Environmental Protection Agency September 21, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA has received a specific exemption request from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to use the pesticide ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA) (CAS No. 643-79-8) to treat the coolant fluid of the internal active thermal control system of the International Space Station to control aerobic/microaerophilic bacteria in the aqueous coolant. The applicant proposes the use of a new chemical which has not been registered by EPA. Therefore, in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, EPA is soliciting public comment before making the decision whether or not to grant the exemption.

EPA has received applications to register new uses for pesticide products containing currently registered active ingredients. Pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is hereby providing notice of receipt and opportunity to comment on these applications.

This action announces the availability of EPA's response to a petition received on June 16, 2022, from Daniel M. Galpern on behalf of Donn J. Viviani, John Birks, Richard Heede, Lise Van Susteren, James E. Hansen, Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions, and Climate Protection and Restoration Initiative (the petitioners). The petitioners request that EPA in general phase out the anthropogenic manufacture, processing, distribution, use, and disposal of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, fossil fuels, and fossil fuel emissions. They also request multiple actions under TSCA, and actions pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and the Independent Offices Appropriations Act (IOAA). EPA has determined that the request for risk management rulemaking under TSCA is within the ambit of a petition under TSCA's provision for a citizen petition. EPA is treating the other actions requested as petitions under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), which this notice does not address. EPA shares the petitioners' concerns regarding the threat posed by climate change, and the Biden Administration will continue to combat the climate crisis with a whole of government approach. Nonetheless, after careful consideration, EPA has denied the petition for the reasons set forth in this notice.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing revisions to its pesticide tolerance crop grouping regulations, which allow the establishment of tolerances for multiple related crops based on data from a representative set of crops. EPA is finalizing amendments to Crop Group 6: Legume Vegetables; Crop Group 7: Foliage of Legume Vegetables; Crop Group 15: Cereal Grains; and Crop Group 16: Forage, Fodder and Straw of Cereal Grains. EPA is also finalizing amendments to the associated commodity definitions. This is the sixth in a series of planned crop group updates expected to be prepared over the next several years.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing notice of the availability of data on the administration of the assurance provisions of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) trading programs for the control periods in 2021. Total emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) reported by Missouri units participating in the CSAPR NOX Ozone Season Group 2 Trading Program during the 2021 control period exceeded the state's assurance level under the program. Data demonstrating the exceedance and EPA's final calculations of the amounts of additional allowances that the owners and operators of certain Missouri units must surrender have been posted in a spreadsheet on EPA's website.