Environmental Protection Agency December 19, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA has established registration review dockets for the pesticides listed in the table in Unit III.A. With this document, EPA is opening the public comment period for these registration reviews. Registration review is EPA's periodic review of pesticide registrations to ensure that each pesticide continues to satisfy the statutory standard for registration, that is, the pesticide can perform its intended function without unreasonable adverse effects on human health or the environment. Registration review dockets contain information that will assist the public in understanding the types of information and issues that the Agency may consider during the course of registration reviews. Through this program, EPA is ensuring that each pesticide's registration is based on current scientific and other knowledge, including its effects on human health and the environment.

In accordance with section 6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended, EPA is issuing a notice of receipt of a request by the registrant to voluntarily cancel their registration of products containing the pesticide sulfluramid. The request terminates sulfluramid use on termites, the last remaining use of sulfluramid in the United States. This cancellation terminates the last registered sulfluramid manufacturing-use product (MUP), but would permit an existing MUP stocks provision to allow for formulating into sulfluramid end-use products registered for use in the United States. EPA intends to grant this request at the close of the comment period for this announcement unless the Agency receives substantive comments within the comment period that would merit its further review of the request, or unless the registrant withdraws their request within this period. Upon acceptance of this request, any sale, distribution, or use of products listed in this notice will be permitted only if such sale, distribution, or use is consistent with the terms as described in the final order.

This notice announces the availability of EPA's Revised Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for the pesticide aliphatic solvents, signed on November 29, 2007, and opens a public comment period on this document, related risk assessments, and other support documents. EPA had reviewed the low-risk pesticide aliphatic solvents through a modified, streamlined version of the public participation process that the Agency uses to involve the public in developing pesticide reregistration and tolerance reassessment decisions, and following the receipt of comments, EPA is now issuing a revised RED. Through these programs, EPA is ensuring that all pesticides meet current health and safety standards.

This regulation extends time-limited tolerances for the pesticides listed in Unit II. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. These actions are in response to EPA's granting of emergency exemptions under section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) authorizing use of these pesticides. Section 408(l)(6) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) requires EPA to establish a time-limited tolerance or exemption from the requirement for a tolerance for pesticide chemical residues in food that will result from the use of a pesticide under an emergency exemption granted by EPA.