Environmental Protection Agency March 1, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a revision to the Wisconsin State Implementation Plan (SIP) to meet the volatile organic compound (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) reasonably available control technology (RACT), clean-fuel vehicle programs (CFVP), and the enhanced monitoring of ozone and ozone precursors (EMP) requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA). These requirements apply in the Wisconsin portion of the Chicago-Naperville, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin nonattainment area (Chicago area) for the 2008 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS or standards). EPA proposed to approve this action on December 7, 2021, and received no comments.

This document notifies the public as required by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) that the EPA Administrator has forwarded to the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) a draft final rulemaking regulatory document concerning ``Pesticide Product Performance Data Requirements for Products Claiming Efficacy Against Certain Invertebrate Pests (RIN 2070-AJ49).'' The draft regulatory document is not available to the public until after it has been signed and made available by EPA.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) entitled: ``Assessment of Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Procurement'' and identified by EPA ICR No. 2516.04 and OMB Control No. 2070-0199. This is a request to reinstate a previously approved ICR as revised in order to allow the information collection to implement the Framework for the Assessment of Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing (Framework). Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval under the PRA, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection that is summarized in this document. The ICR and accompanying material are available in the docket for public review and comment.

The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), Distribution of Offsite Consequence Analysis Information under section 112(r)(7)(H) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), as amended (EPA No. 1981.08, OMB Control Number 2050-0172), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described in Supplementary Information. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through November 30, 2022. 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 EPA's order for the cancellations and amendments to terminate uses, voluntarily requested by the registrants and accepted by the Agency, of the products listed in Table 1, Table 1A and Table 2 of Unit II, pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). This cancellation order follows an October 25, 2021, Federal Register Notice of Receipt of Requests from the registrants listed in Table 3 of Unit II, to voluntarily cancel and amend to terminate uses of these product registrations. In the October 25, 2021, notice, EPA indicated that it would issue an order implementing the cancellations and amendments to terminate uses, unless the Agency received substantive comments within the 30-day comment period that would merit its further review of these requests, or unless the registrants withdrew their requests. The Agency received two comments on the notice; one general comment concerning pesticides in general that did not directly apply to this notice, so no action or response was needed and the second merited its further review of the requests. Further, the registrants did not withdraw their requests. Accordingly, EPA hereby issues in this notice a cancellation order granting the requested cancellations and amendments to terminate uses. 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.

Pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of New Hampshire. On July 29, 2021, the State submitted its 1997 ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) Limited Maintenance Plan (LMP) for the Boston-Manchester-Portsmouth (Portsmouth) area. EPA is proposing to approve the Portsmouth area LMP because it provides for the maintenance of the 1997 ozone NAAQS through the end of the second 10-year portion of the maintenance period. The effect of this action will be to make certain commitments related to maintenance of the 1997 ozone NAAQS in the Portsmouth maintenance area part of the New Hampshire SIP and therefore federally enforceable.

This regulation establishes an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of adipic acid (CAS Reg. No. 124-04-9) when used as an inert ingredient (acidification or buffering agent, pH regulator) in pesticide formulations applied to growing crops. Verdesian Life Sciences U.S., LLC, and Fine Agrochemicals Ltd., submitted petitions to EPA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) requesting the establishment of an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for adipic acid. This regulation eliminates the need to establish a maximum permissible level for residues of adipic acid on food or feed commodities when used in accordance with this exemption.