[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 98 (Friday, May 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31910-31911]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12650]



[[Page 31910]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-181077; FRL-6559-4]


Thiamethoxam; Receipt of Application for Emergency Exemption, 
Solicitation of Public Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA has received a specific exemption request from the 
Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce to use the pesticide 
thiamethoxam (CAS No. 153719-23-4) to treat up to 1,000,000 acres of 
cotton to control cotton aphids. The Applicant proposes the use of a 
new chemical which has not been registered by the EPA; this would also 
be a first food use of this pesticide. EPA is soliciting public comment 
before making the decision whether or not to grant the exemption.

DATES: Comments, identified by docket control number OPP-181077, must 
be received on or before June 5, 2000.

ADDRESSES: 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-181077 in the subject line on the first page of your 
response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen Schaible, Registration 
Division (7505C), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Bldg., 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 703 308-9362; fax number: 703 
308-5433; e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    You may be potentially affected by this action if you petition EPA 
for emergency exemption under section 18 of FIFRA. Potentially affected 
categories and entities may include, but are not limited to:

 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Examples of
           Categories                 NAICS codes         potentially
                                                       affected entities
------------------------------------------------------------------------
State government                  9241                State agencies
                                                       that petition EPA
                                                       for section 18
                                                       pesticide
                                                       exemption
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This listing is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides 
a guide for readers regarding entities likely to be regulated by this 
action. Other types of entities not listed in the table in this unit 
could also be regulated. The North American Industrial Classification 
System (NAICS) codes have been provided to assist you and others in 
determining whether or not this action applies to certain entities. To 
determine whether you or your business is affected by this action, you 
should carefully examine the applicability provisions in this document. 
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/.
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for 
this action under docket control number OPP-181077. 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 and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?

    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-181077 in the subject line on 
the first page of your response.
    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), Environmental Protection 
Agency, Ariel Rios Bldg., 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 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, Crystal Mall #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-181077. Electronic comments may 
also be filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries.

D. How Should I Handle CBI that I Want to Submit to the Agency?

    Do not submit any information electronically that you consider to 
be CBI. You may claim information that you submit to EPA in response to 
this document as CBI 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. In addition to one complete 
version of the comment that includes any information claimed as CBI, a 
copy of

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the comment that does not contain the information claimed as CBI must 
be submitted for inclusion in the public version of the official 
record. Information not marked confidential will be included in the 
public version of the official record without prior notice. If you have 
any questions about CBI or the procedures for claiming CBI, please 
consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

E. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used 
that support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns.
    6. Offer alternative ways to improve the proposed rule or 
collection activity.
    7. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline in this 
document.
    8. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket 
control number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first 
page of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal 
Register citation.

II. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    Under section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (7 U.S.C. 136p), at the discretion of the 
Administrator, a Federal or State agency may be exempted from any 
provision of FIFRA if the Administrator determines that emergency 
conditions exist which require the exemption. The Mississippi 
Department of Agriculture and Commerce has requested the Administrator 
to issue a specific exemption for the use of thiamethoxam on cotton to 
control cotton aphids. Information in accordance with 40 CFR part 166 
was submitted as part of this request.
    As part of this request, the Applicant asserts that cotton aphid 
has developed resistance to most currently labeled and recommended 
insecticides in Mississippi. It is claimed that laboratory assays, 
field experiments, and field experience indicate that insecticides 
currently recommended for cotton aphid control are variable in 
effectiveness to the extent that agricultural consultants and cotton 
producers consider them to be unreliable. Studies suggest aphids may be 
initially controlled with registered alternatives such as dicrotophos, 
endosulfan, methomyl and imidacloprid, but that populations resurge 
rapidly following application. Aphids are naturally controlled by the 
fungal disease Neozygites fresenii once aphid populations have reached 
high infestation levels, but it is often difficult to predict when 
disease epizootics will occur. Recently, participation in the Boll 
Weevil Eradication Program has resulted in greater risk of yield 
threatening outbreaks of cotton aphids. Because of the intensive use of 
malathion for eradication of the boll weevil, the early years of 
eradication effort are considered to be years of increased risk of 
secondary pest outbreak; survey data collected in Mississippi in 1998 
support this claim. The Applicant estimates that in the event of a 
severe aphid outbreak yield losses as high as 50 lbs per acre could be 
sustained using currently available products. It is claimed that yield 
losses using thiamethoxam under similar conditions would be around 10 
lbs. per acre. These yield losses would result in a projected 
difference in net returns to the producer of $25 per acre, in the event 
of heavy, sustained aphid infestations.
    The Applicant proposes to make no more than two applications of the 
product Centric, containing 25% of the active ingredient thiamethoxam, 
to a maximum of 1,000,000 acres of cotton in Mississippi, between June 
15 and September 15, 2000; a maximum of 94,000 lbs. a.i. (375,000 lbs. 
of product) would be used under this exemption.
    This notice does not constitute a decision by EPA on the 
application itself. The regulations governing section 18 of FIFRA 
require publication of a notice of receipt of an application for a 
specific exemption proposing ``use of a new chemical (i.e., an active 
ingredient) which has not been registered by the EPA'', and also `` a 
first food use of a chemical.'' The notice provides an opportunity for 
public comment on the application.
    The Agency, will review and consider all comments received during 
the comment period in determining whether to issue the emergency 
exemption requested by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and 
Commerce.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.

    Dated: May 10, 2000.
James Jones,
Director, Registration Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 00-12650 Filed 5-18-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F