[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 7, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41152-41153]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20105]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPP-64031; FRL-5385-9]


Iprodione on Cowpeas; Proposed Voluntary Cancellation of 
Registration

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Receipt of Request to Cancel and Proposed 
Cancellation Order.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that EPA has received a request from 
Rhone-Poulenc AG Company to cancel the use of iprodione on cowpeas. 
Under section 6(f) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and 
Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136d(f)(1)), EPA must announce the receipt of 
such requests and allow public comment before approving them. The 
registrant has requested that the comment period for this cancellation 
request be waived. However, the Agency will provide the public an 
opportunity to comment on the request and proposed cancellation order. 
The agency accepted Rhone-Poulenc AG Company's proposed program to 
relabel existing stocks and stocks of iprodione that were in the 
channels of trade when other amendments to the iprodione registrations 
(i.e., amendments that are not subject to this Notice) were approved. 
Relabeling was completed by May 31, 1996.

DATES: Public comment on the use deletion will be accepted until 
September 6, 1996.

ADDRESSES: By mail, submit comments to Public Response and Program 
Resources Branch, Field Operations Division (7506C), Office of 
Pesticide Programs, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. In person, 
deliver comments to room 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 5.1 file format or ASCII file format. 
All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by docket 
number [OPP-64031]. 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By mail, Vivian Prunier, Review 
Manager, Special Review Branch, Special Review and Reregistration 
Division (7508W), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. Office 
location and telephone number: Third floor, Westfield Building, 2800 
Crystal Drive, Arlington VA (703) 308-8034, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Request for Voluntary Cancellation of Use

    Under section 6(f) of the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and 
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)(7 U.S.C. 136d(f)(1)), a registrant may at any 
time request that any of its pesticide registrations be canceled or be 
amended to delete one or more uses. Section 6(f) of FIFRA requires the 
Administrator to publish a notice of receipt of the request and allow 
public comment before approving such request. The Administrator may 
waive the comment period prior to issuing an order if the registrant 
requests a waiver or if the continued use of the pesticide would pose 
an unreasonable adverse effect on the environment.
    On March 14, 1996, Rhone-Poulenc AG Company requested amendments to 
the registrations of its iprodione products (ROVRAL Fungicide (EPA Reg. 
No. 264-453), ROVRAL 4 Flowable Fungicide (EPA Reg. No. 264-482) and 
ROVRAL WG Fungicide (EPA Reg. No. 264-524). Among other requested 
changes, Rhone-Poulenc AG Company requested voluntary cancellation of 
the use of iprodione on cowpeas. The other amendments were accepted in 
March 1996 and included reductions in the number of iprodione 
applications to grapes or stone fruits and a feeding restriction for 
peanut hay. Because these amendments do not result in the deletion of 
any uses of iprodione, they are not subject to this Notice. EPA has 
determined that iprodione residues in or on cowpeas contribute slightly 
to human dietary risk because iprodione residues from cattle feed are 
carried over into cows' milk. Iprodione residues in or on peanut hay 
account for the vast majority of iprodione residues in milk. This 
source of dietary exposure has been eliminated because the March 1996 
amendment request included amending the registration for the use of 
iprodione on peanuts to add a feeding

[[Page 41153]]

restriction for peanut hay. When iprodione-treated peanut hay and 
iprodione-treated cowpeas are both eliminated from dairy cattle diets, 
the anticipated residue level of iprodione in milk, expressed as a 
nation-wide average, falls from 0.0073 ppm to 0.0003 ppm. These residue 
levels correspond to dietary risks of 3.4  x  10-6 and 1.4  x  
10-7, respectively. Therefore, the action taken in March 1996 
significantly decreases dietary exposure to iprodione through 
consumption of milk.

II. Opportunity for Public Comment

    On May 23, 1996, Rhone-Poulenc AG Company requested EPA to waive 
the comment period on the proposed deletion of the cowpea use. The 
Administrator has determined that a 30-day comment period is 
appropriate for the proposed action. Accordingly, persons wishing to 
comment may do so by September 6, 1996. Any comments received in 
response to this notice will be considered in EPA's final cancellation 
order. If no comments are received, the cancellation will go into 
effect on October 7, 1996, without publication of a Final Order. EPA 
believes the use deletion proposed by Rhone-Poulenc AG Company will 
help reduce the risk of unreasonable adverse effects from continued use 
of products containing iprodione. It is EPA's intention to approve 
Rhone-Poulenc AG Company's request for deletion of the use on cowpeas 
unless during the comment period convincing information is received 
that demonstrates that approval of Rhone-Poulenc AG Company's request 
is inappropriate.

III. Public Comment Procedures

    EPA invites interested persons to submit written comments, 
information, or data in response to this notice. Comments must be 
submitted by September 6, 1996. Comments must bear a notation 
indicating the docket number. Three copies of the comments should be 
submitted to either location listed under ADDRESSES at the beginning of 
this notice.
    Information submitted as a comment concerning this notice may be 
claimed confidential by marking any or all that information as CBI. EPA 
will not disclose information so marked, except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. A second copy of such comments, 
with the CBI deleted, also must by submitted for inclusion in the 
public record. EPA may publicly disclose without prior notice 
information not marked confidential.
    Documents considered and relied upon by EPA pertaining to this 
notice, and all written comments filed pursuant to this notice will be 
available for public inspection in room 1132, Crystal Mall #2, 1921 
Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except for legal holidays.
    A record has been established for this notice under docket number 
[OPP-64031] (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 rulemaking record is the paper record maintained 
at the Virginia address in ``ADDRESSES'' at the beginning of this 
notice.

IV. Existing Stocks

    Before submitting the March 14, 1996 amendment applications, Rhone-
Poulenc AG Company agreed to relabel all existing stocks of iprodione 
products that were packaged and labeled, but had not been released for 
shipment, as of the date of approval of the label amendments. In a 
letter dated April 15, 1996, EPA accepted a Rhone-Poulenc AG Company 
proposal for relabeling iprodione products that were already in the 
channels of trade. EPA specified that all stocks of iprodione products 
held in warehouses were to be relabeled by May 31, 1996. Stocks held by 
distributors in specified states were also to be relabeled. EPA 
required that all iprodione products in channels of trade were to bear 
the new labels after May 31, 1996. Any iprodione product that does not 
bear the new labels after May 31, 1996 will be considered misbranded 
under section 2(q) of FIFRA. Under section 12(a)(1) of FIFRA, sale of 
misbranded products violates the Act. On June 11, 1996, Rhone-Poulenc 
AG Company notified EPA that the relabeling program had been completed 
as specified.

V. Proposed Use Deletion/Cancellation Order

    The following Use Deletion/Cancellation Order and Approval of 
Rhone-Poulenc AG Company's request for the deletion of the use of 
iprodione on cowpeas will take effect on October 7, 1996 unless EPA 
publishes a notice in the Federal Register before that date modifying 
the proposed order. I approve Rhone-Poulenc AG Company's request for 
deletion of cowpeas from iprodione products 264-453, 264-482 and 264-
524, effective October 7 1996.

List of Subjects

    Environmental Protection, Agricultural Commodities, Pesticides and 
pests.

    Dated: July 30, 1996.

Daniel M. Barolo,
 Director, Office of Pesticide Programs

[FR Doc. 96-20105 Filed 8-6-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F