[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 119 (Wednesday, June 21, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32319-32320]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-15166]



[[Page 32319]]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-180973; FRL 4957-7]


Propamocarb Hydrochloride; Receipt of Applications for Emergency 
Exemptions, Solicitation of Public Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA has received specific exemption requests from state lead 
agricultural agencies of Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, 
Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, 
Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin (hereafter referred 
to as the ``Applicants''), for the use of the pesticide propamocarb 
hydrochloride (CAS 25606-41-1) to potentially treat the following 
acreages of potatoes to control immigrant strains of late blight which 
are resistant to historically used control materials: DE, 5,000; FL, 
40,000; GA, 610; ME, 80,000; MD, 3,000; MI, 58,000; MN, 60,000; NJ, 
3,400; NY, 30,000; ND, 109,000; OH, 6,000; OR, 50,000; PA, 24,000; SD, 
6,000; VA, 7,500; and WI, 30,000 (potential total acreage of 543,110 
acres). The Applicants propose the first food use of an active 
ingredient; therefore, in accordance with 40 CFR 166.24, EPA is 
soliciting public comment before making the decision whether or not to 
grant the exemptions.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 6, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Three copies of written comments, bearing the identification 
notation ``OPP-180973,'' should be submitted by mail to: Public 
Response and Program Resource Branch, Field Operations Division 
(7506C), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 
401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. In person, bring comments to: Rm. 
1132, Crystal Mall #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA.
    Comments and data may also be submitted electronically by sending 
electronic mail (e-mail) to: [email protected]. Electronic 
comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data will also be 
accepted on disks in WordPerfect in 5.1 file format or ASCII file 
format. All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by 
the docket number [OPP-180973]. No Confidential Business Information 
(CBI) should be submitted through e-mail. Electronic comments on this 
notice may be filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries. 
Additional information on electronic submissions can be found below in 
this document.
    Information submitted in any comment concerning this notice may be 
claimed confidential by marking any part or all of that information as 
CBI. Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance 
with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. A copy of the comment that 
does not contain CBI must be provided by the submitter for inclusion in 
the public record. Information not marked confidential may be disclosed 
publicly by EPA without prior notice. All written comments filed 
pursuant to this notice will be available for public inspection in Rm. 
1132, Crystal Mall #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA, 
from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By mail: Libby Pemberton, Registration 
Division (7505W), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. Office 
location and telephone number: Floor 6, Crystal Station I, 2800 
Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA, (703) 308-8326; e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 18 of the Federal 
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (7 U.S.C. 136p), 
the Administrator may, at her discretion, exempt a state agency from 
any registration provision of FIFRA if she determines that emergency 
conditions exist which require such exemption. The Applicants have 
requested the Administrator to issue specific exemptions for the use of 
propamocarb hydrochloride on potatoes to control late blight. 
Information in accordance with 40 CFR part 166 was submitted as part of 
these requests.
    Recent failures to control late blight in potatoes with the 
registered fungicides, have been caused almost exclusively by immigrant 
strains of late blight Phytophthora infestans, which are resistant to 
the historically used pesticides. Before the immigrant strains of late 
blight arrived, all of the strains in the U.S. were previously 
controlled by treatment with registered materials. The Applicants state 
that presently, there are no fungicides registered in the U.S. that 
will provide adequate control of the immigrant strains of late blight. 
The Applicants state that propamocarb hydrochloride has been shown to 
be effective against these strains of late blight. This material holds 
current registrations throughout many European countries for control of 
this disease. The Applicants state that losses in some states have been 
greater than $10 million per year for the past 3 years, due to these 
new strains of late blight, and some growers have completely lost their 
crops and will go out of business. These costs do not include the 
increased amount of money spent on fungicides in attempts to control 
this disease. Under appropriate conditions, it is possible that this 
disease could develop to epidemic proportions, causing major changes 
and losses to the U.S. potato industry.
    The Applicants have all previously submitted requests for 
exemptions for two other unregistered materials, dimethomorph and 
cymoxanil, to address this disease problem. These requests were issued 
on May 18, 1995. A notice of receipt for these two chemicals was 
published in the Federal Register on May 3, 1995.
    The Applicants propose to apply propamocarb hydrochloride at a 
maximum rate of 0.898 lb. a.i. (2.3 pts. of product) per acre, by 
ground or air, with a maximum of 5 applications per season, to a 
maximum of the following acreages of potatoes: DE, 5,000; FL, 40,000; 
GA, 610; ME, 80,000; MD, 3,000; MI, 58,000; MN, 60,000; NJ, 3,400; NY, 
30,000; ND, 109,000; OH, 6,000; OR, 50,000; PA, 24,000; SD, 6,000; VA, 
7,500; and WI, 30,000. Therefore, use under this exemption could 
potentially amount to the following maximum amounts of propamocarb 
hydrochloride: DE, 22,463 lbs. a.i., 7,188 gal. product; FL, 179,688 
lbs. a.i., 57,500 gal. product; GA, 2,741 lbs. a.i., 877 gal. product; 
ME, 359,375 lbs. a.i., 115,000 product; MD, 13,478 lbs. a.i., 4,313 
gal. product; MI, 260,547 lbs. a.i., 83,375 gal. product; MN, 269,531 
lbs. a.i., 86,250 gal. product; NJ, 152,734 lbs. a.i., 48,875 gal. 
product; NY, 134,764 lbs. a.i., 43,125 gal. product; ND, 489,650 lbs. 
a.i., 156,688 gal. product; OH, 26,953 lbs. a.i., 8,625 gal. product; 
OR, 224,609 lbs. a.i., 71,875 gal. product; PA, 107,813 lbs. a.i., 
34,500 gal. product; SD, 26,953 lbs. a.i., 8,625 gal. product; VA, 
33,691 lbs. a.i., 10,781 gal. product; and WI, 134,764 lbs. a.i., 
43,125 gal. product.
    This notice does not constitute a decision by EPA on the 
applications. The regulations governing section 18 require publication 
of a notice of receipt of an application for a specific exemption 
proposing the first food use of an active ingredient. Such notice 
provides for opportunity for public comment on the application. 
Accordingly, interested persons may submit written views on this 
subject to the Field Operations Division at the address above.
    The Agency, accordingly, will review and consider all comments 
received [[Page 32320]] during the comment period in determining 
whether to issue the emergency exemptions requested by the above-named 
state lead agricultural agencies.
     A record has been established for this notice under docket number 
``OPP-180973'' (including comments and data submitted electronically as 
described below). A public version of this record, including printed, 
paper versions of electronic comments, which does not include any 
information claimed as CBI, is available for inspection from 8 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The public 
record is located in Room 1132 of the Public Response and Program 
Resources Branch, Field Operations Division (7506C), Office of 
Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, Crystal Mall #2, 
1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA.
    Electronic comments can be sent directly to EPA at:
    [email protected]


    Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the 
use of special characters and any form of encryption.
    The official record for this notice, as well as the public version, 
as described above will be kept in paper form. Accordingly, EPA will 
transfer all comments received electronically into printed, paper form 
as they are received and will place the paper copies in the official 
record which will also include all comments submitted directly in 
writing. The official record is the paper record maintained at the 
address in ``ADDRESSES'' at the beginning of this document.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests, Crisis exemptions.

    Dated: June 2, 1995.

Stephen L. Johnson,
Director, Registration Division Office of Pesticide Programs.

[FR Doc. 95-15166 Filed 6-20-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F