Environmental Protection Agency October 29, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA), National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC) is giving notice that it proposes to create a new system of records pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974. The National Enforcement Investigations Center Master Tracking System (MTS) will contain information related to investigations of persons or organizations alleged to have violated any federal environmental statute or regulation or, pursuant to a cooperative agreement with a state, local, or tribal authority, an environmental statute or regulation of such authority. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will separately add exemptions for this system of records to the Agency's Privacy Act regulations at 40 CFR part 16.

This notice announces EPA's final order for the amendments to terminate uses on geraniums and hydrangeas, voluntarily requested by the registrant, and accepted by the Agency, of products containing dicloran (DCNA), pursuant to section 6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended. This cancellation order follows a May 5, 2021 Federal Register Notice of Receipt of Requests from the registrant listed in Table 2 of Unit II. to voluntarily cancel product use on geraniums and hydrangeas for these product registrations. These are not the only products containing this pesticide registered for use in the United States. In the May 5, 2021 notice, EPA indicated that it would issue an order implementing the amendment to terminate use, unless the Agency received substantive comments within the 30-day comment period that would merit its further review of these requests, or unless the registrant withdrew their request. The Agency did not receive any comments on the notice. Further, the registrant did not withdraw their request. Accordingly, EPA hereby issues in this notice a cancellation order granting the requested amendment to terminate DCNA use on geranium and hydrangeas. Any distribution, sale, or use of the products subject to this cancellation order is permitted only in accordance with the terms of this order, including any existing stocks provisions.

This action announces the availability of EPA's response to a petition received on August 2, 2021, from William D. Bush. The petition requests that EPA determine ``that the chemical mixtures contained within cigarettes present an unreasonable risk of injury to health and the environment.'' The petitioner also seeks issuance of a rule or order to ``eliminate the hazardous chemicals used in a mixture with tobacco,'' and to ``develop material techniques of biodegradation to counter or reduce'' environmental risk from current disposal methods of cigarettes under section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). After careful consideration, EPA has denied the TSCA section 21 petition for the reasons set forth in this document.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), Acid Rain Program (EPA ICR Number 1633.18, OMB Control Number 2060-0258) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through December 31, 2021. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on April 2, 2021 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

This notice announces the availability of EPA's draft human health and/or ecological risk assessments for the registration review of 2-(Thiocyanomethylthio)-benzothiazole (TCMTB); chlorflurenol methyl ester (CME); dodine/dodecylguanidine hydrochloride (DGH); pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB); permethrin; pyridalyl and spirodiclofen.