[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65120-65122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-26578]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-2002-0223; FRL-7274-1]


Availability of the Report on FQPA Tolerance Reassessment 
Progress and Risk Management Decision (TRED) for Metolachlor

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the report on the 
Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) tolerance reassessment progress and 
Risk Management Decision (TRED) for metolachlor for public comment. EPA 
has reassessed the 81 tolerances, or legal limits, established for 
residues of metolachlor in/on raw agricultural commodities (RACs). 
These tolerances are now considered safe under the Federal Food, Drug, 
and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended by the FQPA of 1996.

DATES: Comments, identified by docket ID number OPP-2002-0223, must be 
received on or before November 22, 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-2002-0223 in the subject line on the first page of your response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Overstreet, Special Review and 
Reregistration Division (7508C), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (703) 308-8068; fax number: 
(703) 308-8005; 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, but will be of 
interest to a wide range of stakeholders, including environmental, 
human health, and agricultural advocates; the chemical industry; 
pesticide users; and members of the public interested in the use of 
pesticides. The Agency has not attempted to describe all the persons or 
entities who may be interested in or affected by this action. If you 
have questions in this regard, 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,'' ``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/.
    You can obtain copies of the TRED and related documents discussed 
in this notice on EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/status.htm.

[[Page 65121]]

    Available documents include the TRED, supporting technical 
documents, and Federal Register notices. Information on pesticide 
reregistration and tolerance reassessment, including the purpose and 
status of Agency programs to complete Reregistration Eligibility 
Decisions (REDs), Interim REDs, and Tolerance Reassessment Decisions 
(TREDs), is available at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/tolerance. 
General information is available on the Office of Pesticide Programs' 
Home Page, http://www.epa.gov/pesticides.
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for 
this action under docket ID number OPP-2002-0223. 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-2002-0223 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-2002-0223. 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 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 burdens 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 
Register citation.

II. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    EPA has assessed the risks associated with current and proposed 
food uses of metolachlor, reassessed 81 existing tolerances, and 
reached a tolerance reassessment and risk management decision. The 
Agency is issuing the resulting report on FQPA Tolerance Reassessment 
Progress and Risk Management Decision for metolachlor, known as a TRED, 
as well as a summary, overview, and technical support documents.
    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 established by the new law. Tolerances are 
considered reassessed once the safety finding has been made or a 
revocation occurs. In total, 81 tolerances have been reassessed and are 
now considered safe under section 408(q) of FFDCA.
    The Agency has determined that there are no dietary (food or 
drinking water) or aggregate risks of concern for metolachlor, so 
mitigation of these risks is not necessary. EPA is able to make the 
FQPA safety finding for all current and proposed uses of metolachlor.
    EPA must consider the cumulative effects of pesticides that have 
common mechanisms of toxicity, and may issue final tolerance 
reassessment decisions for these pesticides only after their cumulative 
risks have been considered. The Agency has examined this common 
mechanism potential for metolachlor and has concluded that only some of 
the pesticides that comprise the class of chloroacetanilides should be 
designated as a ``Common Mechanism Group'' based on the development of 
nasal turbinate tumors. Because only acetochlor, alachlor, and 
butachlor should be grouped based on a common mechanism of toxicity for 
nasal turbinate tumors, a cumulative assessment is not necessary to 
determine whether tolerances established for residues of metolachlor 
in/on RACs are reassessed as safe.
    EPA works extensively with affected parties to reach the tolerance 
reassessment decisions presented in TREDs. The Agency therefore is 
issuing the metolachlor TRED as a final decision. However, the docket 
remains open, and if the Agency receives any comments within the next 
30 days which significantly affect the Agency's decision, EPA will 
publish an

[[Page 65122]]

amendment to the TRED in the Federal Register. In the absence of 
substantive comments, the tolerance reassessment decisions reflected in 
this TRED will be considered final.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests, Metolachlor.

    Dated: October 2, 2002.
 Lois Ann Rossi,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 02-26578 Filed 10-22-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S