[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 28, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59422-59425]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29556]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-66297; FRL-6810-1]


Acephate; Receipt of Requests For Amendments to Delete Uses and 
to Voluntarily Cancel Certain Product Registrations

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide, 
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended, EPA is issuing a 
notice of receipt of requests by certain acephate registrants to amend 
their registrations for products containing O,S-dimethyl 
acetylphosphoramidothioate, or acephate, to terminate certain uses and 
voluntarily cancel certain acephate product registrations. The requests 
to cancel certain uses from the registrations will reduce residential 
risks which exceed the Agency's level of concern. EPA will decide 
whether to approve the requests after consideration of public comment.

DATES: Comments on the requested amendments to delete uses and cancel 
product registrations must be submitted to the contact person at the 
address provided under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by December 28, 
2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By mail: Kimberly Nesci Lowe, Special 
Review and Reregistration Division (7508C), Office of Pesticide 
Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (703) 308-8059; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. Although this 
action may be of particular interest to persons who produce or use 
pesticides, 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 information in this notice, 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?

    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,'' 
``Regulations and Proposed Rules,'' 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/.

II. Acephate Registrant Requests to Amend Registrations

A. Background Information

    Acephate is an organophosphate insecticide registered to control 
certain insect pests on a variety of field, fruit, and vegetable crops; 
in food handling establishments; on ornamental plants both in 
greenhouses and outdoors; and on turfgrass sites, including residential 
lawns, golf courses, sod farms, and industrial sites. Acephate is also 
registered for use in and around the home to control common household 
insect pests.
    Annual domestic use is approximately 4 to 5 million pounds of 
acephate active ingredient per year. The vast majority of acephate 
usage is on agricultural and commercial ornamental plant use sites. Use 
in and around the home is a small fraction of total acephate usage. 
Acephate use in the home and on lawns is apparently somewhat self-
limiting due to the pesticide's objectionable odor.
    During development of the Interim Reregistration Eligibility 
Decision (IRED), EPA identified risk concerns for residents, including 
children, who contact treated surfaces in homes following indoor 
application. EPA also identified a risk of concern for young children 
playing on treated lawns. In order to address these concerns prior to 
completion of the IRED, Valent USA Corporation (Valent) and the other 
technical registrants notified EPA of their intent to formally request 
amendment of their registrations to delete these uses.
    EPA will soon release the IRED, which further describes the risks 
associated with acephate uses in and around the home. The IRED also 
outlines EPA's other risk concerns and risk management measures adopted 
in the IRED to address them.

B. Request for Voluntary Cancellation of Certain Uses and Product 
Registrations

    To reduce the risk posed to residents in treated homes and lawns, 
EPA discussed the matter with all technical acephate registrants and 
ultimately obtained general agreement on the merits of dropping certain 
uses. Accordingly, Valent and the other registrants of technical grade 
acephate products requested the voluntary deletion of the key uses and 
certain product registrations. End use product registrants also 
indicated a willingness to drop the same uses.
    On October 15, 2001, Valent, the primary technical registrant 
supporting the reregistration of acephate, submitted a written request 
to EPA seeking to

[[Page 59423]]

amend its manufacturing and end use registrations for acephate. 
Specifically, Valent requested that EPA amend all of its registered 
products to delete the use of acephate on residential indoor and 
turfgrass sites (except golf courses, sod farms, and spot or mound 
treatment for harvester and fire ant control). The use deletions 
request involves seven FIFRA section 3 registrations held by Valent. 
Valent also requested the voluntary cancellation of one section 3 
manufacturing use registration and eight Special Local Need 
registrations under FIFRA section 24(c). The cancellations were 
conditioned on EPA granting certain existing stock provisions. Valent 
also requested that EPA waive any applicable 180-day comment period for 
EPA action on its requests.
    During October 2001, nearly identical use deletion requests were 
received from the other three technical registrants: Drexel Chemical 
Company, United Phosphorus, Inc., and Micro Flo Company LLC. 
Furthermore, the remaining end use product registrants made similar use 
deletion requests, including Whitmire Micro-Gen Research Labs, The 
Scotts Company, and Pursell Technologies, Inc.
    For the purposes of these proposed use deletions, the Agency is 
using the definition at 40 CFR 152.3(u) for the ``residential use'' 
part of the site description. Residential indoor sites refers to all 
``residential use'' sites that are indoors. Also, the ``turfgrass'' use 
deletion refers to any turfgrass use site, unless the specific turf use 
site or pest is excepted as described in this notice.Thus, turfgrass 
use directions on revised labeling would be limited to golf course, sod 
farm, and spot or mound treatment for harvester or fire ant control.
    Under section 6(f)(1)(A) of FIFRA, registrants may request, at any 
time, that their pesticide registrations be amended to delete one or 
more pesticide uses. Section 6(f)(1)(B) of FIFRA requires that EPA 
provide a 30-day comment period on the request for voluntary 
cancellation. In addition, section 6(f)(1)(C) of FIFRA requires that 
EPA provide a 180-day comment period on a request for voluntary 
termination of any minor agricultural use before granting the request, 
unless: (1) The registrants request a waiver of the comment period, or 
(2) the Administrator determines that continued use of the pesticide 
would pose an unreasonable adverse effect on the environment. The 
registrants have requested that EPA waive the 180-day comment period. 
In light of this request, EPA is granting the request to waive the 180-
day comment period.
    Table 1 specifies the time frame for the use deletions and proposed 
existing stocks provision for manufacturing use products, as requested 
by the technical registrants. In addition to conditions specified in 
Table 1, registrants may continue formulating acephate products from 
manufacturing use products labeled with deleted uses into end use 
products labeled exclusively for non-deleted uses, provided the other 
time frames in Table 1 are followed. Such formulation may continue 
until registrant supplies are exhausted.

                        Table 1.--Manufacturing Use Products: Time Frame for Use Deletions and Proposed Existing Stocks Provision
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                        Last Date for Use of Existing Stocks to      Last Date for Sale
                                      Date of Use Deletion    Effective Date of Use  Formulate End Use Products with Deleted Uses   and Distribution of
    Product Registration Number              Request                Deletions       ----------------------------------------------   Existing Stocks by
                                                                                       Indoor Residential         Turfgrass1           the Registrant
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19713-410                            10-16-01                12-31-01                12-31-01               10-31-02               12-31-01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
51036-246                            10-03-01                12-31-01                12-31-01               10-31-02               12-31-01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
59639-41                             10-15-01                12-31-01                12-31-01               10-31-02               12-31-01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
70506-3                              10-15-01                12-31-01                12-31-01               10-31-02               12-31-01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Except products labeled for turfgrass on golf courses, sod farms, and/or spot or mound treatment for harvester and fire ant control (unless otherwise
  specified).

    Table 2 specifies the time frame for the use deletions and proposed 
existing stocks provision for affected end use products, as requested 
by end use registrants. The conditions described in this table pertain 
to the end use registrants of acephate. (N/A in Tables 2 and 3 means 
``not applicable.'')

         Table 2.--End Use Products: Time Frame for Use Deletions and Proposed Existing Stocks Provision
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Effective Date of Use Deletions       Last Date for
                                                    ----------------------------------------      Sale and
  Product Registration Number        Date of Use                                              Distribution of
                                  Deletion Request   Indoor Residential      Turfgrass1       Existing Stocks
                                                                                             by the Registrant
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
239-2406                         10-17-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
239-2436                         10-19-01            N/A                 10-31-022           12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
239-2440                         10-17-01            12-31-01            N/A                 12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
239-2461                         10-17-01            N/A                 10-31-022           12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
239-2632                         10-17-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
499-373                          10-15-01            12-31-01            N/A                 12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19713-495                        10-16-01            12-31-01            N/A                 12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19713-497                        10-16-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 59424]]

 
51036-236                        10-03-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
51036-252                        10-03-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
51036-237                        10-03-01            12-31-01            N/A                 12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
51036-337                        10-03-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
59639-26                         10-15-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
59639-28                         10-15-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
59639-31                         10-15-01            12-31-01            N/A                 12-31-02
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59639-33                         10-15-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
59639-87                         10-15-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
59639-91                         10-15-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
70506-1                          10-15-01            N/A                 10-31-022           12-31-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
73614-1                          10-17-01            N/A                 10-31-02            12-31-02
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\1\Except products labeled for turfgrass on golf courses, sod farms, and/or spot or mound treatment for
  harvester and fire ant control (unless otherwise specified).
\2\Exception for harvester ant control on turfgrass does not apply.

    As previously mentioned, this notice also announces receipt by the 
Agency on October 15, 2001, of a request from Valent USA Corporation, 
1333 N. California Blvd., Ste. 600, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 to cancel 
nine acephate products registered under section 3 or 24(c) of FIFRA. 
These registrations are listed in the following Table 3. Canceled 
products containing deleted uses will be subject to the same time 
frames and proposed existing stocks provisions given for manufacturing 
use products and end use products listed in Tables 1 and 2, 
respectively.

 Table 3.--Acephate Registrations With Pending Requests for Cancellation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       Parent Section 3
   Product Registration Number       Product Name        Registration
                                                            Number
------------------------------------------------------------------------
59639-42                          Valent Orthene MFG  N/A
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AL960001                          Pinpoint 15         59639-87
                                   Granular
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FL890016                          Orthene Turf, Tree  59639-26
                                   and Ornamental
                                   Spray
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FL960007                          Pinpoint 15         59639-87
                                   Granular
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GA970002                          Pinpoint 15         59639-87
                                   Granular
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LA950011                          Pinpoint 15         59639-87
                                   Granular
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MS960016                          Pinpoint 15         59639-87
                                   Granular
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SC960001                          Pinpoint 15         59639-87
                                   Granular
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TX960011                          Pinpoint 15         59639-87
                                   Granular
------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. What is the Agency's Authority for Taking this Action?

    Section 6(f)(1) of FIFRA provides that a registrant of a pesticide 
product may at any time request that any of its pesticide registrations 
be canceled. FIFRA further provides that, before acting on the request, 
EPA must publish a notice of receipt of any such request in the Federal 
Register. Thereafter, the Administrator may approve such a request.

IV. Procedures for Withdrawal of Request

    Registrants who choose to withdraw a request for cancellation must 
submit such withdrawal in writing to the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, postmarked before December 28, 2001. This 
written withdrawal of the request for cancellation will apply only to 
the applicable FIFRA section 6(f)(1) request listed in this notice. If 
the product(s) have been subject to a previous cancellation action, the 
effective date of cancellation and all other provisions of any earlier 
cancellation action are controlling. The withdrawal request must also 
include a commitment to pay any reregistration fees due, and to fulfill

[[Page 59425]]

any applicable unsatisfied data requirements.

V. Proposed Existing Stocks Provision

    Pursuant to section 6(f) of FIFRA, EPA proposes to grant the 
requests for voluntary amendment and cancellation during the 
appropriate time frames identified in Tables 1 and 2. For purposes of 
the cancellation order that the Agency proposes to issue at the close 
of the comment period for this announcement, the term ``existing 
stocks'' will be defined, pursuant to EPA's Existing Stocks Policy 
published in the Federal Register of June 26, 1991 (56 FR 29362), as 
those stocks of a registered pesticide product which are currently in 
the United States and which have been packaged, labeled, and released 
for shipment prior to the effective date of the amendment or 
cancellation. Any distribution, sale, or use of existing stocks after 
the effective date of the cancellation order that the Agency intends to 
issue that is not consistent with the terms of that order will be 
considered a violation of section 12(a)(2)(K) and/or 12(a)(1)(A) of 
FIFRA.

A. Distribution, Sale, and Use of Products with Deleted Uses by 
Registrants

    If the requested use deletions are approved, the distribution, 
sale, or use of such stocks by the registrants of acephate products 
will not be lawful under FIFRA after the sale, distribution, and use 
dates listed in Tables 1 and 2, except for the purposes of returns and 
relabeling, shipping such stocks for export consistent with the 
requirements of section 17 of FIFRA, or for proper disposal.

B. Distribution, Sale, and Use of Products with Deleted Uses by Persons 
Other than Registrants

    If the requested use deletions are approved, retailers, 
distributors, and end-users may sell, distribute, or use end-use 
products with previously approved labeling which have been released for 
shipment until such supplies are exhausted, as presented in Table 2.

C. Distribution, Sale, and Use of Canceled Products

    If the requested voluntary product cancellations are approved, the 
effective date of cancellation will be the date of the cancellation 
order, which is projected to be December 31, 2001. The orders effecting 
these requested cancellations will generally permit a registrant to 
sell or distribute existing stocks for 1 year after the date the 
cancellation request was received by the Agency. In this case, 
registrants will also be subject to the time frames and proposed 
existing stocks provisions for products with deleted uses described 
above, as appropriate. Unless the provisions of an earlier order apply, 
existing stocks already in the hands of dealers or users can be 
distributed, sold or used legally until they are exhausted, provided 
that such further sale and use comply with the EPA-approved label and 
labeling of the affected product(s).

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.


    Dated: November 13, 2001.
Lois A. Rossi,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.

[FR Doc. 01-29556 Filed 11-27-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S