[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8726-8727]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-4619]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPP-00471; FRL-5589-5]


EPA's Interim Approach to Implementation of the 1996 Food Quality 
Protection Act; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: EPA is announcing its interim approach to implementation of 
the new food safety requirements of the Food Quality Protection Act 
through a Pesticide Registration (PR) Notice 97-1. Interested parties 
may request this document as described in the ADDRESSES unit of this 
notice.

ADDRESSES: PR Notice 97-1 is available by mail from the Policy and 
Special Projects Staff, Mail Code 7506C, Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. 
Office location,

[[Page 8727]]

telephone number, and e-mail address: Rm. 1120, Crystal Mall #2, 1921 
Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA, (703) 305-7102, e-mail: 
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By mail: Jane Hopkins, Policy and 
Special Projects Staff (7506C), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. 
Office location, telephone number, and e-mail address: Rm. 1113, 
Crystal Mall #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA, (703) 
305-7102, e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Availability: Electronic copies of this document and the PR 
notice are available from the EPA home page at the Environmental Sub-
Set entry for this document under ``Regulations'' (http://www.epa.gov/
fedrgstr/).
    EPA is announcing its interim approach to implementing the new food 
safety requirements of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), enacted 
in August 1996. Until permanent policies can be developed, this interim 
guidance will enable EPA to make sound, timely pesticide regulatory 
decisions that meet the stringent standards of the new law, including 
specific safety findings for infants and children.
    The FQPA calls for additional scientific analyses which have not 
routinely been a part of EPA's pesticide risk assessment procedures, 
such as consideration of risks from chemicals that share a common 
mechanism of toxicity, potential endocrine effects, and combined 
exposures from dietary and nondietary sources.
    The interim measures will allow the Agency to act on pending 
pesticide applications while promoting sound protective decisions that 
are consistent with current scientific knowledge, available data, and 
reasonable assumptions. As more data become available and new knowledge 
emerges, the Agency's approach will be flexible enough to incorporate 
them. The notice also explains what EPA's priorities will be for review 
of pesticide applications under the interim guidance. EPA will give 
highest priority to reveiw of requests for pesticide uses to deal with 
emergency conditions. EPA also will give priority to reduced risk and 
biological pesticides.
    This Federal Register notice announces the availability of the PR 
Notice and instructs registrants on how to obtain it.

Lists of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure, 
Agricultural commodities, Pesticides and pests.

    Dated: February 13, 1997.

Daniel M. Barolo,
Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.

[FR Doc. 97-4619 Filed 2-25-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F