
v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be
reproduced.
vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and
suggest alternatives.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of
profanity or personal threats.
viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period
deadline.
3. Environmental justice. EPA seeks to achieve environmental
justice, the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of any group,
including minority and/or low income populations, in the development,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and
policies. To help address potential environmental justice issues, the
Agency seeks information on any groups or segments of the population
who, as a result of their location, cultural practices, or other
factors, may have atypical or disproportionately high and adverse human
health impacts or environmental effects due to pesticide drift,
compared to the general population.
II. Background
The October 13, 2009 petition can be found in the docket for this
notice. In summary, the petition asserts that the Agency does not
adequately consider the exposures of children to pesticide drift,
especially children who live in agricultural areas. The petitioners are
asking that the Agency assess pesticide-specific exposures from drift
to children in homes, schools, and other areas in which children
congregate; determine if such exposures pose excessive risks; and
implement measures to reduce any such risks. The petitioners further
request that the Agency immediately adopt specific interim restrictions
on certain pesticides used near areas where children congregate. Apart
from the petition, the Agency is engaged in a number of activities to
address pesticide drift, including the development of a PR
[[Page 57170]]
Notice with guidance on labeling to reduce exposures, including
exposures to children. The Agency's activities to address drift are
described in more detail in the document ``Draft PR Notice 2009-X:
Additional Information and Questions for Commenters'' (available at
www.regulations.gov, docket identification number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-
0628).
III. Process
A. What Action is the Agency Taking?
The Agency is soliciting public comment on the petition and opening
a docket for the collection of these comments. The Agency will consider
comments received during the public comment period when formulating its
response to the petition.
B. Information Submission Requirements
Anyone may submit comments in response to the petition, and the
docket for comments on the petition will remain publicly accessible
through the decision-making process. To be considered by the Agency,
the submitted comments must meet the following requirements:
Interested persons must submit their comments during the
comment period. The Agency may, at its discretion, consider comments
submitted at a later date.
The comments must be presented in a legible and useable
form. For example, an English translation must accompany any material
that is not in English and a written transcript must accompany any
information submitted as an audiographic or videographic record.
Written material may be submitted in paper or electronic form.
Submitters must clearly identify the source of any
submitted data or information included in their comments.
Submitters may request the Agency to reconsider data or
information that the Agency rejected previously. However, submitters
must explain why they believe the Agency should reconsider such data or
information.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Environmental Justice, Pesticides and
pests, Spray drift, Earthjustice, Farmworker Justice.
Dated: October 27, 2009.
Richard P. Keigwin, Jr.,
Director, Pesticide Re-evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide
Programs.
[FR Doc. E9-26595 Filed 11-3-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S
