[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3231-3232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1365]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-34217; FRL-6489-2]


Acephate, Disulfoton, and Methamidophos, Revised Pesticide Risk 
Assessment; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY:  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

[[Page 3232]]


ACTION:  Notice.

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SUMMARY:  EPA will hold a public meeting to present the revised risk 
assessments for three organophosphate pesticides: Acephate, disulfoton, 
and methamidophos, to interested stakeholders. This public meeting, 
called a ``Technical Briefing,'' will provide an opportunity for 
stakeholders to learn about the data, information, and methodologies 
that the Agency used in revising its risk assessments for acephate, 
disulfoton, and methamidophos. In addition, representatives of the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) will also provide ideas on possible 
risk management for acephate, disulfoton, and methamidophos.

DATES: The technical briefing will be held on Thursday, February 3, 
2000. The disulfoton technical briefing is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 
11:30 a.m., and the acephate and methamidophos (concurrent) technical 
briefing is scheduled from 1 p.m to 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES:  The technical briefing will be held at the Radisson Hotel, 
901 North Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA, (703) 683-6000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By mail: Karen Angulo, Special Review 
and Registration Division (7508C), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Bldg., 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (703) 308-8004; e-
mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  

I. General Information

    A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
    This action applies to the public in general. As such, the Agency 
has not attempted to specifically describe all the entities potentially 
affected by this action. The Agency believes that a wide range of 
stakeholders will be interested in technical briefings on 
organophosphate pesticides, including environmental, human health, and 
agricultural advocates, the chemical industry, pesticide users, and 
members of the public interested in the use of pesticides on food. If 
you have any questions regarding the applicability of this action to a 
particular entity, consult the person listed under ``FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.''
    B. How Can I Get Additional Information, Including Copies of this 
Document and Other Related Documents?
    1. Electronically. You may obtain electronic copies of this 
document, and certain other related documents that might be available 
electronically, from the EPA Internet Home Page at http://www.epa.gov/. 
To access this document, on the Home Page select ``Laws and 
Regulations'' and then look up the entry for this document under the 
``Federal Register--Environmental Documents.'' You can also go directly 
to the Federal Register listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    To access information about organophosphate pesticides, you can 
also go directly to the Home Page for the Office of Pesticide Programs 
(OPP) at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/op/. In addition, brief 
summaries of the acephate, disulfoton, and methamidophos revised risk 
assessments are now available at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/op/status.htm/, as well as in paper as part of the public version of the 
official record as described in Unit I.B.2.
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for the 
organophosphate pesticides: Acephate, disulfoton, and methamidophos 
under docket control numbers OPP-34164A for acephate, OPP-34165A for 
disulfoton, and OPP-34166A for methamidophos. The official record 
consists of the documents specifically referenced in this action, and 
other information related to this action, including any information 
claimed as Confidential Business Information (CBI). This official 
record includes the documents that are physically located in the 
docket, as well as the documents that are referenced in those 
documents. The public version of the official record does not include 
any information claimed as CBI. The public version of the official 
record, which includes printed, paper versions of any electronic 
comments submitted during an applicable comment period is available for 
inspection in the Public Information and Records Integrity Branch 
(PIRIB), Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, 
VA, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The PIRIB telephone number is (703) 305-5805.

II. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    This document announces the Agency's intention to hold a technical 
briefing for the organophosphate pesticides: Acephate, disulfoton, and 
methamidophos. The Agency is presenting the revised risk assessments 
for acephate, disulfoton, and methamidophos to interested stakeholders. 
This technical briefing is designed to provide stakeholders with an 
opportunity to become even more informed about an organophosphate's 
risk assessment. EPA will describe in detail the revised risk 
assessments: Including the major points (e.g., contributors to risk 
estimates); how public comment on the preliminary risk assessment 
affected the revised risk assessment; and the pesticide use 
information/data that was used in developing the revised risk 
assessment. Stakeholders will have an opportunity to ask clarifying 
questions. In addition, representatives of the USDA will provide ideas 
on possible risk management.
    The technical briefing is part of the pilot public participation 
process that EPA and USDA are now using for involving the public in the 
reassessment of pesticide tolerances under the Food Quality Protection 
Act (FQPA), and the reregistration of individual organophosphate 
pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide 
Act (FIFRA). The pilot public participation process was developed as 
part of the EPA-USDA Tolerance Reassessment Advisory Committee (TRAC), 
which was established in April 1998 as a subcommittee under the 
auspices of EPA's National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy 
and Technology. A goal of the pilot public participation process is to 
find a more effective way for the public to participate at critical 
junctures in the Agency's development of organophosphate risk 
assessment and risk management decisions. EPA and USDA began 
implementing this pilot process in August 1998 in response to Vice 
President Gore's directive to increase transparency and opportunities 
for stakeholder consultation.
    The Agency will issue a Federal Register notice to provide an 
opportunity for public viewing of the acephate, disulfoton, and 
methamidophos revised risk assessments and related documents to the 
Public Information and Records Integrity Branch and the OPP Internet 
web site that are described in Unit I.B.1, and to provide an 
opportunity for a 60-day public participation period during which the 
public may submit risk management and mitigation ideas, and 
recommendations and proposals for transition.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Chemicals, Pesticides and pests.

    Dated: January 13, 2000.
Lois A. Rossi,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 00-1365 Filed 1-19-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F