Environmental Protection Agency December 28, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with section 6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended, EPA is issuing a notice of receipt of request for amendments by registrants to delete uses in certain pesticide registrations. Section 6(f)(1) of FIFRA provides that a registrant of a pesticide product may at any time request that any of its pesticide registrations be amended to delete one or more uses. FIFRA further provides that, before acting on the request, EPA must publish a notice of receipt of any request in the Federal Register.

The EPA is announcing a public comment period to review the final draft document titled, ``Toxicological Review of Acrylamide: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)'' (EPA/635/R-07/009), related to the human health assessment for acrylamide. The document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development. EPA is releasing this draft document solely for the purpose of pre- dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. This document has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency policy or determination. EPA will consider any public comments submitted in accordance with this notice when revising the document.

This notice of proposed rulemaking provides notice of, and requests comments, including any relevant data, on a proposed administrative reporting exemption from particular notification requirements under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, also known as Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act. Specifically, the proposed administrative reporting exemption applies to releases of hazardous substances to the air where the source of those hazardous substances is animal waste at farms. Nothing in this proposed rule, however, would change the notification requirements if hazardous substances are released to the air from any other source other than animal waste at farms (i.e., ammonia tanks), as well as releases of any hazardous substances from animal waste to any other environmental media, (i.e., soil, ground water, surface water) when the release of those hazardous substances is at or above its reportable quantity per 24 hours. This administrative reporting exemption is protective of human health and the environment and consistent with the Agency's goal to reduce reporting burden where there would likely be no Federal, state or local emergency response to such release reports. Eliminating such reporting will allow emergency response officials to better focus on releases where the Agency is more likely to take a response action. Finally, in proposing this administrative reporting exemption from the notification requirements under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, section 103(a) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, section 304, EPA is not proposing to limit any of its authorities under CERCLA sections 104 (response authorities), 106 (abatement actions), 107 (liability), or any other provisions of the Comprehensive Emergency Response, Compensation, and Liability Act or the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act in this rulemaking.

EPA issued a notice in the Federal Register of June 18, 2007, concerning the draft list of the first group of chemicals that will be screened in the Agency's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). The draft list was produced using the approach described in the September 2005 notice, and includes chemicals that the Agency, in its discretion, has decided should be tested first, based upon exposure potential.The June 18, 2007 Federal Register notice provided for a 90- day public comment period. EPA extended the comment period an additional 60 days in the Federal Register of September 12, 2007, and later extended the comment period for 45 days in the Federal Register of November 15, 2007. This document is extending the comment period for a third time for an additional 42 days. The new comment period closes February 11, 2008.

This regulation establishes tolerances for combined residues of fluroxypyr and its metabolite in or on pome fruit, group 11; millet (grain, forage, hay and proso millet straw). Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

EPA issued a notice in the Federal Register of October 31, 2007, announcing the availability of and seeking comment on the draft Pesticide Registration Notice (PR Notice) entitled ``Label Statements Regarding Third-Party Endorsements & Cause Marketing Claims.'' This document is extending the comment period for 90 days, from December 31, 2007, to March 27, 2008.

EPA is finalizing an exemption to the phaseout of methyl bromide to meet the needs of 2008 critical uses. Specifically, EPA is authorizing uses that qualify for the 2008 critical use exemption and the amount of methyl bromide that may be produced, imported, or supplied from existing pre-phaseout inventory for those uses in 2008. EPA is taking action under the authority of the Clean Air Act to reflect recent consensus decisions taken by the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer at the 18th Meeting of the Parties.

EPA is issuing national emission standards for electric arc furnace steelmaking facilities that are area sources of hazardous air pollutants. The final rule establishes requirements for the control of mercury emissions that are based on the maximum achievable control technology and requirements for the control of other hazardous air pollutants that are based on generally available control technology or management practices.