[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 21, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54185-54187]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21295]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-2002-0159; FRL-7190-3]


Pronamide Tolerance Reassessment Decisions; Notice of 
Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice of a tolerance reassessment for pronamide starts a 
30-day public comment period during which the public is encouraged to 
submit comments on the Agency's ``Report of the Food Quality Protection 
Act (FQPA) Tolerance Reassessment Progress and Risk Management Decision 
(TRED) for pronamide.'' The Agency is providing an opportunity, through 
this notice, for interested parties to comment in accordance with 
procedures described in Unit I of this document. All comments will be 
carefully considered by the Agency. If any comment causes the Agency to 
revise its decision on reassessment of these tolerances, EPA will 
publish notice of its amendment in the Federal Register.

DATES: Comments, identified by docket control number OPP-2002-0159 must 
be received on or before September 20, 2002.

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 ID number 
OPP-2002-0159 in the subject line on the first page of your response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cecelia Watson, Special Review and 
Reregistration Division (7508C), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (703) 305-4329; 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. This action may, 
however, be of interest to persons who are or may be required to 
conduct testing of chemical substances under the Federal Insecticide, 
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) or the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (FFDCA); environmental, human health, and agricultural 
advocates; pesticides users; and members of the public interested in 
the use of pesticides. 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.

[[Page 54186]]

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,'' ``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/.
    To access TRED documents electronically, go directly to the TREDs 
table on the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs Home Page, at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/status.htm
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for 
this action under docket ID number OPP-2002-0159. 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.

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 ID number OPP-2002-0159 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, 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 Highway, 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/
8.0/9.0 or ASCII file format. All comments in electronic form must be 
identified by docket ID number OPP-2002-0159. 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 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 appropriate 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 notice 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 
ID 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 
Registercitation.

II. Background

A. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    This notice constitutes and announces the availability of the TRED 
for pronamide. This decision has been developed as part of the public 
participation process that EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) are using to involve the public in the reassessment of pesticide 
tolerances under FFDCA. EPA must review tolerances and tolerance 
exemptions that were in effect when FQPA was enacted in August 1996, to 
ensure that these existing pesticide residue limits for food and feed 
commodities meet the safety standard of the new law.
    FFDCA requires EPA to review all the tolerances for registered 
chemicals in effect on or before the date of the enactment. In 
reviewing these tolerances, the Agency must consider, among other 
things, aggregate risks from non-occupational sources of pesticide 
exposure, whether there is increased susceptibility to infants and 
children, and the cumulative effects of pesticides with a common 
mechanism of toxicity. The tolerances are considered reassessed once 
the safety finding has been made or a revocation occurs. A 
reregistration eligibility decision (RED) was completed for pronamide 
in April 1994, prior to FQPA enactment, and therefore needed an updated 
assessment to consider the provisions of the Act.
    FFDCA requires that the Agency, when considering whether to 
establish, modify, or revoke a tolerance, consider ``available 
information'' concerning the cumulative effects of a particular 
pesticide's residue and ``other substances that have a common mechanism 
of toxicity.''
    As indicated above, the Agency will also evaluate the cumulative 
risk, if necessary, posed by the entire group of chemicals with which a 
common mechanism of toxicity is shared, and issue a final tolerance 
reassessment decision once the cumulative

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assessment for that group is completed. At this time, pronamide has not 
been identified as sharing a common method of toxicity and is not 
scheduled for a cumulative risk assessment.
    All registrants of pesticide products containing one or more of the 
active ingredients listed in this document are being sent the TRED, and 
must respond to labeling requirements within 8 months of receipt. 
Furthermore, the Agency requests a response to all generic confirmatory 
data from technical registrants within 90 days of receipt.
    The reregistration program is being conducted under 
congressionally-mandated time frames, and EPA recognizes both the need 
to make timely reregistration decisions and to involve the public. 
Therefore, EPA is issuing this TRED as a final document with a 30-day 
comment period. All comments will be carefully considered by the 
Agency. If any comment significantly affects the TRED, EPA will amend 
the TRED by publishing the amendment in the Federal Register.

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

    The legal authority for these TREDs falls under FIFRA, as amended 
in 1988 and 1996. Section 4(g)(2)(A) of FIFRA directs that, after 
submission of all data concerning a pesticide active ingredient, ``the 
Administrator shall determine whether pesticides containing such active 
ingredients are eligible for reregistration,'' and either reregistering 
products or taking ``other appropriate regulatory action.''

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Chemicals, Pesticides and pests, 
Tolerances.

    Dated: August 2, 2002.
  Lois A. Rossi,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 02-21295 Filed 8-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S