[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 52 (Thursday, March 16, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14275-14277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6513]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-00647; FRL-6497-5]


FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel; Open Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: There will be a 3-day meeting of the Federal Insecticide, 
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Food Quality Protection Act 
(FQPA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) to review the following sets of 
scientific issues being considered by the Agency pertaining to: Insect 
Repellent Product Performance Testing Guideline Evaluation and 
Implementing Probabilistic Ecological Assessments: A Consultation.
    The meeting is open to the public. Seating at the meeting will be 
on a first-come basis. Individuals requiring special accommodations at 
this meeting, including wheelchair access, should contact Paul Lewis or 
Laura Morris at the address listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT at least 5 business days prior to the meeting so that 
appropriate arrangements can be made.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 5, through Friday, 
April 7, 2000, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, 1800 Jefferson Davis Highway, 
Arlington, VA. The telephone number for the Sheraton hotel is: (703) 
486-1111.
    Comments may be submitted by mail, electronically, or in person. 
Please follow the detailed instructions for each method as provided in 
Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. To ensure proper receipt by 
EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket control number OPP-00647 
in the subject line on the first page of your response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Lewis or Laura Morris, Designated 
Federal Officials, FIFRA SAP (7101C), Office of Science Coordination 
and Policy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 
(703) 305-5369; fax number: (703) 605-0656; e-mail address: lewis.paul 
or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. Since other 
entities may also be interested, the Agency has not attempted to 
describe all the specific entities that may be affected by this action. 
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/.
    A meeting agenda and copies of EPA background documents for the 
meeting will be available by mid March, 2000. The meeting agenda and 
EPA primary background documents will be available on the FIFRA SAP web 
site at http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/sap.

[[Page 14276]]

    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for 
this action under docket control number OPP-00647. The official record 
consists of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any 
public comments received during an applicable comment period, 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.

C. How Can I Request to Participate in this Meeting?

    You may submit comments through the mail, in person, or 
electronically. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that 
you identify docket control number OPP-00647 in the subject line on the 
first page of your response. Members of the public wishing to submit 
comments should contact the persons listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT to confirm that the meeting date and the agenda 
have not been modified or changed.
    Interested persons are permitted to file written statements before 
the meeting. To the extent that time permits, and upon advanced written 
request to the persons listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
interested persons may be permitted by the Chair of the FIFRA 
Scientific Advisory Panel to present oral statements at the meeting. 
The request should identify the name of the individual making the 
presentation, the organization (if any) the individual will represent, 
and any requirements for audiovisual equipment (e.g., overhead 
projector, 35 mm projector, chalkboard, etc). There is no limit on the 
length of written comments for consideration by the Panel, but oral 
statements before the Panel are limited to approximately 5 minutes. The 
Agency also urges the public to submit written comments in lieu of oral 
presentations. Persons wishing to make oral and/or written statements 
should notify the persons listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
and submit 40 copies of the summary information. The Agency encourages 
that written statements be submitted before the meeting to provide 
Panel Members the time necessary to consider and review the comments.
    1. By mail. Submit your comments to: Public Information and Records 
Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Information Resources and Services Division 
(7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. 
Washington, DC 20460.
    2. In person or by courier. Deliver your comments to: Public 
Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Information Resources 
and Services Division (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), 
Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. 119, CM 2, 1921 Jefferson 
Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA. The PIRIB is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The PIRIB telephone 
number is (703) 305-5805.
    3. Electronically. You may submit your comments electronically by 
e-mail to: ``[email protected],'' or you can submit a computer disk as 
described above. Do not submit any information electronically that you 
consider to be CBI. Avoid the use of special characters and any form of 
encryption. Electronic submissions will be accepted in WordPerfect 6.1/
8.0 or ASCII file format. All comments in electronic form must be 
identified by docket control number OPP-00647. Electronic comments may 
also be filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries.

II. Background

A. Purpose of the Meeting?

    This 3-day meeting concerns several scientific issues undergoing 
consideration within the EPA/Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP). The 2 
session topics to be addressed during the 3-day meeting are indicated 
as follows:
    The first session will focus on an evaluation of the insect 
repellent product performance testing guideline. Inconsistencies have 
developed in product performance testing and labeling of insect 
repellents. In order to minimize this variance, EPA has developed draft 
product performance testing guidelines and appropriate label language. 
This guideline recommends specific methods for conducting product 
performance testing of insect repellents. As a guideline, it does not 
impose mandatory requirements. It does, however, reflect the Agency's 
considered recommendations for minimum steps necessary to develop 
reliable data on repellent product performance. In addition, the 
product performance testing guidelines are intended to supercede EPA, 
Pesticide Assessment Guidelines, Subdivision G: 95-9, ``Treatments to 
control pests of humans and pests'' and 95-10, ``Mosquito, black fly, 
nonbiting midge, and biting midge.''
    A performance standard represents the minimum level of product 
performance which would normally be acceptable for protecting the 
public health, when required, or for economic control of a pest or pest 
combination at a specific site. These guidelines are concerned with 
product performance testing for evaluation of pesticides used to repel 
mosquitos, biting flies, fleas, chiggers and ticks from human skin and 
outdoor premises. EPA intends to use the data form guidelines studies 
to help determine the adequacy of the labeling of insect repellant 
products. The label language proposed by the Agency is intended to 
standardize and improve the information provided by the consumer. The 
Agency will be asking the Panel's advice on the adequacy of the 
proposed testing guidelines and protocols for human insect repellants.
    The second session will entail a consultation on implementing 
probabilistic ecological assessments. The purpose of this consultation 
is to provide the FIFRA SAP with a progress report regarding the EPA/
OPP/Environmental Fate and Effect Division's (EFED) initiative to 
revise the ecological assessment process. Following the recommendations 
of the May, 1996 FIFRA SAP and building on previous efforts within the 
Division, EFED began a new initiative in 1997 to revise the ecological 
assessment process. The main focus on this initiative is to identify, 
develop, and validate tools and methodologies to conduct probabilistic 
ecological assessments and improve risk characterization.
    A key component of this initiative has been the Ecological 
Committee on FIFRA Risk Assessment Methods (ECOFRAM), which refers to 
the workgroups who have been developing recommendations for revising 
the assessment process. ECOFRAM completed their draft reports in May, 
which were reviewed by a peer input panel in June, 1999.
    Another key component is EFED's Probabilistic Risk Assessment 
Implementation Team (Implementation Team), which is charged with 
developing an implementation plan to

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incorporate probabilistic tools and methods to evaluate the ecological 
risk from pesticides. They are responsible for the technical evaluation 
and review of the ECOFRAM reports and workshop comments, which were 
used as a starting point for developing an approach for implementing 
changes to the current deterministic assessment process.
    Thus, EFED will provide the Panel with an update regarding the 
progress of this initiative and seeks the Panel's comments and 
recommendations. EFED's presentation will include a summary of the 
ECOFRAM draft reports, the peer input panel comments, and an overview 
of the conceptual risk assessment model being proposed by the 
Implementation Team. This model is based on a tiered approach for 
implementing aquatic and terrestrial probabilistic assessments in OPP.

B. Panel Report

    Copies of the Panel's report of their recommendations will be 
available approximately 45 working days after the meeting, and will be 
posted on the FIFRA SAP web site or may be obtained by contacting the 
Public Information and Records Integrity Branch at the address or 
telephone number listed in Unit III. of this document.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection.

    Dated: March 7, 2000.
Steven Galson,
Director, Office of Science Coordination and Policy.
[FR Doc. 00-6513 Filed 3-13-00; 2:22 pm]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F