Environmental Protection Agency March 28, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces the initial filing of a pesticide petition proposing the establishment or modification of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2008. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below.

This regulation establishes a temporary exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of the biochemical pesticide S- Abscisic Acid, (S)-5-(1-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethyl-4-oxo-1-cyclohex-2- enyl)-3-methyl-penta-(2Z,4E)-dienoic Acid in or on grapes when applied or used as a plant regulator in accordance with the terms of Experimental Use Permit 73049-EUP-4. Valent Biosciences Corporation submitted a petition to EPA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA), requesting the temporary tolerance exemption. This regulation eliminates the need to establish a maximum permissible level for residues of S-Abscisic Acid, (S)-5-(1-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethyl-4-oxo-1- cyclohex-2-enyl)-3-methyl-penta-(2Z,4E)-dienoic Acid. The temporary tolerance exemption expires on October 1, 2010.

This document notifies the public that the Administrator of EPA has forwarded to the Secretary of Agriculture a draft proposed rule as required by section 25(a) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). As described in the Agency's semi-annual Regulatory Agenda, the draft proposed rule would require that manufacturers of agricultural and professional specialty pesticides support (either by managing and operating, or contracting with another organization) a container recycling program that meets the standards of the American National Standards Institute.

This rule finalizes EPA's finding of nonattainment and reclassification of the Memphis, Tennessee and Crittenden County, Arkansas 8-hour ozone nonattainment area (Memphis TN-AR Nonattainment Area). EPA finds that the Memphis TN-AR Nonattainment Area has failed to attain the 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (``NAAQS'' or ``standard'') by June 15, 2007, the attainment deadline set forth in the Clean Air Act (CAA) and Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for marginal nonattainment areas. As a result, on the effective date of this rule, the Memphis TN-AR Nonattainment Area will be reclassified by operation of law as a moderate 8-hour ozone nonattainment area. The moderate area attainment date for the reclassified Memphis TN-AR Nonattainment Area would then be ``as expeditiously as practicable,'' but no later than June 15, 2010. Once reclassified, Tennessee and Arkansas must submit State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions that meet the 8-hour ozone nonattainment requirements for moderate areas, as required by the CAA. In this action, EPA is establishing the schedule for the States' submittal of the SIP revisions required for the nonattainment area once it is reclassified. EPA determines that the States must submit these SIP revisions by March 1, 2009.

EPA is proposing to approve State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of Utah on March 22 and September 17, 2007. The revisions address Interstate Transport Pollution requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) of the Clean Air Act and a typographical error in Rule R307-130-4, ``Options.'' The March 22, 2007 submittal adds ``Section XXIII, Interstate Transport'' to the Utah SIP, and Rule R307-110-36 to the Utah Administrative Code (UAC). The new Rule R307- 110-36 incorporates by reference the Interstate Transport declaration into the State rules. The September 17, 2007 submittal amends UAC Rule R307-130-4, ``Options,'' by removing from the text the word ``not'' which had been accidentally placed in this rule. This action is being taken under section 110 of the Clean Air Act. In the ``Rules and Regulations'' section of this Federal Register, EPA is approving the State's SIP revision as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a non- controversial SIP revision and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for the approval is set forth in the preamble to the direct final rule. If EPA receives no adverse comments, EPA will not take further action on this proposed rule. If EPA receives adverse comments, EPA will withdraw the direct final rule and it will not take effect. EPA will address all public comments in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment period on this action. Any parties interested in commenting must do so at this time. Please note that if EPA receives adverse comment on an amendment, paragraph, or section of this rule and if that provision may be severed from the remainder of the rule, EPA may adopt as final those provisions of the rule that are not the subject of an adverse comment.

This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of boscalid in or on caneberry subgroup 13A at 6.0 parts per million (ppm); bushberry subgroup 13B at 13 ppm; cotton, undelinted seed at 1.0 ppm; cotton, gin by-products at 55 ppm; avocado at 1.5 ppm; sapote, black at 1.5 ppm; canistel at 1.5 ppm; sapote, mamey at 1.5 ppm; mango at 1.5 ppm; papaya at 1.5 ppm; sapodilla at 1.5 ppm; and star apple at 1.5 ppm. It revokes the existing berries, group 13 tolerance at 3.5 ppm because the two new caneberry and bushberry tolerances cover all commodities in the berries, group 13. Tolerances are being increased for cucumber from 0.20 ppm to 0.5 ppm, and vegetable, root, subgroup 1A, except sugarbeet, garden beet, radish, and turnip from 0.7 ppm to 1.0 ppm. BASF, Inc requested these tolerance actions under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). In addition, this action establishes a time-limited tolerance for residues of boscalid in or on Endive, Belgian, in response to the approval of a crisis exemption under section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) authorizing the post harvest use of the fungicide on Endive, Belgian to control the fungal pathogen, scelerotinia sclerotiorum. This regulation establishes a maximum permissible level of residues of boscalid in this food commodity. The time-limited tolerance expires and is revoked on December 31, 2009.