[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4468-4470]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-2021]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-2002-0049; FRL-7280-6


Rodenticides; Availability of Preliminary Comparative Ecological 
Assessment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the preliminary 
comparative ecological assessment for nine rodenticides, which included 
those addressed in the Reregistration Eligibility Decisions (REDs) for 
the the rodenticide cluster (brodifacoum, bromadiolone, bromethalin, 
chlorophacinone, diphacinone,) and zinc phosphide, as well as three 
other rodenticides, warfarin, difethialone, and cholecalciferol. This 
notice also starts a 60-day public comment period for the preliminary 
comparative ecological risk assessment. Comments are to be limited to 
issues directly associated with the nine rodenticides that are included 
in the risk assessment which has been placed in the docket and should 
be limited to issues raised in the document. By allowing access and 
opportunity for comment on the preliminary ecological assessment, EPA 
is seeking to strengthen stakeholder involvement and help ensure our 
decisions are transparent and based on the best available information. 
The Agency cautions that this assessment is a preliminary assessment 
only and that further refinements of the assessment may be appropriate 
for the nine rodenticides. This document reflects only the work and 
analysis conducted as of the time it was produced and it is appropriate 
that, as new information becomes available and/or additional analyses 
are performed, the conclusions it contains may change.

DATES: Comments, identified by the docket ID number OPP-2002-0049, must 
be received on or before March 31, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted electronically, by mail, or 
through hand delivery/courier. Follow the detailed instructions as 
provided in Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John W. Pates, Jr., Special Review and 
Reregistration Division (7508C), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8195; 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 those persons who are or may be required to 
conduct testing of chemical substances under the Federal Insecticide, 
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). 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 Copies of this Document and Other Related Information?

    1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this 
action under docket identification (ID) number OPP-2002-0049. The 
official public docket consists of the documents specifically 
referenced in this action, any public comments received, and other 
information related to this action. Although a part of the official 
docket, the public docket does not include Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute. The official public docket is the collection of materials 
that is available for public viewing at the Public Information and 
Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 2, 
1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA. This docket facility is open 
from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The docket telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
    2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register'' 
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/. In addition, copies of the 
preliminary comparative ecological assessment for the nine rodenticides 
may also be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/rodenticidecluster.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public 
comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official 
public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that 
are available electronically.

[[Page 4469]]

 Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the appropriate 
docket ID number.
    Certain types of information will not be placed in the EPA Dockets. 
Information claimed as CBI and other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute, which is not included in the official public 
docket, will not be available for public viewing in EPA's electronic 
public docket. EPA's policy is that copyrighted material will not be 
placed in EPA' s electronic public docket but will be available only in 
printed, paper form in the official public docket. To the extent 
feasible, publicly available docket materials will be made available in 
EPA's electronic public docket. When a document is selected from the 
index list in EPA Dockets, the system will identify whether the 
document is available for viewing in EPA's electronic public docket. 
Although not all docket materials may be available electronically, you 
may still access any of the publicly available docket materials through 
the docket facility identified in Unit I.B. EPA intends to work towards 
providing electronic access to all of the publicly available docket 
materials through EPA's electronic public docket.
    For public commenters, it is important to note that EPA's policy is 
that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, 
will be made available for public viewing in EPA's electronic public 
docket as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment 
contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment 
containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that 
material in the version of the comment that is placed in EPA's 
electronic public docket. The entire printed comment, including the 
copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket.
    Public comments submitted on computer disks that are mailed or 
delivered to the docket will be transferred to EPA's electronic public 
docket. Public comments that are mailed or delivered to the docket will 
be scanned and placed in EPA's electronic public docket. Where 
practical, physical objects will be photographed, and the photograph 
will be placed in EPA's electronic public docket along with a brief 
description written by the docket staff.

C. How and To Whom Do I Submit Comments?

    You may submit comments electronically, by mail, or through hand 
delivery/courier. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, identify the 
appropriate docket ID number in the subject line on the first page of 
your comment. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the 
specified comment period. Comments received after the close of the 
comment period will be marked ``late.'' EPA is not required to consider 
these late comments. If you wish to submit CBI or information that is 
otherwise protected by statute, please follow the instructions in Unit 
I.D. Do not use EPA Dockets or e-mail to submit CBI or information 
protected by statute.
    1. Electronically. If you submit an electronic comment as 
prescribed in this unit, EPA recommends that you include your name, 
mailing address, and an e-mail address or other contact information in 
the body of your comment. Also include this contact information on the 
outside of any disk or CD ROM you submit, and in any cover letter 
accompanying the disk or CD ROM. This ensures that you can be 
identified as the submitter of the comment and allows EPA to contact 
you in case EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties 
or needs further information on the substance of your comment. EPA's 
policy is that EPA will not edit your comment, and any identifying or 
contact information provided in the body of a comment will be included 
as part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, 
and made available in EPA's electronic public docket. If EPA cannot 
read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you 
for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment.
    i. EPA Dockets. Your use of EPA's electronic public docket to 
submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for 
receiving comments. Go directly to EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket, and follow the online instructions for submitting comments. 
Once in the system, select ``search,'' and then key in docket ID number 
OPP-2002-0049. The system is an ``anonymous access'' system, which 
means EPA will not know your identity, e-mail address, or other contact 
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment.
    ii. e-mail. Comments may be sent by e-mail to [email protected], 
Attention: Docket ID Number OPP-2002-0049. In contrast to EPA's 
electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not an ``anonymous 
access'' system. If you send an e-mail comment directly to the docket 
without going through EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail 
system automatically captures your e-mail address. E-mail addresses 
that are automatically captured by EPA's e-mail system are included as 
part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, and 
made available in EPA's electronic public docket.
    iii. Disk or CD ROM. You may submit comments on a disk or CD ROM 
that you mail to the mailing address identified in Unit I.C.2. These 
electronic submissions will be accepted in WordPerfect or ASCII file 
format. Avoid the use of special characters and any form of encryption.
    2. By mail. Send your comments to: Public Information and Records 
Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), 
Environmental Protection Agency (7502C), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001, Attention: Docket ID Number OPP-2002-0049.
    3. By hand delivery or courier. Deliver your comments to: Public 
Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Office of Pesticide 
Programs (OPP), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 
2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA., Attention: 
Docket ID Number OPP-2002-0049. Such deliveries are only accepted 
during the docket's normal hours of operation as identified in Unit 
I.B.1.D.
    Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI 
electronically through EPA's electronic public docket or by e-mail. You 
may claim information that you submit to EPA as CBI by marking any part 
or all of that information as CBI (if you submit CBI on disk or CD ROM, 
mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM as CBI and then identify 
electronically within the disk or CD ROM the specific information that 
is 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 docket and EPA's electronic public docket. If you submit 
the copy that does not contain CBI on disk or CD ROM, mark the outside 
of the disk or CD ROM clearly that it does not contain CBI. Information 
not marked as CBI will be included in the public docket and EPA's 
electronic public docket without prior notice. If you have any 
questions about CBI or the procedures for claiming CBI,

[[Page 4470]]

please consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

D. 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.
    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. Background

A. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    EPA is making available the preliminary comparative ecological 
assessment for nine rodenticides, which included those addressed in the 
Reregistration Eligibility Decisions (REDs) for the the rodenticide 
cluster (brodifacoum, bromadiolone, bromethalin, chlorophacinone, 
diphacinone,) and zinc phosphide, as well as three other rodenticides, 
warfarin, difethialone, and cholecalciferol. This notice starts a 60-
day public comment period for the preliminary comparative ecological 
assessment. The Agency's preliminary assessment titled: ``Potential 
Risks of Nine Rodenticides to Birds and Nontarget Mammals: A 
Comparative Approach,'' is available in the docket.
    As additional comments, reviews, and risk assessment modifications 
become available, these will also be docketed for the nine rodenticides 
listed in this notice. The Agency cautions that these assessments are 
preliminary assessments only and that further refinements will be 
appropriate for some, if not all, of these nine rodenticides. This 
document reflects only the work and analysis conducted as of the time 
it was produced and it is appropriate that, as new information becomes 
available and/or additional analyses are performed, the conclusions 
contained, therein, may change.
    The Agency is providing an opportunity, through this notice, for 
interested parties to provide written comments and input to the Agency 
on the preliminary ecological assessment for the chemicals specified in 
this notice. Such comments and input could address, for example, the 
availability of additional data to further refine the assessment or 
address the Agency's risk assessment methodologies and assumptions as 
applied to these specific chemicals. Comments should be limited to 
issues raised within the preliminary assessment. Failure to comment on 
any such issues as part of this opportunity will in no way prejudice or 
limit a commenter's opportunity to participate fully in later notice 
and comment processes. All comments should be submitted by February 28, 
2003 using the methods in Unit I. Comments will become part of the 
Agency record for each rodenticide to which it pertains.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Chemicals, Pesticides and pests.

    Dated: January 18, 2003.
 Lois A. Rossi,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 03-2021 Filed 1-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S